A bunch comprising officers of Export Barbados (BIDC) and the Barbados Trust Fund Limited (BTFL), in addition to a representative of an area food business, departed this week for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to attend Franchise Expo South, scheduled for September 9 and 10
The local business traveling to Florida is Delicious Treats. Delicious Treats might be one in all greater than 100 exhibitors registered to pitch their franchises to prospective franchisees on the two-day event, which is being held on the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center.
The event guarantees to place people excited about becoming small business owners in touch with leading franchise brands across various industries and investment levels.
The Expo’s conference program may even provide significant insights for attendees on topics akin to franchising a business, expanding a business through franchising, and operating a successful franchise.
Leading the delegation, which is being facilitated by Export Barbados, is the Corporation’s business development officer (BDO), Sheena Thorne.
She explained that the Expo provides a superb opportunity for Export Barbados and the BTFL, as business support organisations, to learn new techniques to assist local businesses reach new levels of development and take their services and products beyond the shores of Barbados.
“Export Barbados is leading the charge of accelerating revenue from exports to US$1 billion by 2030.
Other than direct export, franchising is one other model to realize that goal.
“It’s in alignment with the strategic focus of Export Barbados, which is to offer as many avenues and opportunities for businesses in Barbados as possible.
“We’re giving two entrepreneurs the chance to experience the Expo, and the knowledge we, the officers, gain might be brought back to Barbados and shared with other businesses.
“We wish entrepreneurs to recognise [that] franchising is a viable choice to leverage brands and quality services and products locally, in order to export them to the world,” said Thorne.
General Manager of the BTFL, Gerry Amos, said they’re keen to have representatives attend the Expo to know more about franchising and the opportunities that exist.
“We’re extremely blissful for the chance provided by Export Barbados, for Team Trust Loan to go to this Franchise Expo. It could afford us the chance to return back to Barbados and share the knowledge gained with our entrepreneurs on easy methods to offer their products up for franchising.
“I actually need to thank Export Barbados and Mr Mark Hill for his vision and for including the Barbados Trust Fund Limited. He has seen the worth in downstream micro enterprises having the chance to return up stream to export Barbadian products into the international market and that is commendable,” he stated.
Owner and CEO of Delicious Treats, Shawna Rollins, is happy to be going to her third Franchise Expo, and with the support of Export Barbados, she might be exhibiting for the primary time with the goal of selling Delicious Treats franchises.
She is encouraging Barbadian businesses, no matter size, to not limit their export potential and to contemplate franchising to take their businesses to new heights and earn foreign exchange.
Rollins looks forward to the Caribbean hosting a franchise expo, attracting investors worldwide to purchase into regional franchises.
Rollins continued: “Sometimes a few of us from small island states like Barbados limit ourselves; we expect we’re too small to enter other markets. For years customers have been saying to me, ‘You wish a location in Trinidad, you would like a location in St. Kitts, St. Lucia, etc.’, but I never considered franchising.
“Then I couldn’t find an area or regional mentor in franchising that I could get assistance from, and I hope that having undergone the method, I can mentor and help entrepreneurs here and across the Caribbean franchise as well.
“Too often we expect what comes from overseas is healthier than what we now have, but we’d like to take what we now have to the international market and allow them to see we are only nearly as good.”
Franchise Expo South is sponsored by the International Franchise Association and hosted by MFV Expositions, which has been bringing the franchise world together for greater than 30 years. (PR)
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