'Live life, create memories at all times and grasp all opportunities given to you'. The advice of our Young Professional for this week, Mr Sinclair H. Flemming Jr. Photo: VINO

Our Young Professional this week, Mr Sinclair H. Flemming Jr better known as 'Steady', is a promising businessman in the Virgin Islands. His first business venture was Billy's Discount store. Photo: VINO

Sinclair H. Flemming Jr is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in the USA. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional this week, Mr  Sinclair H. Flemming Jr better known as 'Steady', is a promising businessman in the Virgin Islands and he is not just another businessman but one with a passion for what he does, a clear vision of where he wants to go and he has been using his God-given talent to skilfully clear away the objects that may try to block his path as he goes along.

Mr Flemming is a BVIslander to the bone. He had his formative academic grounding within the school systems of the Virgin Islands before moving on to the Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA where he buried his head in the books to excel in his studies in the field of Marketing, Public Relations and Management to obtain a Bachelor's Degree.

"I had a little hard time in college, going away and getting accustomed to the atmosphere and culture in Miami but it grew me. I came back to Tortola with some ideas and decided to open some businesses," said Mr Flemming.

As part of the integration process in the United States, he joined the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

His first business venture in the Virgin Islands was Billy's Discount store and most recently P3 Paper Plastic Products, which is still in its infancy stages but progressing in leaps and bounds. 

He said his knack for the business world can be attributed to his love for interacting with people and negotiating,"I am the kind of person who is very out going, I like to speak to persons, I like to interact with individuals in business and social environment. So I chose marketing because it helps me to express myself with getting thing out there, talking to people basically advertising and seeing the product moving off," said Mr Flemming Jr.

Having returned to Tortola, he worked in the marketing department for Road Town Wholesale for approximately a year and a half , then with Digicel for a short time as a sales manager.

While he counted the experience there as good stepping grounds, he knew private enterprise was his true calling and he took the necessary step to following his dreams.

Being in the world of business was not necessarily a new arena since, "I have been into business all my life from since I was small. My father own businesses all my life and I worked for a few of those." 

He had some fond memories of being in and around his father during his earlier years some of which are, "The most memorable occasions with my dad are the times we spent traveling together, buying good, price comparisons and seeing how companies and other businessmen operate." But that wasn't the most fun part of it. "Couple of times when people would get out of line my father would tell me correct them so as a little boy I used to like that. The power, you know, the power." There we go, the secret is out.

But on the more serious side, Mr Flemming said he knew all along his dad was preparing him for that time when he would have been on his own in business. Relating with the employees in his dad's business nurtured his interpersonal relationship and human relations skills that he now possesses and are paying dividends.

His mother on the other hand had her part to play making both parents his heroes for life. "Mom is more the stronghold that keeps me grounded. She let's me know exactly how things suppose to go and don't get out of line or else she was never afraid to pull out the belt. While dad thought me how to deal with people in business and to be smooth in doing so. He thought me not to be afraid to express myself, be firm and be heard."

He eventually took over his father's businesses, Billy's Discount Super Market in Long Bush and Sinclair Flemming construction. "The grocery store calls for a lot of focus and recently I opened the wholesale paper plastic business, which deals with bars, restaurants and hotels supplies."

Mr Flemming promised to do his best at seeing his businesses grow in leaps and bounds in the next five to ten years. "I am just trying to grow the businesses. Some people chase money, I am more focused on chasing success. I feel where success is money will follow," were the words of a very smart young man.

While committing much of his time and energy into business, our young professional still ensures that the social aspects of his life is taken care of. He goes sailing for the fun of it, does some amount of travelling and generally loves having 'the boys hangout time'.

Putting all others aside, he has a serious concern about the ever increasing population of teenage girls who end up becoming pregnant at an early age. "This is a growing concern of mine and I think some special strategic plans should be drafted very soon for early interventions and that would nip this situation in the bud," Mr Flemming said.

He added, "people tend to say it's a lot of young people that create crimes but I see a lot of young people out there with good potential, a lot of positive young guys and girls out there doing what they are suppose to do. We always focus on the wrong and the negative but I see a lot of potential out there but teenage pregnancy is becoming a growing problem out there."

On that note, his parting words were, "Live life, create memories at all times and grasp all opportunities given to you," the words from the mouth of yet another son of the soil of the Virgin Islands, one that all would be proud of as he is part of the future of the Territory.