Host of The Entrepreneurial You, Heneka Watkis-Porter talks about the show and tells her story about why she started the Podcast.
Show Notes:
Hey, everyone, I’m Heneka Watkis-Porter, and I want to thank you for joining me for the very first episode of The Entrepreneurial You Podcast. In 2014, I started out with a 15 minutes radio edition of this show and started building a community of entrepreneurs using traditional media. Starting this Podcast is a big deal for me. Every Wednesday, I will be interviewing the most dedicated and passionate Entrepreneurs of our time. Each interview will tell a little bit of the entrepreneur’s life with the aim of inspiring you, our wonderful community of #PeakPerformers. They will also share cutting edge tools to get you propelled to a higher level of performance.
I’m over the moon with excitement as I look forward to producing a new 30-minute episode once weekly. I know you are busy so I created this Podcast with in mind so that you will be able to download at your convenience to get inspired anytime you need that extra push. The format is pretty simple; I’ll discuss, with my guests their upbringing; how and why they started business; what challenges they experienced and how they overcame; what pitfalls to avoid; their definition of success will be shared and they will leave with you, our community; one piece of advice to motivate and inspire you. As you learn from their experience, you will feel more confident and encouraged to pursue SMART goals.
Interested so far? Keep going so you may get to learn more about the flow of the show; I’m also going to tell you more about the host…oh, that’s me, Heneka Watkis-Porter.
Each episode I will ask our featured guest one a random fun question to get to know about their fun side. I will ask them to tell us a little something about themselves. The questions that follow depends on what the featured guest would have revealed about themselves. I will delve as deeply as possible to get to their ‘why’ for starting a business. As we know there is no journey without a challenge we will explore what it is for the Entrepreneur and how they overcame this major challenge faced.
Success means different things to different people so the Entrepreneur will give their definition which gives us an insight into the philosophy they live by.
They leave us with a very insightful piece of advice to encourage and motivate us.
Some of the questions may include:
Who is your biggest motivator?
What has been your worst moment as an entrepreneur?
What lesson did you learn from that moment?
The guests are inspiring and are not afraid to share their soul. You will feel more confident and encouraged at the end of each episode.
Now that I’ve shared a little bit about the show with you, I want to let you know why I created The Entrepreneurial You Podcast. Since 2014, I started a radio feature of the same name. I started because I recognised that the Caribbean is full of talented, bright and intelligent young people with great prospects for the future. However, the economy does not and cannot afford to adequately cater to the needs of these individuals where infrastructure is concerned. The only viable alternative is for these persons to create opportunities for themselves.
In the Caribbean, our social upbringing to a large extent inhibits the development of a naturally occurring entrepreneurial mind. We have been socialised to go to school and get a good education so that we can graduate with enough qualifications to subsequently get a ‘good job’. This kind of thinking and culture in many ways hinder rather than facilitate growth. We become destabilised when we are unable to land this ‘good job’. When we eventually find one, the vicious cycle starts all over again as we are never satisfied with the salary, terms and conditions of employment and a host of other accompanying issues.
Within the Caribbean, many are turning to their own innovation and ingenuity to satisfy that gaping void. We are finding creative ways to chart a path for our future via the challenging yet rewarding route of entrepreneurship. The Entrepreneurial You was created to highlight these entrepreneurs whilst sharing tips and ideas to get ahead from experienced successful global high profile entrepreneurs.
Fast track to 2016. I attended a workshop for entrepreneurs where Ingrid Riley, a very accomplished entrepreneur in her field, was a Presenter. At the ‘Question and Answer’ segment I asked of Ingrid how it is that she has managed to garner the seemingly elusive necessity of sponsorship. She gave me some general advice about going digital and pushing it online to gain a following that may be necessary to attract sponsors who are advertising via the traditional media. She went further by sharing her contact details with me. I quickly made contact; I told her that a participant I met at the same function mentioned Podcasting as an option.
It was during that one on one that she talked passionately about two of the Podcasts that she listens to daily, Mixergy.com & EntrepreneurOnFire.com. She was totally sold on Entrepreneur On Fire. I started listening and became hooked. John Lee Dumas is on fire! I subscribed to the training videos on how to create a Podcast. I even got John Lee Dumas to do a free, yes free audio bomber. Now, this is a big deal. We are talking about the person who has the number 1 Podcast in the world of podcasting. How cool is that?
I decided Podcasting it would be. The show is created for dedicated and passionate Caribbean Entrepreneurs seeking daily inspiration. Persons within the Caribbean are now exploring their entrepreneurial potential and need that extra motivation to make the leap of faith. For existing entrepreneurs, the road can be a very lonely one, and so having that extra support I believe is priceless. Those who have no interest in becoming entrepreneurs are still encouraged to listen for the inspiration they will draw as the entrepreneurs share their life lessons which provide teachable moments.
There is a great need to connect Caribbean people; we are small with big dreams and need to be supportive of each other. One of the ways in which we can be connected is through entrepreneurship. The symbiotic relationships that are possible can take us through many a hoops and boundaries. Each island has its own natural endowment of the resource; the resilience of its people? Immeasurable? This augurs well for the region. This alone is enough motivation for me to do The Entrepreneurial You Podcast.
And so I decided to create a conduit that would allow people around the region to have access to the stories, lessons, and concepts of others. My goal is to create a platform where the persons within the Caribbean have at their fingertips, cutting edge ideas to fuel the brilliance that lies deep within them.
I’ve talked about The Entrepreneurial You and my ‘Why’ for creating it. Let me now jump into a little about my background. I’m Heneka Watkis-Porter born and raised in the rural Agriculture parish of St. Mary, Jamaica by my grandfather and adopted grandmother. I graduated the sixth form at St. Mary High School. Thereafter, I went to work with the Government for a short while as an Accounting Clerk given there were no funds available to go directly to University.
Later, when I could afford to, I attended the University of the West Indies where I studied Sociology and Management Studies, graduating with BSc. (Upper Second Class Hons.). I really wanted to do media and communications but I was never accepted when I submitted an application for that area. It’s funny how life has seemingly come full circle as in addition to this Podcast, I also host programs on radio, not just in Jamaica on Power 106 FM but at the time of recording in St. Kitts on Sugar City 90.3 FM and on Voice of the Caribbean Radio at voiceofthecaribean.net.
I’ve always had a desire to own and run my own business; On August 7, 2007, the aha moment came and so my business baby, Patwa Apparel was born. This is a clothing line which speaks a fashionable Jamaican language by putting Jamaican expressions on clothing. When you’re finished here you may run over to www.patwaapparel.com to see what I’m talking about. As an entrepreneur, I’ve had to pivot a few times and I guarantee you that you will hear some of my guests talking about times when they too have had to switch direction in their businesses. The ability to adapt, be flexible and to have an open mind is part and parcel of the business environment.
I have taken my company, now Patwa Culcha International to receiving numerous accolades. The vision for this company is to be the ‘go-to’ company to commemorate and celebrate Jamaican heritage worldwide by creating products and services inspiring Jamaican pride worldwide.
By 2013 I started a sauce line; I realise that I could now do anything that I wanted to do. I was inspired, motivated and driven to do all the things I never thought possible when I was a child of humble means. I started to have a deep desire to help others as I strongly believe that to whom much is given much is expected. I try to live my life like a river rather than a reservoir. I began sharing my story with audiences that were hungry for motivation; I wrote my first book, “15 Hints to Entrepreneurial Success: Lessons From a Caribbean Business Woman”, published in 2014; I also started the radio version of this Podcast with the same name, “The Entrepreneurial You” in that same year. I’ve since published a second book and am working on 3 and 4 simultaneously. As an entrepreneur and a serial one at that, I’m all about creating a platform for you to be inspired and motivated weekly as you unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. I know what it is like to not know what move to make next, who to turn to for help or simply just have someone to listen to when you need that extra push.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you once again for joining me here at The Entrepreneurial You. It is my deepest hope that the episodes will help you find your mojo or simply help to further nourish your already burning fire. If you find value in this podcast and the message we’re trying to spread at The Entrepreneurial You, then click the subscribe button below, and give my show a review and (hopefully!) 5star rating. This level of support will allow my show to gain the recognition it needs to reach as many people as possible. In turn, we’ll be able to share this incredible free medium of knowledge and experience with the world.
You are absolutely going to love the next episode with John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire. His journey as a world re-known Podcaster is simply amazing. I know it will inspire you as it did me. I’m super excited for you to listen, and I’m even more excited for you to begin your journey and for those already on it, to grow it beyond your wildest imagination. So let’s get the party started…
Remember in the words, of Zig Ziglar, you were born to win but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win. Walk good!
Resources to #PeakYourPerformance:
15 Hints to Entrepreneurial Success: Lesson From A Caribbean Business Woman
Sermon Notes: A 52-Week Devotional for Quiet Meditation
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