Start saving now. That was the advice which Natasha Small, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Goddard Enterprises Limited (GEL) gave to teenaged girls of the Parkinson Memorial Secondary School. Explaining it as a good habit, Small told them that to do so they had to be disciplined and she stressed that she was referring to money which they received as an allowance from their parents or monetary gifts for Christmas and so on.

Small said they should try to save between ten (10) to twenty (20) per cent of their money and could, with the help of their parents and guardians, open an account with a financial institution.

The CFO’s session with the girls was part of GEL’s outreach to female students in observance of International Women’s Day and was geared at handing the youth some of the keys to financial success.

In what was an inspiring interactive session, Small introduced them to the ABC… having the right Attitude and Behaviour and making the right Choices with regard to managing money adding, that such practices will better equip them for success during their working lives.

But she told them it was not too early for them to start saving, budgeting and practising good money management habits. She suggested they work out a budget weekly using the school allowance as it would help them to control their spending and serve them well as they grew to handle more financial responsibility.

The CFO demonstrated using a family budget, noting the amount and sources of income and expenses to determine a deficit or a surplus. The students then suggested ways of dealing with a surplus or a deficit. Handling a deficit evoked much response; the cost cutting methods mentioned for a family included cutting back on eating-out, buying in bulk, which could be done by joining with friends and relatives and carpooling.

Throughout the session, Small kept the girls engaged; interspersed her advice with adages and popular Bible verses as she reinforced her points. ‘Do not covet, do not conform to the world, don’t begrudge people, give to others; don’t be overcome by greed, don’t be overcome by pride’ were among those she used.

She said one of today’s biggest challenges was how some people value their worth. “Your worth is not in your possessions … though (some of us) have been brainwashed to think so. As an example, she said that as soon as some people get a job, they want to have a new flashy car. She told the young ladies that having certain material things was not necessarily wrong, but she advised them against “buying things you did not need with money you did not have.” In other words, she said, separate your wants from your needs.

She also said there was nothing wrong with recycling clothes as it was not necessary to have something new every time you go out.

Debt was another area on which she engaged the students who ranged from third to fifth formers. “Choose debt wisely;” she said as she drew attention to some methods of incurring debt including credit cards, hire purchase and other lending methods on the market.

“Beware of get rich quick schemes; don’t be fooled by instant gratification, rather be prepared to work for what you want in life,” Small cautioned.

The students were also exposed to a plethora of topics in the afternoon session with Stephanie Catling-Birmingham, Divisional People Manager – Automotive & Talent Development with Courtesy Garage Limited.  Her session included Personal Branding, Work Ethic and Professionalism coupled with using tools to identify their personal areas of strengths and areas of development.

Under the theme of Personal Branding, the attendees were asked to explore the concept by identifying personalities that exude a strong and positive brand and by extension to action the development of their own personal brand by defining ‘’who they are’ through the eyes of their value system. They were advised to ensure that their personal brand is authentic, based on the perception of individuals.

Equally as important as developing an authentic Personal Brand, the students were reminded to always work on cultivating an excellent work ethic by fostering a good practice of punctuality, professionalism, integrity, self-discipline and becoming a well-balanced individual in all aspects of their lives.

One of the activities they had to do was to prepare a personal SWOT analysis. They were taught to recognise their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and how to capitalise on or overcome them.  This evoked much discussion and interest from the students.

Lastly, the topic of Professionalism outlined fifteen (15) tips that should be used in the work-place and beyond, including but not limited to; being respectful, dressing appropriately for success, punctuality, demonstrating a positive attitude and body language, being truthful and trustworthy.

It was evident from the active listening, verbal feedback and formal evaluations done by the students that they thoroughly enjoyed both sessions and they have also promised the ladies at GEL that they will put what they have learnt into practice.