A strong willed woman of the local shipping world

May 11, 2014 News

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By Kiana Wilburg
The story of the ‘oyster and the pearl,’ perfectly encapsulates the life of one of Guyana’s local leading women in the shipping business.
With just a pair of borrowed shoes and a dress, Ingrid Bristol fought her way from abject poverty and turned challenges such as discrimination in the beginning of her venture into the business world into the fuel she needed in her quest to change her circumstances.
This determined woman of the Guyanese soil stands today as a strong willed woman, mother, mentor and disciplinarian and is one of the most reliable franchise holders of the DHL Shipping Company in Guyana. With much success and popularity with her Worldwide Express business, she created her own brain child—GUY WILLSHIP, which has seen many stable years of success.

Bristol asserts that her recipe for success is an unyielding faith in God even when failure seemed to be more certain that success, and the support of her family and hardworking staff.
In a recent interview, this mother of two gave me a front row seat to the inspiring journey of her life as a business woman and an individual who was determined to change her circumstances regardless of the challenges.
While the men usually steal the title of being the foundation of the family and the breadwinner and backbone of the home, Bristol assumed all these titles and is still revered for her “strong willed” spirit even as she turns 60 years- old today.
In describing her childhood, she said, “Coming into the world as the 4th of 12 children and being the eldest girl dictated that I had to understand the meaning of the word responsibility from an early age. I think this is one of the ingredients that pushed me to work hard and be successful at whatever I do. Being the eldest girl I made the ultimate sacrifice to support my siblings while my mother looked for a job to be able to provide for us. My dad was an intelligent man who had a very good job but he did not provide for his family so this rested on my mom.”
“My mother ensured we attended Sunday school and had daily devotion which I strongly believe kept me and helped to mould me into the woman I have become.”
Bristol attended East Ruimveldt Secondary, then the Guyana Technical Institute where she obtained a Diploma in Secretarial Science. She has been working since she was 17 years old.
“My beginning did not determine my altitude. Just like a mother’s good cooking, I started my business from scratch and I knew that I was going to be successful despite it all because I had faith in God. I am a born again Christian and I am proud of all that I did thus far and I know it is because of my staff and family who continued to support me throughout the years. In a world where economic demands are rapidly increasing, it becomes necessary for companies to adapt. Realizing this, I ensured that GUYWILLSHIP with its unrivaled reliability has been dedicated to improving its shipping services as the provision of quality customer care reigns supreme on its list.
But how does Bristol manage the balance between disciplinarian and mother figure in the world of work? She said, “I understand that structure and guidance is necessary once you are dealing with human beings, but I also understand we are all different and are at different positions and points in life. I am not a believer in saying what one wants to hear, rather my philosophy is to speak and guide truthfully. I think we appreciate in the end when we are guided correctly.”
“…so although from the beginning being a woman was a disadvantage it has advantages now, I am able to be transfer my motherly instincts and inherent qualities to the staff’s situations. Not being born into wealth and the idea of success places me to understand how ‘their shoe fits’ and being able to hold their hands to help them adjust to the shoe size or change the shoe to be able to walk a little more comfortable.”
When it comes to the greatest lesson this successful entrepreneur has learnt, she asserts, “Life is tough. Life as an entrepreneur is tougher. Being exposed to a working environment before owning a business slightly prepared me for the life of an entrepreneur; it enlightened me as to how demanding a business can be.”

“Understanding that making a profit and being successful does not happen automatically once you invest was a concept to adjust to. The work and details that go into to creating a business after having the idea was also areas that made me rethink at times but I knew early on quitting was not an option so I had to learn and expose myself to people who could have guided me with the details not shown in my dreams. I have also learnt that to stay in the game requires constant attention and effort once all the work is done initially it does not stop there, to ensure that the business achieves its potential requires daily work and continuous hard work.”
“It is still believed by some that being an entrepreneur best suits a male; women have been working earnestly and are showing that this thought is one to be challenged by their success in different arenas. There are business sectors that women populate; shipping is not one as yet. So venturing into this sector was not just facing head -on the challenges of making the business a successful and thriving one, but withstanding the test because of who I was as a person. When I started DHL Express I was told by the authorities that this form of business cannot be accepted in Guyana because it was in direct competition with the Post office which is government owned. Thankfully this decision was overturned and 27 years after we are still here and have paved the way for our competitors to enter the market too.”
In advising young women who would like to be in business but lack the resources, she says, “It is ok to dream but more importantly is to act on the dreams, work hard and have goals, and ideas that they strive daily to achieve. A good thought to be guided by is “If you haven’t failed a lot, you probably aren’t going to win a lot.” Hence if you were born facing a lot of disadvantages then you already have some of what it takes to win; so utilize that and not waste it. Most of all put Christ first in every aspect of your life; let Him direct your path and nothing good will He withhold from those that walk upright with Him.”

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