Ian Haywood Jr
“At that time, people considered it as “hustling”
I had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit, even at a very young age. At that time, people considered it as “hustling” lol. When I was twelve years old, I saved my money and purchased all of the toffees from the cafeteria and sold them to my classmates at a profit. It was exhilarating to me. I think I made $20 profit at that time, which may not seem like a lot now but looking back, it was a really big deal for me. When I realised that I could continue making money, I went to a wholesale shop, purchased the same brand of toffee in bulk and continued selling them to my classmates at nine for $2.00 while the cafeteria sold them at eight for $2.00. I also made it cool to purchase from me and so I was competing directly with the cafeteria. From that day onward, I have been buying, selling and branding.
The birth of Celian Group and A Class Group of Companies
In 2005, my friends and I started our non-governmental organisation, Celian Group, which uses cultural and sporting activities to help develop young people. Our first activity was an annual football tournament called The Haywood Cup. This activity was a success and the concept was submitted for consideration for the 2009 National Youth Awards. I won the award for Sports Management that year.
Through Celian Group, we were able to attract some of the best and brightest young minds in our country and encourage them to work together. This engagement led us to officially launch A Class Group of Companies and seven additional companies between 2010 to 2015. The outstanding performance of this youth- led and managed group of companies, earned me a second National Youth Award for Entrepreneurship, five years after the first award.
“I was on zero for the first time in my life”
At the height of A Class Group’s success, we decided to chase bigger projects. One year, we engaged individual investors to fund our biggest venture yet, an internationally headlined gospel concert. We lost over half a million dollars after that one event. That was when my bubble burst.
That experience was a devastating blow to my ego, entrepreneurial spirit and drive. After that experience, I basically gave up on business and entrepreneurship. Psychologically, I just couldn’t continue. In that broken state, I closed my office, sent home all staff and sold all assets from all companies to cover some of the debt. I was on zero for the first time in my life. Not only did I feel financially inept, but also emotionally alone. Business, which was my love, became my worst nightmare.
“For nightmares to stop, we need to wake up”
The reality is, for nightmares to stop, we need to wake up. So, I decided to return to the corporate world and use my monthly salary to ensure that all my creditors were serviced. While working and paying off those debts, the emptiness started to disappear and I eventually went back to school. Based on my past business experience and business reputation, I was accepted to pursue a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship Leadership and Innovation and I graduated in 2018 with distinction.
One thing that remained constant, is the grace of God”
In my 35 years on this earth, I’ve have been many things, felt many things, thought many things and been through many things, but the one thing that remained constant, is the grace of God. That is why I value intercessory prayer so much, because even when I was doing my own thing and not praying for myself, I knew that my mom was pleading for me. Those prayers made me believe that the right answers always came at the right time for me. So as far as possible in everything that I do, I try to seek God first.
My family has been everything to me. At my lowest, my family and real friends stood up to ensure I ate and was taken care of. I am convinced that where I am today, is not solely due to my actions and decisions but more as a result of God’s grace and my support system.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any formal mentors or coaches to help guide me in business. My altruistic world view was shaped by my parents’ lives, and the Pathfinder Club, under the leadership of Mr. Gideon St. Bryce, who gave me most of my early opportunities. I also held key roles in Youth Ministry in the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Trinidad, before serving as the “Youth MP” for Tunapuna, and going on to become the first Chairman for the National Youth Council of Trinidad and Tobago, formed under the Vision 2020 Youth Policy. I am grateful for these experiences.
“There aren’t enough people who accept the responsibility to be role models to black men”
While I had the support of Mr. St Bryce and the Pathfinders team, many are not so lucky. There aren’t enough people who accept the responsibility to be role models to black men. Some may even say that there is an agenda to suppress the concept of black male excellence. This is why I believe that MENtions is critical for our young people to read and understand the journeys of others. As the Managing Director of the A Class Group of Companies, I pride myself on being able to guide young people to achieve their fullest potential. Being part of a group that facilitates creativity and opportunity for the youth is how I continue to contribute.
‘Each one is created differently, but we are all created equal”
While our life’s challenges will differ, we will all experience challenges. To make it through those challenges, we must be doing things not only for a salary/money but to fulfil some purpose. Each one is created differently, but we are all created equal. We can be great at anything but not everything.
Ian currently is an Operations Manager in the automotive sector and is in pursuit of a Ph.D. The growth of, and the emerging talent and leadership within the A Class Group of Companies, have allowed Ian to take a step back from the day to day operations over the last couple of years.
(Originally published on Facebook and IG in September 2020)
