Flipping Grand Bahama

No the year is not over but I wonder what is going on in this island. All good I must add, but unexpected and it makes me wonder if Grand Bahama is getting ready for new owners of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, new investors or just a brighter Christmas. Over the past year we have been watching to work on the new bridge to the east connecting once again the Grand Bahama Highway over the waterway. It looks like this bridge will be ready for Christmas.  This would have taken a lot of change for the Grand Bahama Development Company. We have seen the creation of one round about on the East Sunrise Highway and another one in the middle of being created and should also be ready for Christmas. Maybe I'm just Christmas centric. It could be the Texan and Chinese investors coming to Grand Bahama during this month that we are trying to impress to get more investors in the island. Whatever the reason, the island is lookin

There comes a time when all the beating takes hold and the mind succumbs to reinforcements that are all negative. Doubts and negativity are the beliefs of the day. Then you see the small sprouts breaking the concrete cracks in the pavement. Its not the impossible. I'm part of a group that is interested in saving the International Bazaar and recently we started at Facebook page that said the same. It is a great space for commerce and transforming it may be in order but it can be done. There are other campaigns around and as one official told us, we need a billionaire on board to make the type of changes we need. Well so far we don't have a billionaire but we are looking for the funding to get this project underway. We are the dreamers that want to see the needed progress and change. As one person so aptly put, the dream behind the International Bazaar was crushed by closed minded persons who felt it should not encourage so many foreigners to live here. My answer is

I do apologize for the delay in this post but life happens daily. Now that we have looked at many ideas of businesses that you can start up with little or nothing, the idea is now to be put into action. If it is small enough, try a small loan for a friend or a family member which of course comes without interest (we hope). Or maybe a bigger small loan from the bank .. an unsecured loan of maybe $2000 - $5000 to get you started. You always need a good accountant and if you need one that is not attached to a company that is too much to afford just contact me, I have just the person. Always have a good lawyer who can steer you in the right direction. If you are looking at a huge project that meet the needs to people on the island then there are other ideas you can try such as crowd funding or angel funding. Check out flintstoneinc.co for details on this type of funding. Getting to market may be difficult but it is not impossible if you have the right attitude to what you a

S o Ideas Inc has filled this blog with a lot of ideas on how to make money with what you already have and suggest that you would only need a small amount of cash to get started. Today we give you another few before we move on to the work being undertaken by Flintstoneinc.co. So how about becoming a Professional Office Consultant ... someone who oversees such responsibilities as marketing, insurance and daily operations for professional lawyers, doctors or other specialists--while leaving the rest to the "pros." Miniblind Cleaning .... Offer services to clean miniblines in offices, homes and other building. To do so, you immerse blinds in tanks of gentle, yet effective, cleansing solution and give clients a squeaky-clean new perspective on the world outside their windows. Office Support Service ... this position does the work of a secretary but you can do some of it from home. Typing, filing, sorting mail, entering data, and answering phones are just a few tasks

 There are a number of super things going on but I still have more ideas to pass on to make you some money so here we go. Again these are low cost businesses that you may want to try over weekends. More of course from Entrepreneur Magazine. So how about trying a house cleaning business with holistic housecleaning products? This is another niche and there is a local business that already produce such products. Check out Hepburn Cleaning products. That most wonderful time of the year is on its way and some people need a little help with installing their Christmas lights. How about offering such services, installing and then later removing decorative outdoor Christmas lights for people who just don't have the time or the energy to do it for themselves. How about becoming a house stager for real estate companies? When persons want to see a place... a house or rental ... they tend to take the place that look aesthetically pleasing even though they will want to change it to

As I continue my search for possible good ideas for businesses in Grand Bahama, albeit small businesses that can grow I came across more from Entrepreneur Magazine. I am only giving those that can apply to us here. So how about being doing a Collectibles Searcher ... Collectibles searchers, who carefully canvas swap meets, thrift stores and garage sales, can collect a bundle locating objets d'art for clients. Once you've found your niche--be it antique lunch boxes, dolls or grandfather clocks--advertise your services in hobbyist publications, at collectibles stores, in specialty forums on the internet, or on eBay. Soon you'll be taking up a collection of your own. Now you would be interested in checking out pages such as Things to Sell and Looking to Buy on Facebook for some of these items. Diaper Delivery .. Some people are on the help the environment trip and would like to have cloth diapers that offer velcro and snaps instead of using the pins. This is a sl

As we continue our look at possible businesses here are some more. I implore you to also check out Flintstoneinc.co for ideas on how to get funding for all projects. So you can try being a computer tutor. This you can do through organizations in the community that offer adult classes as its more needed for adults than children who seem to birth with the ability. Espresso Cart ... this is something I see happening more around the various shops .. in Bellevue Business Depot and in Save More Drug Store I see that persons are now offering coffee and snacks. More can be offered at other places with he specialty teas and other stuff that are now being used by networking grouops. How about a garage cleaning and hauling service. It may not sound like something you want to do but with such Facebook sites as Things for Sale and Looking To Buy Freeport and Grand Bahama you can begin to make some money with consignment or slightly used items. Or just offer your truck to haul things for

So I had to smile this morning when I saw a comment left on the last post by an acquaintance from the Bahamas Investment Services Hank Ferguson who said, "Looking forward to the work - based on the intro you got lots of reading to do - #goodluck " Well, that's a challenge if ever I heard one and one I look forward to working on that, but even more to get more ideas from Hank himself. So if you feel like a tree and don't want to leave but need the volume of business that will make you a major success, always look to the global markets. This is all done online. Nothing new. I've said it before. But you may be wondering what to do and how? Today I looked up some low cost business start ups which I got from Entrepreneur magazine. Always keep in mind that there are ways in which these can be adapted for here and you decided if you want to sell to a local market and deal with the licensing process (not a bad idea) or set up an online shop and widen your marke

If you thank we cannot fix it, then I implore you to take a step back and let those who think we can fix it step forward. Even if its just one person who feels it can be fixed can make a fix that will affect all others. Now, how to fix it. Well look at the problem and see where we can make changes. Research on the island took me to a site called Grand Bahama Future blog. It felt like a ghost town left with the wind blowing. It has been abandoned. It takes more people seeing it and making posts. I took at look at what Wikipedia had to say about Grand Bahama's economy and found this snippet, " Tourism is the mainstay of the island's economy. The resort area at Port Lucaya and visits by cruise ships provide the bulk of this activity. Grand Bahama's tourism sector is complemented by the BORCO oil bunkering facility owned by Buckeye , [ 6 ] the South Riding Point oil storage and transhipment terminal owned by Statoil , [ 7 ] and a transshipment / container p

So its been a while since my last post and I must say that I have been overwhelmed by the negative vibes all around me. Then about two weeks ago I was called out of the blue to assist someone who said to me we agree that something good is about to happen in Freeport and its going to be big. I was ready and say "Yes". Then I started asking around if anyone knew of someone big that was in motion for Freeport but everyone I asked said they didnt know. About a week later when I saw the lady she said I told you something big is going to happen and I was lost and asked what? She said, didn't we agree the last time that something big is going to happen? Well the Bible says, where two or three are gathered in my name I'm in the midst to bless and I realized that we had touched and agreed on that. Yesterday I saw a movie in which after hearing about all the bad and negative things that are going on the word she asked the most important question, "Can we fix it

Soo  I was going through my Facebook feed this week and came across this bit of information that rocked my work. I always remind my self that because it is written does not mean it is all true but you ready this except and you decide if you think its true. What caught my eye was the title: HOW THE BAHAMAS BECAME THE BAHAMAS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME VERY STRANGE MEN .... AND CANADA. Hmmm I thought. Very interesting. Then I saw the length of the article and immediately thought it was going to be boring. Well I was left trying to buy the book. If you dont hear from me for a while, I'm still contemplation ways forward. Posted: June 25, 2013 | Author: jr | Filed under: Insights , Jeffrey Robinson's eBooks , Money Laundering | Comments Off on HOW THE BAHAMAS BECAME THE BAHAMAS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME VERY STRANGE MEN… AND CANADA EXCERPT FROM: “THE SINK – Terror, Crime and Dirty Money in the Offshore World” (C) JEFFREY ROBINSON 2003, 2011

A dreamer. A visionary. A leader. All in one person or in many persons but is/are so much needed in Grand Bahama right now! A lot of great things happened with a leader at its helm championing the cause. Moses brought the children of Israel out  Egypt. Ghandi championed a free India. Martin Luther King was champion of the civil rights movement in the United States. Even Sir Lynden Pindling championed the majority rule in The Bahamas. There are many who feel the crush of what happened though in Grand Bahama and after one of my posts entitled "The Truth..... What is it?" that was posted on the page "Freeport 60s Kids". The comments are mainly by persons who felt slighted and or who had to leave after the government changed in the late 60s. There has been a lot of talk about Freeport being filled with crime and what it once was but what I have not heard is what would make it better? I cannot make light of what happened to those who had to leave. I f

Was there slavery on Grand Bahama? There is a hot box that says yes. Were their communities all over the island? Yes following the re-population brought by slavery, there were many communities and some have been moved according to developments. Was there a dreamer? Yes his name was Wallace Groves who fleeing from the United States decided to take on a lumber company in Abaco then moved it to Grand Bahama. Here is looked at the pines here and thought of not only the deforestation but what would be in its place. The Hawksbill Creek Agreement was the birth of that dream. What other dreams have their been? The Governments of The Bahamas had dreams for expansions through the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and they were birthed. But for about 40 years the dreams have ceased it seems. Who would responsible for a 20 year plan for this island? Who wants to join in a campaign to put together a plan to move it forward? I was part of a number of think tanks this week where entrepreneurs

Grand Bahama morns the death of another stalwart as Sir Albert Miller passed away at 4:30 pm yesterday - Tuesday August 18, 2015. I recall years ago when the three heavies - Chairmen Sir Jack, Edward St. George and President Sir Albert of the Grand Bahama Port Authority were speaking at a function and they jokingly said they will be around until the end of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement in 2054. It was a good laugh, but it made me think.... what of the vision of Grand Bahama. This year both Sir Jack and Sir Albert died, but Sir Albert had retired some time before. As we say farewell to Sir Albert we do remember his life. According to his biography, he was born in Long Island on February 19, 1926. He joined the Royal Bahamas Police Force in 1943 and rose from detective corporal to deputy commissioner in 1968. He also acted as Commissioner of Police on five occasions. A former Co-chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd. and Group of Companies, Sir Albert was nam

The prayer of Jabez from the Bible. Little is known of him but his prayer is being shared around the world. According to 1 Chronicles 4:9-10: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. In this land of 40,000 people who are not economically able to sustain business, we need to enlarge our territory. If at first you don't succeed, then you definitely need to take stock, revise your plan and start again. So we want to bring back the magic to Freeport. The magic will never be the same but it can be better and last longer if we plan it right this time. How many are ready to stop complaining and do as Jabez did, pray and worked for and after the enlarging of his territory. It should be easier in this world of e-commerce but for The Bahamas there are a lot of restrictions. And a determined person would find ways ar

It's  Monday morning. Time to get up and produce and this morning the amount of good news was unbelievable. I woke up to the words, "Welcome to a Bright New Day" from a friend. Then I went to Instagram where I read, "I go for what I want. No Excuses. Note to self" from notetoselfinsta. As I read more I came across this post by before5am ' Money isn't your problem. A lack of production, commitment and consistent improvement is your problem" and it got me thinking. It's going to be a great day with new opportunities open and money should not be the problem. But here is what I read as I continued to read their post. "Excuses? Not today... Not this morning... Definitely not this week! "Money isn't your problem! "That's a story you made up years ago to help you cope with the sad reality that you're simply not performing at a high enough level and that your level of production, commitment and consistent improv

Sixty years after the signing of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, the original signatories are dead. The man with the vision for Freeport was the first to go and apparently his vision with him. It was a vision for a thriving community based on the Hawksbill Creek and the formation of a harbour. As was the rush for gold there was a rush to this island during 1950s to 70s of people looking for another home that offered an ability to make a new life for their families. This was short lived and many had to return to homes they were hoping to forget or other places where there communities were more welcoming. During the first ten years of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, the Government of The Bahamas kept a keen eye on what the Grand Bahama Port Authority was doing and made several demands in writing to steer the ship not only for a better Freeport, but a better Bahamas. After 1965, there seems to be a lack to Government involvement in the public arena until 1993 when a new amendment

There are a number of organizations, civic organizations and caring groups in Grand Bahama at present and many of them are overlooked for the great things they are doing. Just a few years ago, a family decided that they were tired of all the garbage indiscriminately dumped around. Catherine MacLeay said following the annual brush fires she and her family were tired to complaining about all the glass bottles and trash that can be seen in the bushes off the road on her way to and from home. So along with other friends they began a weekly weekend clean up and all who wanted to come out and supported. The momentum was great but as with a number of things, it died off after a time. The discouragement of such a project is that lack of respect by others who just continue to litter. Twice a year the Sustainable Tourism Committee conducts beach clean-ups gathering over 10 huge bags per beach every time. The trash is from the sea as well as from parties held and garbage left. But worst o

A new week with new ideas and new dreams. Over the past year I have come to find out about a number of great things that are happening in Grand Bahama that brings hope. One of them I heard about from a friend about two weeks ago and got to see a flier about it this weekend - it is the Crossreach. This outreach is headed by the Presbyterian Church with a goal to taking food items and clothing to those less fortune, especially in the outlying settlements. Two weeks ago that group was in Eight Mile Rock area handing out parcels. Im told that they use donations to the church to pass them out. Now for years I have been dropping off stuff to the Salvation Army and the Red Cross alternately. My concerns had been that I did not feel my clothes should be resold, but I do understand the concept of reselling to keep the center open.... I'm really comfortable with the idea of the Crossreach because it also encourages people to accompany them to the areas to help others. In May

After the change in Government in 1967 there were no more reviews of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. There seemed to have been a disconnect with the Government and the Grand Bahama Port Authority. The tax concessions of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement were to come to a close in 1990 and was put off to 1992, and then because the new Free National Movement Government was not aware of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and its finer points, decision on what to do was put off for a year while town hall meetings were held throughout Grand Bahama. Some said let the Port go away while others said make the extension because the economy in Grand Bahama was not what was expected when the agreement was drafted. However in July the 1993 the Act was looked at and instead of an amendment the Act dealt with the continuation of exemptions from real property tax for a period of another twenty-two years. (This year but again instead of making a definitive answer before August, it was put off for another