August 20, 2024
Turning your passion into a business is one of the best ways to ensure you create a company that you can be proud of and that will make a real difference.
Entrepreneur Marcia Peak describes herself as “a passionate educator” and has spent over 15 years working as a teacher in Jamaica at various levels from pre-schoolers to adult learners.
In 2021, while assisting a friend’s child with lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic and studying for a PhD in Education Policy Leadership and Management, Marcia got the idea for her business ‘Focus on the Gap Educational Services’.
She envisioned a revolutionary e-learning platform that utilises a child’s educational strengths to improve their weaknesses through personalised lesson plans, videos, games, and fun activities.
Initially, Marcia launched her company on a small scale and only offered her services to friends and clients via word-of-mouth.
But eventually she decided to enlist the help of a Business Development Officer (BDO), who subsequently introduced her to the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s ‘Virtual E-Commerce Accelerator Programme (VEAP),’ which she participated in along with businesses and BDO’s from across the region.
VEAP was a 15-month project funded by Expertise France under the auspices of the Digital REsponse Connecting CiTizens Programme (DIRECCT), which aimed to train Business Support Organisations and Caribbean firms in e-commerce strategy and operations. It covered a wide range of relevant topics including e-commerce coaching, e-commerce value and pricing, e-commerce payment systems, data analysis, and cybersecurity.
At the BDO’s insistence, Marcia enrolled in VEAP’s first cohort of Caribbean companies despite having “no knowledge” of e-commerce terminology or business models.
Marcia quickly realised the benefits of the intensive programme. She made copious notes, asked lots of questions, and then set about putting to use her practical skills training to transition the large-scale plans for her business from paper to reality.
Marcia admits that finding time for her doctorate while running her business and completing assignments from VEAP was “a sacrifice” but insists it was worth it.
She says: “VEAP taught me so much as an entrepreneur even from a basic level. Then from the e-commerce standpoint I learned about inventory management, return policies, payment processes and the relevant software. I also learned how to adapt my model for B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business).
“The resources and tips that were shared were highly appreciated and I certainly encourage others to make use of it.”
Following her participation in VEAP, Marcia launched her business website while working closely with a developer on the essential elements she wanted to include. She recalls: “While I was on VEAP I created a checklist of what my website would need. There was no company website before VEAP so the knowledge I gained went straight into that project which was a huge part of my 2024 business plan. VEAP allowed that to materialise, and I know it will be rewarding once all the elements are set up properly.”
Marcia is particularly grateful for the expertise, guidance, and engagement of the master trainers who, she says, made space for the participants to ask questions pertaining to their specific business needs. She said listening to the issues faced by the other business owners, even though some were selling products and not services, helped her consider her own brand’s development from a different point of view.
Marcia is now working on the e-commerce aspect of her website with one of the VEAP master trainers, Gilbert Williams. She has held preliminary discussions with him and is excited about being able to set up multiple streams of income while also scaling up her services to appeal to an international audience.
“Once we launch the e-commerce aspect the business really becomes unlimited,” Marcia states. “I can imagine us being able to reach people all over the world and even tapping into different languages.”
Focus on The Gap’s stated vision is “to inspire, motivate, and engage individuals with the ability to access and utilise skills training to bridge learning gaps in the global community” and over the next year, Marcia’s priorities are expansion and reach.
She is hoping to add around eight staff members to her team including a website manager as well as subject tutors. Marcia believes there are people all around the world who can benefit from her innovative approach to learning, and she is enthusiastic to get going.