The Value

Steven Jasmin recognized Guyana’s investment potential back when he first arrived in June 2017. The stark similarities between Guyana and Louisiana; the off-shore centre for oil & gas production in the US; made him a believer in Guyana‘s investibility.

5 years after settling in, Steven and his team have a clear understanding of the Guyanese people as well as the opportunities that lie ahead for the "land of many waters". What he brings to the table and offers to multi-generational blue-collar business owners hoping to have a piece of the oil & gas pie, is his ability to speak the language of Fortune 500 companies. 

He bridges the gap between local businesses seeking to work with large energy conglomerates by overseeing investments and handling key operational tasks required for big business collaborations. 

This episode explores the realities of Guyana’s investibility including

• Key challenges faced by foreign and local investors;
• Opportunities for wealth building, investment and economic growth;
• Capital solutions for investment; Guyana’s diversification options; and
• The impact of technology on sector development.

Tap in to hear more on Guyana’s investment climate and how Steven and his team are working to create greater opportunities for Investment. 

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Every year, I see top talent leaving the country to go live and work somewhere else. And every year it stings - the loss of opportunity.

If you are in a developing country, you've most likely felt this as well, and if you are in a developed country you've probably benefitted from this - the Brain Drain.

Here are my thoughts on how to fix this.

Click here to join the conversation on LinkedIn.

When it comes to raising capital for your venture, the first thing you need to know is that it is NOT all about your pitch. 

Preparing to speak to investors is about a lot more than a polished pitch deck. Business owners should also understand how to outline what makes their companies Investible, including how to identify who your customers are, what they need, and how are you are solving their problems.

In this episode, Zahra Alleyne walks through the process of developing an Investible business model and what to consider when preparing to present to potential investors.

Founding team Brian and Ingrid Jahra discuss the evolution of CinemaONE, the Caribbean’s first IMAX experience, the pioneering step of becoming the first SME IPO in T&T, and the challenges of building a sustainable, wealth-generating business, while also focusing on future growth and possibilities.

In this conversation, we unpacked:

• Importance of IPOs for SMEs
• How to get to the IPO? What Is the Process?
• What the Business Valuation process entails
• Marketing the IPO
• Evolution of CinemaOne
• Growth of the Brand/Success Story
• How to Develop the Customer Experience

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

At one point or another, we’ve all experienced the great inconvenience of car troubles. From car accidents to a blown tire or stalled battery - each one of these scenarios can seriously change the course of your day...right?

So how do you turn this everyday occurrence into a multimillion-dollar business? In this “Become Investible” feature, we take a closer look at Total Convenience Management Ltd… from a startup leasing and rental company to the group of companies it manages to date.

Every business has the potential to “become investible” - TCM grew its company by understanding the demand for its services and continuing to push the envelope in satisfying its customers. TCM is only one of many stories found right here in the Caribbean.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

For many entrepreneurs hoping to grow or scale their businesses, successfully sourcing investment capital is a major pain point. What investors are looking for can be a mystery.

This episode features a panel discussion with expert investors and finance professionals who give insight into why businesses succeed or fail to attract investment and outline what business owners can do to become more Investible.

Panellists include:

• Chris Williams of PROVEN Investments,
• Beresford Grey of SYGNUS Capital,
• Karrian Hepburn-Malcolm of The Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation,
• Kriss Marcus of Aspire Fund Management Company Limited, and
• Vashtie Dookiesingh of The Inter-American Development Bank.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Can we become investible?

I recently sat down with Dike Rostant at TTT News station to discuss the professional services I offer; from business valuations to working with businesses to attract investment.

I also offered my perspectives on what is needed to foster a favourable environment for business, how to fortify our private sector, and what drives me to do all that I do.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

What does the word “recession” bring to mind? For many, it evokes saving, shrinking, and worrying about job loss and rising debt. After listening to this conversation with finance professional Maria Daniel and business owner Gerard Edwards, though, you will have a different understanding of the possibilities that a financial downturn can bring for business growth and transformation. In accepting that life in the “new normal” will not be the same, business owners can be empowered to adapt intelligently, making decisions that create opportunities instead of obstacles.

You will learn strategies to reach new customers, how to identify your customers’ problems, and how to understand your numbers in a way that puts you in control of your business’ future.

As business owners during these trying times, we are constantly being advised to ‘go digital’ in order to be sustainable and agile. However, putting that into action does not look the same for everyone. Should we start with a website or build an Instagram following? How much does it cost?

In this our first Become Investible RoundTable discussion, we discuss how to utilize different digital tools to manage, market, and grow a business, and analyze and leverage data to make the most of digital investments. Both Shelly-Ann Gajadhar and Keron Rose have built and grown their own businesses using different digital strategies.

Tune in to learn from their experiences and get the information needed to build out an effective digital strategy for any business.

In this episode, we talk to Kerwyn Valley; CEO and majority owner of KCL Capital Market Brokers Limited, and Founder and  Managing Director of Aspire Fund Management  Company  Limited. Aspire is a small-cap private equity management company focused on growth-stage private sector investments throughout the Caribbean. 

In  2004,  Kerwyn joined  AIC  Financial Group in Trinidad and Tobago to develop the Group’s regional Trade  Finance  Division.  In  2008, Kerwyn became CEO  of AIC  Finance Limited and in  2010 he was also appointed CEO  of  AIC  Capital Market  Brokers  Limited.    In  February  2011,  he led the successful management buy-out of  AIC  Capital  Market Brokers which has been rebranded as KCL  Capital Market  Brokers  Limited.

Episode Flow:

1. Moving from Employee to Owner
2. Weighing the Risks
3. Building Generational Wealth
4. Creating Wealth in the Caribbean
5. Overcoming Fear
6. How to Identify a Good Business
7. The Importance of Providing the Money in the Middle (Putting Professional Capital to Work)
8. Questions From Social Media