By Raymond Kongwa,Guardian Staff Reporter raymond@nasguard.com
At 29, Letisha Paul believes she has found the career for which she was created, and she is building a business she will one day pass on to her children's children.
After graduating from SAC in 1993, Letisha's interest in the arts led her to enrol at The College of The Bahamas' School of fine arts, where she studied up to 1996. Although she did not matriculate at the college, a "paste up" graphic design course exposed her to what would become her life's work.
With virtually no graphic design experience and only the single class under her belt, Paul, in 1998 landed a graphic design job with P.S. Advertising. During the year she worked there, Paul she received extensive training and dealt with lots of challenging design campaigns.
She got more exposure while working for Creative Edge Marketing and eventually landed another job at Pyramid Marketing where she stayed for more than three years. While still with Pyramid in 2003, she and a partner founded their own graphic design firm, Corporate Studio, and began to build the business on their free time.
In May of 2004, Paul's employer decided to downsize and subsequently laid her off. Instead of seeking another job, she went full-time into her own company. Since then, Paul's business has grown exponentially, with a number of new portfolios ranging from small department stores to large Government ministries.
Presently, she resides with her husband and daughter Letisha in Nassau.
The company: Corporate Studio (corporatestudio@speedwayinternet.com) specialises in graphic design and offers web layout and design, secretarial services and small business development support. Paul is the only full-time employee. Her business partner also works part-time with the company.
The job: As co-principal, graphic designer and small business development consultant, Paul handles the day-to-day business operations and the bulk of the projects.
Favourite part of the business: The creative process, thinking about and conceptualising what a client wants.
Least favourite part of the business: Going out and actually doing sales.
Business in The Bahamas: Is intimidating for a young female entrepreneur in an industry where most clients are men.
A significant start-up challenge: Getting your company's name out.
Surprised by: The amount of untapped business in the Bahamian graphic design industry.
Business goal: Add three new portfolios each month.
Tip for building a business: Know where you want to go ultimately, and embrace the challenges by using them as ways to learn.
A motivating factor: The desire for business to be passed on to grandchildren.
Entrepreneurial advice: Make your business vision one with God's will.
Favourite book: The Principles and Power of Vision by Dr Myles Munroe.
Last words: "Trust God in your business and present your vision to him."
Editor's note: Raymond Kongwa interviews owners and managers of small to mid-sized Bahamian companies for business people. He can be reached at raymond@nasguard.com or 242- 302-2342
