Profile 23 Fabulous Female - Dr Marcia Brandon, Social Entrepreneur

     Dr. Marcia Brandon, as you will gather from her interview responses, is a driven yet compassionate leader and chief entrepreneurship expert. Hailing from Barbados, the petite lady is full of warmth, wisdom and goodwill.   Her mission and platform is largely charitable social entrepreneurship with the intent to help others develop in ways that contribute to their improved livelihood and environment.  Enjoy!

1.     Describe yourself in no more than three sentences, one if it is possible.  

I am a woman of resilience, who believes in the power of faith and gratitude

while practising the golden rule.

2.     Who or What is your greatest motivation? 

My greatest motivation is being able to teach someone to fish!

3.     Share with us what your business is about? 

My business is based on social entrepreneurship.  It is a charity based

business. It is about helping to develop people so that they can create their

own sustainable livelihoods through entrepreneurial means whether by working

for others or for themselves.  Although it

is a charity, we still have to employ

entrepreneurial practices to ensure

that we are able to keep helping the

people we are mandated to serve.  

We focus on the 4Ps, helping

our Caribbean people to develop

their skills, talents and knowledge

so that they can make their own

sustainable livelihoods;

preserving the planet; maintaining

peace and building strong, credible

partnerships.

4.     What is the main factor that got you involved or led you into business/entrepreneurship? 

I am passionate about people

development.  I strongly  

believe that if we can help our people to develop their 

talents, skills and knowledge base  and help

them to understand how to use those to make their livelihoods, our countries in

the Caribbean would be fully sustainable with no one left behind and with

all our resources fully utilized to benefit all our people, so that they can

live decent, joy-filled lives. 
 

5.     How critical is creativity in the running of your business?  

Creativity is the main stay of my business.  It is what

helps us to continue to help people to grow, develop and

overcome hurdles despite the challenges. We focus on utilizing our creativity to

keep giving and that creativity helps us to keep receiving.
 

6.     Do you think that your experience is different in any way than a male in

Dr. Brandon and team member with
the company's logo wall mural.

the same type of business? Please explain.

I think so.  As a female in business and especially in

social business, I am constantly being asked to do

things for free, or at very reduced rates and I am also

judged and criticized harsher and louder.  Many

approaches are discriminatory and lead me to believe

that we, in the Caribbean, have a very far way to go  in

terms of gender equity and even equality.

7.     What is your number 1 business principle? 

Do not be afraid to fail but go for the quality of

product and excellence in customer service every

time. Quality builds a sustainable

business. Sustainability is not all about money, I

believe in the quadruple bottom line…people, profit,

planet and purpose.

8.     List three things you just can’t go without? 

I cannot go without prayer, quality friends and my family…oh and food! I am

a foodie despite my many food allergies!

9.     What is the hardest lesson learnt in business so far? 

Choose your partners wisely, seek to know and understand them and

communicate clearly and often, even if others do not want to communicate,

force them to, fully and open! Ensure your values, vision and expectations

are mutual.

10.   Is there any advice you would like to share with other young women

hoping to start or just starting out in business? 

Know yourself and the business you are in.  Practice honesty and integrity at

all times. Value people and value yourself. Even if you are not the one doing

everything in the business seek to know what is being done, even at the basic

level. Keep track of what is happening on a regular basis, once it is being

done in your name or your business name. Treat your customers very well

and ensure you manage your money wisely.  Ensure you document your

business activities via good record keeping, develop policies to control and

manage your activities, ensure your team (big or small) understand your

business and can sell it the way you want them to.  The only way to do that is

to ensure you train them ongoingly and monitor and evaluate their

performance regularly. Research and apply research results to improve your

business consistently and network to keep your business growing and

relevant.

11. Bonus Question: “What, in your opinion, is the best thing about

being female?”  

The best thing about being female is the balance I bring to things I become

involved with.  My strong intuition and ability to multitask as well as my

ability to nurture and care for other human beings.

For more information about the wonderful work Dr. Marcia Brandon does, follow

the page Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods on Facebook.