This Week We Feature Young Professional Rochelle S. Lawrence
Rochelle S. Lawrence is what this generation calls a ‘serial entrepreneur’, and her love for entrepreneurship, though she never envisioned being one, started when she was just a child.
She was born on St Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands, raised in Sea Cows Bay, Tortola, and attended St George’s Primary School and the then BVI High School. From there, she went on to further her studies in Miami, Florida.
Rochelle told Virgin Islands News Online (VINO), “I am a serial entrepreneur, which is a new terminology I’m hearing people use lately. I have quite a few businesses.”
She is the founder and Director of HR Solutions, has her freelancing captain's license, and owns Brew Coffee Shop, which has 5 locations.
When it comes to the entrepreneurship bug, she said, “Honestly, I got it from my mother.”
Her mom owned a Picture Framing and Art Gallery, a business that started before Rochelle was born.
“I never thought that I would be an entrepreneur; I just knew that I had a good work ethic. I like to work hard, I like to stay busy, and I like to be innovative. And I grew up in that frame shop that my mom had and the art gallery, and I gathered a lot of my work ethic from her, and it came naturally.”
Brew Coffee Shop
For Rochelle, coffee shops are more than just another business venture, it is also deeply personal.
“I was a first-generation child to go to college in the US. I had a child at 15 years old, so I went to college with my son being very young, and the coffee shop was my happy place; it was like home, it was an inexpensive luxury.”
While others see Miami as the party scene, she explained that was not her situation since she had her young son with her, she had to get her education and head back home to the VI.
“I found comfort and family in the coffee shops. I would go there in the mornings, I would go in the evenings, if I had a day off from school, I would go there, and we built a great relationship…and I felt like I was a part of the coffee shop.”
During her time in Miami, she said she was exposed to the different types of coffee from Colombian to Cuban and Italian, in addition to the diversity and Hispanic culture. “That’s when my palate realised that coffee literally had a wing of flavours happening, and that piqued my interest.”
Upon returning home from studies, she started her HR company, and in 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, she said HR Solutions became “more of a want for companies rather than a need”, and so she took advantage of the downtime to plan and open The Brew Coffee Shop.
“I had time to think about it, I had a space… I opened my first coffee shop in July 2020. I started with a used machine, a hand grinder and just three syrups.”
Rochelle is now a graduate of the Texas Coffee School and is a Coffee Concierge, Head Barista and Trainer. After graduation, she opened her second location, adding, “The passion just kept growing from there.”
She most recently received her Expresso Technician Certification in Florida from Novia Novia Semeneli, one of the most recognised brands of US espresso machines. “I’m almost sure I’m the only certified technician in this part of the Caribbean.”
Her passion for the coffee industry continues to grow, and she said she is excited to attend more coffee shows, receive more training, and conduct training here in the VI.
As a barista trainer, she said, “My most important goal is that every single coffee shop that I go to, that I can get a well-extracted cup of coffee…it’s important that your coffee is extracted well, so that persons who have a palate for coffee can enjoy your coffee.”
Brew Coffee Shop is located at Loose Mongoose, Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, the Oleander Building at Port Purcell, Creative Waves BVI, and at the T.B. Lettsome International Airport.
Captaincy
Rochelle said she began sailing at a very tender age, and it has always been second nature. “My uncle is one of the very prominent captains in the BVI, and I remember going out sailing with him all the time, and I had to find my way back home, and since then, I have had a passion for the ocean growing up in Sea Cows Bay, by the waterside.”
Since she is also a US citizen, Rochelle went off to captain school about 8 years ago and received her 6-Pack Captain License.
“I really enjoy bringing people to Nature’s Little Secret. I feel like the BVI has so many pristine little spots that so many people don’t know about.”
While captaincy has been on hold for about 18 months while she focuses on growing Brew, she said it is obvious she misses it, as the coffee shops have been strategically placed at ports of entry.
Finding balance & advice
When asked how she can juggle so much, she explained it all comes down to planning and organising.“I just allocate time for everything, and I keep things on a schedule…I have a personal life, I have two children…a lot of it is being extremely organised and learning how to compartmentalise things.”
Rochelle also advises others to hone their craft and go into whatever they choose, giving it 100 per cent while remembering to be realistic with themselves.
“It’s not impossible to share yourself between multiple businesses, but at some point, you have to make a sacrifice to give each of these things a hundred per cent, especially for the foundation building of it, and then you start to delegate.”
She further encourages entrepreneurs to know their business inside out and at every single level. “It’s important to create an environment that you’re going to spend 8 to 10 hours there every single day, and the only way you can do that is when you understand the operations of the business.”
She also reminds entrepreneurs to conduct market research and have a passion for what they can do, ensuring that passion can be profitable.
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