Diversifying for the down times
-How one Empretec graduate decided to beat the business blues
By Nicosia Smith
Stabroek News
May 28, 2004
Sitting around and moaning about how business is bad is an all too common practice that achieves nothing.
But one creative and artistic school has learnt that business success comes from doing and is using this valuable lesson to make a difference.
Patricia Hilwig, owner of Despat Creative Craft, at 311 Rohintal St., Prashad Nagar is an Empretec graduate who is using her new skills in diversification and taking risks to grow her business.
Last June, Hilwig completed a business development training course with Empretec which taught her to diversify and also how to control her finances.
Empretec Guyana launched its first set of training workshops for micro and small businesses in June 2003, through funding from the United Nation Development Programme. This training programme is geared toward stimulating human resources development, income generation, job creation and poverty reduction.
Wedding cake created by DesPat
In October, Stabroek Busi-ness featured this Empretec graduate and is reporting on her progress to date.
Despat Creative Craft is a sewing and culinary school.
At any given time, at least 40 students are taking classes from the 22 courses offered at DesPat and this represents an increase since the school started five years ago. Most importantly the school is now able to sustain itself.
Fabric designs along with cake and pastry making are the courses which have the most enrolment, but bedroom elegance also has a following.
According to Hilwig, more students prefer to enrol for fabric courses since it is much easier to start a small fabric business from home.
At first, Hilwig says her response to a drop in school enrolment would be to wait out the slow periods. The school's peak periods are usually from July to August and from September to Christmas but it is slow from January to June.
But after the Empretec course Hilwig has ventured out into other areas and is now exporting her tie-dyed fabrics to Miami.
Previously her fabric sales were minimal and it was directly thanks to the course that she got her overseas market.
A fellow Empretec graduate encouraged her to send a few of her fabric pieces to an acquaintance who sold beach wear in Miami.
And Hilwig is not satisfied with just one market but has also showcased her products at Guy Expo, in an effort to increase sales to local customers.
While all this is going on, Hilwig is separating her business and personal finances by paying herself a salary. Thus, money generated by the school is used for the school and funds generated from her catering service and other activities go towards that side of the business.
Moreover, she has also learnt that every investment made from her personal finances towards her business interests must be recovered.
Hilwig's decision to become an entrepreneur after completing her Sociology degree at the University of Guyana, was not well received by her friends who felt she should continue teaching.
Before becoming a businesswoman Hilwig spent several years teaching principles of business and typing at a secondary school. She is also a graduate of the Carnegie School of Home Economics.
But she is happy with her choice. Being her own boss allows her "more job satisfaction and you can work at your own pace."
Cooking, baking and cake decorating runs in the family, she says.
Hilwig says her great grandmother travelled around Guyana to cook while a cousin baked for former ministers and other dignitaries. A good education is important, she says, but learning a trade is equally important.
Her sister owns Ridley's Restaurant located on Robb Street and one sister who is a US resident also plans to make a living from her culinary skills.
Hilwig advises small business owners to keep their products and services at high standards and if they are teaching at their own school, "Be the best teacher there is."
Despat Creative Craft, teaches culinary skills in Chinese, Indian and vegetarian dishes, fabric designs, cake decorating, sewing and skirting, cosmetology (which runs for six months), bedroom elegance (how to make comforters, bed spreads, cushions and creating thematic decorations for bedrooms), soft furnishings (sewing curtains and covers for kitchen appliances, table cloths and napkin rings).
Apart from Hilwig, four other part-time teachers are employed at the school. Classes are held from Monday to Thursday and on Saturdays.