Who is Khadijah Thomas?
I am 24 years young with a love for smiling and sunflowers. I try to follow the characteristics of a sunflower in every aspect of my life whereas regardless of the rainy day, I will continue to rise and find the sun in every situation. I am very self-motivated and believe in going after my dreams regardless of how unobtainable they may seem at first. I am happily a part of the Massy Stores Barbados Limited family as a Retail Manager; I started with the company in February of 2019 and I see a long future with the Massy group and I look forward to growing and sharing my skills across the company.
I believe in women empowerment and supporting every young woman with a vision. I have a passion for marketing and business development as it opens an avenue within my mind for creativity and innovation. As a result of this, I started a part-time private consultancy specializing in marketing and business development and I also manage a women empowerment social media page where I communicate and inspire women across the Caribbean. In 2020 I will be studying for my certification in business development management and look forward to providing business development training in the near future.
What was your first job?
My first job was with Karen Evans and Allan Bryan at Massy Distribution as a promotional representative for their wine and spirit division. This will always be a memorable part of my life as it taught me responsibility, marketing and the importance of managing my budget wisely as I went through college and part of university. When I got my second job at the Cave Hill School of Business, my schedule wasn’t as flexible between school and work and therefore I had to sacrifice promotions.
What does a typical day for you look like?
Within a given day I am responsible for managing a store with the vision, mission and values of Massy Stores at heart. In order to achieve this, I manage a group of employees ensuring that everyone is motivated and carrying out their duty to the best of their ability. Along the way, I try to find time to engage with some of our staff and enquire about their well-being and anything which may be affecting them. I aim to continuously provide great customer service and ensure that each customer who enters our supermarket leaves contented as we value each of our customers.
After work is finished, most days I begin to focus on my consultancy by responding to messages, preparing my budgets and carrying out my plan for the week.
As a busy professional, how do you manage your time?
In order to stay productive and not busy, I plan an execution schedule for most things and I stick to it as much as possible. Before I go to sleep at night I plan for the day ahead as it helps me get my day started with a bang! Reality is, most days do not always go as planned but I try not to deviate too much from my schedule and rather add things to my list based on urgency.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?
Be confident, hard-working and determined. You can achieve anything once you do not give up.
Who and/or what do you credit your success to?
My parents, friends and associates are so vital in the stream of my success. I have an amazing team who pushes me to do anything that comes to my mind. No matter how much I fail, I am always supported on every venture and I will continue to try my best at everything I do.
If you could tell your 16 year old self something, what would it be?
You don’t have to take the same route as everyone else, sometimes taking a different path can lead to a beautiful destination. Trust your process and continue believing in yourself, you’re going to do great things in this world.
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