Dear Editor,
According to the Chamber of Commerce, small businesses account for 89 per cent of St. Maarten’s economy. This indicates that small businesses will play a significant role in the recovery and rebuilding of St. Maarten’s economy post-Hurricane Irma. However, this will happen more successfully if existing small businesses find ways to collaborate with each other.
As we at Lazy Lizard reopen it is important for us to work with other local businesses and create win-win situations that help all of our businesses grow. This will be part of the “rising up” economics that will impact St. Maarten on the whole.
I encourage other small businesses to do the same and the community of St. Maarten to support the local businesses that are focused on collaboration.
The importance of collaboration is not only seen by myself but by many other entrepreneurs who are finding ways to support each other and co-create services that will allow them to survive and rejuvenate St. Maarten’s economy. However, this is still fragmented and needs better coordination to yield better results. One of the reasons why I’d like to represent small businesses in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is that there are many ways to collaborate in order to create a mutually beneficial relationship while better serving the community.
With more than 15 years in business across several different kinds of industries, I’d like to help other small businesses like mine to thrive and not just survive. This can’t be done alone. We all need each other.
Nikhil “Nik” Kukreja
