On returning to Barbados I was immediately thrust into two awesome interventions. The one was a meeting with Dr. Tim Thorogood, born in Barbados, but who is now Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands Government. His immediate recognition of the power of the CBET Shepherding Model™ was extremely satisfying for me. The second was a presentation and discussion to regional participants at a Trade, Innovation Policy and Small States Professional Training Programme organised by Dr. Keith Nurse of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. I was asked to present the CBET Shepherding Model™ and was blessed with much more time than I was scheduled and was therefore able to share comprehensively the details of the design and results to date. The feedback was phenomenal and I would not be surprised if there is significant follow up in an effort to spread the model into other nodes in the Caribbean and possibly beyond. The Information Society of Barbados honoured Dr. DeLisle Worrell, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, at a dinner at the Hilton last Friday night which was well attended by a wide cross section of the business community. Dr. Worrell, Trevor Clarke, Mickey Armstrong and I were founder members of the ISB in 1992. He went on to become its Second President. I remember those early days when we were trying to create a Society with a “bite” to greet the advent of the ICT revolution, the Information Age. James Corbin is the ISB’s current President and he presented an attractive programme of events towards the vision of Barbados becoming a global ITC Centre of Excellence. The week ended with the historical installation ceremony of Mrs. Katrina Sam-Prescod as the 25th President of the Rotary Club of Barbados South and the first female president of a Rotary Club in Barbados. Indeed a week of God's gracious dealings and generous bounties which need to be praised. Compassion lavished, love extravagant!

The BCCI, at another retreat on Friday 14 May 2010 to confirm the Revitalisation of Bridgetown Initiative and seek stakeholder support for its development, included in its “Centres of Excellence” concept to develop a new Bridgetown Barbados Brand, a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy. By the way, it has been reported that the level of solar energy incident (insolation) on Barbados in one day, if efficiently collected, is enough to service the power needs of Barbados for an entire year. The path is now clear for the BL&P to buy energy from suppliers of solar energy and we look forward to the advent of the production of “solaricity” – at last. Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. (

In order to substantiate these beliefs, I later researched the concern and found a UNICEF Terms of Reference for a Consultant to Provide the Technical Assistance to Conduct a Survey of Learning Disabilities in Primary Schools in Barbados dated May 2010. The Background read “…Qualitative reports from the Education landscape in Barbados indicate that a “high” number of young boys and girls are transitioning from Primary school to Secondary school with limited foundational skills in literacy, numeric competency and problem solving – skills which are necessary to access and manipulate increasingly complex information. Reports from the field suggest that: (1) the population of boys and girls who are exhibiting symptoms of a learning disability and are in need of special educational provision is increasing daily; (2) the facilities provided currently in schools are inefficient to meet the diverse needs of boys and girls with learning disabilities; (3) in some schools a significant number of the student population demonstrate major challenges with reading and comprehension and have relatively-low levels of understanding and ability to share ideas, reason or explain a concept; (4) the population of boys who are experiencing difficulties with numeric skills, reading, comprehension and writing is higher than girls; and (5) many boys and girls have difficulty in expressing themselves fluently in the standardized form of the English language. It is only a matter of time before the magnitude of the iceberg will be revealed and we shall be faced with “Titanic” losses. The extent to which we successfully manage this and the other downside risks associated with weak finance, government policy, mentorship and business facilitation, will determine our destiny. Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God— That's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing.

The CBET Shepherding Model resolves the dilemma of how to address the endemic high failure rates in business. Those who believe in it, no longer have to live at the mercy of credit risk departments. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in business, like a strong wind, will magnificently clear the air for enterprise development, freeing the entrepreneur from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of failure and despair.

Aggressive enterprise development could be the foundation for the new Caribbean economy - it is an important ingredient for survival - we can no longer depend on the traditional ways of doing things, we must diversify. However, based on our experience to date, there are many challenges which have revealed themselves: (1) the development phase prior to first revenue realisation; (2) cross-cultural communication; (3) shortage of trained resources; (4) ethereal thought processes frustrating left brain business thrusts; (5) lack of appreciation of the philosophy “Start small; Do it right; Make it Happen; then Expand” by some entrepreneurs. There are also positives coming out of the experience: (1) application to work; (2) strong clear visions; (3) innovative products and services; (4) technology innovation; (5) self-confidence; and (6) product/service experience.

We must now apply these principles to our Bimventures enterprises and monitor the changes with the passage of time. Total quality management must be applied to all systems of the enterprise including: governance, marketing, production, administration, bookkeeping and accounting, ICT, HR and finance. Increasing success will boost the viability of our Venture Capital fund thus encouraging greater and greater investment and ultimate economic sustainability.

BASIL SPRINGER COLUMN WHICH APPEARED IN THE BARBADOS ADVOCATE'S BUSINESS MONDAY ON MAY 24, 2010 THE STEP BY STEP APPROACH “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” - John 14:27 Every so often I reflect on my PhD thesis (1968) with the expectation that I shall be blessed to extend my thought processes to a current application to which the spirit of my efforts can be applied. The purpose of the thesis was to develop and discuss automatic computer simulation procedures for controlling variable factors (finding optimum conditions or “success”) when the response or output from the system is stochastic (subject to random error), albeit from a theoretical mathematical and statistical perspective. In my thesis, there is a common philosophy adopted which may be captured in the phrase “systematic and evolutionary approach”. It is recognised that the longest journey to success begins with the first step and that we should adopt a step by step approach (systematic) to progress. In addition, it is recognised that the information gleaned from the immediately preceding steps should be incorporated in the decision making process which determines the length and direction of the next step (evolutionary). In the case of a cricket team let us consider the following scenario. The eleven players selected in a given team (except for debutantes) all have historical statistical averages e.g. average runs per innings in a given form of the game; T20I, ODI or test cricket. The number of runs scored by a batsman (the response), in any given innings, is random within the context of the statistical distribution of batting performances, in the sense that it cannot be predicted precisely for a given innings. However, we would expect that the average number of runs per innings for an individual selected as a specialist batsman would be higher than the average number of runs per innings for an individual not selected as a specialist batsman. An estimate of the average team score per innings over a series, say, could be the sum of the batting averages of the eleven players. Controlling the variable factors so as to exceed the average score (optimum conditions) therefore becomes the management challenge. What are these variable factors? I suggest that they include discipline, fitness, practice, attitude, determination, earnings, complacency, leadership, selection policies and on-the-field management. There are, of course, similar arguments that can be made and statistics that can be compiled for the bowling and the fielding aspects of the game. The management of these factors is therefore critical to ensure that a team is comfortable punching in at least its own weight category. Success in management of these factors will result in the sustainable performance of the cricket team within boundaries of its own cricketing capability. In the case of a business enterprise let us consider the following scenario. An enterprise is established to sell goods or services to local, regional and ultimately global target markets. Each enterprise will have a profile of revenue, profit and return on investment, say, which constitutes the response. The response is random, within the context of the statistical distribution of enterprise revenues, profits and returns on investment in the sense that they cannot be predicted precisely for a given enterprise. Controlling the variable factors so as to exceed the target profile (optimum conditions) therefore becomes the management challenge. What are these variable factors? I suggest that they include discipline, attitude, determination, adversity quotient, leadership and management. In addition, the governance system, which embraces the pillars of a business, marketing, operations, human resources, ICT and finance, is paramount to ensure that an enterprise can compete comfortably in the global environment. Success in management of these factors will result in the sustainable performance of the enterprise within the boundaries of its own competitiveness. It was reported in the Nation newspaper last week that Barbados is set to become the home of the first film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean. Last Wednesday, Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution Inc. (CTWD) was launched to present Caribbean film-makers to the international community. CTWD was established to ensure that film-makers in the Caribbean could effectively have their work marketed and distributed. Independent film producers have no centralised channel through which to market content, and content buyers have no centralised entity from which to acquire content. Frances-Anne Solomon, chief executive officer of CTWD, said: "There is an explosion of film products coming out of the region and there is a need for a focused distribution strategy to ensure that this content gets the best deals on the international market." CTWD held its first board meeting under the chairmanship of Dr. Keith Nurse and is now on the way to delineating and implementing its first year action plan. CTWD will be participating in the international Caribbean Studies Association Conference to be held in Barbados this week. CTWD is part of the Barbados Business Enterprise Corp. family which provides Shepherding and Seed & Venture Capital services. Once a systematic evolutionary approach is adopted BBEC feels confident that CWTD will rise to the pinnacles of success. On Thursday evening Barbados Business Enterprise Corp. family had a social networking session which is pictorially recorded on our face book page. The features of the evening were Went Caribbean’s tasty delicacies and Marita Greenidge’s BBEC version of a Jeopardy game where the Jeopardy categories were the first five businesses which have qualified for BBEC Venture Capital. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught. (Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. - CBET - Columns are archived at www.cbetmodel.org)

REVITALISATION OF BRIDGETOWN PART 2 - BASIL SPRINGER COLUMN WHICH APPEARED IN THE BARBADOS ADVOCATE'S BUSINESS MONDAY ON MAY 17, 2010 "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" - Luke 6:35-36 A more user friendly interpretation of the above text is "I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never-I promise-regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind". The Revitalisation of Bridgetown Retreat did take place on Friday May 14 and was a stimulating experience, attended by over 60 public and private sector stakeholders. There was a spirit of helping and giving with the expectation of a return for Bridgetown Barbados. The meeting began with a welcome by Mrs. Lisa Gale, CEO of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). This was followed by an opening address by Senator Jeptor Ince on behalf of the Prime Minister of Barbados who was introduced by Mrs. Glenda Medford, the President of BCCI. Senator Ince recalled that there were many previous revitalisation of Bridgetown initiatives but expressed the hope that because of the extensive planning and consultation that was put into this one, there would be a high probability for its success. In his mind there was no doubt that the collective assets of our capital city could be mobilized into a magnetic force to attract locals, residents and tourists alike. I was privileged to be the facilitator of the event and began the first part of the proceedings by inviting Mr. Lalu Vaswani, Chairman of the BCCI Bridgetown Steering Committeee, to give a background to the Bridgetown initiative. He noted that the process followed by the BCCI was one of embracing the interest of the public and private sector stakeholders and encouraged them to participate in the revitalisation programme led by the Chamber. He looked forward to the involvement of many of the stakeholders in the retreat where the Chamber's plans would be outlined and where an appeal would be made for cash contributions from businesses in general, and private and public sponsorship of foundation projects as a precursor to making Bridgetown come alive. The next speaker was Mrs. Maureen Davis representing the private sector Tourism Development Corporation. She described the work of the TDC over the last 22 years where an average of $1 million per year had been donated to several projects associated with the development of the tourism industry, many of them in Bridgetown. She noted that the TDC welcomed the initiative by the BCCI to be the Coordinating entity which would marshal the forces from the public and private sectors to ensure the success of the Bridgetown revitalisation initiative. Then we had a comprehensive presentation from Ms. Alissandra Cummins on Bridgetown as a UNESCO World Heritage site. She indicated the importance of World Heritage sites for opening doors for the development of a country and the importance of managing the Bridgetown site to optimise its benefits. After a refreshment break, there were eight presentations from public and private sector organisations who were already heavily involved in one Bridgetown initiative or the other. This was a set of very interesting independent presentations without any evidence of co-ordination. Mr. Stewart Layne, CEO of Barbados Tourism Investment Incorporated (BTII), was the first to deliver his presentation on the physical development of Bridgetown. This was extremely impressive and certainly augers well for the future. Then there was the presentation from Ms. Debbie Stoute, Marketing & Corporate Communications manager of the Barbados National Bank (BNB), where she demonstrated the importance which the BNB has given to the revitalisation by the positioning of their new state of the art headquarters at the centre of Bridgetown. Mrs. Sue Springer, Executive Vice-President of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), spoke about the BHTA's Tourism Fund and how it had been used, through the TDC, to assist in many tourism projects, some of which were in Bridgetown. The source of the revenue for the tourism development projects is a voluntary contribution of one dollar per night of hotel stay for visitors to Barbados. Mr. Ken Atherley, Manager, Corporate Development and Strategy, Barbados Port Inc. gave a state-of-the-art PowerPoint presentation on the Port's expansion plan for both passengers and cargo to accommodate the larger cruise and cargo vessels which are now becoming the norm in international transport circles. Mr. Andre Hoyte, Marketing Officer of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), explained the NCF's plan for making Bridgetown come alive and expressed their interest in collaborating with BCCI in this regard. Mrs. Shirley Farnum, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Affairs and Culture, gave a short exposé of the new initiatives being developed in her Ministry. The next speaker was Mr. William Hinds, who introduced his booklet "Solar Motion - Solar Vehicles and the Solar Vision for Bridgetown". The final speaker was Mr.Kemar Saffrey, Chairman of the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society, who is engaged in a very impressive initiative to meet the needs of homeless people in Bridgetown. He in fact offered to provide a space which the Chamber could use as an office for their Revitalisation of Bridgetown initiative. After lunch the participants engaged in round table interactive dialogue to give their advice to the BCCI on the way forward. Mr. Andy Armstrong, President Designate of the Chamber, thanked the stakeholders for a wonderful day of interaction which augurs well for future collaboration. (Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. - CBET - Columns are archived at www.cbetmodel.org)

BASIL SPRINGER COLUMN TO APPEAR IN THE BARBADOS ADVOCATE’S BUSINESS MONDAY ON MAY 10 2010 REVITALISATION OF BRIDGETOWN “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” - Luke 6:35-36 David Cameron Gikandi’s book “A Happy Pocket full of Money” espouses “Your Quantum Leap into the Understanding, Having and Enjoying of Immense Wealth and Happiness”. It epitomises the philosophy of Wealth Consciousness by reminding us to experience infinite wealth, abundance and happiness here, now in the new golden age of humanity. Further, he advises that everything you need to make you happy is inside of you and nothing outside of you can stop you. I received a response from Karen Bart-Alexander to a recent column of mine entitled “Centres of Excellence” where I concluded that we must pay immediate attention to the development of Centres of Excellence if we strive after successful sustainable development of a country. This success depends on its ability to utilise its resources (physical, spiritual, financial, human, intellectual, social, cultural and natural) in the context of Centres of Excellence. She said that she loved this thinking, it was right on target and consistent with what the Japanese did and then went on to quote from Gikandi’s book as follows: “They (the Japanese) carefully selected the industries they thought would be big on the global economy and they geared their education, financial, political and legal systems to make the whole country walk as one towards achieving their goals." She continued that what I have proposed is the right track not only for Barbados but for the Caribbean and that each island might have a slightly different focus but the process is extremely relevant. I have the honour to be associated with the current Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry project on the Revitalisation of Bridgetown. There have been numerous studies and plans for the revitalisation of Bridgetown but few have been implemented and there is still much room for the city to be transformed into the best it can be. On this occasion there is a determination to recognise that the process of revitalising a city is not so much on the plan but on the assembly of spiritual energy and the understanding that everything that is needed for success is inside of you and nothing outside of you can stop you. In practical terms this may be described by the thought that as one pursues the upside potential, one has to manage the downside risks. This more inspiringly said in Luke Chapter 6, "I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind”. The new Bridgetown Brand mirrors an environment which is “A clean, attractive, safe and vibrant urban core which supports a variety of activities both night and day for nationals, local residents and tourists”. The Brand Image conjures up in the minds of people an amalgam of Centres of Excellence. We must mobilise resources to address projects which would lay the foundation for growth. We must mobilise resources to develop and coordinate an amalgam of centres of excellence which will define the Bridgetown Barbados Brand so that it appeals to local as well as traditional and emerging tourism markets. We must mobilise resources to contribute to growth of the Barbados Economy through the revitalisation of its capital city. The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be having a Bridgetown Revitalisation Retreat on Friday 14 May where an appeal will be made to public sector, private sector and funding agency stakeholders alike to put their collective shoulders to the plough so that we can mount early projects, preconditions for success, which will lay the foundation for the development of these Centres of Excellence which are integral to the new Bridgetown Brand. To this end the Chamber has commissioned (1) a survey of property owners and business operators on each street in Bridgetown from the bridge to the Port to the Oval and then to Bay St. via Country road and Halls road to record basic qualitative information on businesses in terms of type and size (large, medium, small) which operate within all properties in Bridgetown; and (2) a “broad-spectrum census” of the business houses within the Bridgetown area to collect idiosyncratic quantitative data as it pertains to each entity including – name of business, owner, and contact details – name, telephone, email and landlord. This database will facilitate the development of an information database and communication process between the Chamber and businesses in Bridgetown. This will then expedite the entire systematic and evolutionary process of the revitalization of Bridgetown. When The Revitalisation of Bridgetown Concept is implemented and evolves, it is envisaged that Bridgetown property owners and Bridgetown business operators (large and small) will benefit from enhanced property values and increased business turnover, respectively. The surveyors will be in the field this week and each surveyor will be issued with an identification badge confirming accreditation to and affiliation with the Chamber. Landlords and businesses are asked to kindly cooperate in this enumeration exercise. (Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. - CBET - Columns are archived at www.cbetmodel.org)

There is a steady flow of potential “sunrise” enterprises, with the “DNA of an Elephant”, naturally emerging. Seeking the optimal subsystem size for me does not need to restrict the rate of growth of the economy of Barbados. What it does mean is that we have to determine when it is optimal to have another hub manager. The procurement of shepherds, who can be comfortably matched to entrepreneurs, is a constraint in the sense that individual shepherds cannot manage more than one or two projects and hence more and more shepherds will have to be found to match the entrepreneurs, albeit not necessarily all from Barbados. We will also need business advisors to support them. We shall need to source private sector venture capital funds. The Seed Capital fund is designed as a revolving and growth fund so there is no constraint there; it may serve several hubs. The Governance structure and marketing infrastructure can service many hubs. Makes sure the harder you work at the hub the less dependent the system is on you. Meanwhile the earth fills up with awareness of God's glory as the waters cover the sea.

Dr E.F Schumacher, author of the book ”Small is beautiful - Economics as if People really Mattered”, stated many years ago, that the optimal size of an administrative unit in the context of the governance of a country is 250,000 people, approximately the population of Barbados. We are the leaders in the Caribbean and Latin America in public/private partnerships, we need to expand this into a Centre of Excellence (1). Barbados has developed a brand internationally, primarily as a tourism destination and it is natural that Centres of Excellence should be built around this tourism node: duty free products (2); conservation of the environment leading to “ecomagination” and ecotourism(3); health tourism (4); and sports tourism (5). In terms of the use of our natural resources we are an island but yet we are ranked among the driest countries in the world. We therefore need to develop a water desalination Centre of Excellence (6). It has been reported that if one could collect the level of insolation incident on Barbados in one day, and convert it into electrical energy, this would meet the energy needs of Barbados for one year. Barbados is blessed also with a constant wind regime where efficient conversion of wind energy to electricity would also make a contribution to the energy needs. We therefore need a Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence (7) to build on what we have already done in solar water heating. In the area of finance in support of enterprise development, there is the need for a Venture Capital Centre of Excellence (8) to complement the services which are provided by traditional financial institutions. Hopefully, the recently launched Barbados Quick Response Seed and Venture Capital Fund will form a solid nucleus. Economic growth can only take place - one successful business enterprise after another, hence there is need for sustainable enterprise development. Hopefully, the CBET Shepherding Model, which recognises that the advent of shepherding in enterprise development mitigates the risk of business failure, is an initiative which would be at the vanguard of an Enterprise Development Centre of Excellence (9). Barbados helped to build wealth for its colonial master by producing sugar. At that time, the sugar cane plant covered no less than 65% of the island’s land mass. There needs to be a Centre of Excellence (10) in modern agriculture which mobilises the approximately 30,000 acres of arable land which remain to produce food for local consumption (including import substitution) and exotic fresh and processed products for global markets. We need a Centre of Excellence (11) for the sunrise industries, e.g. the cultural industries (fashion, film, music and art), which are based on the innate talent of the Barbadian and will drive the future economy of Barbados. Lastly, but by no means least, we need a Centre of Excellence (12) for Education to build on our solid foundation and embrace innovative educational systems driven by new technologies. We must pay immediate attention to the development of these 12 Centres of Excellence. In this context, we must examine our self worth, as has been stated “What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! You're worth more than a million canaries”.

These are needs that do not involve balance. Once engaged, they continue to be felt. In fact, they are likely to become stronger as we “feed” them! They involve the continuous desire to fulfil potentials, to “be all that you can be.” They involve becoming the most complete, the fullest, “you” - hence the term, self-actualization. It is reported that “In keeping with his theory up to this point, if you want to be truly self-actualizing, you need to have your lower needs taken care of, at least to a considerable extent. This makes sense: If you are hungry, you are scrambling to get food; If you are unsafe, you have to be continuously on guard; If you are isolated and unloved, you have to satisfy that need; If you have a low sense of self-esteem, you have to be defensive or compensate. When lower needs are unmet, you can’t fully devote yourself to fulfilling your potentials”. I believe that development of an appreciation for the cultural industries will, to a large extent, point us towards self-actualisation. I would add further that cross-cultural communication, in the context of the mixing of one culture with another, will add icing to the cake.

Love must be extended to all entrepreneurs because of the beneficial collective impact of their efforts on the lives of all of us in our respective domains. Do entrepreneurs get the love that they deserve? I think not and that is why the advent of the CBET Shepherding ModelTM is so important as it attempts to increase the survival rate of start-up enterprises. Week after week we get responses like “We need money, yes, but we are very attracted to the shepherding element of your model” or “we are continually discouraged because the financial institutions either say they do not fund start-ups or they take a very long time to tell us ‘no’ – I am told that CBET can help us”.

As I keep on saying, “What I really don’t understand is why the agricultural sector (often deemed to be partly an art and partly a science), which is certainly basic to our survival, is traditionally treated with such scant respect”. We pay lip service to its importance to produce food, one of our basic needs, and merely flirt with the prospects for agricultural exports and import substitution, as contributors to net foreign exchange gains, from time to time. What is needed is the political will to establish a public/private Barbados Agricultural Trading Trust (BATT) which would master mind the effective and efficient movement of agricultural products from supplier to consumer. BATT should be established as a co-ordinating entity which is private sector led by private sector trustees with public and private sector support. This is in keeping with the well established corporate governance philosophy where the role of the private sector is to lead and the role of government is to determine policy and create a user friendly enabling environment through regulatory and service functions.

“Religion is an inherent attribute of human nature, our search for truth about spiritual reality. It's the source of our moral and spiritual principles, the rule of law, the inner essence of human nature, the difference between wild animals and civilized human beings”. What I really don’t understand is why the agricultural sector (often deemed to be partly an art and partly a science), which is certainly basic to our survival, is traditionally treated with such scant respect. May I quote from www.bible.com a paraphrasing of part of the text above: “This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God”. Not only must we expose ourselves to the cultural industries to effect the holistic human being but we must also pay attention to the export and import substitution potential of the agricultural sector to benefit fully from the resources which abound.

Imported vehicles are a significant drain on the net international reserves but they also have a positive impact on Government revenue because of the high level of duties which are imposed. I think a policy to reduce the imports of new vehicles as a means of increasing the net international reserves should be considered. In pursuing this upside potential we, of course, would have to manage the downside risks associated with new car dealer reaction, net job losses (if any), sources to replace annual duty revenue on vehicles, vehicle insurance considerations and artificial lifestyle and cultural nuances. On the positive side, one could create a new industry to cannibalise vehicles, which have reached the end of their natural life, to refurbish durable parts, and enhance the quantity and quality of auto- and body-repair activity. I noticed a report in last Saturday’s Barbados Today that the Daimler driven by Queen Elizabeth II at the turn of the century is still in truly immaculate as-new condition due to proper maintenance. I certainly try to keep my almost-12 year old car well preserved at relatively little cost - it looks like new and performs as if it were a new car. We need a policy curb on the regular three-year change of individual or company car syndrome merely because we have or can borrow the Barbados dollars to buy the car. Only those who can prove that they actually earn or save foreign exchange should be considered for permission to purchase a new car over a certain value. The power of positive thinking is embodied in the text above which is also tempered by balance in the concept of forgiveness. As I pray for this food-for-thought for saving foreign exchange to be considered in the interest of developing our economy, may I also ask to be forgiven for trespassing on accustomed individual rights and liberties?

BASIL SPRINGER COLUMN TO APPEAR IN THE BARBADOS ADVOCATE’S BUSINESS MONDAY ON MARCH 15 2010 TOURISM GROWTH “But Jesus, said unto them, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” - Mark 6:4 Many of us, who are active in one form of endeavour or another, may be able to relate to the above text. It is very difficult to get people to listen to you in a familiar environment, but if you are out of that environment, you are often given a better hearing. Similarly, prophets from abroad who come into our environment are often listened to more quickly than those at home. My two sons both live abroad, albeit in different parts of the world, but, in the last week, I received independent communication from both of them which tell me that they, too, relate well, albeit through different experiences, to the above text

Last week, I received a call from the officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for CIEX. This was a new acronym to me. I subsequently discovered that the acronym stood for the Council for Investment, Exports, Foreign Exchange and The Diaspora. On further investigation, I learned that also on July 7th 2008, in his Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals, the Prime Minister of Barbados mandated the establishment of CIEX, charging it with the specific responsibility of coordinating the efforts of Barbados’ principal foreign exchange earning sectors, and of exploring creative new ways to attract investment into Barbados. The CIEX has a tripartite membership structure representing the public sector, profit and non-profit entities. The responsibility for implementing the mandate of the CIEX has been entrusted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. . The following are amongst the major priorities of this Council: (1) Harmonizing and coordinating the efforts of our Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Investment and Labour officials in our overseas missions through a reenergized Team Barbados. (2) Strengthening the relationship with the Barbadian Diaspora, whether they return to Barbados or not, through the creation of a new unit, Barbados Network, to provide enhanced incentives to attract the participation of Overseas Barbadians in our development effort; and (3) the creation of a Centre for Philanthropy which will provide a comprehensive legal and administrative framework to channel the contributions and good works of individuals and corporations towards projects for the social and economic development of Barbados. The officer mentioned that CIEX gets many enquiries from prospective entrepeneurs. Having been exposed to the existence of CBET (Barbados) on the People’s Business TV programme on Sunday 21st February, she thought she would open up the door to effect a smart partnership between CBET (Barbados) and CIEX in the near future.

When each of the above partnerships has been established, then the parties embark on the joint task of identifying the financial capital and Government policy support to procure all the resources required for success. The individual solutions to the four challenges may all be couched in terms of the generic solution “shepherding-systems coordination-money- success”. This may then be applied to the multitude of other examples that arise in our society. When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and commend you lavishly and you who are younger must follow your leaders.

Last Friday and Saturday, BBEC mounted its first Shepherding Training Programme which primarily built on the existing Shepherds’ observations in the Pilot project. There were also interested well wishers of BBEC in attendance, along with prospective shepherds who shared their experiences. A dynamic interactive experience resulted, which was acclaimed to be very successful. The new batch of shepherds will be selected from those who attended. The experience in the pilot project has already begun to extol the virtues of the shepherding model as being necessary and sufficient for sustainable business success in Barbados. As we develop one business enterprise after another, we contribute to growth in the economy and the attendant increase in job creation, foreign exchange earnings or savings and other macro-economic benefits. If Barbados wins, we all win. May the shepherding innovation and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer.

David still seemed to be writhing in pain from the thought of youngsters giving advice. He was again gracious but at the same time myopic by concluding that “Hope it does work well for you guys, we are just averse to the kind of advertorial presented on CBET- investors all over can get much better and more experienced and tested advice all over the region”. I am not sure what his reference to “advertorial" was about but at least the PR strategy is having some provocative results. We thank David for his comments but I would like to end by paraphrasing the biblical text above as follows “We are not saying that we have this all together, that we have it made. But we are well on our way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for us. Friends, don't get us wrong: By no means do we count ourselves as experts in all of this, but we have got our eyes on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. We are off and running and we are not turning back. We have spent many resources training youngsters in the region; we must back this by exuding confidence in them. The next cohort of BBEC businesses will be shepherded beginning March 2010.

In a recent BBEC press release entitled “Invest in the Caribbean”, Jeremy Stephen, a 25 year old BBEC financial advisor, gave investment advice. An experienced Caribbean consultant from Manchester Trade, Ltd., D.C. responded to the press release as follows: (1) In one of the most cost-expensive and uncompetitive market in the Americas?; (2) Go ahead and be my guest following the advice of a 25 year old financial advisor!!!; (3) Maybe in the DR, but I suspect BBEC's notion of Caribbean is not that broad, huh? (4) I wish it were that easy my friend...; (5) Stay well, but please try to stay real! I am puzzled by the style of the response but one positive thing about it is that it was copied to a virtual “Who’s Who” in economics and finance in the region, each of whom now has the opportunity to be aware of BBEC (www.bimventures.com), if they were not already aware. For the record, Jeremy holds a BSc. (Hons). Economics First Class Honours degree from the UWI, the Central Bank of Barbados Scholarship 2004, the Llewyn Rock Memorial Prize for Economics 2004 and the Charles M Kennedy Prize for Economics 2005. He since acquired his MSc. Finance at the Imperial College Business School, London on a British Commonwealth Scholarship 2006. He is an entrepreneur, with experience in the entertainment industry and has an avid interest in financial investment through Damoola Inc. On returning to Barbados he has immersed himself in the BBEC problem solving environment. The CBET Shepherding ModelTM is proprietary to Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc (CBET) and all intellectual property rights in the CBET Shepherding Model (TM) are exclusively owned by CBET. The Barbados Government was approached in 2008 and, arising out of this initiative, the Barbados Business Enterprise Corp. (BBEC) emerged as a partnership between CBET Inc. and the Government and Private Sector in Barbados and is maturing day by day. The model is licensed to BBEC. CBET is promoting the CBET Shepherding Model to other sovereign countries as a necessary and sufficient condition for sustainable economic development in emerging nations, one enterprise after another. To date the Model has been promoted in London (Commonwealth audience), in Dominican Republic (Latin American and Caribbean audiences) and in Africa (African, Indian and Asian audiences) with uniformly favourable responses. It is interesting to note another response to the same press release from a Barbadian, ICT student at University in Canada. He is even younger than Jeremy, well equipped in the current global reality of social media marketing and has his own website development business. It reads as follows: “I completely agree with Jeremy Stephen. I think marketing and running with it will be a good turn for Barbados. It will allow our government to have more funds to allocate to the tourism sectors and market Barbados at faster and harder pace. Good call!”

For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think, and an opportunity hierarchy improves on the job arrangements and an employment space is created to allow us all to grow and blossom to their hearts’ content. We can recover our freedom and our peace of mind if we imbibe the entrepreneurial culture.

There is an article by Sarah Pierce on February 28, 2008, entitled, Spirit of the Entrepreneur, which names the 5 characteristics which will be a useful underpinning for an entrepreneur who wants to start a business. These are passion (passion for business and an incredible passion for life); positivity (the power of positive thinking), adaptability (willingness to improve, refine and customize their services to continually give customers what they want); leadership (charisma, a sense of ethics and a desire to build integrity within an organization-someone who is enthusiastic, team oriented and a great teacher); and ambition (a great idea and a dream to share it with the world). I would like to add a “high adversity quotient” (the ability to persist in the face of adversity). We leaned from our retreat that the characteristics of a good shepherd include: reliability; provision of accurate feedback; commitment to the business’ success and economic development; knowledge about business; flexibility, openness to new ideas and objective criticism; dedication to the entrepreneur, particularly initially; understanding entrepreneurship and the nuances of entrepreneurs; responding well to challenges; patience; willingness to always learn and transfer knowledge; willingness to change; willingness to take calculated risks; spotting opportunities and networking capability; demonstrated management experience; knowledge of the sector; availability of time; complementary skills; innovative flair, verve and fervour; willingness to treat the entrepreneur’s business as if it were his/her own; empathy with the vision of the entrepreneur; entrepreneurial flair.

At one point the dialogue was centred on the optimal financial capital investment mix. Loans and overdraft facilities are obtained from commercial banks and other financial institutions; they require a monthly repayment of principal and/or interest over a given period, which may be a cash flow burden on the emerging enterprise; and the enterprise must provide collateral, which it might not have, to secure the loan. Grants are really loans which attract a zero interest; which is never paid back and for which no collateral is required; they are much appreciated when available. Demand loans may be obtained from friends and relatives at a negotiated “win-win” interest rate and repayable on “demand”; this eases the cash flow and collateral is not required. The entrepreneur, friends, Angel investors (who also offer to provide management assistance to the enterprise) and the VCF may make equity investments in the enterprise. The terms of repayment to benefit the investor (exit strategy) will be negotiated prior to the signing of an equity agreement. Funds may be obtained through corporate sponsorship where a company may be willing to pay as part of its marketing budget for the exposure of its product or service by the entrepreneur. This is not to be confused with social corporate responsibility where the company takes part of their profits and allocates to a deserving cause. Where as the BBEC SCF helps the entrepreneur to establish the business, the BBEC VCF helps it to grow by taking shares in the business in such a way that the investors in the VCF get a healthy Return on Investment.