Since COVID-19 arrived on Jamaican soil in March of 2020, it has made it clear that it is not here for a 3 day 2 night weekend stay at one of our lovely hotels on the north coast, but that it intends to take up residence.

Renardo Hibbert, 26-year-old CEO of Shipright Courier has turned the unfortunate circumstances of this pandemic, into a thriving business in the fast-growing freight-forwarding space.

The young entrepreneur says that this was the best time to take advantage of the growing demand for convenient commerce.

“Nowadays people are migrating online to do their business, because the pandemic has made it more difficult for people to move around and get things done. We see where there has been an uptick in online sales, especially overseas, and that inspired us to take advantage of a growing market for this kind of service. There’s a premium placed on convenience these days and now is the time to capitalise,” he says.

Online shopping

For right now, the company operates solely online and anyone who wishes to employ their services can visit their website and sign up. After signing up online the customer is given a U.S. mailing address and unique mailbox number to be used during any future transactions.

Customers are notified when their packages arrive at the company’s overseas warehouse in Florida in the United States, and can be tracked until it is ready for delivery to the customer which is free of cost in the corporate area, Portmore and Spanish Town.

The company brings cargo into the country in two ways, by air and by sea.

Lighter packages such as clothing, jewelry, and other small accessories leave Shipright’s overseas warehouse by air on Mondays and Thursdays.

Heavier parcels like barrels leave the warehouse by sea and arrive in Jamaica on Wednesdays.

Package arrival days

Packages that arrive at the warehouse in Jamaica on Mondays through to Wednesdays will be available for pick up on Saturday, while packages that arrive on Thursdays through to Saturdays will be available for pick up on Tuesday.

Hibbert registered Shipright in 2019, but began operations in June of 2020, and hasn’t looked back since.

Although his company is young, he notes that he has seen tremendous growth in his customer base since he began operations.

The company will now be branching out further and will be looking into exporting goods for small businesses to various Caribbean islands.

The upstart businessman noted that leaving his customers satisfied is the number one challenge and motivation for him as he tries to operate a successful business in a time where it might be most difficult to do so.

“For me, the customer is always right and I am a person that likes to solve problems and clear challenges. That’s why I decided to get into this space. I am fulfilled knowing that at the end of the day, I have a happy customer. So, although we don’t have a physical space where you can come and pick up your parcels, we offer lots of discounts and have promotions running throughout the year to compensate. Also, where we can facilitate free delivery outside of the areas specified, we are more than happy to oblige”, he says.

Pandemic impacted business

The pandemic has severely impacted business operations in Jamaica, and ironically many young Jamaicans like Hibbert have decided to take matters into their own hands by creating their own businesses.

Hibbert started his business with the help of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), who he said provided him with consultation services for his registered business free of cost.

No one is immune to the struggles of the pandemic, but he is adamant that now is the time to put any plans one might have had into action.

He says he never doubted his ability to successfully pursue this venture even with COVID-19 making things difficult.

“I think if you’re motivated and have confidence in yourself, I think that you can be successful no matter what. Even during the lockdown restrictions, I got everyone their packages before midday, because I understand that a good business, pandemic or not, needs happy customers” he says.

Interested in using the Shipright service? See contact details below:

Website link: https://shiprightcourier.com [2]
Registration link: https://shiprightcourier.com/register [3]
Contact: 1876-402-0843
Email address: info@shiprightcourier.com [4]

(Advertorial)