Forty-one women entrepreneurs in Barbados have crossed a key career milestone, graduating from the EmpowerHer: Building Futures Through Entrepreneurship Programme, a joint initiative delivered by the Small Business Association of Barbados (SBA) and the island’s Bureau of Gender Affairs. The certification ceremony, held at Bridgetown’s Pelican House, wrapped up months of intensive skills training designed to arm aspiring and early-stage women founders with the tools to launch and scale sustainable, profitable businesses.
EmpowerHer is a core pillar of the SBA’s long-standing mission to expand women’s representation in entrepreneurship and advance inclusive economic empowerment through cross-sector strategic partnerships. This cohort brought together a diverse group of participants, ranging from women already operating early-stage startups to aspiring founders preparing to launch their first business. Graduates represented a wide cross-section of Barbados’ growing small business sector, spanning industries from social media management and culinary arts to landscaping, concierge and travel services, professional make-up artistry, floral design, and skincare.
Over the course of the program, participants worked through a comprehensive, practice-focused curriculum covering all foundational elements of small business operations: formal business planning, financial management and literacy, digital and traditional marketing, legal and regulatory compliance for small enterprises, customer experience strategy, investor pitching, and long-term business sustainability. Rather than relying on passive lectures, the program centered interactive workshops, hands-on practical assignments, and peer-to-peer learning to ensure participants could directly apply new skills to their own business concepts, bridging the gap between a preliminary idea and a viable, market-ready enterprise.
A standout capstone experience for the cohort was the final Business Pitch exercise, where each participant presented their refined business concept using structured industry frameworks and professional visual tools. The exercise served as both a demonstration of how effectively participants had absorbed core training and proof that the cohort was prepared to enter the market and launch formal entrepreneurial ventures.
In her remarks at the ceremony, SBA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Lynette Holder emphasized that strategic investment in women entrepreneurs acts as a powerful catalyst for broad national economic growth. Drawing on preliminary findings from the SBA’s upcoming 2026 National Survey of the Small Business Sector, Dr. Holder noted that the research confirms women-owned businesses make a significant and rapidly growing contribution to Barbados’ overall entrepreneurial ecosystem. At the same time, the survey also underscores the persistent need for ongoing targeted investment in capacity-building programs that help women founders build resilient, globally competitive enterprises.
Addressing the new graduates directly, Dr. Holder framed the certification not as a final achievement, but as a starting point for future growth. “Today’s certificate is not the destination; it is your licence to pursue greater possibilities,” she told attendees. “Build boldly, think strategically and never be afraid to scale your business. The entrepreneurial ecosystem exists to support your journey, so make full use of every resource, every partnership, every training opportunity and every network available to you.” She added that entrepreneurship demands continuous learning, adaptive innovation, and persistent resilience, encouraging graduates to remain connected to the full range of business support services offered by the SBA as they grow their enterprises.
Laura Burnett, representing the Bureau of Gender Affairs, also spoke at the ceremony, praising the ongoing collaborative partnership between the Bureau and the SBA and commending graduates for their commitment throughout the intensive program. “The Bureau of Gender Affairs is proud to have partnered with the SBA on this meaningful initiative,” Burnett said. “EmpowerHer has demonstrated how targeted training, mentorship and collaboration can transform lives by providing women with the knowledge, confidence and practical tools needed to achieve meaningful entrepreneurial success.”
Beyond delivering technical business skills, the EmpowerHer program is designed to address broader systemic barriers that women face in Barbados’ labor market, creating structured pathways to financial independence, full business ownership, and long-term economic resilience for participants. By supporting women to build successful enterprises, the initiative strengthens household financial stability, builds more resilient local communities, and drives inclusive national economic growth across Barbados.