Connecting Micro-Businesses in the Diaspora with the Caribbean

BY DAVID MYLES

Richard Davis is the CEO of Amazin’ Business Solutions (ABS) Limited, which specializes in small business companies and assists in areas such as: management, development, ongoing mentoring and advisory support. Founded in 2010, ABS supported a business delegation during 2018, and proudly organised a successful day full of activities throughout the City of Manchester. This was coordinated for Garfield Green, who serves as President of Manchester Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica.

Davis has an extensive housing association background, and he is responsible for co-founding the Arawak Walton Housing Association in Manchester. Amongst a myriad of skills, Davis possess the ability to be a strategic planner. While working for Arawak, Davis ensured that the organisation maintained its competitiveness, placing customer service as a central part in the functioning of the organisation. Arawak is “One of the largest Black and Minority ethnic housing associations in the North of England,’’ Davis attests.

Prior to establishing Arawak Walton Housing Association, Davis played an instrumental role in the running of the Nia Centre, which was an African Caribbean Cultural Centre on Old Birley Street in Manchester. Davis described the centre as a “Performing Arts Centre. It was born out of the need to strengthen the cultural diversity of Manchester. While it was up and running, it was very successful,” The Nia Centres aim was to bring to the forefront African and Caribbean Culture through the arts. ‘’We even had Nia Simone perform there and Oliver Samuels (Jamaican Comedian and Actor).” The building is still being used and is currently known as NIAMOS.

Additionally, Davis is a Facilitator for Better Jamaica, a think tank organisation. “I play less of a role in that at the moment. I have passed it onto the younger people to get involved with that, but I am still involved.”

The current project that Davis passionately advocates is the Caribbean Business Forum, which he intends to use his business (Amazin’ Business Solutions) to facilitate the functioning of the project. In 2005, Davis held a role as Policy Advisor for a Housing Association. He believes that the skills harnessed in this role have been very useful in his current endeavours. “I was involved in a lot of contracts specification, regulation of policy issues, project management systems. It taught me a lot of areas which I see in my business as transferable skills,” states Davis. This experience, combined well with the legal knowledge that Davis acquired in his earlier days working as a Housing Officer in the 80’s. “From that I went on to be active in the Trade Union movements, where I would go to Tribunal Hearings,’’ says Davis. He is still approached by members of the Manchester community, who ask for his support with Tribunal cases. Davis’ reputation is so highly valued, that he does not have to advertise for those roles.

In the early 1980s, Davis represented the UK at the 3rd Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference in 2008. ‘’One of the big discussions we had, was what can we give back to Jamaica? We looked at health and social issues that various organisations in the UK support, including various community projects. When it came the business perspective apart from the people that what to go there to build houses we were very weak’’. The Caribbean Business Forum came into fruition to foster business activities because as Davis argues “There are not many major business infrastructure, apart from the ones created by foreigners.”

Examining the UK business environment. Davis could see a lot of businesses in the UK, but many were micro-businesses. “That’s when the idea came about. Why not start a business that supports small businesses? Provide the infrastructure for them to develop, grow and maintain by providing mentorship and advisory support.” Consequently Davis set up the Jamaican Diaspora Economic Forum (JDEF) and serves as the International Coordinator. The JDEF is interconnected with the forthcoming Caribbean Business Forum which is a bi-monthly affair. Speaking on the Caribbean Business Forum, Davis said, “We are still in the early stages of experimenting to see what are the best models to use. A couple months ago we looked at the hair sector; the UK hair market it is worth millions of pounds, but we do not control the distribution’’.

The next Caribbean Business Forum  will take place on Sunday 17^th November 2019, from 13:30 – 17:00 (GMT Time) at the Innospace Business Centre (inside Manchester Metropolitan University), Chester Street (off Oxford Road), Manchester, M1 5GD.For further details call 07590425544 or email: info@amazinbusinesssolutions.com