Growing Businesses While Protecting the Blue Economy

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – Five Bahamian entrepreneurs walked away five thousand dollars richer after pitching their ideas aimed at growing their businesses and creating new opportunities in the blue economy.

Melissa Cartwright – Owner, Spa Chicks on the Go

“I am so excited to start this venture and bring out something that’s not gonna be actually chemically based, but it’ll be safe for the reefs as well as our skin.”

Melissa Cartwright, owner of Spa Chicks on the Go, was one of the five winners.

Her pitch centered around developing a Bahamian reef-safe sunscreen, a product she hopes can grow into a successful business while also being safer for the marine environment.

But getting to the final pitch took more than just having a good idea.

The program brought together the Small Business Development Centre and The Nature Conservancy, with participants going through eight weeks of specialized training and mentorship.

Mischa Lockhart, Assistant Program Manager for Impact Funding for Bahama Reefs, says the focus was on helping entrepreneurs build businesses that can make money without damaging the very resources those businesses rely on.

Mischa Lockhart – Assistant Program Manager, Impact Funding

“Without our natural resources, we won’t have these livelihoods. So it’s really important to us not to just support local businesses or small businesses, but to support reef-positive businesses.”

So the challenge for participants was not simply to come up with something that could make money.

Their ideas also had to consider how their businesses could operate responsibly and help preserve the oceans and coral reefs that support so much of the country’s economic activity.

Twelve entrepreneurs started the program, seven made it to the final pitch, and five walked away with ten thousand dollars each to help grow and scale their ideas.

Among them were Allison Longley and her husband, the couple behind BlueQuest Bahamas.

Allison Longley – Owner, BlueQuest Bahamas

“We offer unique snorkel experiences that we call the Rescue Experience, located at our base. Participants learn about reef ecology, fish identification, and the importance of coral reefs.”

For organizers, that fifty thousand dollars in total funding is only one part of the investment.

SBDC Bahamas Director of External Relations Rashad Ritchie says building a more sustainable blue economy also means giving entrepreneurs the knowledge to develop businesses that can last, without destroying the resources that allow them to exist in the first place.

Rashad Ritchie – Director of External Relations, SBDC

“We’re merging that aspect of blue economy businesses, trying to build sustainable businesses, protect our oceans and our coral reefs. We cannot build businesses that do not protect the same resource that cause those businesses to exist and to thrive.”