Father of two and tech entrepreneur Jhon J. Samuel is not letting COVID-19 slow his plans for business. In fact, while many in the Virgin Islands are feeling the adverse effects of the economic slowdown brought about by the virus, Jhon is one of many using it as an opportunity to do good for the community. Photo: Provided

Jhon currently works as the graphic artist at the BVI Tourist Board and, in that capacity, created two of the most iconic brands promoted by this organization; the BVI Food Fête along with Anegada Lobster Fest. Photo: Provided/BVITB

Outside of his day job, Jhon said his company APEX was initially started from the high demands of clients requesting his services as a graphic designer. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional shared that outside of academics, he has a love for chess. Photo: Provided

Jhon J. Samuel said he played for the BVI National Football Team at several events int he past. Photo: Provided

VI Queue is an application that does exactly what the name implies, helps businesses manages the customer queue with additional bells and whistles on both the business and the consumer end of the platform. Photo: Provided

VI Queue has several features to make the customer line-up issue more manageable and encourage social distancing. Photo: Provided

VI Bites allows consumers to order directly from restaurants in the VI. Photo: Provided

Jhon J. Samuel is also developing a separate app to being grocery deals to consumers. Photo: Provided

Future of business with COVID-19

“Professionally, I have been very fortunate to work for an organisation that has managed to cope with this pandemic. At the BVI Tourist Board the executive team has made adjustments to continue working from home,” he told Virgin Islands News Online (VINO)

Jhon said the entire team at the BVI Tourist Board (BVITB) is working tirelessly to keep destination BVI in the mind of future, guests, “We all agree that once this pandemic ends, we want the BVI to be the first destination they will visit,” he said.  

As an entrepreneur; however, Jhon said some of what he noticed in the business community regarding COVID-19 is concerning.

“I have identified that this pandemic will force a large number of businesses to rethink, update or reconsider their model. In some cases, this will translate into the implementation of a system to support their process,” he said.

Brick and mortar businesses are often slow to implement technological solutions, and according to Jhon, a large number of people in the VI community went through unnecessary stress due to the complexities of placing an order to get basic supplies in a reliable way, even using cash.

“I also feel that some of them were forced to apply for government aid because they weren’t sure where they would get supplies. If this was the case, this placed an unnecessary burden on the government, especially since these people could afford to pay for their supplies,” he said.

“I strongly believe that the implementation of an information system could have been the solution to this issue,” Jhon related to VINO.

Additionally, he said, that during the 3-day period in which Government allowed persons to buy supplies many establishments were not managing customers efficiently.

VI Queue & VI Bites

While Samuel has been active in the tech sphere for some time through his Graphic designing firm, ‘APEX’, it was a number of socially shared promos of two innovative smartphone apps; VI Queue and VI Bites, that led VINO to discover Jhon and his big ideas for the future.

“I noticed that some establishments weren’t managing their queue efficiently, and in some instances the social distancing was nonexistent. That is why I decided to accelerate the development of VI Queue app and offer it to businesses at no cost during this pandemic,” he told this news website.

VI Queue is an application that does exactly what the name implies, helps businesses manage their customer queue with additional bells and whistles on both the business and the consumer end of the platform.

“My intention is to provide the community with a solution that could help us to battle this pandemic. Based on experience, I’ve been very concerned that businesses may not be able to handle the heavy flow of clients after the curfew.”

He said a similar point of view was already raised by a former legislator and noted that VI Queue promises to encourage social distancing, and at the same time, manage and regulate the flow of people into the businesses.

“This will translate into better customer experience and a safer community. We want to offer the same benefits to restaurants, that is why I will also offer VI Bites to restaurants at no cost during this pandemic. VI Bites will allow them to integrate online ordering in their businesses relatively easy,” he said.

Origins & Education

Now living in the Eastern end of Tortola, Jhon is a VI Belonger originally from the Dominican Republic and residing in the Territory for most of his adult life.

He attended Liceo Aristy Garcia Mella, in the Dominican Republic between 2000-2004 before venturing into the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) to pursue an Associate's Degree in Computer Science. He graduated in 2010.

Jhon then went on to study Graphic Design at La Romana, in the Dominican Republic between 2003-2004, and shared that outside of academics, he has a love for sports especially football and even chess.

“I’ve had the privilege to represent the BVI in both sports at international levels. I played for the BVI National Football Team at several events, and in 2014, I represented the BVI at the Chess Olympiad in Norway,” he proudly told VINO.

Jhon currently works as the graphic artist at the BVITB and in that capacity, created two of the most iconic brands promoted by this organisation; the BVI Food Fête and Anegada Lobster Fest.

Building a Business

Outside of his day job, Jhon said APEX was initially started from the high demands of clients requesting his services as a graphic designer, “After identifying the need for other services in the Territory, such as web and mobile development, I decided to incorporate these services into my business after making the necessary adjustments.

He said while he loves every aspect of his professional career and the job he does at APEX, “I really enjoy developing (Website or Mobile app). This is because developing an app or a website allows me to combine my programming and graphic design skills in one project; and most of the time, in my opinion, the results are very pleasing.”

Turning attention to challenges in the field, he told VINO that the quick changes in technologies are a little difficult to keep up with.

“As most people are aware, technology evolves regularly. This forced me to keep learning with every project. In fact, sometime I would delay a project for a couple of days until I acquire the necessary knowledge to ensure I am using the latest technologies/techniques available at the time.”

Learning & Growing

He said one of the biggest life lessons came from getting too comfortable in his ‘comfort zone’ and not taking risks due to a fear of failure.

“There have been some amazing business ideas that I did not execute because I did not develop the courage to bring them into reality. To overcome this, I have decided to be brave and step into my fears knowing that ‘Success is the ability to move from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm,’” quoting former British Prime Minister, Winston L. Spencer-Churchill.

“That is why in the last 6 years I have been identifying and solving problems that some businesses don’t even realize they currently have. "During these years I have developed apps such as VI Bites, VI Deals, VI Radio, APEX-POS and most recently VI Queue," he noted.

Jhon said most of the apps have been presented to a significant number of local businesses, however, while a large number of them liked the apps, just a handful have supported some of the initiatives.

In a telephone conversation with this news website, our Young Professional also said the VI Queue app was actually in development and in existence since 2019; however, the need for a solution like it is now greater than ever. 

Benefits of the APP

As part of its features, the app has notifications, GPS tracking integrated and can even scan QR codes placed at local businesses. One scenario is that if an individual ventures into town to conduct business, instead of joining a long line he or she can scan a QR code and enter a digital queue at the business.  

What this means is that individual can then conduct business at one location while monitoring the status of their queue at another, however, businesses need to be on board with the app for the feature to work well.

“What I try to accomplish with this app is to reduce the long waiting time because you know, when the Government relax the lockdown people would be rushing without maintaining social distancing,” he said.

He said given the needs of the community and as a contribution at this stage, his business will be waiving any cost associated with using the app for the business community.

“The app is totally free so any business that is willing to come on board, they cannot be scared of any charges and we are open to any business that wants to be a part of this initiative. We strongly believe it will be a benefit to the community,” he said.

Some business categories he said could benefit include, banks, barbershops and restaurants. He said grocery stores can also benefit significantly, adding that any business that manages a queue can hop on board.

Humble Beginnings

While Jhon now has big tech dreams for the Territory, his first job was a far cry from the industry he now embraces.

‘When I came into the BVI back in 2004, my first job ever was as a Handyman in the department of Housekeeping at Peter Island Resort. A year after, I landed my first job as a graphic artist at Summit Printing. This was the first company that gave me the opportunity to exercise my skills.”

He says given that journey, the gratification from solving a problem and seeing one of his creations fulfilling its purpose is one that is extra satisfying.      

“There are some ideas that I will be implementing into my business as soon as the conditions are favourable. But my main focus at this time is to add shopping capabilities to our apps VI Deals and VI Queue,” he revealed to VINO regarding the future of APEX as a company.

“I strongly believe that the community can benefit from these features in these apps. We all know how difficult it has been during these days to place an order for simple supplies. With these functionalities, we expect to reduce this frustration. I am also making preparation to make VI Bites available to restaurants,” he reiterated.

‘Use the crisis to address issues’ – Mr Samuel to Gov’t

John said while the Government has been handling the COVID-19 crisis to the best of their ability, the crisis should be used as a reference to make some improvements.

“For example, one issue in the BVI is the lack of an Addressing System. This makes it very difficult to make door to door deliveries. I am aware that this is an issue that has been around for quite some time; and that there have been recent efforts to improve it.”

He said having a robust addressing system for the entire Territory, would have made the distributions of the government aid far more efficient.

Making more suggestions, he noted, “In addition, I feel that government should start suggesting/recommending to businesses, to implement cloud-based platforms where regular consumers can get at least some of the services they offer. It’s hard to believe that most businesses in the BVI aren’t taking advantage of technologies that could improve the life of an entire community.”

According to Jhon, in the technology era, there are solutions that can be implemented to solve most of any problem, “I feel that acquiring goods and services over the internet in the BVI, should not be that difficult. As data has shown, the use of mobile devices has increased in recent years.”

“I would love to see government departments/agencies and more businesses in this Territory, implementing cloud-based systems into their processes. It’s time to improve the life of people in this Territory. Adding these convenience features will simplify our life,” our Young Professional charged.

Parting Advice

Leaving parting advice for young entrepreneurs looking to pursue and achieve dreams, he said, “To be hungry for success, don’t be afraid to make mistakes or fail, and be willing to make sacrifices.”

“To stay away from distractions and be aware that the professional world is not about instant gratification. They should expect to work hard for what they want,” he further said.

Jhon also touched on the recent 7% fee to be implemented on money transfers leaving the territory through outlets like Western Union and Money Gram, “when the bill was passed in the House of Assembly to impose 7% transaction fee on every dollar sent out of this Territory, a large group of people criticised this initiative.”

He said that while he would be directly affected by this new measure, it is a clear step to protect the VI’s economy, “I feel that this crisis will make us stronger as a society and at the same time it will show who really and truly loves, and cares for the BVI,” he added.

“We should be aware that there are uncertain times ahead of us and we need to ensure that our economic system is protected. We need to understand that we are in this together, and this means making some sacrifices to ensure that our Territory can overcome this pandemic successfully.”

Businesses looking to sign up for any of the apps can contact Jhon via email: apexbvi@gmail.com, website: apexbvi.com or call 284.341.6571.