It is almost certainly not by accident that the realization of Guyana’s protracted ‘oil and gas’ dream would appear to be coinciding with the emergence of an entrepreneurial spirit that is beginning to infect increasing numbers of young Guyanese, causing them, in many instances to shift career choices and to begin to take their minds down pathways that, hitherto, may well never have previously crossed their minds. Bishops High School and University of Guyana Alumnus Matthew Gaul would appear to be making a modest but promising start down that road. It didn’t begin that way.
Life as a youngster was characterized by two conditions; denial of amenities, a circumstance that derived directly from a poor home and the absence of a ‘live in’ father, a condition that inevitably rendered an already bad situation worse. For Matthew, however, poverty served as a motivator. If he may not, at the beginning, have benefitted from role models that provided entrepreneurial motivation, want compelled him to contemplate making entrepreneurship a preoccupation. Simultaneously, he was possessed of a moral rudder which he pressed into service to take him where he sought to go. There was more. Setting aside his entrepreneurial ambition he sought, as well, it was about how his own ambitions could impact other lives. If there was a ‘philosophy’ to which he sought to anchor his upbringing it was The Mamba Mentality, a philosophical outlook that places long-term, professional goals over simply living ‘a normal, balanced life’.
This outlook, it is believed to have taken the now deceased American basketball superstar to the heights that he realized. Kobe’s on-court outlook embodied the essentials of “playing without fear, mastering your craft and wanting not only to win, but to dominate.” An attentive student, Matthew has made a number of pointed observations about the entrepreneurial landscape. He has learnt that the world of business and entrepreneurship is evolving constantly so that being successful spoke to issues of alertness and adaptability. These, he learnt, are critical requisites for ‘staying in the game.’ That apart, he is, ‘comforted’ by what he considers a solid support network comprising a mix of minds. He speaks animatedly on the subject of “challenges.” In his instance, they have served as motivators that provide impetus for moving forward.
His material hardships, he said, had derived primarily from his condition of fatherlessness.’ He wasn’t complaining, he said. Challenges provided a kind of tantalizing ‘finishing mind’ that serves as an unmoving goal. Beyond that and his entrepreneurial ambitions notwithstanding, he embraces the belief that material means ought not to be the sole measuring rod for determining success. His Podcast has helped him to build a ‘family of like minds.’ Common Cents, one of his creations, focuses on disseminating information on financial literacy. The programme is widely shared and offers daily access to businessmen and women in search of a forum through which ideas can be shared.
The Podcast apart, Gaul provides a ‘business event’ titled ECONEMEBusiness Mixer, that brings together industry Leaders, successful entrepreneurs, government officials, diplomats and youngsters with an interest in business. Matthew is currently reading for a Masters’ Degree in International Business.
