Despite growing up in poverty, Berbician businesswoman perseveres and opens dream spa
“I believe that anyone can achieve their goals or dreams if they want it badly enough. Train your mind to achieve anything, surround yourself with people whom you will learn from, who will help you grow,” are a few words from 29-year-old businesswoman Chloe True.
Chloe has had dreams of one day becoming an entrepreneur, and that someday came sooner than she anticipated due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
“I decided to launch my business because it has always been a dream of mine ever since I moved to Suriname. And due to the COVID-19 crisis, finding a job was very difficult. I always wanted to become a businesswoman.”
Reflecting on her childhood, the now businesswoman recounted that her parents tried their best to ensure that she and her siblings were taken care of despite growing up in poverty.
After completing high school, she repositioned to Suriname, where she was qualified in Cosmetology, body treatments, and chemical peels for three years. She then moved back to Guyana and pursued studies in Microsoft Excel and Marketing & Advertising.
Not quitting there, she locomoted over to the Guyana Training College for International Skills and studied Caring for the Elderly.
“Then I wanted to do something else, so I attended Hunts Cake classes, where I did cake decorations, and Nayelli’s School of Cosmetology, also I did an entrepreneurship course online with Coursera,” the businesswoman stated.
While working a full-time job as a Logistics Officer, Chloe would take the weekends off and travel up to Berbice, where she would take her service.
“I would make appointments for the three days. I would bring along my massage bed and pedicure equipment and products. I would stay in Glasgow at my best friend’s home - it was difficult having to fetch around the massage bed and everything else in a taxi to my client’s home from one client to the next; I would provide the best service. I could even though it was exhausting.”
“For the three days, I would work nonstop sometimes until 11 pm as my clientele grew, I would have to sometimes work back-to-back all under the name spa clover since 2018. I have been certified since 2009 and practising since then between jobs.”
However, in January 2020, Chloe’s life took a twist – her grandmother passed away. She noted that her grandmother was a “big part” of her life.
Following her grandmother’s passing, she moved back to Berbice shortly after COVID-19 hit Guyana's shores.
“For safety reasons, I decided it was time to make that big leap; with the support of my family and close friends, I went ahead to create the place I always wanted and imagined in my head. I started by getting a notebook writing down my goals and plans and worked towards them, then putting them into action. I worked day and night getting the place ready; I painted and sanded the furniture along with my mom, brothers, and husband.”
She then officially launched her business – Spa Clover, on October 1, 2020, at 6-16 LFS Burnham (Coburg) Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice, offering various types of massages, facial treatments, pedicures, manicures, facial waxing, herbal body whitening, and body scrubs.
The now proud businesswoman said: “Helping people is something I love doing; what better way to do it than creating a place to relax and forget about the hard-working or stressful day. I decided that the best place to start was my hometown. To capitalise on the fact that there is no place like it, to be the first would be a major head start for a developing community.”
The 29-year-old aspires to expand her business, focusing more on products that are made by well-known manufacturers.
“Personally, getting involved with a women’s group to use my platform to help young people, coaching them to achieve their goals, helping them in whatever way I can, as well as being a voice for women dealing with domestic violence and suicide,” she noted is a plan she has for the future.
You can contact Spa Clover on WhatsApp at +592 622 7605 or on Facebook or Instagram at @Spaclover.
