From Febuary to July this year...whooaa ...talk about a rollercoaster. Collections were slow (try getting a cheque out some Jamaican companies on time); had to ask a member of staff to resign because he started a business in direct competition with us and wanted to remain employed with us while building it.(lol...I know...he was pretty good at what he did too);we owe some money(in the low four figures and non interest bearing, so it's nothing to stress about), so a couple of people are pissed off with me, us, the company; one staff member resigned and who remained we put them contract and expanded our talent pool beyond our shores; we doing the virtual office thing - one in Kingston and another in Atlanta..

Just finished reading The Dip by Seth Godin which came on the heels of The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki. The Dip was great validation. I saw DPI in it, the things we chose to quit, the things we chose to stick with. The switching of operational strategies and the tweaking of business models. Dutchpot is in a great place, we have new products to launch next month, just wrapped up a sweet partnership deal and new business still flowing in by referrals. We're in a good place. We're moving to the NEXT level. After going virtual two months ago - we have no regrets. We simply acknowledged our mistakes, learnt from them, restrategised and now we have wi foot pon di gas and our eyes ever pon di prize and man are we having more fun.

What a rollercoaster ride we've had. Here in Jamaica, we watched Dean making a SouthCoast B line for us; we battened down, shopped for batteries, flashlights, tarpaulin; we stored water and prayed for the best. Now that Hurricane Dean has past and we can see almost all the damage done and not done, I feel both sad and glad.

Sad that the South Coast neighbourhoods, small hotels, business places took a good whallop - some houses swept into or swallowed by the sea, massive floodwater damage, possessions soaked and lost, roofs and stock blown away- homes lost, personal and business lives interrupted.I t's going to be a challenge to reolocate, rebuild, get back to a daily routine of living and doing business there. But it will be done, must be done.

And I am glad about the...gottta get up, clean up and get going spirit. No 1988 Hurricane Gilbert mailaise here. Most people seem to understand that a day lost in discomfort, complaining and woe is me, is also a day lost - of living comfortably, relaxing, doing business and making money.

Minutes to 7 am, while out touring after checking on my family and close friends, I saw residents themselves (or hiring walkabout men with electric saws for hire), already beginning to saw and cut offending tree limbs that burst power and telephone lines, or those that fell and blocked streets. Fast Food outlets powered by big and powerful generators started to open up to feed the need for hot breakfasts and ice cold drinks and a feeling that all is well for the most part, we're alive - now how about a Bacon double whopper and large Pepsi to go with it all.

I drove to Port Maria, St Mary and Ocho Rios, St Ann on Tuesday morning to check on relatives and to exorcise my cabin fever and in some places it's almost like nothing happened. You saw the usual foliage damage along junction road, some zinc roofs from corner shops on the side of the road. But it's when you got to the St Mary Banana Estate you saw why farmers will weep for a few more weeks. Hundreds of acres of banana trees where bowed and broken from the 145mph winds.

The Port Maria and the Coastal road into Ochi however was it's usual bustle of people, dusty, dry and sunny self. In Ochi I settled into Island Village's Coco Brown's coffee shop for a cold beer and a quiet read to settle my nerves, my laptop being charged in Port Maria in a friend's office with a back up generator, it's like nothing had happened here. Island Village was open for business and ready to receive a big cruise ship the next day. The place was pretty much empty, but it offered the quiet, clean, back in order environment I needed to personally finish shifting gears from bracing for a Hurricane, back what;s next in building my businesses.

Sad and Glad, I guess that'll be the common sentiment for a while as we collectively mop up, wipe down, reconnect, rebuild and make ready again our personal lives, our businesses.

Yep, where we are, we have light and water. I am using Dial Up to get online and check email and Susan is having DSL connection issues too. It's been three days after Hurricane Dean SouthCoast swiped us- but yes, we're open for business...for the most part. Our Virtual Office service is not yet up, but we're in touch with our Clients ( the one's who have light,water, internet and phone service) to see where things are by mobile phone and email.

But even as being online, checking email and having your mobile phone service up and running means WE are open for business, I know it will be still a few more days more maybe for us ALL( clients, service providers etc) to be really open for business.

Cheers to being back in the saddle.

While the Election TV ad wars rage, my chair is hot, it's busy season for us as a company.
We're adding more local clients, gone into the Caribbean and the USA has come knocking. We're thankful and happy that election is less than a week away.

Regardless of who wins, what is needed is a govt that's serious about BUSINESS. Creating an environment where startups are easy, growth is a done deal, tax incentives are abundant, bureacracy and corruption is minimal,our nation's assets are preserved so that Jamaicans are their prime beneficiaries.

Good luck to the PNP and JLP! Let's see what business will be like on the other side of Sept 3rd.