A woman of many accomplishments, Wendy ‘Lady Wendy’ South, founder of Global Entrepreneur Mentorship Services (GEMS) on Thursday launched her book titled Seven Missteps Made by New Entrepreneurs at Remas Guest House. She also released her first eBook on Amazon recently. The book was inspired by her contributions to small and medium-sized businesses. Apart from having a love for community development and inspiring others in business and entrepreneurship, South has run several of her own enterprises including restaurants, beauty parlours, and management consulting firms. She has also hosted two seasons of a local talk show, called “The Lady Wendy Show”.
After decades of working in the business sector, South has gained an understanding of the business world which led to her creating a mentorship service dedicated to preventing the mistakes commonly made by entrepreneurs.
Founder of the Cultural Mosaic Festival and Guyanese Pavilion in Metro International Caravan in Toronto, she has achieved the “Award of Merit for Excellent Community Work” in Toronto, as well as a letter of appreciation from Mayor David Miller and former Minister of Education Gerald Kennedy for excellent volunteer service. She has been on many boards, including vice-chair of the Business Improvement Association.
South has gained much experience in this arena, so her recently published book details the common mistakes made by entrepreneurs and gives insight on how to avoid them and work towards growing their businesses. Her book not only includes the basic tenets of business, but also shares on the rarely disclosed knowledge that can make or break a business.
Through the hosting of “The Lady Wendy Show,” she became inspired by her encounters with small business owners and detected a strong need for mentorship, especially for those coming from marginalized communities.
She believes in the saying, “Success in business is at your reach, all it takes is a willingness to learn from your mistakes and keep going.” Her years of experience have taught her to live life to the fullest, to take risks and to never forget to live, laugh and love; important life lessons she urges others to live by.
“Some of the topics covered can be found in interviews, articles, and sporadically online, but have yet to be compiled in an easy-to-understand fashion. Concepts include Ikigai, WOM marketing, SWOT analysis, escalation processes, as well as the impact and proper use of modern rating systems or social media platforms on your new business. Also covered is how to find the perfect location, how to expand your business properly, how to hire the perfect personnel, as well as how to write the perfect business plan,” a release stated. The book includes a bonus chapter that covers the topic of unpredictable crises and beyond. Seven Missteps Made by New Entrepreneurs can be purchased on Amazon.com.
