117 Belizean Women Turn Ideas Into Business Opportunities

A certificate can recognize the work, but it cannot guarantee success. For 117 women graduating from the Catalyze Her Potential program, the real challenge begins now: applying what they have learned to build stronger businesses, reach new customers and create opportunities for others. Today’s ceremony celebrated months of training, but organizers say the program’s true impact will be measured by what these entrepreneurs do next. Shane Williams reports.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

One hundred and seventeen women, each with a certificate and a business story. Some arrived with little more than an idea. Others already had businesses but needed the structure, confidence and support to take them further. Today, they celebrated how far they have come, but graduation is only the beginning. Katia Montenegro-Hoare, president of the International Network of Women in Business, says Catalyze Her Potential helps women move beyond simply operating a business. The program gives them the tools to compete, grow and eventually create opportunities for others.

 

Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President, International Network of Women in Business

“The Catalyze Her Potential Project is benefiting two hundred and fifty women across Belize. In August we graduated one hundred and twenty-four from the incubator program and today we are celebrating the accomplishment of one hundred and seventeen women from the Accelerator Program. Today’s theme was what’s the next move. The next move is mentorship and networking, whereby women will be engaging in one to one mentorship. We are targeting about one hundred women moving on to the mentorship component and there after moving on to phase four which is the access to seed capital component.”

 

Beyond today’s ceremony, graduates will receive mentorship, networking opportunities and practical support to strengthen their businesses, tackle industry challenges and pursue seed funding.

 

Dr. Yasmin Andrews, Consultant, Catalyze Her Potential

“What will happen after this is the mentorship phase where we will be looking at the goods and services that the hundred and seventeen graduates today are engaged in and we will do what is called a mapping analyst so based on those goods and services we will try to identify appropriate mentors and then establish a mentorship system.”

 

For the graduates, the program offered more than lessons on paper. It gave them a clearer understanding of how to manage their businesses and the confidence to compete in sectors where women may still struggle to gain ground. When Carmelita Sanchez launched Knotty Tours in Caye Caulker, she knew little about business and faced a fiercely competitive, male-dominated industry.

 

Carmelita Sanchez, Owner, Knotty Tours

“Being an entrepreneur right now, I had no idea of how to run a business, what it is like to be a business person. And I’m so grateful for this course because this course has really helped me get to where I want my business to be.”

 

For Benita-Keme Palacio, completing the three-month program meant balancing her entrepreneurial ambitions with full-time employment. She used the experience to strengthen her financial management skills and prepare to rebrand and relaunch Curves Royale.

 

Benita-Keme Palacio, Owner, Curves Royale

“It ranged from reforming your financials to also learning about how to promote your business, how to rescale your business or rebrand your business as well. And that is exactly what I’m trying to do with my own business right now. Trying to reform it and this has definitely helped me know how or what are the steps to do that. As well as having guidance, as a graduate I will receive guidance and mentorship after this to continue reforming my business.”

 

The goal is to strengthen women-led businesses nationwide, but real success will come when graduates turn their training into resilient, growing enterprises.

 

Dr. Yasmin Andrews

“One of the key elements that we’ll engage in is to have them upload and engage their business plan and in doing that business plan the registration of their business is very important. We also had a panel discussion from different financial experts and one of the key elements is to have their business registered and to have a viable business plan. So within the mentorship phase that is a critical component where we will advise them and assist them with that.”

 

The program has also created something that cannot easily be measured in dollars: a network of women who can exchange ideas, recommend services and support each other through the difficult stages of entrepreneurship.

 

Benita-Keme Palacio

“We are one fifty women in all and although we weren’t able to meet everybody today, we have a chat where we share each other stories and learn about each other and recommend each other and that’s a beautiful thing to have.”

 

For these entrepreneurs, graduation is not the finish line. It is the point where training must become action and business ideas must become sustainable ventures. The hope is that their success will generate more than personal income. It could create jobs, strengthen communities and open the door for even more women to enter the world of business. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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