Click here for information on a new venture capital investment opportunity! www.bimventures.com

"And look! The tears of the oppressed but they have no comforter...on the side of the oppressors there is power, but they (too) have no comforter."- Ecclesiastes 4:1

The book "Psychology - The Search for Understanding", and I dare say many others, comprehensively describes Maslow's hierarchy of five levels of basic needs as follows: Physiological Needs; Safety Needs; Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness; Needs for Esteem; and Needs for Self-Actualization. Beyond these needs, higher levels of need exist. These include needs for understanding, aesthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied, nor the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on. 

The physiological needs are biological needs. They consist of needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs because if a person were deprived of all needs, the physiological ones would come first in the person's search for satisfaction. The air we breathe in Barbados is relatively clean but it comes at a cost, the cost of preservation of the environment. Barbados is a coral island with moderate to low annual rainfall but water should not be a problem if we: keep the gullies clean so that the natural flow to the aquifers is not impeded; damn the water that would normally run off to the sea; collect the water that falls on our roofs; and, if all this fails, we can desalinate, hopefully solar desalinate, the endless supply of sea water. If we exercise, maintain peace of mind and clothe ourselves well, we should maintain a relatively constant body temperature. The challenge therefore is to feed ourselves well and cost effectively to satisfy our physiological needs.

What are we going to do about the local agricultural production and processing industry?  We have a natural resource of arable land, most of it lying fallow. What a waste! Would it be good business to have underutilised supply capacity in the manufacturing, hotel, financial or creative industries sectors? Why then in agriculture?

We have markets for local fresh and processed agricultural products: hotels, restaurants, institutions, supermarkets, hucksters, farmers markets, exotic exports and home port cruise lines.  Why are these serviced largely with imported food products to the tune of BB$ 500 million per annum? We are then faced with the challenges of earning adequate levels of foreign reserves instead of doing something about saving it.

We have consumers who are exploited but have no comforter. We have frustrated small and large farmers and brokers who have no comforter. We have many uncoordinated public and private sector service organisations providing husbandry information, finance, incentives, land management, training, praedial larceny dialogue, agricultural inputs and technical assistance, but no comforter. We have public and private leadership power but no comforter.

We need a strong consumer protection agency to shepherd the consumer so as to realise the best bang for their food buck. We need to identify entrepreneurs (farmers) with "DNA of an Elephant" ideas to exploit the market potential and shepherding services and venture capital to comfort them. We need to provide a shepherding coordination service to avoid duplication and optimise return on investment. We need to challenge our leaders, both public and private, to recognise that they too need to have shepherds to comfort them so that they can motivate others.

Most consumers just take what they get irrespective of quality and price. This is only sustainable where they are no resource constraints. Even though there may not be a consumer protection agency with "bite", given the recessionary times with which we are now faced, it is time that consumers employ more discriminatory practices and "shop smart".

The obvious areas of farming focus should be systems to support and exploit black belly sheep, cotton and sugar cane where we could have a natural competitive advantage. The shepherding process will ensure that productivity and profitability will prevail.

The Bimventures project, a partnership between the CBET Shepherding Model and the Government and private sector of Barbados, currently has 10 projects in its portfolio and can also partner with "DNA of an Elephant" projects in the agricultural sector.

The most important missing link in the agricultural sector is a "Master Control" shepherding service which coordinates the successful flow of agricultural commodities from supply to market at a profit. This will have immediate benefits if only in its ability to control waste.

As John Maxwell observes in his Leadership Bible: "While Ecclesiastes seems to continue the book's theme of futility, it actually attempts to address the issue of motivation. Solomon says that he observes people in a variety of contexts, and nothing seems to satisfy them. As leaders, we must understand people's motivational needs. What do they seek in life? Note Solomon's observations about what motivates most men and women: comfort and fulfilment (affiliation), completion and triumph (achievement), consumption and greed (influence)". Let us take Solomon's observations to heart and identify the agricultural sector's stakeholders' higher needs then motivate men and women of influence to achieve the objectives which would allow the players in the agricultural sector to perform in harmony for the benefit of us all. Or, will we continue to "fiddle while Rome burns"? Who will "bell the cat"?

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc.)

"And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." -  Exodus 23:25

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered an address at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. which was entitled "I Have a Dream". It began as follows: "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American (President Abraham Lincoln), in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

"But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition."

It ended as follows: "...when we allow freedom to ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

On June 28, 1993, I wrote my first article in this series of weekly columns which was entitled "Barbados: The Singapore of the Caribbean".  I was inspired right after my first real visit to Singapore that the story of the island state, a little bigger than Barbados, could be repeated here in the Caribbean and my dream was that Barbados could learn from Singapore and effect a similar economic transition.

According to Peter Ho, Head of the Singapore civil service in 2006: "At different times in its history, Singapore has been a hub for the region. From the 7th to the 10th century, Temasek, as Singapore was then known, was a prosperous trading outpost... Temasek continued in its role as an emporium for the region and later slumped to what many writers have described as a "sleepy fishing village" until the advent of Lee Kuan Yew in 1959. The rest is history.

In 1959 Barbados was way ahead of Singapore, according to any set of macro-economic indicators, and maintained that status until 1970 after which the gap widened to where it is today. Singapore's GDP per capita is now of the order of a factor of three greater than that of Barbados.

I still have a dream for Barbados which is to achieve higher and higher levels of economic emancipation and hence a very high standard of socio-economic well being for its people. Various manifestations of this dream may be found in the fabric of my columns "Strictly Business" over the last 17 years and since the Singapore revelation. More specifically, on Nov 15, 2008, the board of Trustees of Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust (Barbados), referred to now as Bimventures, met for the first time, giving full recognition to the partnership between Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. (the owner of the intellectual property rights of the CBET Shepherding Model) and the Government and private sector in Barbados. This was followed on Nov 13 2009 by the launch of The Barbados Entrepreneurs' Venture Capital Fund by the Prime Minister of Barbados.

The Bimventures extended family now consists of 60 people who are intimately involved in the thrust forward. These include: Trustees (4); Executive Management Committee (3); Entrepreneurs (13) in 10 enterprises; Shepherds (7); Business Advisors (6); independent Board members of the nine incorporated enterprises (27).

The E-team of private sector volunteers (local and foreign), including myself, will launch a new initiative on the occasion of its Inaugural Annual Barbados Entrepreneurial Conference and Awards Ceremony (November 16 and 17). The E-Team has set itself the task, with the support of the Prime Minister and the social partnership, to develop Barbados as the number one Entrepreneurial hub in the world by 2020 - a Centre of Excellence. 

The concept is that Entrepreneurship, when supported by a well established foundation of the five pillars (Finance Availability, Government Policy, Business Facilitation, Talent & Education and Mentorship & Networks) has a great chance of success.

The dream continues to unfold. John C. Maxwell, in his leadership promises, advocates: "Any dream worth living is worth sharing with others. The person who shares his dream gets to watch it grow. The synergy of shared ideas often takes it to a whole new level. The dream becomes bigger than the person launching it ever imagined it could be. And those who participate in it often adopt it as their own dream. As you give others the opportunity to share your dream, paint a broad landscape for them so that they can catch your vision."

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. - CBET

 “And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered; and they feared the king for they saw that the wisdom of the Lord was within him to administer justice” – 1 Kings 3:28

 The smart partnership philosophy is the lynchpin which fastens the relationship between social partners (government, the private sector, trade unions and civil society). The success of this philosophy manifests itself in a system of harmonious roles among the social partners.  Without it there is a high probability of sustainable decay or at best fluctuating fortunes. 

Nationally, the system is driven by governance (parliament, cabinet, the civil service/statutory corporations), national output (productive sectors) and finance (taxes and loans). Successful emerging states result from the development of one successful enterprise after another. At the enterprise level the success of this philosophy manifests itself in a system of harmonious roles within the enterprises.  The system is driven by governance (ownership, board, management and staff), sales (resulting from the impact of effective marketing strategies geared to specific target markets), production (products and services) and financial capital (equity, venture capital and loans). 

Our national governance system is not optimal.  Individuals, who have a penchant to be practising politicians (constituency representatives), seek election to the lower house of parliament.  The Prime Minister then has the job of choosing ministers for his cabinet. The majority of these ministerial positions are filled by elected representatives.  A small number of non-elected persons is chosen to be in the cabinet sometimes for their specialist expertise, and appointed as government senators in the upper house of parliament. 

Are the elected representatives appointed as ministers necessarily a close to perfect fit for a given ministerial portfolio?  Some yes, some no, hence the process is sub optimal. One may suggest that the number of specially appointed persons as government senators should be increased, to effect a near perfect fit in cabinet.  However, this will not be acceptable in the present system because persons offer themselves for election, not only to be constituency representatives but also to become ministers, albeit sometimes for only a short time in a given portfolio.  

Another solution to the sub optimal process is for elected ministers to surround themselves with the best brains available to make them “look good” in their portfolios.  This is almost never the case, as a minister may prefer to posture as being an expert in the given portfolio for political reasons.  The country suffers as a result.  The US system, for example, allows the President to choose the best that he thinks is available to manage the portfolios in the “cabinet” without being constrained by the elected official process. 

In my opinion, no political party is going to amend the constitution to effect this change in governance system, even if they have a large enough majority to allow them to do so.  We are therefore forced to seek other solutions which would be of national benefit. 

The economic recovery process depends on the private sector to develop one new or start-up enterprise after another anyway, so why not give the private sector a strong mandate to aggressively create momentum, with government providing an efficient enabling environment based on regulatory and service functions. 

This is beginning to emerge in Barbados. The E-team of private sector volunteers (local and foreign) has set itself the task, with the support of the Prime Minister and the social partnership, to develop Barbados as the number one Entrepreneurial hub in the world by 2020. 

Limegrove, the Caribbean’s newest Lifestyle Location, opens in Barbados in December 2010 with government’s blessings.  Located in the heart of Holetown, Limegrove covers ten acres and includes retail space, parking, residences, apartments, penthouses and townhouses. Many of the world’s designer branded retailers will be participating in this sophisticated luxury retail shopping environment, while the adjacent residences will offer the finest in contemporary Caribbean living. Upon completion, the Limegrove Lifestyle Centre aims to be the most stylish place to shop, dine, and lime for all visitors and residents of Barbados.

The Chamber of Commerce is actively pursing The Bridgetown Revitalisation Initiative to develop the Bridgetown Barbados Brand and transform Bridgetown into a night and day city of diversity including commerce, culture, entertainment, accommodation, heritage, sports tourism as well as education, with Government endorsement. The rebranding of Bridgetown is based on concepts of Centres of Excellence. 

Bimventures is in the fledgling stages of development of start up enterprises, using the CBET Shepherding Model, primarily and coincidentally in the cultural industries (art, film, fashion, music and food) and in this context it is a perfect fit with the Limegrove lifestyle concept.  This is a partnership between CBET (the owner of the intellectual property rights of the CBET Shepherding Model) and the government and private sector in Barbados. 

Last week the ninth Bimventure company, art ani-MAL Inc. was approved for Venture Capital.  The entrepreneur is Ras Akyem-I Ramsay who has already made his mark with his art on the international stage and as he expressed it “I now want to do for the world of Caribbean art what Bob Marley did for Caribbean music”. 

Government and the private sector must now combine to increase the rate of tourism spend in the island by the power of the new Bridgetown Barbados Brand. 

The word got around—everyone in Israel heard of the king's judgment. They were all in awe of the king, realizing that it was God's wisdom that enabled him to judge truly.

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. - CBET)

Click here for information on a new venture capital investment opportunity! www.bimventures.com  

About six weeks ago, I returned from a trip in the Caribbean to find a message from Joseph "Reds" Perreira asking me to pick up a copy of his book, "Living My Dreams" which was left for me at a local sports bar. My most recent encounter with Reds was a few weeks before that at the "Morning Barbados" studio when TV interviews followed each other, albeit on two different topics. He was promoting his book and I was also living my dream by promoting entrepreneurship as a means of creating economic growth, one successful enterprise after another. As we passed each other in the studio he alerted me to the fact that he wanted to get a copy of his book to me.

Reds called to ensure that I got the message and the book. In the book he inscribed "Basil - Hope you enjoy my story. Best wishes, Reds Perreira". I promised to support his gargantuan effort to produce an autobiography, by promoting in it my weekly column.

In my July 12, 2010 column, I began. Entitled "The Flood Tide," I observed that "many persons have gently suggested that I compile the articles into a book. I attempted this once but then the time pressure of my daily projects has not yet allowed this to become a reality. I continually think about it and now especially since Reds Perreira kindly left a copy of his autobiography for me to read on my return to Barbados. I have not yet read it but scanning the first chapters and the testimonials at the end of the book, it certainly seems to be a motivational piece of literature which should be included in the library of those who want to take the flood tide and benefit from the fortunes at the end of the rainbow. The first chapter reminds the reader of Perreira's roots and the testimonials at the end reflect on the bounty which this tree has borne over the passage of his productive life to date".  

This was sufficient for the sub-editor at the Barbados Advocate to adorn "The Flood Tide" article with a picture of Reds.

Of course, as a sports commentator especially in cricket in the Caribbean, Reds would be known to many more people than he himself would have met. He left Guyana and became resident in Barbados in 1980 and then later moved to Saint Lucia. Our paths crossed on several occasions over the years as we traversed the Caribbean to address our various and varied pursuits. I note in his book that he was in England during the '60s, so was I. We may have met then, but I do not recall.

The classical approach to writing an autobiography suggests two options: (1) You can start with a blank sheet of paper or (2) use a fill-in-the-blank format with questions, prompts and other activities to help you go back into your memory banks and pull out "memorable gems" that you have, perhaps, long forgotten about! I am not sure which method Reds followed but he must be congratulated on the product which will undoubtedly inspire many youngsters to attempt to make something of their lives.

John C. Maxwell has written Leadership Promises For Every Day. The August 14 promise reads as follows: "It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers catch it and managers are able to continue it once it has begun.  But creating momentum requires someone who can motivate others, not one who needs to be motivated. Just as every sailor knows you cannot steer a ship that is not moving forward, strong leaders understand that to change direction you have to create forward progress. Without momentum, even the simplest tasks can seem insurmountable. But with momentum on your side any kind of change is possible."

An autobiography is a means of sharing and I would like to congratulate Reds for making the effort to produce this work which I am sure will be a stimulus for those who read it and may be the example that influences change in many lives in these challenging times. In a recent email message from Reds he assures me that he is attempting to ensure that the book is available at bookstores throughout the region and beyond.

As I skimmed through the book, I noted that the chapter on "Reflections" started: "As I look back on my active life I must recognise how fortunate I was to see some of the very best perform at the highest level and at some of the most celebrated cricket venues in the world...If being more formally educated would have in fact changed the life and career I pursued, I would not choose it."

I think the message that I have received is that we should take advantage of our blessings and convert them into action for the benefit of mankind. I would encourage all to read and be inspired.

Let the Word of Christ - the Message - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing; sing your hearts out to God!

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. - CBET - Columns are archived at www.cbetmodel.org) 

 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." - Colossians 3:16