{"id":147203,"date":"2019-03-13T05:35:19","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T10:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=147203"},"modified":"2019-03-13T05:45:54","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T10:45:54","slug":"ictp-046-thriving-maturing-young-entrepreneur-caribbean-gordon-swaby-edufocal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/03\/ictp-046-thriving-maturing-young-entrepreneur-caribbean-gordon-swaby-edufocal\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 046: Thriving whilst maturing as a young entrepreneur in the Caribbean, with Gordon Swaby of EduFocal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>At the best of times, and even for experienced entrepreneurs, starting a business is a gamble and fraught with challenges. At just 28 years old, and having started the online testing platform, EduFocal, seven years ago, Gordon Swaby is one of the few <\/em><em>Caribbean<\/em><em> tech entrepreneurs who has experienced considerable success in a relatively short space of time. In this podcast episode, we discuss his road to success; the irony of offering education-related services without having a degree; and why accepting failure was an important lesson he had to learn.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/589281486&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>This episode is also available in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple iTunes<\/a>\u00a0and on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In this world, there seems to be two types of people: those who are born to be entrepreneurs; and those who, due to a myriad of circumstances, find themselves on the entrepreneurial path. With regard to the latter, some come on the path kicking and screaming. They may have lost their job, or some other life circumstance prevents them from re-joining the security of paid employment. Hence, although they might have started a business \u2013 of sorts \u2013 they think of it as a short-term gig, until they realise that they may no longer be suited to work under someone else.<\/p>\n<p>For the former, those born to be entrepreneurs, it tends to be just a matter of time before they get on that path. They may have worked industry for a few years, but are likely to have been continually dabbling in side ventures off and on for years, before deciding to fully committing to the life of an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_147208\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-147208\" data-attachment-id=\"147208\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/03\/ictp-046-thriving-maturing-young-entrepreneur-caribbean-gordon-swaby-edufocal\/gordon-swaby-headshots-g-swaby\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Gordon-Swaby-Headshots-G-Swaby-e1552438821476.jpg?fit=534%2C718&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"534,718\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D600&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1478884129&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;98&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Gordon Swaby Headshots (G Swaby)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gordon Swaby&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Gordon-Swaby-Headshots-G-Swaby-e1552438821476.jpg?fit=223%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Gordon-Swaby-Headshots-G-Swaby-e1552438821476.jpg?fit=534%2C718&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-147208\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Gordon-Swaby-Headshots-G-Swaby-e1552438821476.jpg?resize=300%2C403&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Gordon-Swaby-Headshots-G-Swaby-e1552438821476.jpg?w=534&amp;ssl=1 534w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Gordon-Swaby-Headshots-G-Swaby-e1552438821476.jpg?resize=223%2C300&amp;ssl=1 223w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-147208\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gordon Swaby<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Our guest for this episode is a born entrepreneur. Gordon Swaby started his first major side hustle at around 10 years old, and has not looked back. At 21, he founded EduFocal, a social learning website that integrates gamification into the testing services it offers, and currently is the company&#8217;s CEO.<\/p>\n<p>Launched seven years ago this week, on 15 March 2012, EduFocal is an online testing platform that is known primarily in the education space. Its two most prominent offering are providing testing services for Jamaican students sitting the Primary Exit Profile examination, which historically was called the Common Entrance Examination. Additionally, it provides test material for students across the Caribbean, who are sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations. However, as Gordon shares in our interview, the platform is not limited to just primary and secondary school testing, but has broader applications, one of which he highlights during our talk.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to the success of EduFocal, Gordon has been received several accolades, including Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) 50under50 Awardee, the Governor General Youth Achievement Award, the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence, and being recognised by the BBC as a Digital Disruptor.<\/p>\n<p>This discussion with Gordon was several months in the making. He is a busy guy! So when we were finally able to catch up, we asked a lot questions. Some of the areas covered included the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Gordon provides a brief overview of his entrepreneurial journey<\/li>\n<li>How EduFocal works, and what drove Gordon to set up\u00a0EduFocal in the first place<\/li>\n<li>Some of the challenges Edufocal faced when it was just starting, versus now<\/li>\n<li>What it was like for Gordon as a very young entrepreneur starting a business<\/li>\n<li>What it is like to be an entrepreneur in Jamaica, plus Gordon\u2019s thoughts about the country\u2019s start-up environment\/culture, and how it is different from what he experienced when starting EduFocal<\/li>\n<li>With all of the accolades and recognition both Gordon and Edufocal have received over the years, how he stays grounded<\/li>\n<li>How Gordon thinks he has matured over the years, since launching EduFocal, and how he keeps his attitude and approach to EduFocal fresh<\/li>\n<li>How Gordon would describe himself as a manager or the leader<\/li>\n<li>The best piece of advice Gordon has received with respect to\u00a0EduFocal\u00a0and\/or leading the company<\/li>\n<li>The biggest lesson Gordon has had to learn in running his own business<\/li>\n<li>Where Gordon would like to see\u00a0EduFocal\u00a0in the next 3 to 5 years<\/li>\n<li>What is next for Gordon Swaby.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We would love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\n<p>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0pages, or via Twitter,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ICTPulse<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Select links<\/h3>\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gordon Swaby \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/jm.linkedin.com\/in\/gordonswaby\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LinkedIn<\/a>| <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gordon_Swaby\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikipedia<\/a> |\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/gordonswaby.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edufocal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EduFocal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bciconline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/kingstonbeta.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kingston BETA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bransoncentre.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barbadosentrepreneurshipfoundation.org\/trident-angels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trident Angels<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/firstangelsja.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">First AngelsJA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/alphaangels.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alpha Angels<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utech.edu.jm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Technology<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coursera.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Coursera<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.khanacademy.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Khan Academy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credits:\u00a0 Kaique Rocha (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pexels<\/a>), G Swaby<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Music credit:\u00a0 Ray Holman<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the best of times, and even for experienced entrepreneurs, starting a business is a gamble and fraught with challenges. At just 28 years old, and having started the online [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[71,49,205,204,357],"class_list":["post-147203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-education","tag-entrepreneurship-2","tag-innovation-2","tag-interviews","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Open-for-business-sign-store-door-sign-Kaique-Rocha-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-Cif","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147203"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147217,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147203\/revisions\/147217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}