After 35 years, micro-entrepreneur Rosemarie Maragh has no regrets
Seeing the quality of life of many family members improve, Rosemarie Maragh saw the opportunity and possibilities in entrepreneurship and started operating her own business.
Important to her investment has been access to flexible credit options which has allowed her to grow her business and support her family.
Her journey began some 35 years ago because her mother, sister and aunts were entrepreneurs who would travel to countries, such as Haiti, Panama and Curacao to buy items, which they would bring back home to sell.
Seeing the success they enjoyed she started selling in Pearnel Charles Arcade before relocating, 10 years ago, to the Oxford Mall in the busy downtown Kingston.
“My mother, sister and aunts were entrepreneurs who would travel to countries, such as Haiti, Panama and Curacao to buy items, which they would bring back home to sell. At the time, the price of a ticket to Panama was $600. I was introduced to it as something from which I could make a livelihood and
I decided to do it.
“My customers come from all over Jamaica and they buy things from me wholesale or retail. Many come during the week, but I find that weekends are the best time for sales,”maragh said.
She currently buys her stock from the United States of America, retailing a wide range of items to include clothes for babies and adults, shoes and beauty products.
Despite her success, Maragh has encountered several challenges.
“Since I relocated here, I have had to deal with seven fires, which set me back. There is also the occasional flare up of violence, which also affects me. But, with the assistance of JN Small Business Loans, I have been able to recover each time,” she explained. Whenever I am affected by a fire, they provide me with counselling, they give me time to repay my loans and other forms of assistance to help me to recover,“Maragh said.
Like many others, Maragh has devoted a significant portion of her life to being an entrepreneur, and has reaped the rewards of her hard work. The mother of seven is proud of what she has been able to achieve and speaks proudly of the opportunity it afforded her to send all her children to school, noting that one is now pursuing his PHD in the United States of America (USA) and another holds a management position in the USA. She has also been able to invest in her own home, and has established solid plans to deal with ‘rainy’ days.
She aligns her success to hard work and dedication in addition to nurturing a solid customer base. The assistance from JN Small Business Loans has been important in assisting her to achieve her dreams, and highlights the importance of micro businesses being able to access credit. For many members of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, access to credit is paramount to ensure they are able to purchase their stock and honour all their commitments.
Maragh’s story supports the importance of continued commitment to facilitate greater financial inclusion, enabling all Jamaicans to invest in self, provide for their families and in turn build their communities.