feature
Carol Kwash
For many, the covid19 pandemic has been a non-stop bus journey to rock bottom – financially, socially, emotionally, spiritually and otherwise. For accountant Andrea Raghu, it was a lesson that put her at the top of her game, with some added bonuses. Despite feeling the pain of the impact, he told WMN that he used the downtime to sharpen his accounting skills and learn many new businesses. Skills related to – she is now profiting from that her investment.
“I actually spent most of my time in lockdown during the pandemic learning how to run this business. Operations, marketing and management are social media skills that I absorbed from webinars during my downtime.
“I dug into it, followed people on social media, read a lot. I spent the time of
“I’ve met a lot of people online, some of whom I’ve never met in person. I’ve always answered a million calls and built strong relationships. I’ve been interacting with entrepreneurs, so now I’m getting back something like a dividend, and some, like me, are my clients now.”
A student of St. Joseph’s, a former St. Joseph’s Convent, is ACCA accredited and says her business is built on an accounting foundation, but does more than just provide accounting services. Accounting is just one piece of the puzzle for her, she said.
“I call myself a virtual CFO (Chief Financial Officer) for small businesses and entrepreneurs because it’s not just about filing tax returns. I’m trying to communicate to my clients what I offer, from a corporate perspective, because that’s what the CFO does, services for financial management and strategic direction, budgeting, forecasts, and help you make better financial decisions.
Ragoo, 38, said he first served small businesses as a “side job” when he worked full-time at the company. After she was hit financially by her then-employer, she began working on the formal launch of her solution ATR Business.
“After a significant pay cut, I felt more motivated to start working…the despair I felt because I had no control over my income stood out. I made some adjustments and in the meantime I was trying to recover so I started making plans. I promised myself not to rely on the Lord.
ATR Business Solutions is currently a one-woman only show, but the “Solopreneur” said it plans to expand the number and variety of services it offers and indirectly create jobs for others. rice field. But the overall goal is to help other entrepreneurs succeed and take control of their financial lives.
“Like many others, I started this business out of necessity. I often say that you don’t have to be a full-time business owner. It’s about financial freedom and independence.”
Ragoo’s desire to help people become more self-sufficient is so strong that it also serves non-business customers. She is one of the founders of the charitable nonprofit Gift Less Give More, which was registered two years before her to do charity work. She is also a mentor to young entrepreneurs through her Youth Business TT, a certified member of Youth Business International, helping young entrepreneurs build profitable and sustainable businesses.
She is on the Board of Directors of Rhand Credit Union. She works with the Living Water Community’s Immigration and Refugees Department to help migrants and refugees establish and run their own businesses. She has worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to advise migrants and refugees on the basic tools for setting up and running a small business. She also announced at a workshop at the Financial Literacy Department of the Central Bank and Tobago Parliament that “everything is aimed at helping business owners start and run their businesses.”
According to Ragoo, her parents were civil servants and since she was a child, she watched her parents struggle and everything they did to build a family.
“Going to college was a luxury back then, so without money, I had to put up with my situation.”
She has been married for more than a decade, but she and her husband, Taiab, have no children, but she said it was important to set an example of self-reliance and sustainability for her “wonderful niece.” believe.
“Amaia will be 30 in 3 years. She is the first and only grandchild and the most important part of the family,” she said with a laugh.
Ragoo recommends that anyone hesitant about starting their own business take the first step by making a plan.
“It was scary for me because I was suffering from imposter syndrome,” a sustained internal fear that an individual doubts his or her skills, talents, or achievements and is exposed as a fraud. It is a psychological state that you have.
“I often asked myself, ‘Am I good enough?
“And it may start slowly, but be patient. People are watching, and in time you’ll start to see it come back.”
