‘Hey! I Could Have Made That!’
Jamaican danchall artist drops ‘I AM’
Caribbean Life, March 11-17, 2022 55
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
You’re a problem-solver.
You see something that you
can make better and so you
do. You’ve never met something
that can’t be improved, fixed,
or altered in some way, and the
solutions always come easy. It’s
a gift, really, one that you’re
happy to share with people, so
why not take a page from “Idea
Makers” by Lowey Bundy Sichol
and make it a career?
“I coulda thought of that!”
You’ve probably said that a
lot, especially after you’ve seen
something that’s making somebody
a lot of money. You could
have created that. You could
improve on that idea right now.
You could be rich like Mark
Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos or Elon
Musk.
But what about female entrepreneurs?
Says Sichol, about 40
percent of the businesses in the
U.S. are run by women, generating
nearly $2 trillion bucks
a year. Their stories are just as
exceptional, and just as inspirational…
To be an entrepreneur, Sichol
says, solve a problem. Heidi Zak
realized how inconvenient it
was to buy a bra in-person, so
she founded ThirdLove. Jenn
Hyman understood that designer
clothing was expensive, and
she sketched out Rent the Runway.
If there’s something for which
you have a passion, then look at
the story of Alli Webb, who knew
that women wanted fun, fussfree
beauty and so she founded
the Dry Bar. Lisa Price followed
her nose, quite literally,
into Carol’s Daughter, an empire
that offers wonderfully-scented
beauty products specifically for
African American skin.
Think about Reshma Saujani,
if you like to make a difference
by helping others. She had
two careers before realizing that
helping girls learn to code was
what she loved to do. Jasmine
Crowe knew the stats: millions
of people go hungry every day
in this country, and her Goodr
helps fix that problem.
Finally, pay attention. Good
ideas often come naturally when
you work hard and keep your
eyes open. It happened to Tate’s
Bake Shop’s Kathleen King and
Spanx’s Sara Blakely, and it
could happen to you.
As you’re paging through
“Idea Makers” and feeling quite
inspired, one thing might eventually
strike you: the women
inside these pages are not necessarily
household names. Some,
in fact, may be totally unfamiliar
to you which, in a way,
makes its own point: fame isn’t
a requirement for entrepreneurship.
The Gwyneth Paltrows and
the Beyonces of the world aren’t
the only ones who can launch
businesses.
In her introduction, and
repeatedly through the profiles
she shares, author Lowey Bundy
Sichol also shows that gender
has nothing to do with success,
either, nor does speed. The stories
of the women inside this
book subtly show perseverance
and dedication, two traits that
are often ignored in many bean
entrepreneur books. That
honesty may, for readers who
dream of being their own boss
someday, be the best part of
what you’ll read.
You might find this book in
the Young Adult section, but it’s
completely appropriate for an
adult who’s struggling to find
a path. If that’s you, reading
“Idea Makers” may solve that
problem.
“Idea Makers: 15 Fearless
Female Entrepreneurs”
by Lowey Bundy
Sichol
c.2022, Chicago Review
Press
$16.99
224 pages
Book cover of “Idea Makers” by Lowey Bundy Sichol.
key arrangement.
“Rising like a phoenix
from the ashes of his former
moniker, Govanna has distinguished
himself as a force
to be reckoned with from
Aidonia’s JOP camp,” Tomliinson
said. “Hailing from the
slums of Spanish Town, the
artiste elevated himself and
those around him through
the practice and proficiency
of his musical skill.”
Crowned in 2018 as Jamaica’s
breakout artist of the
year, with hit songs like
“Gyal Thief,” “Bake Bean,”
“Breeze,” “Dozen +10” and
more, Tomlinson said “This
tirade of hits soon gave rise
to Govanna’s first body of
work, ‘Humans And Monsters
Are Not The Same.’”
She said the album was
released to rave reviews and
“culminated in a string of
performances all over the
globe that sees the artist still
traveling in an attempt to
satisfy the demand for his
music.”
“This campaign to spread
the music has catapulted
Govanna into an entirely new
stratosphere of stardom,”
Tomlinson said. “But his singles
recently, like cranberry
and white rum, have shown
that he is still connected.
“This latest single ‘I Am’
is a reiteration of that journey
from nothing to greatness,
and Govanna’s choice
of a hopeful message shows
a concern that demonstrates
how grounded he still is,”
she added. “No doubt a result
of the perspective gained
from the new height in his
career, Spanish Town’s resident
superstar has decided
to add a ray of light to the
constant darkness pervading
the music.”
Distributed by ONErpm, “I
Am” is now available on all
streaming platforms.
Video for single, directed
by RD Studios, is out now.
Continued from Page 53