Voices Magazine-Vol3-Issue-6-WEB

11 September - December 2020 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica T The 7th annual Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture, which was broadcast live on TVJ on September 27, 2020, brought into sharp focus opportunities which abound for entrepreneurs to take advantage of doing business in the digital, global space, particularly in the context of the current pandemic and restrictions placed on operating in the traditional brick and mortar. Sharing their expertise in the lecture titled, “Digital Entrepreneurship, Breaking Boundaries” were practitioners in the space,TyroneWilson, Founder, President and CEO of iCreate; and Stacy Kirk, CEO, Quality Works Consulting Group, California, USA. In his presentation “Understanding the Digital Customer Journey,” Wilson emphasized that it is crucial for entrepreneurs to understand how customers interact with the various digital commercial platforms. Pointing out that this journey involves “the path your customers take from initial contact to conversion,” he noted that this plays a major role in whether or not they make that final decision resulting in a sale. He underscored that the digital marketplace offers the digital entrepreneur the opportunity to execute their marketing strategy in a more targeted way using data on ‘buyer persona’ which is harnessed from the customer’s digital footprint. Acknowledging that the difficulties of the year 2020 could not have been anticipated, Stacy Kirk, who joined the broadcast discussion from California USA, via Zoom, noted that businesses have been succeeding despite the pandemic by taking advantage of opportunities to pivot to fully operate in the digital space. “As a solo entrepreneur, or as a corporate entrepreneur, this is a great time to come up with a new plan and strategy,” she said, pointing out “the days of having those thirty-page business plans are over,” adding that “entrepreneurs who spend too much time developing a business plan risk losing the opportunity to take advantage of immediate client and business needs.” Both digital entrepreneurs in their presentations paid homage to the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC), a start-up business incubator located within the Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership (JDSEEL) at the University of Technology, Jamaica for its contribution to them honing their skills. Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President noted that the lecture, which was hosted jointly by the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation and the University through its Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership (JDSEEL) honours the vision, mission and passion of the late corporate leader and JMMB co-founder, Joan Duncan. He described the fruitful partnership between the two entities, which led to the renaming of the University’s School of Entrepreneurship to the JDSEEL in 2011. Patricia Duncan Sutherland, Chairman, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, noting that the theme of this year’s lecture was extremely relevant, pointed out that the conversation on digital entrepreneurship was designed to empower and encourage entrepreneurs to take advantage of the possibilities for growth in the digital space. The broadcast of the 7th annual Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture is available for viewing at UTech, Jamaica’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube . com/watch?v=uee4rPYd1ro Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture Gives Lessons in Opportunities for Digital Entrepreneurship (L-r) Patricia Duncan Sutherland, Chairman, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, Hector Wheeler, AVP, Advancement and moderator, Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, and Tyrone Wilson, Founder, President and CEO of iCreate on stage at the 7th Annual UTech, Jamaica/JMMB Foundation Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture broadcast live on TVJ on September 27, 2020.