Small Business Development

A small business is one which has a small number of employees, profit and/or revenue. Often, small businesses are owner-managed, with few specialist managers, fewer than 100 employees in a manufacturing enterprise, or with fewer than 40 employees in a non-manufacturing (service or retail) firm. Small business owners retain independent ownership and control and make key management decisions.

An agency of the Ministry, the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC, now a Corporation), was established in April 2001. The new name came into effect on November 17, 2008. The JBDC is the institution mandated to lead Government’s facilitation of sustainable development of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) sector.  The Government of Jamaica has broadened the scope of the JBDC with the establishing of the Incubator and Resource Centre and the Financial Services Unit. The mission of JBDC is to promote the creation and sustainable development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Jamaica

In fulfilling the mandate of facilitating the development of MSME businesses to have them make a more valuable contribution to Jamaica’s economy, JBDC’s role is the:

• Provision of strategic technical assistance;
• Provision of a strategic marketing programme; and
• Development of a strategic industrial development framework for MSMEs

JBDC has extended its services to micro and small entrepreneurs’ islandwide through the establishment of Business Information Centres at several locations across the island. This was accomplished in a collaborative effort between JBDC and several professional and business organizations with funding provided by the European Union’s Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP). It provides well needed business, technical and financial services at approximately 10 locations. The suite of services include loan and grant application processing, website design, Internet marketing and training, staff development, employment job bank, marketing and public relations services, business consultations and administrative services.

The Business Information Centres also cater to the needs of Jamaica’s disabled community, particularly the visually impaired with its recently introduced programme, Job Access with Speech (JAWS).