Different Methods-Same Results
- Terrence Muir Jr.
- Oct 2, 2017
- 7 min read
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Marsha Guiness. Originating from the parish of St. Thomas in Jamaica, Marsha Guiness is a Senior Educator at the Kingston technical High School for over 23 years and have been the Head of the business department for over 10 years. She was a free-lance columnist in the Sunday Herald. She also served as the Principal/Managing Director of the St. Thomas Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship. She is the author of Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, The Executive Organizer and Students Homework and Things to Do Organizer. She co-authored the McMillian’s POB for CSEC examinations. She holds a Diploma in Education from College or Arts, Science and Technology (now UTECH), and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of the Technology, she is also a past student of the Morant Bay High School. Her passion for entrepreneurship led to the formation of the KTHS Entrepreneurs Club where students form a company on campus and operate as student directors. She is also a mother of 3 children: Wayne-Marc, Azonya and Gabrielle. From educating to professional training to authoring and being an Entrepreneur, Marsha Guiness uses different methods to arrive at the same results which is sharing her passion for Entrepreneurship and teaching with individuals and groups. I must also note that she taught me Entrepreneurial skills in high school.
The questions for this weeks are:
How did your entrepreneurial journey begin?
Was the journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur an easy one?
What are some of the methods you implemented to arrive at your results?
How have you combined your entrepreneurial skills and that of an educator for over 23 years to guarantee student success?
What’s your understanding of different methods, same results and how does it fit into your career both as an entrepreneur and educator?
What tips would you give to young people who aspire to become entrepreneurs?
When asked how did her entrepreneurial journey began, her response was “my entrepreneurial journey began in 2004 after attending workshops in entrepreneurship using the CEFE methodology. After completing the training, I realize that I possessed entrepreneurial characteristics and decided to start my first business venture. My first business started with one committed client whose assignments I would type. I was asked to teach Entrepreneurship after returning from maternity leave. I found the subject quite interesting and real to life. However, there were no textbooks or structured materials to use for the programme. My entrepreneurial instinct chipped in and I compiled the first entrepreneurship textbook in 2004. I have compiled 3 other textbooks for Entrepreneurship and now planning to revise the latest edition by adding the CAPE content for 6th form students. My go getter attitude, provided me with an opportunity to co-author a Principles of Business textbook for MacMillan Publishers, one of the largest book publishers in the UK.
In 2006, I launched the first multi-service educational institution, St Thomas Institute of Business & Entrepreneurship which housed 5 business ventures in a one stop shop model. The business consisted of a post-high school programme, small business/computer training centre, internet café, docu-centre, stationery centre and a locally produced TV programme that was primary used as a marketing tool for the business. In 2015, a virtual business concept was developed to offer professional training and educational services to institutions such as workshops, training seminars, e-communication services etc. A student homework organizer was published in 2015. An Executive Organizer in 2016. My most recent business venture is a chartered school bus service from St Thomas to Kingston.”
Her response to was her journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur an easy one was that “every journey comes with his unique challenges. I must say it’s not easy to be an entrepreneur. Sourcing funding is never a problem because the bank is always willing to give you a start if you qualify for the loans being offered. Thanks to NCB and the loans officers who have served me over the years. The challenges I faced were related to dishonest employees and uncommitted business partners who expect to start reaping benefits early without understanding that business takes time to grow and need the support of the owners and customers to realize its goals. Fortunately, the expertise that I possess by being trained in Business Education and that in entrepreneurship have minimized many of the challenges that would be faced by the average entrepreneur.”
When asked about the methods of delivery that she have implemented to arrive at her results, she replied “the characteristics that I possess are instrumental in the level of success I enjoy. First you have to be committed to any project that you decide to take on. You cannot depend on anyone to drive the success of your business. Qualities such as being organized, strategic, self-sacrificing, honest, goal oriented, people focused are some of the traits that I deploy in the operations of my venture. What is very important is customer service and how you communicate with your customers and prospective customers. Accountability and Accounting are also important. You can measure the success of your business through the figures in your recording systems. Products and services are to solve problems and make people happy. That’s what I do.”
Entrepreneur plus educator, there is no doubt that she has combined both of her passions to ensure the success of her students one such way is through her books Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship and Students Things to Do and Homework Organizer. But, her response to how she combined both her entrepreneurial skills and that of an educator for over 23 years to guarantee students success was “Success means a lot to me. It gives me energy, new perspective and keeps me highly motivated. I approach everything from an entrepreneurial perspective. As an educator, I am extremely strategic in how I carry out my job. Students are socialized a particular way. Some of the rules I encourage my students to adhere to are:
Be punctual for classes
Attend classes regularly
Submit assignments on time
Display a professional attitude at all times
Productivity is key
Remain competitive
If students work with these rules, they can guarantee a high level of success. I consider my students and their parents to be my clients. My job is to provide and educational experience that is holistic. My students should maximize their potential. They are smart but sometimes not aware and my job as the teacher/entrepreneur is to pull out all they have to guarantee success. If they succeed, I succeed. If they fail, I fail. That’s the perspective that every teacher should approach their jobs from. Entrepreneurs are calculated risk takers. I love to take risks. I am always willing to try new strategies. Test them, drop the ones that are ineffective and build on those that bear fruits. My entrepreneurial drive gave me the zeal to test my 5th form students with CAPE Entrepreneurship. I know I could get them to pass the exam without the 6th form experience. I equipped myself with the background I had and then told my students that I believed in them so much to take the risk. I sought funding from the past students of the school. They bought into the concept. I now boast two sets of students who sat the CAPE exam with 100% pass rate for both years. I also boast 40 grade 1 passes and 9 grade 2 passes in EDPM. This is as a result of motivation, inspiration and strategy.”
Different Methods Same results
“The saying goes ‘only a fool does things the same way all the time and expects different results’. I strongly believe that saying. People have different personalities, different needs, different motivation, different backgrounds. Entrepreneurs need to be fully aware of that and try to design products and services based on the uniqueness of the customers. Every year I meet a new batch of students, I observe their patterns. This informs me on how to plan lessons and the experiences I should provide to ensure they perform well. I have been trying some new strategies in my 23-year career that I never thought of 10 years ago, the needs of these students are different. Hence the methods have to be different but at the same time enjoying the same level of achievement from past years. Let me give you an example of this. The recent batch of business students that left KTHS had weaknesses. I knew they wouldn’t perform well if they sat the exams without structured assistance. I thought about something I could do to help them prepare adequately for their external examinations. A grand idea emerged. Why not plan a CSEC Marathon that would focus on exam preparation and strategies to answer exam questions properly? A 4-day marathon was planned and students were given past papers to arrive at answers both individually and in groups. The results came out with some results that were unbelievable. The students outdid themselves.” was her response to her understanding of different methods same results and how it fitted into your career both as an entrepreneur and educator.
And finally, I asked for some tips for you, my readers and persons who aspire become entrepreneurs. Ms. Guiness responded by saying “Entrepreneurship is phenomenal. I currently teach Entrepreneurship to students of Grade 10. I encourage them to become entrepreneurs. The first tip I would give is to ensure you are passionate about what you do. Don’t be too carried away by the ‘money motive’. Be more concerned about satisfying the needs of customers and delivering good customer service and your wealth will be guaranteed. I would encourage them to network with key people who can help them along their entrepreneurial journey. Do not be too trusting and never give up on your dreams! Use your failures as opportunities.
Go after what you want even when no one believes in your idea. My philosophy is ‘Never say Die’. I live by it daily and no matter what adversities come my way, I brush myself off and try again.”
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