Alicia Riley: From Poverty and Adversity to Successhttp://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150731/features/alicia-riley-from-poverty-and-adversity-to-successI always say life is an obstacle course; it’s not what you meet but how you defeat what you meet…for life is all about perspective…
It’s a philosophy which I have always held close to my heart. If you were to walk in my rubber slippers when you were a child and proceeded through the chapters of hardship, adversity, poverty and low self-esteem as I did, then your survival mechanism would be the same philosophy. Survival… I would not have made it to adult life without adjusting my lens and my perspective on life and seeing obstacles as opportunities. It’s a healthy attitude. I could still hear the wise words of my best friend’s father echoing in my head: “Half the time where a man is or where he isn’t is because of his attitude…” Back then and up to today I strongly believe that humans consumed themselves with excuses- the government, time, taxes, the weather, family, friends all sorts of excuses… It’s a form of slavery. Instead of claiming responsibility for our own life situations we pass the blame on everything else. This parasitic mindset creates the very chains and bondage we accuse others of doing. You see it’s not what happens that determines the quality or quantity of your life, because what happens happens to everybody, the sun goes down on us all, the rain and the taxes affect us all… But, it’s how you respond to these triggers that changes everything… What happens is the constant, what you do is what makes it different.
My life story is different. Not your regular entrepreneurial success story. As I look at my brainchild business, Orange Advertising which started off as a small office space in Stumpy’s Strip Mall, Tobago courtesy my very first Dell laptop, a gift from a great friend and my fascination with Adobe Photoshop, I sigh. I sigh in gratitude to God because of His blessings (Orange Advertising is successful and a Caribbean brand) and His investment in my talent (talent I never knew I possessed). I sigh because the young girl who moved house constantly from Chaguaramas to Belmont to San Juan has finally found a comfortable space.
Sigh. Memories of my childhood are like a golden mist. When I try to classify my earliest impressions, I find that I have tried so hard over the years to reinvent myself by consciously suppressing these “memories” remembering proves more challenging than the first time I tied my shoes. A few impressions stand out vividly from the first few years of my life- shadows of disappointments… The fourth of five siblings, the daughter of a single mom- the hard-working , Rosealba Riley also known as “Rosie” who was a house and office cleaner, security guard and CEPEP worker, I grew up with very little. My father’s family bore roots in Tobago whereas my mother’s family was Grenadian, but their origins didn’t matter. It mattered however, when my dad deserted us before puberty with no real excuse. I never knew much people on his side of the family only my Aunty Monica, who to this day still show (sic) us the utmost respect and kindness.
After my dad left, the entire dynamics of my life changed. Besides shifting around to the abodes of friends and family, walking to Melville Memorial Girls’ Anglican School almost every day, having to wake up extra early to ensure we got breakfast from the Church, wearing the same uniforms and shoes term after term, toting water up the hill to take a shower, the environment was also emotionally unstable. My siblings and I fought constantly physically and verbally as we all battled with a mixture of anxiety, anger and a confused mental state as we tried to figure out who we were. I didn’t do my best at school because the only thing that consumed my mind was “where daddy gone?” He wasn’t even around to protect “Rosie’s girl children” from the sick and twisted sexual predators but that’s another memory tucked too deep to re-awaken.
If you get lemons make lemonade…
Fast-forward to an educational journey in which I got my fair share of lemons. After I graduated from primary school I passed for Belmont Junior Secondary School, an experience in which I was bullied and teased because I was the daughter of Rosie the school cleaner.
But I had to be strong. My mother was a strong woman even when her meagre salary couldn’t pay the rent. My sister called her “mother giver”; she wasn’t perfect but she worked really hard to ensure we had a good education. A good education was as good as gold even when you all slept in one room and couldn’t touch anything your aunt owned from food and toiletries to wares.
Enter Success Laventille Secondary School into the story, as we relocated. It was within those walls that I discovered the real racism- being discriminated against by your own kind. I remember being mocked repeatedly by girls a little lighter in complexion. Success opened doors to my own success nevertheless as it was at this juncture that I truly adopted the philosophy to see brighter sides of adversity and see opportunity rather than obstacles.
And so the blessings came slowly but surely…Upon graduating from school I got my five subjects- my mom was overjoyed. Our prayers were being answered. My slumped shoulders and bowed head began rising bit by bit as my self-worth increased.
Ironically I was eager to further my studies but lack of funds crushed my hopes. I didn’t want to grow up broke and unhappy though. I couldn’t… That was when I began inventing my own coping philosophies.
You can have more that you’ve got because you can become more than you are, but unless you change how you are you would always have what you’ve got…
At age 17 my life strategy changed and I started my own school, Genesis Tuition Academy. Marketing for the school was simple yet effective- a flyer design in Microsoft Word and distribution to the various primary schools. I remember getting blackboards donated for my debut business venture and encounter with graphic design…
I got the first tantalizing taste of business and I loved it!
Some years later I would move on to greener pastures investing my profits from the school into new clothes for an interview where I scored a job at the Hilton Hotel Tobago. It gave me the hope I needed and through my newfound confidence and laptop, my passion for advertising and graphic design were ignited. I got a scrapbook and clipped out every single advert, which I found “nice” by my standards. I started building ads in Microsoft Word, until one day I created a sign and I took it to a print shop and the guy couldn’t believe this level of design was achieved in Microsoft Word, his facial expression was priceless… It spurred on my continuous climb in a budding career in advertising despite the tragedy of my mother’s death from cancer. As I drowned in my grief, devoured by a cacophony of sadness and anger, my faith lead me to Orange Advertising as my healing path.
In life bravery is the capacity to believe…to perform at your maximum capacity although you are scared half to death…
Starting my own business after Hilton closed and using my severance money to purchase my first printer for $60,000 (which I still own) were the best decisions I have ever made in my life. From a flourescent orange room to a popular orange tent to the popular regional brand of Orange Advertising, my growth as an entrepreneur was rapid. This growth was centred on my daily routine- I got up, I prayed, I recited my goals…, this routine revolutionised my life economically, socially, spiritually.
Through God and prayer I obtained an upsurge in clients from my design studio. I soon earned a spot amidst the advertising greats of Ross Advertising and McCann-Erickson.
Vision gets your dreams started. Dreaming employs your God-given imagination to reinforce the vision.
Through it all I would daydream about where I want to be and then plot a strategy to get there. My dream to purchase a 54-inch Roland printer, my first wide-format printer became a reality and then it never worked one day. I had experienced my first con artist. Business is its own teacher and I was a good student. Jehovah had better plans for me. I would go on to acquire not only one printer but two wide-format printers, the largest in Tobago and the third largest within Trinidad, a high production digital press and six wonderful employees.
Between my life transitions, the main mentorship and guidance I got came from God and the inspiration from my best friend Casey I have lived to enjoy the light at the end of the tunnel.
From the abyss of obscurity and uncertainty to all-round stability and a happy ending, the daughter of Rosie, the cleaner didn’t do too badly. Imagine today I can empower others to always remember life is more than a party, a hot dress, a boyfriend (which I don’t have) or reality TV, it’s about hard work, instilling discipline, focus and an optimistic attitude towards attaining success but most about it is about a firm faith in God.
My concluding philosophy- To shape the rest of your life, create your own reality in your mind, daydream, strategise and put into action, never ever give up!
BIO
Alicia Riley is a 30-year-old self-taught graphic designer with advanced diplomas in Marketing and Business Management courtesy the School of Business and Computer Studies (SBCS).
The brainchild behind popular regional advertising company, Orange Advertising, Riley is a national of Trinidad and Tobago and has lived in Tobago since 2007. Since the company’s inception in 2009, the mentor and community motivator has been the dynamic managing director and is responsible for revolutionising the design and print industry on the island of Tobago.
Her cultural background and focus on community collaboration has led her to a number of volunteer opportunities and community sponsor roles while business prowess renders her one of the most outstanding entrepreneurs on the local landscape.