The quote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you,” has been attributed to the late Maya Angelou and it is one that Reminiscence Bio, established last August, firmly agrees with.
Its owner, Lisa Hamilton, aspires to preserve special moments and memories of people so that their future generations will have a better understanding of their history and legacy. On March 13, she won the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly -Guyana (IDPADA-G) Invest-A-Thon Competition for her business project.
Growing up, Hamilton was familiar with stories about her mother’s relatives, but when her father’s stories were shared, there was never anything much on his father.
Her paternal grandfather had passed on four years before she was born. She often wondered what if there were a service that had allowed him the opportunity to share his story so that his grandchildren could learn about the kind of man he was, the hardships he endured and some of his most memorable moments. Try as she might to learn about him, she always arrived at a dead end. Who he was and what he was really like are questions, she has come to sadly accept, that may never be answered.
Last August Hamilton jumped at the chance to visit her mother’s father, Augustus Marshall, in Berbice. She described the experience as an “eyeopener.” Marshall, a father of ten, lives in a small village along a river in Berbice where the source of light is either powered by a generator or flambeaux. The main transportation to and from the village is by boat.
She remembered sitting with her grandfather in the dark as he related life stories, some of which she had heard growing up, and some of which were new to her. Marshall was a farmer and he shared how he had saved his wages and built a home for his family, only to later watch it go up in flames.
Spending time with her grandfather made Hamilton realize that there was much she did not know and was happy to learn. She decided right then that writing, and publishing biographies was what she wanted to do and while she knew how she wanted to execute it, she needed financing.
“I’m happy to have had the opportunity to peel back the curtains to his life and I’m excited to do this for so many other persons,” she said.
Prior to entering the IDPADA Invest-A-Thon Competition, Hamilton was in Jamaica with her fiancé during which time she researched organizations that would provide grants for a business like hers. This is how she learnt of the Invest-A-Thon Competition and signed up just the week prior to it being hosted. Hamilton was required to be in Guyana for the competition and so she travelled back home.
A Seventh-Day Adventist, Hamilton appealed to the coordinators of the competition to have the day of the event changed as it was slated for a Saturday, which is her Sabbath. However, she was told that no exceptions could be made, and she would need to follow through with pitching her idea at the event. Torn, she was finally able to talk organizers into allowing her to do her pitch via video and have a friend attend the event in her absence to answer any questions.
Twenty-five applicants entered the competition, and they were subsequently shortlisted to five prospective entrepreneurs. By the end of Hamilton’s video, the judges were won over by her idea particularly because it was the first of its kind in Guyana and were even more thrilled that such a service could become available. Along with the prize of $500,000, Hamilton will also be provided with support and opportunities for development by IDPADA-G.
Hamilton said that when she saw who she was up against, she was nervous as she expected stiff competition, but stayed confident because she was pitching a project that she was sure would pique interest.
The Reminisce Bio concept was first shared publicly at the competition. Before that, Hamilton kept it on the down low for fear of someone stealing it and worked pro bono with her clients up until now.
Challenges
Her greatest challenge, she said, was mental, since she did all of the work on her own without any form of support. The young woman added that she had no cheerleaders, which was as a result of her keeping her idea a secret. During this time, she also created a website for her business.
Among other challenges was sourcing funding for her project, which she often pinched from her pay cheque. As a reporter with daily deadlines, Hamilton would begin working on Reminiscence Bio at night and almost always into the wee hours of the morning.
So far, Hamilton has completed two books: The Life of Augustus Marshall and The Life of Minnet Harris, Knowledge is Infinite.
Harris’ story is about a woman who yearned for knowledge but owing to life’s circumstances, was only able to return to school at the age of 45. Apart from these biographies being a historical testimony for future generations, they are also an inspiration to any reader.
At present, Hamilton is working on a third book, featuring her father’s life. She also has a few other interested clients with whom she is currently working.
Since its launch, her business have been progressing faster than planned. About this, Hamilton said, “I feel scared and happy at the same time. I am still a bit worried sometimes. Sometimes I’m excited. Definitely I am pleased, and I don’t regret.
“I want Guyanese to understand and take seriously the importance of preserving their history. It’s not about being important but about sharing our story with our future generations. We need to start that change where we are remembered for who we were.”
The entrepreneur hopes that within the next year, the business can finance its own video equipment and the following year have a physical location in Georgetown. People in Trinidad are already requesting her services and she hopes to provide that in time, after they are first provided in Jamaica. In three years’ time, Hamilton hopes that there will be a demand for her business locally.
Hamilton further said that while some people in Guyana were able to have biographies created for them, there is no business in Guyana that offers strictly biography services. She added that those who have had the opportunity of cementing their life stories in print are often politicians and other prominent individuals in society.
At Reminiscence Bio, there are three client packages. In addition, for people unable to pay the entire cost for their book at one go, there is a four-month payment plan available. The three packages offered are the: Basic, Standard and Premium. The Basic package costs $124,000 or $31,000 a month and includes: an interview (audio recorded), typography book cover, 50 pages maximum, 15 pictures maximum (internal), one free book. Clients can also have their books updated with new information annually for a fee. Standard packages cost $165,000 or $41,250 per month and come with: an interview (audio recorded), a professional book cover shoot, 90 pages maximum, 20 pictures maximum (internal), first annual update free (fee for additional annual yearly updates), and 10% off on biographies for two family members. Finally, the Premium package costs $250,000 or $62,500 per month and includes: interview (audio and video recorded), professional book cover shoot, 120 pages maximum, 35 pictures maximum (internal), video summary of biography, two free books, first annual update free (fee for additional yearly updates), and 10% off biographies for two family members. In addition, all books will be available to the public on Amazon.com at $2,000 each.
To publish the books Reminiscence Bio outsources professional services from photographers, graphic designers, writers, transcribers, editors, creative advisors, and several printing companies.
Hamilton holds a BA in Mass Communication from the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and has practised as a print media journalist for several years. Reminisce Bio is slated to be formally launched this month. Its website is www.reminiscencebio.com
