This week we spoke to Alexandra Kian George the owner of WiPrints, an online printing company, about how she managed to get into the printing industry, her triumphs and challenges and how she holds it all together.
Can you please state your name?
Alexandra Kian George ( Ms.)
How old are you?
34
How long have you been in business?
This is a difficult question. I’ve been dabbling in business since I was 16 but movements into seriously pursing was 7years ago. 2013
What was the motivation for you to become an entrepreneur?
Honestly it was a loss of employment. Weirdly enough my first thought was to fall back on my skillset (after a month of depression…lol) and push that even though I had never done such outside of having a job. I was 26 at the time. Mind you had a vision of owning businesses since I was 18 but that was to come when I established myself in my accounting career. Oh how life changes!
What is the focus of your business?
Focus of my business is to see others fulfill their greatest potential which is a personal desire and one when I looked back has always been the reason for why I did any business venture even though the product or wording was different.
Why did you choose this line of business to get into?
Printing was an opportunity that came to me. I did not seek it out but it complemented the accounting services I provided at the time and eventually grew and got rebranded to what you see today
What does a typical day look like for you?
Dealing with more customer service, responding and guiding clients. Love hearing my customers’ stories and their vision for what they want to do.
To date, what has been your greatest accomplishment in terms of your company?
Two things actually 1) Seeing my clients grow. There are a few of them that I have seen when they first started. I get so excited for them. When they win, I cheer! And 2) Seeing the loyalty clients have for the WiPrints brand. We make mistakes and I am forever grateful when they are understanding and forgiving. And when they share the brand to other business owners!
How has this helped you to stay motivated?
It reminds me that people are depending on me and I need to show up.
What has been your greatest challenge so far?
Depression of being overwhelmed. Especially when I have a few days of almost everything going wrong. At those times I just want to crawl in bed. Stop doing business and find something easier to do.
How has this influenced your decision-making process?
I wouldn’t say it has influenced, but it has taught me to be forgiving to myself and always take time away from doing business and the “go go mentality”. I protect my non-working days. This has allowed me to be level headed and function better and manage burnout.
Do you have employees?
Yes I do.
What do you look for when hiring?
An absorbent learning mind, team player and being dependable and have a joy in serving others.
Is this your first attempt at owning a business? If not what were some of your other ventures?
No, it isn’t. I’ve had a snack shop, a jewelry business and a bookkeeping business
Who are some of the people that you admire?
My Dad. I haven’t seen him give up on something that he has put his mind too. He finds a way and he always supported and listened to me. I remember when I said I wanted to become a lawyer in form 3 and he spent that whole august vacation picking debates with me…lol
What lessons, if any from your youth have influenced you in business in your adult life?
I don’t know if this is good or bad…but I learned to motivate myself even if others don’t encourage and cheer you on. Even if it’s the people you desperately seek it from. No one sees what you see and no one is meant to accomplish what you are supposed to in the way you would. So see your vision, hold on to it and find a solution to see it come to life.
Besides your business, what do you think is the greatest challenge about owning a business in Trinidad?
Hmmm…there’s a few, at least for me. At the beginning, managing doing everything. Then after that is learning to let go so you can expand and also learning to get up when you fall.
What are your future plans for your business?
Expansion for WiPrints!! I want to be able to be a full one stop shop when it comes to printing ad getting your brand visible.
What advice would you give to people considering getting into your line of business, specifically in Trinidad?
In printing? Always keep your mind open to learning your field and assisting your clients in being different
What are your hobbies, meaning what do you do to de-stress?
Nature, leisure reading, having a good joyful lime with friends and recently planting and also attempting to bake…lol
Do you have any unique habits that you believe give you an edge as an entrepreneur?
I’ll say firstly always praying to God for wisdom. Being solutions oriented instead of problem focused. Listening to clients and ready to pour back into them. Lastly, I’ll say absorbing the information around me even though it isn’t beneficial to me at the moment, it will be to someone I meet on my journey.
If you had a chance to do it all over would you choose the same path?
Yes and no. Yes same path but I would have looked for guidance and building a team from the start instead of going it alone.
If you were to sum up what your business does in one sentence what will it be?
We assist small business owners in having their ideas brought to life. We’re not just a printing company. We listen. We want to share in your vision and cheer you on.
What are your thoughts on the Small Business landscape in Trinidad?
There is great potential for each small business owners and the income they can generate from outside T&T. However, more needs to be done on creating an avenue for us to export at a reasonable cost for individual items and not only bulk. This, I believe is a main cause for limiting our ecommerce within Trinidad and Tobago. Export cost on a small, or one item is too high and discourages a lot of people and I’m just talking about within the Caribbean. The Region needs to work together on this to assist with higher inter-island trade.
What is a local business you admire and wish your business can emulate?
Massy Group – each one of their business provides value or meets a need of the people and is the foundation of their Purpose and Vision Statement. The have almost a 100year head start on me lol…but I aim to be able to provide holistic value and meet the need of small business owners and professionals with multiple services.
So until we check with Alexandra again, we wish her all the best in her business ventures. Check out here business listing page and you can follow WiPrints social media pages at:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WiPrints/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wiprints/
