Aliyah Amisha Ali

Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid

College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

Individual Assignment

Aliyah Amisha Ali

Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, COSTAATT

ENTP205: Entrepreneurial Mindset

CRN:10710

Mr. Sajjad Hamid

November 21st, 2021

 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

Introduction

An entrepreneur serves a vital role for an economy to run smoothly, they are responsible for all the

functionalities of a business for instance fostering ideas, decision making, absorbing risks, and

identifying possible business opportunities. (5 Characteristics of an Entrepreneur | Vistage, 2021).

Shanelle Hills-Fife grew up in the countryside of Trinidad and Tobago with a father who always

sought ways to find added income for their family. She adored being outdoors, loved planting as a

child, and her entrepreneurial role model was none other than her father. (Youth Business

International, n.d.) Shanelle established her business at the age of 22 years, whilst she was perusing

her bachelor’s degree in literature in English Linguistics and Communications, in 2011. Her sister,

Jenelle, struggled with dry skin, in addition to that, she also desired financial aid to complete her

degree at the University of the West Indies. This inspired her to study Artisanal Beauty to establish

her Skin and Body Care Business. She also noted that there were very limited skin products that were

unscented and hypoallergenic that were suitable for persons with skin issues and acne.

Through thorough research and experimentation with coconut oils, cocoa, and shea butter, she began

producing a few essential products. After a few samplings, and feedback from her friends and family

she perfected her products and soon after launched her business as De Jeunésse, which is French

creole for ‘Of Youth ‘in 2015 (YBTT, 2021) Whilst she was pursuing her degree, she also attended

classes at the Ministry of Community Development, where she engaged in spa and candle production

courses. Upon earning her degree, she obtained a job as a Primary school teacher, but due to the

influx of demand she was receiving from her business, she soon realizes that teaching was no longer

her passion, which resulted in her resigning from her job and working tirelessly on her business she
 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

created. By 2017, Shanelle Hills-Fife became a full-time entrepreneur supplying and distributing to

local stores around Trinidad and Tobago, which included Excellent Stores, Mt. Irvine Spa in Tobago,

Upmarket Maraval, etc.

 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

Qualities of An Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship holds a very significant value to entrepreneurs; it enables them to develop

managerial skills such as problem-solving and decision-making. To be successful, one must hold

valuable characteristics such as having social skills, creativity, and professionalism. Shanelle Hills-

Fife showed many of these characteristics during her journey of being an entrepreneur. Firstly,

displayed a great sense of determination throughout her academic journey to build her business.

According to Young Business Trinidad and Tobago, she mentioned that it took her five attempts to

receive her certificate at the Ministry of Community Development. (YBTT, 2021) Additionally,

Shanelle also showed a great sense of resilience when it came to establishing and creating a

foundation for her business. Shanelle became aware of the ‘Planting Seeds’ Tv series via the

National Entrepreneurial Development Company Limited (NEDCO) and decided to participate in

the program, as this involved participating in the Planting Seed and Ernest & Young workshops.

This expanded her knowledge in developing her business and impressing the investors of ‘Planting

Seeds’. She introduced her brand as “De Jeunesse” to the investors of Planting Seeds but

unfortunately, Shanelle was unable to obtain an investor, but this never stopped Shanelle from

pursuing her dream. Another key characteristic that Shanelle exemplified as an entrepreneur was

being able to multitask. Shanelle was able to find an absolute balance to manage her professional

life as being an entrepreneur along with her personal life as a wife, mother, pushing for discipline

and being consistent throughout. Furthermore, being an entrepreneur has taught Shanelle to think

outside the box and have an open mindset about her life. She stated in an article that she grew up

knowing that one must have an education and a government job to have success in life but after
 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

she expanded her knowledge of being an entrepreneur has changed her mindset on the way she

sees business and built her career on her own. Shanell Hills-Fife also displayed a passion for her

entrepreneurial dream, her products were handmade, and she took into consideration the products

she used to produce her products, such as souring avocado, aloes, and coconut from local retailers.

Shanelle’s passion as an entrepreneur has helped young people, as she attended events to influence

persons to become an entrepreneur themselves, she also presented an experience educating young

boys on how to become an entrepreneur, establishing a business, and making products of their

own. Shanelle’s positive mindset has also made her become the successful entrepreneur that she is

today, as she encouraged young women as she noted that there will have times of having downfalls

in establishing a business, and considering the long-term rewards are benefiting in the end. .

(YBTT, 2021) She ended her statement with this quote,

“Don’t be afraid to be an entrepreneur. The thing about what you

love doing and what makes your product unique in your local

market. If you work hard enough to seize the opportunities, then

success will follow”. (YBTT, 2021)

 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

Challenges the Entrepreneur and their Solutions

Being an entrepreneur comes with many challenges of having a successful business. Shanelle,

the 27-year-old entrepreneur faced many obstacles along her journey as an entrepreneur, but

this has also paved a way for her success. Shanelle began teaching as a primary school

teacher, she was functioning her business as well. Due to the demand of De Jeunesse, she

faced a lot of interruptions with the influx of calls during her classes, sometimes forget to do

schoolwork, and made errors teaching her classes. This resulted in Shanelle resigning from

her job in 2018 to become a full-time entrepreneur and putting all emphasis on her business.

(YBTT, 2021) Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the challenges that Shanelle faced as an

entrepreneur, as she entered the Planting Seeds program and pitched her ideas to a panel of

investors, they were impressed with the ambition that she had as a female Entrepreneur but so

they found it too premature and required some more development. Though this would’ve

demotivated Shanelle from moving forward, she took note of all constructive criticism made

by the panelists and rebranded her products to be visually appealing for marketing. As a result

of this, she was able to gain the attention of Mr. Gerald Aboud, the owner of Starlite

Pharmacy, where she was able to distribute her products to all of their branches. (Planting

Seeds, 2017) Another great challenge that Shanelle and most entrepreneurs are facing

currently, is the Covid-19 pandemic. Shanelle had intentions of shipping her products of De

Jeunesse regionally and to the United States, but this has restricted her from meeting with

international suppliers for her products. To combat this, she has decided to introduce e-

commerce into her business, where she will have an online platform to increase the online
 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

presence of her business for growth in the exportation of her goods and services to a wider

range of consumers in the market.

 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

Key Lessons I learned

Throughout my research on Shanelle Hills Fife, she has shown young upcoming entrepreneurs

many of the failures, challenges, and success that come with becoming an entrepreneur. After

perusing and reading her story, I can take away some beneficial lessons that can potentially

support me to become a successful and self-disciplined entrepreneur like Shanelle. Having the

ability to accept failure throughout your journey is a major lesson that I will take away from

Shanelle’s entrepreneurial journey. She has shown that accepting her failure after her pitch at

the Planting Seeds program is a way of motivation to revolutionize her business for greater

success. This has greatly impacted my mindset and it has changed the perspective of accepting

failure. Furthermore, being consistent for self-improvement was another key element that I

was able to grasp from Shanelle’s experiences. Lastly, problem-solving and having a strong

faith as an individual were two important lessons that I took away from this young

entrepreneur. This has influenced me to become very proactive in the manner that I resolve

my issues, additionally, it has taught me to be purposeful in trying to push for greater success

in my personal goals and aspirations.

 Aliyah Amisha Ali
Entrepreneurial Mindset- ENTP205- CO1 Mr. Sajjad Hamid
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

References

YBTT. (2021, August 26). Youth Business Trinidad & Tobago | FROM TEACHING TO

ENTREPRENEURSHIP – SHENELLE HILLS-FIFE. Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago.

https://www.ybtt.org/from-teaching-to-entrepreneurship-shenelle-hills-fife/

5 Characteristics of an Entrepreneur | Vistage. (2021, February 17). Vistage Research Center.

https://www.vistage.com/research-center/business-leadership/20161027-5-characteristics-

of-an-entrepreneur/

Planting Seeds. (2017, April 2). Planting Seeds Blog - Entrepreneur Article - De Jeunesse Bath

and Body. https://plantingseedscaribbean.com/blogs/article/25

Youth Business International. (n.d.). Shenelle Hills-Fife. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from

https://www.youthbusiness.org/success-story/shenelle-hills-fife