There’s no other way to put it: when Dina Simon launched her firm MyHaitiTravels Global, LLC in 2013, she stepped out on faith. Simon had an impressive and long-running career as a civil servant, but always wanted to start her own travel and tours business with Haiti as a destination. But the country was still experiencing disaster vertigo from an earthquake three years before. Could her concept work? From the success that Simon has enjoyed in her first year of business, the answer to that question is a loud and firm, “Yes”. Two trips and counting with Haitians and non-Haitians discovering and rediscovering the country, MyHaitiTravels has become more than a business venture for Simon. It’s been an outlet to show others—as well as herself—a Haiti beyond Port-au-Prince, a Haiti more beautiful than a Google Image search could ever fathom.

MyHaitiTravels is a year old. What have you learned regarding Haiti through this venture?

Haiti is complex and I’m still trying to better understand her. Yet, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

What are some the hardest-hitting lessons you’ve learned regarding entrepreneurship and owning a travel and tourism business your first year of business?

Don’t rely on anyone for your success. Take a lot of risks. Last year when we planned our first annual tour we had no idea how it would turn out. We did not meet our goal, but we knew we had a good formula so we made some tweaks. We learned how to better position our message and how to engage our potential clients across all platforms.

What are your thoughts on the current state of Haiti’s tourism industry?

Haiti’s tourism industry has tremendous potential. We’re starting to hear and see more positive things about Haiti and we have a government that is highly engaged in making tourism a success. My company is doing a tremendous job in showcasing Haiti as well as securing key partnerships to enable more people to see Ayiti through our eyes. Haiti is rebuilding its tourism industry by investing in infrastructure, training, and ensuring that tourism is sustainable. I’m very excited about that. There are also a lot of individuals working on behalf of Haiti to make sure that the tourism industry becomes successful for the people of Haiti.

I think a lot of people reading your story will become really inspired. Here is this professional woman, who left Haiti when she was about nine, and who returns to create a travel tour firm built around it.

Well, I feel it’s simply my duty as a Haitian person educated in the United States to no longer be a bystander but to actually be proactive in finding a way to do something to advance Haiti and benefit Haitians, specifically the youth. During our last tour this past January, we had a “Real Talk” forum at a school with some 9th grade students on our volunteer Project Day. We were supposed to tell them about our careers and answer any questions that they had. One young lady stood up and asked “How do you keep going. How do you maintain hope?” Her question shook us, because no child should have to ask that. Hope shouldn’t be a concern at fourteen years old. So, when I think about what I’m doing, it’s not worthy of praise. Those kids sitting in the classrooms trying to learn despite their circumstances is an inspiration. The machann waking up at 5 a.m to set up her stand to sell her merchandise so she can send her kids to school is an inspiration.

Dina Simon flanked by tourists on her ImpactWeek tour in front of a hotel in Petionville.

If you were to give readers advice about establishing their own business, what would you tell them?

Make sure you are passionate about your venture. You are your biggest cheerleader. Have a good team and people who believe in you and what you are doing. Be prepared to financially invest in your business. Find a successful entrepreneur whose experience and knowledge can help you avoid mistakes; maybe that person can be your mentor. Prepare for disappointments, but never let it deter you.

Now, I know you have a Management certificate from Cornell, and a Bachelor’s and Masters degree. Out of all the things you learned in college, which have proven to be the most helpful in terms of taking you to the next level, business-wise?

I think what college prepares all of us for is the ability to discern information, being able to meet deadlines, and the ability to analyze and to be a thinker. College taught me how to function in a group. It also gave me the opportunity to interact and work together with different people which is beneficial in the business world. While I don’t think there’s anything specific in relation to my course work, I do believe that those fundamental skills have helped me on the business level.

Out of all the sites and places on the My Haiti Travels itinerary, which drew the most oohs and ahhs from your tourist-clients?

I think it’s different for everyone. I had one client who was amazed that the school we volunteered at had a wheelchair ramp. Another could not believe we were at a restaurant smoking hookah. I think others are always amazed at Arcadins Coast and the mountains behind mountains everywhere you turn.

Where do you hope to take your venture?

That’s a good question. We just finished a hugely successful 2nd Annual ImpactWeek tour during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. With that behind us, we’re launching our first annual Memorial Day Weekend tour called Jacmel Getaway on May 22 – May 26. We’re also constantly visiting and reviewing establishments in Haiti for our “mango reviews” to help people choose where to go when visiting Haiti. We’re also building our Travel Stories Blog. We remain committed to showing the authenticity of Haiti, supporting local businesses and giving back directly to the Haitian youth.

Thank you for chatting with me again. Always a pleasure

Visit the Impact Week Haiti Website | Jacmel Getaway | MyHaitiTravels | MyHaitiTravels on Twitter

A pleasure indeed.

Myabèl Cocktail Bar and Restaurant sits in a little city in Haiti called Croix-des-Bouquets. Co-owned by the attorney Regine Theodat, the eatery is concrete evidence that Haiti is open to entrepreneurship ventures brought about by the US-born seeds of the Haitian Dyaspora. Already a year in existence, Myabèl—in addition to serving fabulous food—hosts live music performances of local and visiting artists.

Theodat was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and by the time she had reached quarter-life, she had visited Haiti only twice. But, that didn’t stop the Northeastern Law School graduate from exploring the business terrain there. Myabèl is her baby, and she didn’t want for it to be just another restaurant. For one thing, she wanted the facility to have a menu that highlighted local foods. It was also important for her that everything from the drinks served to the wall decor be authentically Haitian.

K. St. Fort: Tell us your Haitian connection and all.

I can’t pinpoint where, how, or why my connection to Haiti became so strong and defining for me. My family wasn’t heavily connected to a Haitian community but we celebrated the typical Haitian traditions. I’ve always been very proud of having roots from Haiti and spent a great deal of time learning about Haitian history particularly about our legal/government turmoil, which led me to become a lawyer.

A Myabèl waitress is all smiles as she carries a tray full of signature Myabèl dishes towards the table of a customer.

K. St. Fort: Initially, you came to Haiti to work as a human rights attorney. At which point, did you feel that going into the restaurant business would be a great venture to undertake?

While working as a Human Rights attorney in Cite Soleil, I would hold “Know Your Rights” seminars. During these seminars, despite its irrelevance, I would get the same question—“How can I get a visa to move to the States?” After about eleven months of this, I started to think about what else I could do that would be helpful to Haiti. Through my human rights experience, I noted that one of the biggest impediments to realizing a just society and an appropriate democracy was the lack of a robust economy. This realization made me move from human rights to development. While working in development, I saw a need for entrepreneurship that is formal and responsible. I figured while I’m helping other people become socially responsible entrepreneurs, I should set the example.

K. St. Fort: Was Myabèl your first ever business venture?

Yes, Myabèl is my first business venture; my next one will be a consulting firm.

K. St. Fort: While you were a law degree-seeking student at Northeastern University you were involved in a project designed to decrease barriers for minority-owned small businesses. Has some of the things you learned while being involved with that project helped you at all in running your business?

Yes, the issues that I experienced in Haiti are similar to the issues I researched as a law fellow. The two most prominent barriers in the project I led were: one, lack of information availability and sharing; and two, informality.

In my own business experience, it has been shocking to see how difficult it is to obtain information. Even basic information about how to register and where to buy stock is difficult to obtain.

Secondly, businesses in Haiti often operate in the informal sector. Therefore, these businesses have a hard time succeeding at a larger more professional scale. In my own business we spent a great deal of time training our employees about standards and how a formal business functions because after years of informality they often have difficulty adapting.

K. St. Fort: What can customers visiting Myabèl expect?

Customers visiting Myabèl can expect: excellent service. All staff are required one week of training that includes customer service, hygiene, wine/alcohol training and safe serve. All staff are knowledgeable about all we have to offer at Myabèl and can guide customers through the various items we have on our menu. Creative menu celebrating local ingredients. All menu items have local ingredients that are new spins on Haitian comfort food. Our cocktails are unique to Myabèl made with local ingredients like kleren, Barbancourt, ti bonm etc. Third, a celebration of Haitian culture in every detail, even uniforms. Our décor was selected with the idea of promoting a tropical Haitian vibe, the uniforms are Karabela dresses and our art is exclusively Haitian art.

K. St. Fort: Typical is generally not a word that goes with entrepreneurship. But on the regular, what are your days like as co-owner of Myabèl?

I have full-time employment as the National Coordinator for the Vincentian Family Haiti Initiative which has me away at the Central Plateau quite a bit. My typical day requires a lot of juggling but my partners do most of the hands on work at Myabèl during the work week.

A typical day for me is waking up early and starting off with social media and emailing. I let our Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram friends know what is going on even before I get out of bed. Then I plan with my partner any guerrilla marketing we have to do in the immediate area around the restaurant. This includes flyers, text messages to businesses and our Myabèl Fidelity group.

If I go into the restaurant before work, it is to do stock inventory and to check in with the employees. After that I go to work and I spend the day checking in with Myabèl at least every two hours. It requires a lot of management because our human resources aren’t at the level that they would be in more developed countries or in a more developed area of Haiti. We have to spend a great deal of time assuring that our staff do what they are required to do.

What was the most exciting part of starting a business in Haiti?

The most exciting part is witnessing the potential and the growth. The potential that exists in Haiti is immeasurable. It is what I imagine the business landscape in the US looked like during the industrial boom. It feels like the sky is the limit and that there are so many unexplored industries and sectors. It feels like you are being innovative, and at the same time, you are assisting the country’s development – of course making money isn’t bad either.

K. St. Fort: And the most frustrating?

The most frustrating is that limit of human resources and the barriers of entry to business. Given the our lack of a formidable work history, in Haiti it is often hard to find people that are seasoned employees and understand what a formal job means and requires. Additionally, given our colonial history and our competitiveness sometimes unnecessary barriers seem to be created based on pettiness from misplaced competitiveness and a desire for others not to succeed.

K. St. Fort: What are some of the things you’ve learned about entrepreneurship and running a business?

I’ve learned to have the patience of 1,000 mothers and how to organize my day to the last minute.

K. St. Fort: How are Americans of Haitian descent who are starting businesses in Haiti viewed by the business community in Haiti?

It depends on who the audience is. I think business owners are typically judged by the professionalism they exhibit. The more professional you are, the more likely you are to be accepted by the business community as a partner and also competition. However, Americans of Haitian descent starting businesses in Haiti without doing their research and relying on how they knew Haiti when they left are looked at as future failures.

K. St. Fort: So many people have managed to build empires without having an education beyond high school. Do you think that college is something entrepreneurs can well do without?

This is a tough question. Both of my business partners are not college graduates. One is currently in college. However, despite not being college educated, one of them has natural human resource and leadership skills. However, for the writing marketing materials, grants, loans and other applications that we apply for, I’m the one that takes on the brunt of that work. Without my educational background, we wouldn’t be where we were with our business, but conversely without my partner’s natural skills we wouldn’t be either.

Thus, I think it is important if you’d like a formal business, and you don’t have the skills that higher education provides, you align yourself with someone that does.

K. St. Fort: Do you have any counsel for those who were born, or grew up outside of Haiti, who’d like to start a business there, or of course anyone else who may not be familiar with the business landscape there?

Research, research, research and be prepared that anything can happen that is outside of your control and illogical. About six months after we opened we started conducting informational interviews that would have been invaluable information before we opened. In addition to informational interviews, hire consultants that can to help cut the fat out.

Be prepared for anything, literally. We are surprised daily by what our staff, clients, and government do in relationship to the business. Opening a business in Haiti requires all of your time and energy and if you aren’t prepared to be involved daily, all day and night, with the business—then don’t start one.

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