Michael A. Smith is a Bank Reconciliation Specialist at Road Town Wholesale. Photo: Provided

Michael A.Smith aka 'Sage' is the manager of S & L Welding and Fabrication, Menen I Designs and Black Sage Entertainment. Photo: Provided

Michael is a Bank Reconciliation Specialist in the Accounts Department of Road Town Wholesale and, among other duties, he is responsible for ensuring that the company's bank records correspond to those of their accounts in the various banks.

Love for business

Though many may find working in finance boring or tedious, our Young Professional has a general love for it and, as he puts it “a love for business as a whole.” This love has seen Michael through 13 years of working in the Accounts Department of Road Town Wholesale.

The 13 years; however, have not been without its challenges. “Within the Accounting Field, accuracy is a key factor, which means every cent got to be accounted for properly,” Michael said. To overcome this challenge, he said he has to be ‘meticulous and efficient.’

It would be accurate to say that famous Scottish Geologist Charles Lyell had someone like Michael in mind when he said: "Never call an accountant a credit to his profession; a good accountant is a debit to his profession" as our young professional is no doubt nothing but an assest to the company he has faithfully served for over a decade.

Future business owner

Michael is not just satisfied with working in other people's businesses. It is his ultimate goal to own his own business. He says, “despite being in the Accounting field, I would also like to expand my knowledge to hopefully be a successful entrepreneur.”

There is no time like the present to start working towards your dreams and Michael is definitely headed to becoming a successful businessman. He is currently managing not one but three small businesses: S & L Welding and Fabrication, a welding company; Menen I Design, a local clothing company; and Black Sage Entertainment, Management of Artist.

There is no doubt that managing three businesses and doing Accounting as a fulltime job keep Michael busy; however, he still finds time to play football and do a bit of audio production.

Mostly self-motivated, Michael says, “one of my main inspirations is Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, because of his work done for humanity.”

Advice to youth

When it comes to advice for the youth, Michael say the old cliché rings true. “Give Jah thanks and work hard every day at your goals, simple.”