We recently connected with Nicole Grimes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I live in NYC – a city that remains an inclusive haven for immigrants and first-generation people of all cultures.  I first founded Carib Biz Network (CBN) to help NYers of Caribbean heritage with needed business development services and also to help educate people about entrepreneurship as a pathway to economic mobility. CBN’s clear mission today is to connect, support, and amplify Caribbean entrepreneurs to make them more impactful and successful brands. As an advocate for my community and a Caribbean immigrant myself, I curate professional, educational and direct-to-consumer/marketplace experiences to help aspiring and start-up entrepreneurs. I work with individuals in the U.S., Canada and across the Caribbean providing low-cost marketing and branding services and creating opportunities for makers and small business owners to introduce their products and services to new/diverse markets.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Sure! I am a former NYC high school Science teacher, Principal and university adjunct Assistant Professor. I’m also a proud immigrant born and raised on the island of Trinidad till I was 15. I moved to the U.S. as a teenager. My typical strict immigrant parents felt that formal education (i.e. becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer etc.) was the lone pathway to success and so, I followed suit, being the first to graduate from college in my family with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering – and eventually earn a PhD in STEM education. In 2018, I left the 9-5 grind after almost 20 years due to educator burnout. I needed a break! Whilst on a work pause trying to “life reset,” I realized I had many colleagues pursuing side hustles yet struggling to navigate that world. I instantly grew curious and wanted to help (and to be honest, learn a lot more about that world myself too!) CBN first started as a passion project on social media to promote my friends’ businesses.  Soon I realized that my education, tech/design skills and overall professional network could be put to good use and I could formalize it all into a revenue-generating business. In late 2019, I established CBN as a legal business entity and 3 years later, the community is a growing ecosystem of hundreds of incredible Caribbean freelancers, creatives and SMEs across the Western Hemisphere. I feel incredibly passionate about this work each day. There is tremendous potential to grow and educate folks who desire a life where they can be leaders, share a talent, demonstrate cultural pride and create generational wealth. An idea, grit and grind wholly define me as an individual and are the core foundation of what I do.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

In 2020 during the pandemic stuck indoors, I came across the work of Don Miller – his ‘Business Made Simple’ platform & the Story Brand framework. I was immediately reeled in! I completed a number of his online courses and also purchased both his books (Business Made Simple, Marketing Made Simple). His ideas completely transformed how I approached my branding/marketing clients. It helped me develop a more broad-stroke, big-picture view of my client’s brands: their strengths, their gaps and how I could better help them hone in on who their target audience is, what their client pain points are, and what actual solutions to those pain points they are providing as a business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

To be honest, I’ve not done nearly enough active marketing for recruiting new clients. The vast majority of CBN’s clients have come to us through word-of mouth and direct referrals. I’ve helped over 100 solopreneurs and small business owners in three short years and I’m extremely grateful for that!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://caribbiznetwork.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caribbiznetwork
• Other: https://www.drnicolegrimes.com/

Image Credits
Diana Kahrim Photography