About a year ago, during the island-wide blackout, the window wipers that operate near West Mall were hailed for their decision to help guide motorists while the traffic lights became inoperable due to the lack of power.
A year on, the recognition of their humanity on that day has faded, as on social media weekly, questions are raised about their approach to their “hustle”.
Ernie Ross is hoping that he can change the perception of this group and many other “ventrepreneurs” around T&T who time and again show the drive for success but lack the know-how to achieve the goal.
“Why can’t the window wiper guys become a window cleaning company? What people tell me is they’re not going to show up. I say but they show up every day, rain or shine.
“The challenge is they’re offering a service that some people don’t want. They don’t want the window wiped, if you don’t want the window wiped he says to you give me $5 or $10 or is asking for something,” said Ross.
“But he’s struggling and trying to find a way and I come out of the vehicle and chat with them. They want a better life. They would love the idea of a window cleaning company,” he said.
This initiative follows previous collaborations between Ross’ team and the Guardian Group for Happytalism and Pandemic of Performance.
These events featured speakers like Dr Tal Ben-Shahar were able to share inspirational messages for those navigating the pandemic.
This year, there are plans to feature famed tuba player Richard Antoine White, who is set to share his inspirational journey which saw him overcome numerous challenges to become world-renowned.
However, Ross noted that the previous events lacked a certain section of the population.
A section of society that he felt probably needed the message even more.
“It is time now to gift it to people who need it most. The little guys out there who don’t have that benefit. And a lot of times when these people come down and we go to the Hyatt and we hear them but the guys on the fringes of this don’t get the benefit of it, they don’t get the benefit of that interaction,” said Ross.
To change this, Ross said his team would go out looking for the roadside vendors and window wipers, and bring them to the event. He would even pay them to be there.
“We launched what we call a ventrepreneur programme, which is we go from street vendors right through to small, medium-sized businesses and show them how to achieve this impossible dream. When you believe that it can be achieved when provided with the opportunity but none of it will work unless you actualise it through self-empowerment.
“By believing in yourself, it will lead you to achieve it. So it’s a very extensive programme and we’re hoping as it grows, maybe hopefully we could get sponsors to do things like providing ceiling capital,” said Ross.
“But at the start of the programme, we’re going to be pulling these days from window wipers on the street corner, right through to market vendors and the guys who are on the highway and putting them in rooms paying them for whatever stipend they lose for the days and teaching them how to develop an entrepreneurial spirit how to become more emotionally resilient. How to begin to believe and how to tell their story.”
Ross said there were several examples of people from these backgrounds with ideas and skills, who were let down by the fact that they did not get the lessons to move further along.
He pointed to a recent exchange he had with a young chennette vendor, who did not understand the concept of reduced pricing for bulk buying or offering samples as a means of encouraging business.
“He’s trying to convince me to buy so I ask why don’t you give me a sample? He says chief if I give away the sample to everybody, then I would lose money. I said you should have like a little bunch there to give away to people, and get them to sample. He doesn’t understand the concept of sampling,” Ross recalled.
“I asked why are you here because he was a young guy he said, I have to buy my schoolbooks and he told me to buy his schoolbooks, man I wanted to buy a whole bunch of chennettes. He’s not even telling his story. And the real story is why he’s there to get the schoolbooks.”
He said often if these individuals were given the opportunity to learn these skills, they would become proper entrepreneurs and would move beyond the “hustler” label thrust upon them.
He pointed to the success achieved by Joshua Faltine, the “Chow King” after he was given the support to properly launch his business.
“The guy in Barataria that the police picked up. When we called him to offer him help. He said chief find somebody to help I’m doing so well. I’ve got my packaging, branding everything put together. And look at the generosity of his spirit. He didn’t say okay, come help me, give me some money or help me with branding or whatever he says that he’s okay, help somebody who needs it. That kind of largeness of thinking you get sometimes in those communities,” said Ross.
“They need to be shown how they can achieve it. And they need to be put into an enabling environment for that to flourish. Now, obviously, we’re limited by our resources and what we could do but if we started and hopefully others can emulate it, and sponsors come on board and they take on their programme maybe financial institutions to offer financial literacy, or we can offer maybe even ceiling capital, then it can build and go somewhere.
“But we’ve got to start taking responsibility for making some of the changes that we say we want, because, at the end of the day, those changes are going to come from us.”
He also pointed out that all around Trinidad and Tobago there were success stories that could be told to further emphasise that success can be found on our island.
“We have heroes among those that we’re not recognising you got major corporations that tell a story about it. Once upon a time there was a Sabga, once upon a time there was a Bhagwansingh, but then there are small guys that have that story too,” said Ross.