20 Apr SLW Experience: Anthony and June-Ann Henry
SHARING THE SHELL LiveWIRE EXPERIENCE: Anthony and June-Ann Henry, Cohort 2
The second cohort of the Shell LiveWIRE programme started with a bang in January 2020 with fourteen (14) entrepreneurs benefiting from this exhilarating experience! Anthony and June-Ann Henry, a unique husband and wife team trading as AJ’s Premium Homemade Ice Cream were sold on the program as soon as they applied and became successful. With a voice of unison they stated “we were both seeking ways to grow our business from a financial standpoint and the LiveWIRE programme was the ideal response to our needs.”
From Anthony’s perspective the programme is very educational and informative whilst June-Ann describes it as a mechanism to gain useful and practical information that can be applied both at a personal and professional level. In the eyes of the duo, the LiveWIRE team including the facilitators have been very helpful ensuring that the participants understand the information and knowledge that is being disseminated from beginning to the end. Some of the major takeaways thus far for this exuberant couple are the Introductory Program in particular the DashBoarding principle; the Leadership Training Series and the Coaching Sessions. June-Ann was deeply impressed by the training sessions in Branding, Export and Finance facilitated thus far.
In describing their entrepreneurial journey, Anthony stated “we started our business from nothing with a folded table, icebox and four little bowls of ice cream in a car park on the Caroni Savannah Road”; he further stated that they remained in that space for approximately six months until they acquired a truck back where goods can be transported. In February 2018, the couple moved into a store front with a freezer and some plastic chairs on loan; the space has now been converted into a full-fledged ice cream shop, and the business has since evolved into the acquisition of a second location in the Couva district.
Determined to keep the flames of success burning, Anthony and June-Ann captured the “Most Progressive Entrepreneur of the Year” awardthrough their success in CARIRI’s Business Hatchery Programme and Unicomer’s Broadening Your Horizons initiative in 2017/2018; they also earned TTMA’s “Small Manufacturer of the Year” awardin 2018.
With the LiveWIRE programme as their beacon of hope, this uniquely poised duo expects to capture at least 25% of the premium ice cream market in Trinidad and Tobago within the next two (2) years!
ONE VOICE, ONE VISION!
