We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shanette Graham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shanette , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I started The Shrimp Lady as a result of a lifelong love for food. I enjoy seafood thoroughly, but realised that shrimp definitely was my favourite. My mother (may her soul rest in peace) would oftentimes tell me that while pregnant with me, she craved and enjoyed seafood the most, so here I am.

I’m the friend that my friends would call on to assist them with recipes and tips for dishes they’d prepare. They’d also ask me to provide meals for various occasions or events they hosted. One day, I treated my closest friends to a meal that I personally delivered to them individually as a token of my appreciation of their invaluable friendship to me. It was at this point I noticed how much they enjoyed it and realised I could monetize my natural love and talent and form a business from it.

The Shrimp Lady moved from just a thought to an actual registered business in March 2018 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Shanette , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Shanette Graham, the owner of The Shrimp Lady. I prepare delicious seafood meals weekly for Jamaicans with the intention of mobilising my brand internationally soon.

I have always loved to cook and I initially learned to do so when I was a mere 6 year old. My mother taught me how to use a stove and I’ve been helping myself since. I’ve been very independent, and to this day, I’m a one woman show. I like to have control in all aspects of my business, but look forward to the day that I will have a full complement of staff to handle the various aspects of my business.

What sets me apart from others is my ability to be consistent with the flavour of my dishes which results in a retention of several repeat customers throughout the years. I would also say they appreciate being recipients of the good customer service that I offer. I am proud of my brand and being complimented on the two above mentioned things is always an enjoyable reminder.

I take pride in preparing mouthwatering seafood dishes that aren’t limited to just Shrimp. I offer Lobster, Fish and Conch as long as they are in season. I operate mainly on Fridays for lunch time. You will also find me at select events in Jamaica.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management because I believed this would have been my ultimate career. I focused on Food & Beverage because that was my true passion, however, I worked in departments outside of that also.

During the years spent working in the hotel industry garnering experience that was necessary to eventually become a Hotel Manager, I realised that this particular industry was very time demanding and inflexible. I also tried navigating grief (my mother’s passing) and several personal issues but I became unhappy and dissatisfied and realised I wouldn’t be able to thrive in the way I had aimed to.

Though I began growing in my career, I resigned from my job which was based in Montego Bay in 2015. I moved back home to Kingston and made the decision to pivot and start my own business, The Shrimp Lady.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I can remember upon the very start of my business, I hired food delivery persons that could have almost completely damaged my business’s brand new reputation. They used my time to hustle with their own affairs,causing my lunches to be late and cold. One delivery person even had arguments with my customers that they had to make me aware of. Needless to say, I have lost those customers. Most customers won’t understand those circumstances and so I have to shoulder the burden and rectify as best as I could.

However even though I have lost in the past, going forward, I’ve had to dig deep,ensure each interaction is pleasant and each meal exceeds customers’ expectations. I have been very fortunate since to get several new customers that are very pleased with my product and the service I give them. As mentioned before, most of my customers are repeat and they account for about 75% of my customer base.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @theshrimpladyja
• Facebook: The Shrimp Lady