Saturday 12th March saw the Ceremony for the 2015-16 BEF (Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation Inc.) Flow $20 Challenge at the Concorde Experience. The challenge gives all fourth and fifth formers in EVERY school in Barbados the opportunity to run his/her own business. As many of you will know, this year ALL MYP 4 students took part in the challenge this year and each ran his/her own business which meant many students put in many extra hours outside of school, on his/her own, with a partner or in a three; we had seven businesses running in total!

The BEF had ‘got them going’ and they also provided us with a BEF Ambassador, our very own Matt Sullivan. The school’s MYP 4 Business Management course (now in its second year) and its first unit on Marketing have been used as a vehicle to take part in the challenge, along with guiding and educating the students about key components in launching a successful product. Matt was integral to the initial product development and decision processes of each and every business. Thank you Matt!

Prior to the ceremony the BEF short-listed twelve businesses from around the island whom competed for the final prizes. The finalists included our very own “ERA Scrubs” (manufacturer and retailer of home-made natural body scrubs); “Dream Lights”, (manufacturer and retailer of scented candles cased in recycled bamboo) and “Seawood Solutions” (manufacturer and retailer an organic fertilizer made from sargussum). These businesses are run by Abbien Greene, Emily Netherland & Radha Zievinger; Chara Antrobus, Fayola Wetzels & Amaya Emanuelle and Aurora Rain Rose respectively.

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All businesses had to go along to meet the judges (eight of them!) in order to have special interviews. The night of the ceremony brought forth the winners and lots of great things to share with you! Our THREE businesses were awarded THREE of the top five prizes! Abbien, Emily and Radha became “Excellence in Branding & Packaging” champions; Chara, Fayola and Amaya became “Excellence in Marketing” champions and the joint “Overall Champion” was Aurora. The judges were “flabbergasted” by “Seawood Solutions”: the profits ($3500), its philanthropic core (all profits went to “Be the Change Barbados” and the product itself (a new product for the world!). All the “Champions” won great prizes! What’s more, the BEF are talking about its Business Angels division investing in some of very own businesses so that they can grow!

The 2015/16 Flow $20 Challenge has been, yet again, a wonderful experience for us and all our businesses did so well, so a final well done to all the other participants: “Wrapped in Light’ (Dylan Thompson), “Lollypups” (Bibi Brown-Esteban), “Keep Kool” (Gavin Clarke, Jordan Stanford & Suresh Black) and “Monster Cookies” (Jorge Jaramillo). All businesses gave nearly $6000 to charity! A M A Z I N G

We are all VERY PROUD OF ALL OF YOU!

Roll on next year!