Tazmein Coats-Crawford is a wife and mother of three and a passionate entrepreneur. She wants to share her story with a view to inspiring other entrepreneurs, particularly women. She wants them to persist with their entrepreneurial pursuits, the challenges notwithstanding. Over time, financial constraints have compelled Tazmein to adjust her entrepreneurial radar. That hurdle, however, has not been allowed to impede her path to accomplishment.
In this interview with the Stabroek Business, Tazmein talks about how she balances the responsibilities of family with her business pursuits and the carving out of ‘quality time’.
SB: Who is Tazmein Coats-Crawford?
TC: I am a mother of three boys, a television host, and the founder of Lionel’s products. I love being a mother, and I absolutely love being able to give my children a life I never had, teaching them things I wasn’t taught when I was growing up.
SB: Tell us a little about life before you became an entrepreneur.
TC: I always wanted to study law. I couldn’t because of financial constraints. I had to start working as soon as I left school. I did marketing for a company that sold fish. That was my first job [and] I had to visit places that bought fish in large quantities. A friend told me about a company that was doing a Cricket World Cup magazine called “Guyana Enjoy the Mix”. I went to work with the company [and] I sold ads for them for a while. I enjoyed that. Later I started doing my own marketing. I would visit or call television stations to find out about air time costs. I thought that I had good stories to tell. I knew that if I were able to find sponsors for a show of my own I could use my own experiences to motivate other women. I was able to get a show on Channel 65 called “The Youths are the Future”. I got quite a few sponsors and the show ran for a while.
SB: What was it that took you into television?
TC: I was good at marketing, hence I decided to seek sponsorship for my own TV show. I also felt that I had a good story to tell… the story of my upbringing. I became independent at quite a young age. That had to do with the circumstance of growing up in a single parent home. My father was hardly ever around. I wanted to use my story to motivate other women. I also wanted to be my own boss.
SB: What made you decide to become an agro-processor?
TC: After the birth of my third son I started making coconut oil. I used the coconut oil on his skin. It turned out to be a good product and I decided to manufacture and market coconut oil. Of course I was also aware that I had the particular skills to market the product.
SB: With all that you have going on, how do you allocate time for family and business?
TC: All of that constitutes separate parts of life. There has to be a time and a place for everything. It is a matter of properly apportioning your time. There are days for me to package my products – I have staff to help with that too. Of course there are also days when I feel overwhelmed. On those days I simply pamper myself. I believe that self-care is important.
SB: Tell us about the rewards of being an entrepreneur?
TC: I am my own boss. I have made something out of nothing. When I look back at where I started I get a clearer understanding of the concept of reaping what you sow. I feel good when some of my earlier doubters congratulate me. They also support me by buying my products. I may not, as yet, be quite where I want to be but the journey continues.
SB: Tell us about the challenges that you face as an entrepreneur?
TC: Reliable supply of raw material for my agro-processing pursuits is one of the challenges I face. I have to order my packaging materials online. Sometimes there are delays there. Since I pride myself on being consistent in the service that I provide I do not like delays. I wish there was a company that could satisfy my raw material needs in a timely fashion so that I don’t have to order them on-line.
SB: What inspires you, and who are your biggest supporters?
TC: My background, my kids, and the thought of one day being able to acquire financial freedom… those considerations keep me going. My oldest son helped a lot in the initial stages of my business pursuits. The CEO of Davis Memorial Hospital, Mrs. Beverly Chan, Ms. Johan David from IICA, and my husband are my biggest supporters. The Small Business Bureau also supports me a lot.
SB: How do you use your platform to support other agro-processors?
TC: I have first-hand experience of some of the financial and marketing challenges associated with being an agro-processor. Advertising is costly. I am therefore fortunate to be hosting my own TV Show on NCN. I understand those challenges and I try to help. Not everyone has the money to pay for advertising.
