Kent Manno
When someone says the word entrepreneur, who do you think of?... Henry Ford, Bill Gates, or possibly Thomas Edison. As a society, we have been blessed with hundreds if not thousands of entrepreneurs throughout history. Entrepreneurs inspire others to be the best that they can be by incorporating passion and positivity in their leadership roles.
Who better exemplifies the word “passion” than Richard Branson. His passion for life and for starting companies is unmatched. As a matter of fact, his parent company the Virgin Group has grown to encompass more than 200 companies. There is no arguing that his passion is contagious.
The dot-com success Amazon, the brainchild of Jeff Bezos, was sparked by the power of positive thinking. Could Amazon.com have grown from that small dot-com to one of the largest companies in the world without the positive outlook of Jeff Bezos? I think not.
But let me get back on track here, and get to our own Bahamian that exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship even before the word may have been adequately defined.
Our Bahamian entrepreneur was born in 1886 and helped to build a long-lasting connection between the agriculture industry and tourism. Along with some other Fox Hill ladies, our Bahamian entrepreneur began selling her sisal goods to tourists. She was the first one to setup a straw stall in 1936. Over the next few decades, as the tourism industry grew, so did the straw market. Bahamian straw and sisal work would make its way to other islands in the Caribbean and into the homes of many tourists.
Perhaps you have already guessed who this early Bahamian entrepreneur was….Eunice Albertha Brown (1886-1967). She may not be as famous as Richard Branson, but her impact on the Bahamian straw market was just as great.
Today, some of the women of the straw market keep the spirit of Albertha Brown alive and well.
