At 23, computer whiz Sebas

Bastian is a booming success

BY VANESSA C ROLLE

Guardian Staff Reporter

"Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." Nelson Mandela

Many people live their lives based on other people's expectations, but so few of us have the courage to live our lives for ourselves.

But for Sebas Bastian, the 23-year-old proprietor of Electronic Doctors, a consumer electronics franchise located on East Street South, and Sixth Street and Robinson Road, he followed his own passions to become a role model for many Bahamian men to follow.

He is a rare soul that truly recognizes that life is a gift that we can make into anything we desire.

Sebas could have been sitting on the blocks, loafing around, caught up in the crime game, but instead he used his ingenuity to trod on a cleanly cut, successful road.

He could have let the negative perceptions of others dictate his future, but he didn't.

For those who thought he would never amount to anything, and unrightfully told him so, his is a story about survival, taking risks, perseverance, passion, inspiration and character building.

When he attended St. Augustine's College in junior years, a bit troublesome at times, he said that there were very few teachers who motivated him, except for persons such as former Dean of Students Reggie Forbes, and Jamaican teacher Mrs. Enid Fearon.

Others at that institution, he said, put him down constantly, saying that "they would read about me one day and I would never make it. Well, I want them to read this story."

He left St. Augustine's College in 1995, and was enrolled at Bahamas Academy.

Mr. Bastian said, "I felt like that was the best thing that ever happened to me. I feel as if I had stayed at SAC I wouldn't have been as successful as I am today. The difference between SAC and BA is that SAC had all the amenities, the pool and the school bus and all that stuff, but the life was too fast. But BA was more of a family school. A principal or teacher could stand on the porch and could tell you the name of almost every student that passes - male or female, in or out of uniform."

He said that he saw his life turn around when he went to Bahamas Academy because although he had a background as a troublemaker, his teachers pushed him and encouraged him to excel.

"I went from being the dumbest person in the class to being the number one student in my class. I was first in my class when I went to BA. At the time I was at BA, I was into computers and almost all of my teachers supported me. They even bought a computer for me and I was only 15. They actually believed in what I could do and the ability that I had. They always made me feel at home. I was never really into the Adventist thing, but after a while, even the food wasn't so bad," he quipped.

"If you're not really, really smart or something, you can't make it in SAC and they won't notice you unless you were a troublemaker like I was; and the average child isn't that smart," he said.

When he began college in 1998 in Miami, he said, however that college life was not for him as his instructors were teaching things to him that he already knew.

He said that after two months of college, he realized that "College really wasn't for me. My teacher was talking things I knew before I even graduated from school. It was not a challenge for me," he said.

Hence, he got involved in programming satellite cards, and unknown to his parents, began cutting classes and hung out in the parking lot of Circuit City in Miami looking for persons coming out of the store with satellite equipment - soliciting business for himself.

He said that at that time it cost $200 to programme the cards, and he would take in some 15 customers daily.

Much to his parents' displeasure, he began cutting classes one day at a time, until he wasn't going to school at all and just programming cards.

At one point he even launched his thriving business in Nassau while his parents thought he was "being a good boy" and still going to classes in Florida.

But after the business became very prosperous and he began learning new trades, he eventually earned a million dollar contract with one of the local public corporations.

"I packed up my bags and came back home and opened up my first store in 1999," Mr. Bastian said.

But before he gained the contract, he was advised by his uncle to invest some 90 percent of the capital that he had earned into buying a piece of property on Robinson Road, but he was a bit apprehensive at first.

After thinking about it, he took the risk and the property was transformed into a shopping plaza, which is one of several he now owns.

After Batelco launched its cellular services, he said he bought an abundance of cellular phones in the States and began running his new business.

"I have been accused of selling drugs, selling guns and all kinds of stuff, but I worked hard to get where I am today. People are wondering, how does a guy at 23 years of age get all of this stuff, but this came with hard work," he said.

He then made a further investment after a trip to Las Vegas when he was inspired when he saw vending machines which sold almost everything.

A light bulb went off in his head, and thus he began to put the wheels in motion for his next venture and today, he is the owner of all the Quick Cell card vending machines in the local gas stations and City Market locations all over the island.

He also built a number of apartment complexes throughout New Providence.

Mr. Bastian said that he never thought that he would make it so far.

"No, no, no - not this big. I have been accused to the world. I have been accused of working for Ninety. I have been accused of smuggling drugs in washing machines and all kinds of foolishness. I never stopped working and I never let the money get to me," he said.

"I know some people will get a job for $20,000 and don't work for two months, or stop work until they are broke again; but I never let anything stop me. When Quick Cell was booming, I was looking for what was next, not for what was there at the time. Once I completed something, I move on to the next best thing. GSM is going to phase out Quick Cell and we sell them now, but that is not what I am focused on right now," said Mr. Bastian.

"I am going to do what is next. I can't just sit here and focus on GSM because that is going to phase out, like everything else did. You got to always look at what is next and keep on top of it," he said.

Mr. Bastian recently donated a school bus to Bahamas Academy.

After retiring from her job, "My mother works for me now," he said. "I don't know what she does, but I know she works for me," he laughed. "But I am really grateful to Bahamas Academy and I just wanted to show my appreciation to them. They were like family."

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can believe it." William Arthur Ward

Caption: Sebas Bastian

Posted: Tuesday February 24, 2004