The Small Business Association of Barbados (SBA) recently facilitated a UK Highfield Level 2 Food Safety Course conducted by SBA members, Ms. Kelly Brathwaite and Ms. Pamela Whitehall of Safe Food Essentials. The course was held in November and December 2020 for some of their clients in the food industry who had been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen candidates operating in this industry participated in the course including five SBA members.

The introductory level course which targeted persons working in the food handlers, food manufacturing or catering environment, aimed to give a better understanding of the importance of maintaining good hygienic practices in the production of safe food. The course also exposed participants to the food safety requirements involved in the storage, preparation, processing, packing and handling of food.

Topics covered in the course included:

• Microbiological Hazards
• Contamination hazards and controls
• Food poisoning and its control
• Personal hygiene - Handwashing Demonstration Included
• Design of premises and equipment
• Cleaning and disinfection
• Food pests and control
• Food safety management from purchase to service
• Food safety law and enforcement for Barbados and the UK

Eleven candidates, including SBA members, were awarded in April 2021 at the SBA’s secretariat with the "Level 2 Food Safety in Manufacturing" or "Level 2 Food Safety in Catering" qualification based on their area of operation.

foodsafety Newsletter

The successful candidates were Mr. Anderson Gibson, Ms. Cargeta Crossman, Mr. Demario Forde, Ms. Faye Bent, Mr. Ian Gaskin, Ms. Janelle Chase, Ms. Jessica Brathwaite, Ms. Karen Sue, Ms. Olivia Yearwood, Ms. Theophilia Louisien-Stoute and Mr. Wayne Ifill.

The SBA team congratulates all students on their achievements.

The Small Business Association of Barbados (SBA) recently held a virtual Special General meeting via Zoom, to consider various amendments to the Company’s Bylaws. Vice President of the SBA, Mr. Charles Carter, and the chairman of the Bylaw Review Committee, led the presentation outlining the proposed changes to the membership.

Members engaged in robust and fruitful discussion on the rationale of the proposed changes. The Board underscored the significance of the amendments at this time, which were designed to ensure that the SBA’s governance framework remained relevant and adaptive in this rapidly changing business environment.

Additionally, members were advised that the amendments sought to facilitate the changing needs of stakeholders and to further empower members by increasing the number of persons eligible to serve on the Board of Directors.

The Bylaw changes were all approved by the membership and represent a significant step in the SBA’s regulatory and governance regime which will help to position the organisation for growth, locally and regionally, in the next phase of its development.

A few of the key amendments passed and their rationale can be seen below:

• Term of office changed to 3 years for all officers and directors serving on the Board
  In order to facilitate a graduated system on the Board of Directors as explained below and at the same time maintain consistency in the term for all Directors, it was necessary to extend the term of office to three years.
• The title of President was changed to Chairman. Additionally, the positions of First and Second Vice Chairman were introduced.
  This change is in keeping with best practice for similar organisations to focus attention on the governance role of the position more so than on operations, since the term president is seen as an operational function in the western world. This revision seeks to strengthen the governance of the organisation through a clear system of succession. The officers of the Company shall consist of a Chairman, a First Vice-Chairman, a Second Vice-Chairman, a Treasurer and the CEO.
• System of graduation for Second Vice Chairman, First Vice Chairman and Chairman
  In keeping with the aim of strengthening organisational governance and succession planning this change will involve a graduation system whereby the Second Vice Chairman occupies that role for 1 year then graduates to that of First Vice Chairman for 1 year and finally becoming Chairman in the third year.
• Identification of seven sectoral directors from the following sectors of the organisation: • General services • Professional services • Construction • Manufacturing • Agribusiness • Wholesale/retail • Group Membership

In order to not only strengthen the governance of the organisation but also to increase and improve the level of participation from members, ordinary Directors will be elected based on the sectoral groups represented by the Company with one Director elected per sector. Each Director is elected for a three-year term and is eligible to be elected for a further 3 years.

The Small Business Association of Barbados recently held an online networking session entitled “Developing Your Business – Completing the Puzzle”. The virtual event provided the opportunity for SBA members to connect with each other through the presentation of several 20 second promotional videos, highlighting the goods and services offered by members.

Guest speaker and Credit Manager at the Barbados Trust Fund Ltd., Mr. Eric Scott, also made a presentation to participants on the overall vision, mission and objectives of the Trust Fund. Most notably, Mr. Scott introduced members to the Fund’s upcoming B2B initiative which was described as a sustained promotion to assist in the marketing and business development of their clients and other micro businesses.

He further stated that the programme set to launch on July 24, 2021, would seek to create business-to-business ventures and promote peer-to-peer business relationships. The three-pronged approach that the initiative would take include:

1. Community based discussions by way of business forums
2. Networking sessions & mixers and
3. Direct marketing and promotion of the firms through pop up malls, etc.

The networking session also featured presentations by selected members on the five key areas needed to complete the puzzle of successful small business management. The first member presentation was Celeste Carter of HR Solutions who outlined the importance of human resources management in the operations of a business. Ms. Carter defined human resources management as the effective management of people in a business place which helped to bridge the gap between employees’ performance and the strategic objectives of the business.

Kimtara Clarke of PK Event & Media discussed why small business owners should be using social media to maximise their businesses and reach their audience. Additionally, Ms. Clarke outlined the use and benefit of various social media networks for business including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

The third presentation was given by Kamaal Bennett of Kaash Finance Ltd., who spoke on the accounting piece of the puzzle. His contribution was related to the importance of accounting in small businesses, defining accounting as a very useful way of recording, organising and analysing financial data. He underscored that good accounting practices can lead to better decision making for the future of the company and help to keep the business compliant with financial regulators.

Dwayne Henry of Infiniti Networkz outlined the importance of good Information and Communication Technology infrastructure in the business. Defining ICT simply as technological devices paired with internet connectivity, Mr. Henry stated that businesses could use various forms of ICT for the improvement of different aspects in their operational systems including keeping track of inventory or scheduling appointments.

The final piece of the puzzle discussed was legal services. Ryan Moseley of Moseley Persaud Attorneys gave a brief overview of the legal considerations to be taken into account when opening or running a firm. The recent amendments to the Income Tax Act, employee contracts being in line with the Employment Rights Act and ensuring that the business was registered with the Barbados Revenue Authority, were among the compliance issues discussed.

With these five areas effectively combined, small business owners should be better positioned to manage their enterprises and realised growth in their operations.