There is no failure in entrepreneurship - Richardson

From a tender age, the value of entrepreneurship had been taught to Aundhrae Richardson, so it is no surprise that he has ventured into the field with the mobile ticketing solution company, Billodex.

Richardson highlighted his father as the person who ingrained the importance of being his own boss, and also he believes it is his responsibility to provide employment in Jamaica.

"As a university graduate, we can't go seeking jobs as there aren't many jobs out there, so it's our responsibility to be entrepreneurs and leaders of the business sector," declared Richardson.

He is the co-founder of Billodex, an application that enables users worldwide to purchase tickets to various events from their phones.

But Billodex is not the 24-year-old's first entrepreneurial pursuit because he is also the co-owner of a construction company and restaurant. Richardson noted that the lessons he garnered from his involvement with his first two businesses have been critical to his journey with Billodex.

"The experience from my other companies showed me that it doesn't matter what type of company it is, leadership is important. It also taught me to be careful of who to do business with because it will affect your company," said the University of the West Indies graduate.

Steve Jobs, Joseph Matalon and Sandra Glasgow were listed by Richardson as business moguls that he is inspired by. Glasgow's company, First Angels, are the investment backers for Billodex, which will have its soft launch during the event heavy period of summer this year.

Richardson told The Star that the involvement of First Angels was critical to the development of the company and its goals. "They helped us to refine our ideas to actualise them into a sustainable business and also to enhance the usability of the application," he explained.

As expected, his sojourn in entrepreneurship has not been without obstacles, but Richardson said he has developed solutions for each of them. Richardson also had advice for young persons who were interested in starting their own business. "There is no failure in entrepreneurship, because experience is derived from each moment of failure and can be used as a lesson for the future," he advised.