Akin S. Bascombe is the proud owner of a multi-media production company Crowntec as well as a programmer for the Government of the Virgin Islands. Photo: Provided

Photography work by Crowntec. Photo: Provided

Photography work by Crowntec. Photo: Provided

Early Beginnings

Born on Tortola and having grown up in Virgin Gorda, Akin is not only an entrepreneur but a natural problem solver.

In 2004, he graduated from the private primary school called Corner Stone, and then from the Bregado Flax Educational Centre- Secondary Division in 2009 as a national scholarship recipient.

He then went on to H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) to study Computer Science and graduated in 2013. Akin was then off to the University of the West Indies, St Augustine to read for a BSc in Information Technology.

Our Young Professional said his current hobbies include building model kits, watching Anime, indulging in gourmet food and fine cocktails, scuba diving, researching gastronomy and mixology, taking photos/videos, and learning how to perfect his craft in photography and videography.

Work & Business

When asked about his current job, Akin said he is currently a Level II Programmer for the government at the Department of Information and Public Relations, but is also the owner and creative director of Crowntec.

“Crowntec is a multimedia production company that specializes in delivering photography, cinematography, graphic design, marketing, and web design services."

He said as a programmer, he is responsible for designing and developing solutions for databases, websites, and applications for the various VI government ministries, departments, and bodies.

Akin shared that what he enjoys the most about his job is the feeling of hunting down errors and then finally figuring out what made his code crash countless times. “It is a very satisfying experience,” he added.

Regarding challenges, Akin detailed that gathering information from consumers is usually very loathsome and tedious because oftentimes customers think they know what they want but halfway through the development process, they realise differently, which results in restarting the entire process.

He said so far, his biggest life lesson has been to don't keep all the "eggs in one basket" and try to have a backup plan. “After Hurricane Irma, I was unemployed for 2 years, so when COVID hit, I lost my job again, however, I was more prepared that time around. Crowntec definitely kept food on the table and kept me out the streets,” he said.

The decision to be an entrepreneur

When asked about what inspired him to become an entrepreneur, Akin said Crowntec was born out of necessity and creativity.

“I was in dire need of a cash flow after being displaced from my job because of Hurricane Irma. I already had a camera, but no one knew me to take photos, so I couldn’t depend on that. Like myself, a lot of young people started their own businesses, so Crowntec had its start as a business-to-business company designing logos, graphics, and flyers,” he said.

He also underscored that a difficulty in starting the business was access to start-up small business funding.

“I tried government programmes, banks, and even reached out to 'angel investors', but those opportunities never opened. So I worked with what I had until I could put myself in a situation to scale up my operation. Slow forward movement is still better than no movement, do it brick by brick,” he detailed.

Staying focused  

He said before working in IT or becoming an entrepreneur, he was a  Marketing Manager at a local yacht company, and a website administrator at RiteWay Food Markets.

Akin in being thankful for his journey thus far, also gave credit to family and close friends for their love and support, “Also, I think my natural drive to do my best keeps me pushing to continually make new goals and then achieve them."

He said for future career development, he sees himself as an IT manager, and for his business Crowntec, he wants to be regionally and internationally known for his work, both cinematography and photography.

Parting advice

“For anything in life, you have to seriously want it, you have to affirm it. Discipline, dedication, and accountability, in my opinion, are what you need. Discipline means skipping out on buying new clothes for a while so that you can afford a video light or a mic, or spending that 3 hours of idle scrolling on social media on actually researching your dream, whether that be books, youtube or TikTok,” he said in advice to those looking to build their dreams.

Akin added that the world is in an instant digital age where there is vast amounts of knowledge right at the tip of your finger, however, the downside is that distractions are also at our fingertips.

“You have to be serious about it, stop making excuses! Find your niche. Research it, study it, learn it, live it. Even if you have a natural affinity towards something that can only take you so far. Discipline and dedication to anything will take you to unfathomable heights,” he said in final parting advice to other young professionals.