Shane, Explore Enterprise
Our Explore Enterprise programme helped Shane build the financial and marketing knowledge to effectively monetise his impressive handcraft skills.
Shane, 27, is a hand weaver, creating stunning products such as baskets, bags and baby cradles from thatch, coconut leaves or raffia. Based in Jamaica, he sells to customers on the island and overseas, and business is booming. He now supports his family with his weaving business, Stevos Weavos, and has over 60,000 followers on social media.
Handweaving is a family tradition, with Shane’s grandmother, mother and sisters all skilled weavers too. Shane, the youngest in his family, started weaving while still at primary school, starting out with small products such as coasters.
Encouraged by his friends, Shane set up his business on the side during the pandemic, when lockdown forced his university to close its doors. With no previous business knowledge, he signed up to the Explore Enterprise programme, delivered by our partner Jamaica Youth Business Trust (JYBT), to help him build his skills.
‘It has done so much for me,’ Shane says. ‘I was not in any formal program whatsoever before, so that was my first program.’
Tips and techniques for sustainable growth
Explore Enterprise aims to empowers young entrepreneurs, whatever stage they are at, to build and grow their business. Shane says that the course helped him establish a more consistent, professional approach to his business, and also highlights how it provided a vital financial framework for bookkeeping and budgeting:
‘It helped me in terms of gathering more information and having a better understanding of how to proceed with the business,’ Shane explains, ‘The key thing was the financial aspect of the Enterprise Program, that was what stood out for me.’
One particularly valuable input was when Shane’s mentor drew his attention to the various grants available to support small businesses. Shane immediately went off and researched these in detail, submitting several applications. One has already been successful – enabling him to buy a new camera and invest in marketing materials.
Shane also stresses the importance of the advice he received from JYBT programme manager, Tanesha Patterson, on how to build up his social media engagement, as this has been a key part of his marketing strategy. ‘She said you should always ensure that you always have something there, do not let your page be blank, dull or empty,’ he recalls.
Building connections
Shane took this advice to heart, and his charismatic and engaging social media posts have seen his social media presence explode. But as well as driving sales, Shane’s social media influence has also given him a platform to help vulnerable elderly people in his community, crowdfunding from his followers.
‘I posted about an elderly lady last year that she was in need of house… I uploaded a photo on my Instagram page and I signed up a go fund me and I got assistance to build a house for her,’ Shane explains. ‘This year I’m doing another project for an elderly man. I realized that doing the business has helped me to do that aspect of work also, so that is one of the things that I’m very proud of.’
Shane is continuing to expand and diversify his products and customer base, aiming to reach wider international audiences via major e-commerce platforms. Now that he has completed his university degree, Shane hopes to take on employees, enabling many more skilled artisans to connect with customers, and turn their exquisite traditional craft into a sustainable livelihood.
‘There are a lot of people I know that can weave but they do not have the market for their product,’ Shane explains. ‘I want to get a few of them to work for me.’