Hey there, readers! Be sure to check out the concluding part of my interview with Daniella Bien-Aime, a social media strategist and Haitian-American entrepreneur. She is the editor of The Bien-Aime Post, a digital platform that covers leadership, social media management, and Haiti entrepreneurship. Bien-Aime recently published the book Taking Haiti to an Emerging Market Position. She’s a graduate of Columbia University.
Kreyolicious: What business and personal development books would you recommend as a companion to your own book?
Oh, my! That’s a tough one because I love to read. I hope I can share three that have influenced me to take a leap of faith in starting the blog. The first one is Permission Marketing by Seth Godin—it is a must if you want to understand the new form of business marketing.
The second one is The One Thing: The Surprising Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller. And the last one is The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically by Eric Ries.
Kreyolicious: You attended Teachers College, Columbia University. How did that prepare you for the business and entrepreneurship sector?
It’s interesting. I get asked that question quite a bit. And one thing I always say is, yes, it was a great opportunity to be part of that institution. But I always share when people ask me that I am first a product of the Haitian educational system. I attended Madame Boisson in Haiti, and that set the crucial foundation for me. It was sad to hear some of Madame Boisson’s family and many of the teachers did not survive the earthquake.
I think one of the most rewarding experiences of attending Teachers College, Columbia University was the ability to learn from some of the leading scholars in their field. I also made some great connections, many of whom I am still friends with today. As for being prepared for the business sector, the work experience I’ve gained in the corporate world has helped, not to mention my background working at Columbia Business School.
I think a focal point on developing Haiti’s future business leaders is vital to the country’s economic development. Aid will never help Haiti achieve independence, and
I see business as a vehicle to bring changes to Haiti and to also push the Haitian diaspora to take more chances on becoming entrepreneurs.
Kreyolicious: As a Haitian-American, if you were to land in Haiti right now, of all the business possibilities, which would you personally choose and why?
As a Haitian-American, since I have a passion for Haiti in the context of business, technology and education, I would build a business hub where Haitians can learn about entrepreneurship and technology. I’m working on a few ideas that have the potential to move forward. But like everything else, you need the right team and partners to make things work. Why? I think the need of the hour is to increase the Haitian people’s annual income. And I think entrepreneurship can play a major role in Haiti when it comes to increasing the people’s job prospects.
KEEP UP WITH DANIELLA BIEN-AIME BY VISITING HER WEBSITE HERE! | CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW DANIELLA BIEN-AIME, AUTHOR, CONTENT DEVELOPER AND SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT ON TWITTER
