Amidst adversity and an innate yearning to manage his own enterprise, a young entrepreneur has overcome health and socio-economic strains to pivot his company into a viable business technology module.
Kayode Elias James is the Manager – Founder of 3D Printing Manufacturing Co., which was set up in 2016.
His academic background involved schooling at the Anglican Primary, then on to the Leon Hess Secondary School (LHSS); and higher learning at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC).
From 2015 to 2017, James held onto a job as Sales Associate for the Duty-Free Caribbean franchise in the perfumery department on a short-term contract but was later promoted to the post of Administrative Assistant.
At that time, he began toying with the idea of owning his own business and “it was later on,” says Elias, he figured out that he was definitely cut out for the field of technology.
Elias spoke to Dazzle about his ups and downs, but also about the determination and zeal it took for his venture to come to fruition.
What motivated him to take on the venture of 3D Printing?
Elias says it was “God-inspired”, but at the core of it all, he declares, “I was always recognised by my peers and friends as a hustler, so I would always be investing my money into various things.
At all stages in his earlier academic pursuits, James recalls that he was always making an extra income. His first registered business was at SALCC, in 2013, when he ventured into a ‘Marketing Solutions Business’.
Fed up with the mundane task that a regular job entails, he begins scribbling down ‘investment ideas’ in search of a favourable employment scope.
After bouncing some concepts off a colleague, the idea for 3DPrinting was born. Elias says he was intrigued with the notion of manufacturing a ‘global product’ and sought to enlighten himself on the workings within that industry, and “what progress were they making globally at the consumer level. From there, I began to research the market, what capabilities and possibilities there were, how it’s helping different industries today and how it could be of benefit to Saint Lucia.”
James felt that this initiative would help artists, painters, graphic artists, and anyone who is into designing. He soon began manufacturing items such as phone stands, until he started getting more ideas on how to utilize his skills.
The machine is but one element of the ‘full suite’, James explains. He started off with an entry-level printer but because of the workload at the time, it only lasted a couple of months. Subsequently, he sought to upgrade the service, and “this is where diversification started. I began getting acquainted with suppliers, manufacturers and various people in the field from around the world, like China, Europe, US, and “the network started building from there.”
“One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that we utilize the youth…and they are self-taught. They are given the opportunity to develop their skills in whatever area they feel necessary by working with us,” declares Elias, while noting that he is the oldest person on the young team.
What are some of the services that 3D Printing provides to its clients?
“The process is simple but intricate,” explains James. “We start off by first understanding what our client’s needs are. 3D Printing is a local manufacturing company that is here to facilitate all markets, and all sectors in Saint Lucia and we do this by providing four (4) categories of service – merchandising, replacement of parts, production of custom parts, and prototypes.” He adds, “Within each component is a wide range of additions, be it a custom name, logo. No matter what it may be, our designer-technician takes a look at the design and the customer’s request, pulls up a computer-aided designer program, and from there sketches it out”.
“It starts out as a 2D model, and once it’s sketched out, there is a component called extrusion where you turn a flat surface into a body and then format it into a 3D object.”
How long did it take James to perfect the art of 3D Printing?
He needed a designer to complement the works of the original printer and in recognizing that there were not many persons on the island with that skill, “by 2018,
I began tinkering with the software on my own and trying to see what progress I could make by working with it. It was a long process and I tried partnering with people who were familiar with the program.”
In the summer of 2018, Elias says, “I began delving more and more into the program, getting familiar with the designs; and interestingly, my mindframe at the time was to have that social component of the business, to hire and utilize people, such as unemployed youth.”
But wanting to take on the role of a ‘One Man Army’ had its setbacks and then a debilitating health condition took a toll on Elias’ life, where he nearly lost his sight.
At that point from September 2018 to December 2019, “it was a battle with myself, my health and just maintaining the business and starting to trust people beyond myself. I had to teach them how to do certain designs,” he said.
Elias recalls that while his vision was diminishing, a female partner took over the work and over time, began contracting people “based on the job category and our current skills. Business fluctuated for all of 2019. It was not until early 2020 that we made connections with an individual from France, a professional 3D model engineer employed with Aero Space, in France.”
He says, “We made that synergy and he started being our engineer for that part-time period from 2020.”
That time frame allowed the young entrepreneurs to fine-tune their skills and in the process, participated in a summer camp that taught persons “basically, how to do 3D Model and Computer Science.”
What are some of the challenges that this young entrepreneur experienced and overcame over the six-year period that his business has been operating?
“With my health, it was an opportunity for growth beyond myself,” Elias explains. “Because, like I sometimes tell my close friends, close associates – God has a greater plan for myself, the business, and everyone else around it. Who’s to say, if I could have seen properly, I would be calm about the whole situation being where it is today.”
Elias contends that with all the hype and ramifications in society and the wild rush to attain notoriety through ‘instant gratification’, it was necessary for him to take a step back and analyze the matter.
“Taking that step back because of my vision and instead of having to go look outward at what the world is doing, it had me to look inward and to understand what really needs to happen,” he said.
Being cognizant of the magnitude of entrepreneurial scope in store for the company, Elias declares, “It has the potential to basically be the first all-purpose manufacturing company in Saint Lucia and to also facilitate the OECS countries. Our sole social intention is to make us a country which is more self-reliant and self-sufficient…more dependent on each other, rather than outsourcing everything.”
He says the challenges allowed him to “believe in self” and “believe in the vision and understanding that God is in control of all of this; and that everything that happens, whether it be good or bad, is preparation for greater strides and prosperity.”
To overcome his financial woes, Elias says he again reverted to inner perception and to “be patient and listen deep.”
In developing a ‘niche market’ for his brand, Elias asserts that they had to be innovative and reach out to a wider clientele.
“Being in a niche market and delivering a technical message only very few can understand when we’re trying to reach a wider mass, can be a bit tedious,” he explains. “So, over the years, we’ve had to try and figure out how to tap into persons, and how the market responds to certain messages, dialogue, and communication.”
Elias asserts, “Pitch the business to anyone so that they understand that it can serve from the average person to the executive, or operations manager of a company in Saint Lucia.”
The team has gotten involved in outreach programs for young people and visited schools to teach young students “about what 3D Printing is and how it can benefit them at school, and as a career.”
They have also partnered with the Saint Lucia Youth Business Trust to introduce the first 3D Printer into the Corinth Secondary School, “to help improve on their STEM subject project, and their science club.” The company has attended trade displays such as the annual Taiwanese Trade Show so as to increase the brand’s visibility.
Though he attests to gaining knowledge through ‘self-taught’ experiences, Elias saw the need to further develop his trade. “I took the opportunity to travel to the United States and solidify my relationship with other 3D companies and others around the world so that I could address issues with them.”
“I learned how to service machines and teach others how to service the printers.”
Elias says while it is a constant challenge to learn from mistakes, the journey continues. “On the job, we’re learning; today we’re still learning…and I feel that forever we will still be learning, and that’s the beautiful thing about the industry that we’re in.”
“So, be open to receiving and delivering information, and be open to being critiqued about it as well.”
What are some of the successes and accomplishments that Elias and his team cherish?
“We’re fortunate that for every year, by God’s grace, we have reached various milestones,” he said. “We launched in 2016, and our milestone for that year was creating partnerships with China and the USA. In 2017, we made our first presentation at the Saint Lucia/Taiwan Trade Show. In 2018, we were fortunate enough to collaborate with Just 4 Fun Carnival band and produced 1,520 keychains. All of this was done in the duration of six weeks while facilitating other orders with the machine.”
The team overcame the greatest challenge in 2019, which he says, was survival “and the darkest year for myself, yet it gave me the opportunity to collaborate with Junior Achievers and Saint Lucia Youth Business Trust. They saw the idea and our vision to implement 3D Printers in various secondary schools.”
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Elias says they were able to service the private sector and public sector by manufacturing approximately 1000 face shields from scratch.
What advice would James like to dish out to up-and-coming entrepreneurs?
“If you have an idea, work on it. Take it to the next phase, write it down and if that idea comes to mind more than three times, work on it,” he contends. “The more people who tell you no, or that your idea does not make sense, it’s a good indication that you’re on to something great. Stick close to your dream, your vision, or your goal and sacrifice an hour or two hours of every day you get to work on it.”
