Lana Green – cake decorating
MEET LANA THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR !
Faith and self-discovery have been the motivational force which has placed many people on the road to success. Lana Green of Roseau in the Commonwealth of Dominica is a beneficiary of the SkYE funded programme conducted by the Dominica Youth Business Trust (DYBT). Prior to the DYBT training she worked at Jammy’s Cheesecake Delights, baking and decorating cakes. Lana, the sole bread winner for her eight-year old son, younger sibling and cancer-stricken mother, was homeless. Lana is someone who has been and continues to be challenged but was stirred into action by her intrinsic motivation.
A TURNAROUND
Having heard about the training from a Youth Development Officer, Lana placed aside her past challenges and experiences and embarked on an entrepreneurship journey. According to her, “The training was fundamental to me as a young entrepreneur. From self-awareness to essential business knowledge, I learned a lot to help me harness and fine tune my skills and form it into a lucrative business”. She continues, “One of the key lessons learnt during training is that entrepreneurs do not depend on external factors to determine the success of their business but instead on the internal factors such as their ability to acquire sales for their products or services”.
The training has also increased her awareness about the need for proper record keeping which is overlooked in the early stages of developing a business. “This training and good continued strong family support along with my self-motivation have contributed to my present business success, which will go a long way in assisting to accomplish my goals”, she says.
Lana is now the proud owner of Lanala’s Confections, specializing in selling her special creation called “Dokes – where Donuts and Cakes make babies”, and delivering to Roseau and Portsmouth. As a result of her hard work, Lana was able to assist her brother in paying his bus fare and snacks at school. She now lives in a storeroom above her bakery.
THINKING BIG
Lana likes to ‘Think Big’ and she is passionate about helping others with her newly acquired knowledge and skills. With extended services she says, “I also want to provide an Internet café experience with a book lounge, host watch parties and small private business meetings…with this I would be able to provide jobs for interested individuals”.
Lana says that her hopes and dreams for the future include expanding her business. She enthusiastically states that, “currently I’m producing customized cakes and pastries and my goal is to secure a larger place where I can introduce local beverages and other food items”.
This young entrepreneur sees the SkYE program as beneficial to everyone: “The program can benefit people in a position similar to mine. The economy needs more entrepreneurs, more businesses, more jobs. With this training and the vital information provided, more young entrepreneurs will be able to manage their businesses a lot better than they did before”.
FACTS
The Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
