Local Entrepreneur Secures Sales Agreement from Inward Investment Mission

PlantScape Secures Sales Agreement from Inward Investment Mission

There is a distinct feeling of pride that envelopes an investor at each significant stage of the journey of their business from ideation to execution. Joy-Ann Alie may well be riding a wave of that feeling with the sales agreement that she was able to secure for her business, PlantScape, at the recently concluded Inward Investment Mission.

Invest Dominica Authority hosted over 30 investors from the neighboring French West Indies islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique between June 13 and 17 with partnership support from the Chamber of Commerce of Guadeloupe, the Chamber of Commerce of Martinique, Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM) and the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce.

The mission produced 95 networking meetings between local business persons and the visiting investors and among those to make a connection at the event was PlantScape. She described her experience as “a really great one” having established a partnership agreement with Guadeloupe-based e-commerce platform Tootila, for sales of her unique planters which fit perfectly with the home decor theme of Tootila.

“I had the opportunity to interact and secure a great partnership with Mr Francis Martin, CEO and founder of Tootila. Initially, I was not really sure of what they were looking for exactly, but once I described my business, they told me that PlantScape is exactly what they were looking for. Their platform is based around interior decor and enhancing interior spaces and my handmade planters was a great fit for them,” Joy-Ann said.

She further noted the impact that a partnership such as this could have on her business recognizing the opportunity it presents to reach a large audience and the value of that sort of access to markets, particularly with the backdrop of Covid-19 and how that has shifted the business landscape.

She stated, “I was so excited, I tried my best to compose myself. But I thought, this is really happening and when they gave me insights into their business and what it has been for them so far, I realized this is really big. Because this can be a very lucrative endeavor in terms of the exposure and marketing on an international level. So I was very elated, very humbled though, but really excited for that.”