Support local with ‘20 likkle gift ideas’

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Barbuda Emblem necklace
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By Latrishka Thomas

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There are only a few shopping days before Christmas but if you haven’t copped any gifts as yet, you are better off supporting local businesses with ‘20 Likkle Gift Ideas.’

This is an initiative being put on by the SamuelFields Consulting Group (SFCG), an eLearning consultancy that specialises in providing financial literacy to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

It is designed to assist Christmas shoppers in finding unique, innovative, locally crafted Christmas gifts in the marketplace, and also to generate significant business activity to help micro and small enterprises recapture revenues lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The list of its products is broken down into five main categories: Art & Home Decor, Bags & Accessories, Event Planning, Food and Beverage and Health, Fitness and Beauty. The Gift of Knowledge is also critically important and three self-help/motivational books by local authors are featured on the list.

Women-owned small businesses dominate the list of ‘20 Likkle Gift Ideas,’ including one micro business that is based on the sister island of Barbuda.

Barbuda Emblem sells jewelry made from pink sand and pink shells directly from Barbuda.

The owner Odelia Butler speaking on Observer AM yesterday shared that her business was inspired by her mom who loved to collect shells and wanted to start a business “but never had enough time.”

“This was her complete dream and I’m just pursuing it for her,” Butler said.

The beautiful jewelry sold by Barbuda Emblem is “not just a gift, it’s an emblem…you’ll be wearing a piece of Barbuda,” the business owner added.

Butler said that she applied to be apart of the ‘20 likkle gift ideas’ campaign because ““I felt like I needed more experience in the business world and I needed a little bit more help.”

And in a short space of time, she said she has seen an uptake in sales.

Additionally, “it has made me feel like I am a part of something bigger. Being a part of this makes me feel like I can do much better with my business.”

Hunte Farms is another local business worth supporting for your choice of hormone free poultry.

One of the owners, Tavia Hunte shared that right now they are offering a service where they cook meats for customers or “we let them have a good time with our seasoning blends and so on.”

Hunte said that they too have experienced a lot of sales in the last week, and today’s smoked meats are completely sold out.

CEO of SFCG, Megan Samuel Fields, revealed that through this initiative she realised that there are a lot of myths about small businesses.

“I have to say this group of twenty businesses that we are dealing with are so open to learning and exploring new opportunities,” she remarked.

“20 likke gift ideas” will continue until December 31 for those who may not be able to afford a gift until the end of the month.

Shoppers will be eligible to win prizes from this list of businesses by purchasing from any of them, posting on social media why you shopped there, and citing what’s great about them. The shopper must also tag ten friends as well as the SFCG Facebook page

And the business with the highest level of shopper engagement, the most sustainable products and uniqueness will also win prizes.

To find the twenty innovative businesses, one can visit www.samuelfieldsconsulting.com for the names of the businesses and details of the offerings.

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