[BIMINI, Bahamas] – Aligned with Virgin Voyages’ commitment to “Create an Epic Sea Change for All,” Sir Richard Branson’s special Birthday Voyage (July 17-22) included a community empowerment activity in Bimini and support for other eco initiatives through Virgin’s charity organizations.
Small Business Bootcamp
Virgin Voyages, in partnership with the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, hosted a three-day Small Business Bootcamp to empower local business owners and inspiring entrepreneurs in the Bahamas.
Hosted at Resorts World Bimini, the 30 entrepreneurs received hands-on training on business modeling and participated in a one-on-one consultation with experts from the Branson Centre on how to overcome their specific business challenges.
While Scarlet Lady was docked in Bimini yesterday, Sir Richard made a surprise appearance and shared his own entrepreneurial tips, collected from more than 50 years in business. He said, “Don’t be afraid to fail. The key to entrepreneurship is persistence – it’s important to never give up. Lean on the network of people around you – including those beside you in this room today.”
Virgin Voyages also collaborated with the Ministry of Tourism and Resorts World Bimini to make the event possible and spread the word. Working in tandem, the goal was to equip small businesses for growth and success in Bimini, says Jill Stoneberg, Virgin Voyages’ Senior Director of Sustainability and Social Impact.
“This three-day training event is the latest demonstration of our commitment to the incredible island of Bimini. We want to ensure that the local economy benefits from increased tourism to the island and the community gets excited when they see our ships in port,” she said.
Virgin Unite Foundation
In addition to driving small business, Virgin Voyages also teamed up with Virgin Unite – the independent foundation of the Virgin Group – to create a “Sea Change Fund” to support mangrove forest restoration projects in the Caribbean.
During the Birthday Voyage, Sailors were invited to donate to help support and scale partners working to protect this vital ecosystem. Mangrove forests support coastal resilience against natural disasters. They also play a vital role in mitigating the effects of climate change while supporting biodiversity by providing essential habitat for birds, fish and other animals.
“Working with Virgin Unite, we believe this is a start of an exciting program of work that will create an epic sea change in mangrove conservation across the region and act as a blueprint for other parts of the world,” Jill says.
