A YOUNG BARBADIAN entrepreneur whose business is attracting interest across the region has urged his peers to use social media for more than recreation.
Dwayne Bushell, the owner of ECarib Classifieds, launched his website locally last year and was planning to take on the rest of the Caribbean early in 2013.
But following inquiries from a number of islands, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and St Lucia, the service is now available throughout most of the region.
“The Internet is the driving force. The young people especially, [in] that 18 to 35 age group, they go on [the site].
“I see the statistics on Google Analytics . . . unique visitors are going up all the time. Why I wanted to expand also, apart from the inquiries, I can see the visits and they’re coming from not only Barbados, but Dominica, St Lucia, Trinidad, United States and so on,” said the 26-year-old who is also a civil engineer.
Bushell is no stranger to the world of online business – he started his first enterprise at the age of 16 while he was still a student.
He told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY it was difficult to be taken seriously in business at that age but noted that technology had given young people an advantage over older folk.
“Yes, they might have the knowledge but technology has lessened that gap a lot. You can research so much online and figure out things in a night that they would’ve taken years to figure out,” he said.
Still, he noted that young people tended to use the Internet for Facebook and recreation.
“They don’t realize they have all the tools necessary to start a business, be successful and not only target Barbados and be strong but also target the world.
“They have to realize that whereas their parents would’ve seen Barbados as the only place where they could successfully run a business . . . the world is their market now,” he said.
Bushell advised young entrepreneurs to conduct thorough research before embarking on a business venture.
“I didn’t just wake up one morning and say I’m doing this. I had to research it; I had to make sure that it’s viable.
“Know your market, know who you are dealing with, and know your competitors better than you know yourself,” he said. (NB)
