On the one hand I bet many Caribbean entrepreneurs out there wish that they had an opportunity to inherit a great brand and business that a family member had built up, where they wouldn’t have the stress of figuring out every single thing from scratch. And that’s the opportunity that today’s guest had. 

But you know when you really think about it, it’s also incredibly hard to take on something that someone else has built and come into it, stamp your own ideas on to it and also take it further into new waters.  

Today we’ll explore the journey that Alex Siu Chong has taken. Alex is CEO of Excellent Stores, a department store operation that was started by his grandfather in Trinidad, but that is now operating in multiple markets around the Caribbean, but that’s not all.  

This is a time when Caribbean businesses can’t hide from global competition reaching us right on our doorsteps. It’s a time when rapidly evolving tools, technologies and techniques threaten to make almost every business disappear unless the leaders and employees of those businesses have the courage to learn and then master those very technologies and techniques that are threatening to disrupt. And that’s what I love about Alex’s journey. In his case it was the need to embrace ecommerce as a retailer in the face of not just local, but global competition. He recognized that regardless of whether you’re leading the smallest startup, or the largest pan-regional Corporation, that today’s Caribbean leader must be prepared to take on global competition that is far bigger, has more resources, and that if you aren’t equal parts careful and brave will crush you without a moment’s thought.  

In the process, he’s tackled the challenge of stepping into big shoes and facing the high expectations not just from those who’ve come before, but the high expectations of a rapidly changing consumer base. And what I love about his evolving story, is that like every innovator, he has been willing to shift approach and pivot, he has been willing to persevere through all manner of challenge, and all of this while maintaining a commitment to a core mission and purpose.  

He is today’s guest on the new Season 2 of the UpTick Caribbean podcast. He is Alex Siu Chong, CEO of Excellent Stores..