Young professionals seeking advice on how to become their own boss will be given an opportunity to learn tricks of the trade during a free panel presentation on Thursday, October 4 at 6:30pm at The Nassau Yacht Club.
Hosted by NB-12 producer Juan McCartney and sponsored by the Rotaract Club of East Nassau, the panel discussion will feature three of the Bahamas premiere entrepreneurs: Chester Cooper, President & CEO of BAF and Chairman of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Diane Phillips, founder of the award-winning public relations firm Diane Phillips & Associates; and Peter Andrews, founder of Bahamas Waste and Bahamas Hot Mix.
“Despite the appeal of being your own boss, the reality is that you will work harder than you ever imagined, put in longer hours than you ever dreamed, accept the fact that you are never ‘off’ and always remember that it’s the people around you who enable your business to not just survive, but to grow and thrive,” Diane Phillips said. “The rewards can be abundant but so is the work. People who get it right don’t just find work, they produce meaningful work, contribute to community and find true satisfaction.”
Panelists will divulge first-hand knowledge of minting a business with a wide array of tips and techniques.
In 2001, Chester Cooper joined BAF, formerly British American Financial, as Vice President of Financial Services & Investments. Prior to that, Mr Cooper worked as an investment banker in Luxembourg, Dublin, and The Bahamas for eight years.
Peter Andrews has built a variety of successful businesses including Bahamas Waste, Bahamas Hot Mix, Bahamas Mac Tuck Sales, Nassau Ready Mix, and Pride Investment – which purchased and began the development of the Montagu property in 1981. Mr Andrews has been an entrepreneur since 1950, initially making only $1 per week selling newspapers.
Diane Phillips has been a reporter, writer, and editor in a career that has spanned over 42 years. Her travel pieces, features, boating stories, and columns have appeared in numerous print publications around the world, such as The New York Times, Modern Bride, Motor Boating & Sailing, Stern, and the in-flight magazine for Silver Airways. She was a former executive director of the Bahamas Duty Free Promotion Board and the first director of the Nassau Tourism & Development Board.
“There are very few people who take their time to be mentors especially to aspiring entrepreneurs,” says Rotaract fundraising lead Taran Mackey. “The opportunity to listen to the stories of some of the country’s most successful businesspersons will give hope to those that would like to start their own venture. We hope that some of the attendees who are on the fence about starting their own business can take the knowledge gained to start or improve their own businesses.”
