Erica Wynter: Helping small businesses deal with the paperwork

BY PAUL ALLEN Business reporter allenp@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, February 12, 2012

WHILE many start-ups have problems registering and keeping their books up-to-date, one builds its business off those issues.

C & E Innovational Services was founded in 2009 by Erica Wynter. The company offers bearer and other business services.

"We do our rent-a-bearer programme and sort and deliver your bulk mail," Wynter said. The company has almost 60 bearers islandwide.

"We do consultations, business plans, registration of businesses and obtaining tax compliance certificates."

Accounting, taxation and payroll services are also done by the company.

C&E is the twelfth nominee in the Observer's Mogul in the Making start-up programme.

Wynter caters to micro, small and medium-sized companies that oftentimes find it difficult to do the necessary paperwork. "It's not that they don't want to do it, some just don't know how to", she said.

The company has faced several challenges, chief among them financial, said Wynter. But teamwork and determination have been key in overcoming these obstacles, she added.

"If I didn't have a good team, it would not be possible. I cannot work with people who aren't flexible," she said, adding that she employs six people, including an auditor and accountant, fulltime.

"Financial challenges are always there. Getting everything that you want to get done (is hard)." This is worsened by late payments by some clients, which "pushes you back".

It's been difficult to get people to do business with the start-up, but Wynter said she networks a lot to change this.

"We sell a relationship. We build that before telling them what we offer," she said.

She had expected it to be difficult but "this is a calling," reasoned the certified teacher.

C&E will separate the two major functions of the business into two individual entities.

The bearer service will be expanded and the process of getting more bikes and recruiting riders has begun. The company will also enter same-day services, such as bill payments soon.