Chong, Ainsworth talk women in business… and more

MICHELLE Chong, CEO of Honey Bun and founder of the Honey Bun Foundation, and Lauri-Ann Ainsworth, CEO of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, are both well versed on an important topic for women in business in Jamaica — growing their businesses into the greater Caribbean and globally.

Both Chong, and Ainsworth, who describes herself as ‘The Wellness CEO’ —“because I would like to normalise being well in business. I believe entrepreneurs and business owners can avoid burnout, stress and anxiety without sacrificing success” — are featured in a digital guide that was produced for Caribbean women entrepreneurs by About Her Culture – The Growth Guide, How Caribbean women entrepreneurs can grow their businesses regionally & internationally.

About Her Culture is an online magazine that explores the connection between the Caribbean and Africa, by featuring women who are positively impacting community and culture around the world. The team says all of the women featured are innovators and leaders in their fields… [and despite challenges], some, but certainly not enough, women manage to break through longstanding barriers of entry to successfully create businesses and careers that aren’t geographically restricted.”

About Her Culture wanted to dig into how these women have managed to do this — exploring the tools, practices, mindsets and resources they used. All Woman followed up with Chong, who says she’s, “quite a simple person who loves her work”, and Ainsworth after the feature, to talk women in business.

AW: What are your feelings about being included in the digital guide?

MC: The Honey Bun Foundation’s mission is about helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and those in the creative industry grow their business and the Jamaican economy in any way we can. And as collaboration is one of the pillars of the Honey Bun Foundation, we are always open to collaborations that help SMEs achieve their goals. The About Her Culture Caribbean Entrepreneur Guide is one vehicle that we are happy to help fuel. It being in a digital format is a great way of using the technology at our disposal to make it handy to guide our target audience.

LA: I was very honoured to be included and for the opportunity for the Branson Centre to participate. I believe in sharing my message around personal development and self-care as necessary paths towards success, especially for entrepreneurs. This guide was a fantastic medium with amazing contributors and writers. Overall, it was a well produced and valuable document that I am proud to be a part of.

AW: What would you say has been the number one impact you’ve had on the country, through the work that you do?

MC: Well, through Honey Bun we feed a lot of people with quality products. Through The Honey Bun Foundation I would like to think that we have provided support for SMEs by developing products (models) for them to use to improve their business.

LA: I’ve been in the entrepreneurship space for many years and through the work I do I’ve had the privilege of seeing dreams come to reality, jobs created and supported. The work of entrepreneurship supports the economy of countries through job creation, investment and transactions.

AW: What’s one bit of advice that you have for female entrepreneurs, especially navigating business during the pandemic?

MC: We must get creative and more creative and more creative!

LA: Build a business that is sustainable from two perspectives 1. Ensure what you are doing aligns with your strengths, values and feels meaningful because that will give you the motivation through the rough times and, 2. Diversify your offerings so that you aren’t stuck in the time-based economy where you trade your time for income. Build assets that can work for you and earn for you, without you. The pandemic has shown us that nothing is certain and that caught many people and businesses off guard. When you build a business that is sustainable you are better prepared to navigate the ups and downs.

AW: Realistically, is it still possible to think big and pivot at the same time, especially with the current uncertainties brought on by the pandemic?

MC: We do not have a choice, we must think big and pivot at the same time. That’s what is called for at a time like this, and I have seen it work for many businesses when they pivoted and grew.

LA: I think it’s absolutely possible! Many entrepreneurs have pivoted into something that was more suited for them and have yielded better results than what they were doing before. The pandemic has hit many in a negative way but it has also presented opportunities for others. It’s important to remain agile, do scenario planning and keep your innovation cap on. There are opportunities all around for entrepreneurs to pivot in different ways such as their business model, their target customers or even their product/service. Pivoting doesn’t mean a complete overhaul of the business. It’s important for entrepreneurs to be strategic with how they are pivoting and not make knee-jerk reactions. There may be opportunities for synergies with competitors or complementary services. All of these strategies should be considered before jumping ship. A pivot doesn’t have to be a complete 180.

AW: What do you love most about your work?

MC: I like to find new and better ways to do things — developing continuous improvements.

LA: I’m a creator and I love to see visions come to life. I love the ethos of the brand that I work for — screw business as usual. Every entrepreneur is different and every business is different and requires its own unique path. There is nothing usual about entrepreneurship. Having a brand like Richard Branson’s behind the work we do creates an environment that encourages excellence while having fun at the same time. I absolutely love that!

AW: What would you say is your best career achievement to date?

MC: Enlisting a public company and achieving financial success year over year.

LA: Being the CEO of one of Richard Branson’s non-profits is an amazing opportunity and I am very proud to be leading this organisation. When I took over I decided to bring my whole self to the role and that included being an advocate for wellness in business. I’m very proud that I’ve been able to use this platform, to not only support businesses to grow through the centre’s stellar programme, but also that I’ve had the courage to be true to my own values by advocating and encouraging an environment for well-being amongst my team and the entrepreneurs we serve. I believe that a healthy and happy entrepreneur is a healthy and happy business.

AW: What is your advice to young women who are looking to pursue a career in your field?

MC: Go for it! There’s nothing you cannot achieve if you really want it. Remember to keep developing yourself, and the importance of collaboration.

LA: Entrepreneurship can be a very rewarding and fulfilling path but it can also be lonely and stressful. Don’t forget to build something that is meaningful. Ensure you are clear about who you are, what you want and what value you want to offer to your community. Once you’ve figured that out, then look for people who you would most want to work with or be of service to and keep laser focused. There are lots of things that can derail and distract you, but once you start within first, and know why you are doing what you are doing, then it makes the mission unstoppable. Don’t forget to take care of yourself and put systems in place and get the right support on your journey.

AW: What have been your biggest lessons of 2021?

MC: We have to ensure that we are nimble and can pivot at a moment’s notice. We have to be prepared to make changes and quickly too.

LA: 1. Create assets and make them work for you! An asset can be something such as digitising your products that you create once and earn from continuously, documenting your methodology to be used over and over again, creating membership business models for recurring revenue, etc. There are so many ways you can create value and leverage it as an asset that works for you. That’s a big lesson for entrepreneurs during this pandemic. 2. Self-awareness and self-love are critical for success. If you know yourself through self-discovery then you know yourself intimately and know how you are being perceived by others. This is so important as a business owner when it comes to relationships with team members, partners and clients. Self-awareness gives you the autonomy to choose the best environment for you because you know what your personality needs to thrive, you know what work is best aligned for your particular strengths, and you’ll know what work will continue to motivate you because it has significance and meaning to you. Self-love through self-care is the foundation and glue. If you don’t love yourself enough to take care of your best asset (hint: YOU) then you can’t have love or show up for anyone else, including you business or team. Giving to yourself first is the most unselfish thing you can do because it means you are showing up as a leader, parent, friend, spouse, etc as the best version of you. This pandemic has shown us all that when your health and well-being go, nothing else matters. So love yourself by taking care of yourself.

AW: What’s your outlook for 2022 jobwise, and on the personal front?

MC: These are such uncertain times, it’s hard to have outlooks! But I would say that whatever presents itself, we have to be prepared to find the best solutions all the time, thinking creatively, looking for any opportunity under new circumstances.

LA: The Branson Centre has introduced a new business model this year — we’ve ventured into consulting. We wanted to expand our reach to support more business enablers, accelerators and incubators by leveraging our proven assets and methodologies that have been supporting entrepreneurs for the last 10 years. We’re doing work in the Eastern Caribbean, bringing the Branson Centre’s train the trainer so that we can support even more Caribbean entrepreneurs. We’re leveraging our assets for greater impact. On a personal front, I’m excited to move more deeply into supporting entrepreneurs to gain greater self-awareness and self-care by empowering them to manage their health and well-being while also growing their business. You can be well in business without sacrificing success.

AW: After all you’ve done, what else is there to achieve? Is this the peak of achievement for you?

MC: OH NO, Not at all! Through the Honey Bun Foundation we have to develop a model for back office support for the creatives and SMEs. As for work, I plan to invest in farming as it’s a very important industry.

LA: I’ve learned to enjoy the journey. Achievement and goals are the outcomes and as a recovering overachiever, I’ve come to realise that the goalpost simply moves and there is no joy or fulfilment in that. My journey continues as I gain experiences, greater self-awareness, and am resolute in contributing to my community in a meaningful way. There is so much more for me to give and there is so much work to be done to normalise well-being at work, especially in entrepreneurship. This is a part of my path and I’m enjoying the ride.