This seminar aims to expose business persons and entrepreneurs to three business opportunities within Niche Manufacturing. Discussions will be held among interested parties, stakeholders and business development agencies to determine the best way forward and to identify elements which will be necessary for the success of these opportunities. Success stories within the sector will also be highlighted.

Spaces are limited so please make every effort to register as soon as possible. ATTENDANCE IS FREE!

For further information and registration please contact the following:

Ms. Camille James
Tel: 623-5507 ext. 225
Fax: 624-3919 / 6258126
Email: cjames@bdc.co.tt
151B Charlotte Street
Port of Spain

Mrs. Rebecca Durham-Lutchman
Tel: 652-3973/8779
Fax: 657-4613
Email: rlutchman@bdc.co.tt
63 St. James Street
San Fernando

Business Development Company Limited (BDC) will launching the 4^th cycle of the Business Mentorship Programme on February 22^nd 2011.

The aim of the programme is to match a company (mentee) with a consultant (mentor) to successfully address the top 5 areas for improvement in their business.  An Action Plan will then be prepared for each participating company. The programme runs from February – November 2011 (9 months).

Guidelines for Mentees

1. The programme is open to all medium and large companies in Trinidad & Tobago where the aim is to match a company (Mentee) with an experienced and accomplished professional (Mentor) to successfully address their top 5 business improvement areas.
2. Completed Mentee Application Forms will be evaluated by a BDC committee and applicants will be notified accordingly.
3. Successful Mentees will be assigned an exclusive Mentor for the duration of the programme.
4. The Mentee’s role is to take responsibility for identifying development goals, where the Mentor together with the BDC will recommend and document an Action Plan.
5. Interaction between Mentee and Mentor can be via electronic media; however, both parties will be required to meet face-to-face at least once per month at the convenience of both parties.
6. At the end of each month, the Mentor will be required to prepare and submit a Progress Report to the BDC by the 5th working day of the following month documenting the status of the goals identified in the Action Plan. Mentees will be required to sign the Progress Report before submission to the BDC.
7. The cost for enrolment in the programme is TT$1,000.00.

Should you have any queries, you can direct them to Ms Camille James at 623-5507 ext 225 or email her at cjames@bdc.co.tt

BDC's Business Mentorship Programme 4.0

]]> http://www.bdc.co.tt/media-center/apply-now-for-bdcs-business-mentorship-programme-4-0/feed/ 0 http://www.bdc.co.tt/media-center/register-for-small-business-month/ http://www.bdc.co.tt/media-center/register-for-small-business-month/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:41:12 +0000 ashish.sharma123 http://www.bdc.co.tt/media-center/?p=453 The Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development (MLSMED) in collaboration with the National enterprise Development Company (NEDCO) will be coordinating the celebration of Small Business Month (SBM) in January 2009… Registration details (.pdf) ]]> The Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development (MLSMED) in collaboration with the National enterprise Development Company (NEDCO) will be coordinating the celebration of Small Business Month (SBM) in January 2009…

Registration details (.pdf)

For Cycle 3, each entrepreneur was matched with a Mentor who in collaboration with the BDC assists the Mentee to

i.        Identify and prioritize their current business need(s),

ii.      Develop an action plan to successful address this/these need(s)

iii.    Monitor and evaluate the intervention(s), and

iv.    Measure its effectiveness

This approach will not only help entrepreneurs develop the necessary skills for effectively leading their businesses, but offers a more direct approach for problem assessment and successful intervention.

Mentor/Mentee pairings were done in October and the official launch was held on Wednesday November 18, 2009.

The period of the mentorship programme is nine (9) months.

In addition to one on one meetings between Mentees and Mentors, the BDC will be hosting several training seminars for the Mentees including Strategic Management, Finance, Marketing and HR.

The pairings of 9 Mentees with Mentors are as follows:

[Show as slideshow]

12►

The programme was titled ““Promoting Quality and Innovation in Business.” As part of the agenda, The Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards and the University of Trinidad and Tobago were invited to make presentations on the topics of quality and innovation.

“Enhancing Quality in Business” was the topic presented by Ms Marielle Pantin on behalf of the TTBS. Ms Pantin discussed the advantages of having a quality management system in place and encouraged particpants to see quality as a value added proposition to their business.

Dr. Shellyanne Wilson from the UTT presented on the topic “Why Innovate?” Dr. Wilson shared on the various ways in which innovation leads to competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Also presenting were members of the BDC team as it related to the company’s products and services which are aimed towards the growth and development of businesses in Trinidad and Tobago.

The meeting ended with a networking session which allowed participants to interact with fellow participants, as well as, members of the BDC team present.

Presentations
Training for Impact

Trade Promotion

Trade Information Facility

smexchange.com

Enhancing Quality in Business

Loan Guarantee

Leasing

Implementing Success with the BDC

Certification

Why Innovate

Mentorship Programme

Pictures

E-commerce – the buying and selling of goods over the Internet – has taken a giant leap forward for local enterprises in Trinidad and Tobago thanks to a new initiative from the Business Development Company (BDC) Ltd.

On March 26, 2009 the BDC unveiled its reloaded business-to-business (B2B) web portal – smeXchange.com – which now includes a facility for businesses to create their own e-commerce web pages.

“A web-presence is perhaps the most cost-effective means for advertising, generating business and reaching new customers today,” said BDC President Albert Chow at the upgraded smeXchange.com launch at Gaston Court in Chaguanas. “In the age of hugely successful e-commerce operations like Amazon.com we at the BDC felt we needed to bring the smeXchange.com to that level. And we have.”

Another crucial new facility available through the B2B portal is online training courses or e-learning:

“Companies are no longer willing to lose employees for two-days to training courses” explained Damie Sinanan, the BDC’s Manager of Trade Assistance. “E-learning gives them the ability to partake of valuable efficiency and productivity-boosting programmes without a considerable loss in man-hours.”

smeXchange.com was created to not only give local enterprises an online presence but to also build a gateway through which potential business opportunity web traffic could be directed to Trinidad and Tobago’s companies. Since its launch in January 2006 the smeXchange.com website has grown steadily to nearly 1,000 registered members. Besides showcasing their products and services the reloaded portal now will allow member enterprises to do business on the Web.

“With these new e-commerce and e-learning facilities smeXchange.com is offering local enterprises cutting edge services that no other site in the Caribbean does,” Mr Sinanan added.

Speaking at the launch, Quinten Questel – Managing Director of Digital Business Ltd, outlined the smeXchange.com’s other new features. These include a discussion forum, Skype for online verbal communication, updated user guides and videos, user statistics and a Spanish translation of the B2B portal.

Brian Linton – Chief Technology Officer at Garnet Technologies Inc – gave a real-time demonstration of the e-commerce facility, guiding a participant through the relatively simple process of setting up a personalised web page for online transactions.

Giving a stirring feature address on the value of web-based business and the vast potential for local enterprises doing business online, Sacha Cosmetics Ltd Managing Director Kama Maharaj told the audience:

“We see it as an opportunity to build a global brand in the virtual world.”

However, Mr Maharaj cautioned that setting up a quality website alone was not enough and B2B portals like smeXchange.com were vital to ensure that potential customers and clients could be able to find local companies in the clutter and competition on the Internet.

“Your site is potentially your best advertisement, but it’s the only advertisement you have to advertise,” he said.