By Ainsley Walters, Staff Reporter 
Joy McIntosh-Scott (right), general manager Stationery World and Book Center talks about a teen-targeted novel with sales manager Leonie Davidson. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
JOY MCINTOSH-Scott is determined her Stationery World and Book Center will hold its own against bigger and more traditional companies of its kind, despite fierce competition.
"It's as if they think you're coming to take over," she said of her competitors. "The bigger companies try to keep the business in a small circle."
McIntosh-Scott started Stationery World and Book Center from her Sandringham Avenue home seven years ago and has since added two branches at 33 Lyndhurst Road, taking on 10 employees spread among the three outlets.
The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica recently recognised her achievements by presenting her with a Small Business award for job creation. But it hasn't been an easy road for the entrepreneur, venturing into a business controlled by traditional household names.
"There's enough room," she said. "It depends on how you market yourself. You must have a strategy because there's a piece of the pie out there for everybody. I manage to hold my own."
One of McIntosh-Scott's strategies, which moved her business from being a stationery supplier to text book merchant, was going directly to the market source - her children's school.
"I approached the school for support in 1998 and that was how the business developed," she explained, adding her brother, who is a partner, has provided valuable support along with a dedicated staff.
"It took a lot of stress and sacrifice," she said. "I got financial support from my parents before my brother became a partner and helped to get the business off the ground."
Being a small business in a big market, McIntosh-Scott said customer service is critical for Stationery World and Book Center.
"A pleased customer brings several others," she pointed out. Our customers come to us first before they go anywhere else. That's because of the service we provide."
The Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) has also played a major role in its development. McIntosh-Scott hardly ever misses a seminar put on by the SBAJ.
"It's a good association," she said. "It provides a lot of opportunities and I've learnt a lot from the seminars. Some of them are not well-attended because most members are only interested in funding.
"Most small businesses fail because of lack of funding," she added. "They can't get financial support and where it is available the collateral is out of their reach."
For McIntosh-Scott, her textbook business is seasonal and sees most action before school reopens every September. There are few people walking in to buy a book just for reading sake.
"Most Jamaicans don't know the value of education," she said. "It sort of depends on a class thing. The poorer people will only come to buy books for their children, not for themselves."
