Shelly-Ann Aqui Solomon giving Caribbean women a voice

Shelly-Ann Aqui Solomon stands as one of the Caribbean’s most dynamic entrepreneurs, a digital strategist, award-winning business coach, and bold Trinidadian woman shaping what global entrepreneurship looks like for the next generation. Her impact stretches across more than 30 countries, yet her story began in a small pharmacy and a church choir long before she launched her global footprint.

I want you to see how she built it, because her journey holds a blueprint for every Caribbean woman ready to rise.

“I began asking myself a simple question: What can I create?”

As a teenager, Solomon worked as an assistant in a pharmacy. She prepared prescriptions and imagined a future as a pharmacist. That dream faded when she married young and stepped into a different kind of responsibility. Her husband launched an HR consultancy firm, and she became his logistics manager and administrative backbone. She supported his company while raising their daughter and juggling expectations that often made her feel like a visitor in her own life.

“I wanted more time with my daughter and more freedom to build something of my own. Surrounded by entrepreneurs, I began asking myself a simple question: What can I create?”

Growing up as a pastor’s daughter, she sang in church for years. People soon asked for voice lessons, and those requests planted the seed for her first venture. She opened PRVM Performing Arts Academy and stepped into entrepreneurship with little more than faith and a fierce need to serve.

For four years, her husband funded the business. Then one day, he stopped. The announcement stunned her at first, but it became the turning point that shaped who she is today. That moment pushed her to shift from dependent to independent. She understood that her business had to support itself, and she had to lead with strength, not convenience.

With only $40, half of which she borrowed from him, she bought the stationery she needed to create handouts for her students. That small investment lit a fire in her. PRVM grew from a side hustle into a respected performing arts school that held award shows at major theatres. Those theatre rentals came with serious price tags, so she built a business model strong enough to carry the weight. She learned how to make money, manage money, and multiply money.

“People often think they need a long list of resources to start a business. I prove otherwise. In today’s digital world, you can launch with your phone, your story, and your willingness to speak. You can begin with what you have.”

Over time, students and community members asked her to help them build their own businesses. Many had never seen a Caribbean woman succeed at scale. When they entered her world, they observed not just her results but the systems, strategies, and stamina behind them. By 2012, she found herself coaching men and women unofficially: no company name, no grand announcement, just service.

“I’m naturally technical. I build frameworks, methods, and step-by-step pathways to growth. I reverse-engineer success. When I couldn’t find solutions, I built them. By 2017, I started doing digital marketing for my academy. The campaigns worked so well that people paid me to teach them how to set up their businesses, pricing, packaging, and sales structures. The digital brand name stayed in the back of my mind until it finally became official.”

“I wanted to become the face of Caribbean women who excel, not just survive. I wanted Caribbean women to merge global practices with our own cultural brilliance and prove we belong anywhere excellence lives.”

Caribbean women face battles others don’t. We break barriers while fighting stereotypes, and we carry culture, family, and history while building empires. Solomon knows the pressure. She also knows the possibility. “I push every woman I mentor to step forward with clarity, confidence, and courage, never shrinking to fit a room that needs her leadership.”

“I show up because women deserve proof that Caribbean excellence stretches across oceans.”

In 2025, her work was recognized with the Caribbean POSH Icon Women – Entrepreneur Excellence Award. “The announcement stunned me. I accepted it with gratitude and a full understanding of what it represented; acknowledgment for my efforts, and evidence that purpose leaves footprints.”

“I don’t chase spotlight moments. I chase impact. The award confirmed that the sacrifices, the late nights, the tough decisions, and the willingness to speak truth into women’s lives create measurable change. I show up because women deserve proof that Caribbean excellence stretches across oceans.”

“My competitive edge is my Caribbean identity. I break borders by showcasing possibilities from the Port of Spain to New York to London. I want women to see how far we can go and still remain rooted in where we come from. Every time I succeed, I open doors behind me so other women can walk through with power. This is a movement built on purpose, elevation, and possibility.”

Her mission is simple: bring value to women who uplift our communities. When we raise women, we raise families, industries, and nations. She encourages every woman to step into their future with what she already carries.

Anything you want to be, pursue it with what you have.