The Value

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.

Can your business survive without you?

Did you know that 85% of failed business transitions occur because of poor communication, mistrust, and lack of planning?

Rochelle Clarke is a business advisor who specializes in keeping businesses in business with business continuity planning and transition preparation. Through her company, she ensures that retiring leaders, their incoming successors, and the businesses that support them are ready to move successfully to the next stage of their business’ lifecycle whether by succession or sale.

If the words: "Planning for the Unplanned'' ring clearly when she speaks, then "Be ready" echoes her sentiment.

Transitions may need to occur on any occasion and businesses must be adequately prepared for the change. 

The Founder of Succession Strength, and the platform Continuity Strength, International keynote speaker, lecturer, and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Rochelle is also the author of "The 5 Critical Succession Conversations: A Comprehensive Guide for the Family Business".

In this episode, we discuss:

• Business Continuity Planning,
• Business Transition,
• Succession Planning and Preparation,
• The difference between the entrepreneur and the family business owner, and 
• 6 tips for working with family and friends.

Succession Strength - Keeping businesses in business for generations.

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.

Conferences, Cannabis, and Mushrooms.
These seem disconnected, right?
Well, actually, there’s one common factor…

“Five or six years down the line, if I do nothing… have I really been a good Caribbean citizen?” – Douglas K. Gordon.

Douglas is the founder of CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo, an annual business event that connects top cannabis industry experts, and CEO of Silo Wellness, an alternative, and holistic health company focused on functional mushroom and psychedelic opportunities.

In this episode, Kevin Valley speaks with Douglas K. Gordon about the business of natural medicine business while addressing misconceptions and misinformation about cannabis and functional mushrooms.  

Controversial? Perhaps. Informative? Yes!

This conversation uncovers:

• Strategies used to create, maneuver challenges and expand a premier Caribbean event.
• The story behind the legacy collaboration with the Marley brand.
• The mind, body, and soul… Rest, resetting, and restoration through nature.

"Pain will find you, but you determine the length of its visit" - Jay Blessed.

Jay Blessed is an award-winning content creator and host of the In My Head Podcast which focuses on mental health.

In this timely episode, Kevin Valley and Jay Blessed have an open and frank discussion around:

• Silent suffering, especially among men,
• Dealing with pain, and
• The 12-step healing process.

When everyone you know is having the same problem, the solution might be a successful business. 

Kadion Preston, Co-Founder, and CEO of CaribShopper saw an opportunity to solve a common problem among Caribbean merchants and consumers by providing an easier way to buy goods from the United States.

When the original business model ran into challenges, the founders pivoted to solve another problem for their customers, now giving Caribbean merchants the opportunity to sell to overseas consumers. This shift, and the drive to find the investment capital to support it, came just before 2020, forcing even further innovation and evolution.

Kadion's journey is an example of the importance of embracing the opportunities presented, overcoming tragedy, and understanding that failure is a big part of the formula for success.

To assess the investibility of your business in under 6 minutes, go to becomeinvestible.com/scorecard

Unless a valuation can withstand intense scrutiny - it is just a number.

Defensibility is everything.
‍
Whether you are seeking to raise capital, negotiate investment terms, or sell your business - a defensible valuation is your starting point.  

In this episode, I discuss how a valuation engagement is conducted and what determines the value of your business.

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.

In this episode, we discuss how to increase the investibility of your business, create your own wealth engine, and how to protect, extract, diversify, and smoothly transfer that wealth to the next generation.

This episode features Zahra Alleyne from Become Investible and Tennille Whiskey from the Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation.

Topics covered include:

1. Building an Investible Business
2. Risk Management
3. Wealth Extraction
4. Diversification of Income Streams
5. Wealth Transfer

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.

It is not always about doing things better, but sometimes we simply need to do better things.

This belief is near and dear to the heart of Sian Cuffy-Young, a social entrepreneur who is driven by the need for environmental change and waste management education.

• Sian's journey and reason for becoming an environmental entrepreneur,
• Reframing her mindset from student and employee to business owner,
• Social Entrepreneurship: Environment and Business Case,
• How to get started without funding,
• An introduction to landfilling, and
• What's next for Siel Environmental.

Sian recently launched her book "Ky's Magical Adventures" to teach children about waste management and awaken the Eco-Hero within them.