TODAY’S face in the crowd is an inspiration to the masses who despair about the high unemployment rate simply because they form part of the statistic.
Pedro Julian is a 31 year old of many hats who has managed to keep his head above water through sheer determination to be successful in life even if he has to step out and create that success for himself.
A son of Anse la Raye, Julian has forged his name as part owner of a barber-shop and as the sole owner of Pedro Signs along Jn. Baptiste Street.
If you need graphics created for your vehicle then Pedro is your guy. He is the artist behind many a graphic designer jobs around the city and he has the qualifications for it too.
Julian furthered his education and took up extra courses in Customer Service Excellence, Sales and Marketing, Graphics Design, IT and Small Business Management.
To add to his list of pastimes, the 31 year old is a renowned gospel singer looking forward to the release of his new album at the end of this year.
Julian decided to take the bull by the horns and pave a way for himself in the face of strife and hardship and has seemingly left a trail for others in the same boat as he was in to follow suit.
The VOICE: What is it like being your own boss in this difficult economy?
Pedro: It has its advantages and disadvantages. You find that sometimes when you work for somebody and it’s time to get paid, you know that for a fact that you will get paid. Working for yourself is more like you are the one who has to push out your own income so it’s like what you do is what you see and what you do is what you get so you have to create your own income. It’s more challenging as you have to go out and make sure you push yourself to make that money.
The VOICE: So how is business going so far?
Pedro: So far so good, I can’t complain. As every other business you have your up days and down days so I’m just going through the routine. But I’ve been getting more of a positive response so far.
The VOICE: Now you’re also a barber, how did you get into that field?
Pedro: I’ve been doing it for a while now but not professionally. I’ve been doing it from my teenage years and I had a passion for graphic design because I’m an artist and draw stuff. I didn’t take up barbering because of the designing. After all, I went to school for it but it was purely coincidental that I was able to open my design shop in a barber shop so I do both.
The VOICE: There is a national outcry for more jobs especially amongst young people yet you broke through and created your own job. How did you do that?
Pedro: The thing is, I used to be one of those crying that there were no jobs too because I used to work for a guy and come to think about it, I should thank him because he was the one who pushed me but not in a good way. The bad things that he did to me motivated me to go out and do my own stuff. Because sometimes you work and you can’t get paid. The fortnight would come and there would be no money so I said it was time that I got out of there and did my own thing. I heard about Belfund and that they were giving some small business loans so I went to them, explained my ideas and they went with it. I’ve been operating for a year now and being a small business owner…it’s good.
The VOICE: To others out there trying hard and failing to find employment, what would you say to them?
Pedro: I would tell them to keep trying their best of their ability and do what they could at their best because I remember when I used to be just someone out there with no ambition and nothing much on my mind and no zeal, no drive. It’s also something spiritual that you know when you close your eyes, there is someone that you could lean on so just keep a positive mind-set and do your best…something will come along.
