24 | ZiNG CARIBBEAN http://www.liat.com | May - June 2019of Scotland to the United
Nations, where she has had a
chance to apply some of those
entrepreneurial principles.
“I always say to others: I grew
up living abroad,” she affi rms.
“That meant that I was outside
my comfort zone, and no longerholding to limiting beliefs – that I
should just study and fi nd a ‘good’
job – as I had seen other options.”
Today Alian is successfully
managing a professional and
leadership development company
that has been growing ever since
she returned to Barbados from
the UK in 2014.
As she readjusted to life
and the business culture in
the Caribbean after her returnTop tip
“Test, test, test! As well as
maintaining the tenacity
to keep on keeping on,
another thing that is
super important is getting
out there continually, to
hear what your potential
customers have to say about
your ideas. Don’t be afraid
to hear feedback.”home, she committed to building
Gateway International Inc, dealing
with the many risks associated
with startups.
Smiling proudly, she says: “The
company now has a team of four,
and is continuing to grow – which
not only shows progression, but
also validates that I must be doing
something right.”
In 2017, Alian’s team secured
a consulting contract with Youth
Business International to develop
an entrepreneurial curriculum for
the Caribbean. That curriculum
now serves fi ve agencies regionally,
and has been delivered to more
than 150 entrepreneurs so far.
However, Alian also openly
shares the challenges of managing
expectations, personalities and
team dynamics, which led her to
become a John Maxwell Team
Member, one of a group of
certifi ed coaches, trainers and
speakers. She has come to grasp
that understanding yourself and
learning how to communicate with
others, along with understanding
how infl uence works, are key skills.
“Entrepreneurship is not
a title, but more a mindset,”
Alian says. “You need to believe
in yourself, be courageous in
adversity, have faith, apply
resilience to everything,
and surround yourself with
positive people.”LIME
ENTREPRENEUR
FOCUSCoach class
We’ve teamed up with Caribbean Power Lunch to showcase inspiring go-getters.
This issue, meet enterprise development entrepreneur Alian OllivierreHOTBUSINESS
CARIBBEAN POWER LUNCH PODCAST
Caribbean Power Lunch is a weekly podcast interview series outlining lessons
learned and practical advice from black entrepreneurs. Our aim is to build a
community where entrepreneurs and customers can connect
and collaborate. Visit http://www.caribbeanpowerlunch.com.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Castbox or Stitcher. Follow us
on Instagram and Facebook @caribbeanpowerlunchAt the age of 16, before she’d
given any thought to what
career path she might take, Alian
realised that a traditional job was
not the only way to make a living.
Her grandmother, who was over
65 years old at the time, published
and launched her fi rst book, and
that inspired Alian to believe that
she could achieve anything – if she
really wanted it.
Three years later, Alian moved
to the UK, where she lived, studied
and worked for most of her adult
life. Throughout this time, she
was determined to explore all the
possibilities her knowledge and
skills would afford her.
She pursued a career in law
and international relations,
but that did not stop her from
exploring various passions.
During her university years, as
a hobby Alian and a group of
her closest friends decided to
host some events that reminded
them of their Caribbean homes.
“Before we knew it, we were
running an entertainment
business for college students,”
Alian recalls.
That was Alian’s fi rst real
taste of entrepreneurship
and also of partnerships,
value proposition and
time management. “It was
not easy, but it allowed me
to combine a passion with
generating revenue,” she says.
Her career journey has
taken her from the Royal Bank WWW.AOLLIVIERRE.COM &
WWW.GATEWAYINTL.CO