Entrepreneurs, students, experts, and other interested parties recently participated in the transformative three-day Caribbean Franchising Summit 2026, held at the Finance Administrative Center at Point Seraphine. The summit was initiated by BizConnect Caribbean, a Saint Lucia-based regional entrepreneurship and digital skills programme launched in 2025.
Franchising is a business model in which a company (the franchisor) allows another party (the franchisee) to operate a business using its brand, systems, and expertise in exchange for fees and adherence to set standards. The event, hosted from March 18–20, sought to teach attendees about this model as both an exit strategy and a means of expanding business operations.
The forum was divided into an education day, a deep dive day, and a legal awareness day, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
According to Michelle N. Samuel, programme lead and founder of BizConnect Caribbean, the summit aligns with BizConnect Caribbean’s mandate to upskill entrepreneurs.
“The Caribbean Franchise Summit came up as a result of understanding the gaps in the knowledge of people about the franchise business model,” she said. “We consume every single day, we know the brands, but do we know how to replicate [them] ourselves? Do we know how to become franchisable? And so I realised that it needed to be done through a particular strategy by introducing this summit.”
The forum saw strong participation from Barbadians, including entrepreneurs, experts, and government officials. Among them was Shawna Rollins, founder and CEO of Delicious Treats, a successful Bajan-based franchise business. Rollins told St. Lucia Times that her passion for franchising stems from the model’s proven success.
“Franchising is a model that works. As entrepreneurs, we work extremely hard, many hours a day. When five [to] seven years pass, you need to look at a strategic model so that after you reach a certain age, you can sell that business. So you’re not just wasting time, you’re working towards a goal, an exit strategy so that you can retire and live comfortably as well,” she said.
Rollins’ compatriot Stephen Lashley, a lawyer and former government minister, emphasised the need to bring the concepts discussed at the forum to a wider regional audience.
“There are some countries in the Caribbean [that] have, I think, very few franchise legislation that govern the arrangement, but huge opportunities are opening up across, not only the Caribbean, but the world,” he said.
“This can be a beginning of starting that conversation where persons understand the legal arrangements, the legal frameworks under which franchising can take place, and we can build a solid foundation that will see the emergence in the Caribbean of not only franchisees, but franchisors, persons who would be taking their products to other countries. I believe this can be an excellent opportunity, and I hope that we are planning. We need to plan a second forum because this was only the icebreaker.”
Phoebe Popo was among the students from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College present at the forum. BizConnect Caribbean recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the college, allowing business and business-minded students free access to some of the gatherings, giving them necessary exposure to the realities faced in the business world. Popo, who also served as one of the MCs during the forum, said the experience was inspiring.
“It was amazing…I was a bit nervous coming into this because I didn’t know what to expect…but we were eased into it so well…the presentations were so wonderful. The presenters went in-depth, and they gave us the opportunity to ask questions, which I did, and I got to know so much more about it. It was fun, it was funny, it was insightful. I got to see so much, I got to know so much, and I got to meet so many people, which I’m so grateful for.”
Organisers are confident that participants not only left the event with knowledge but also with a renewed vision for their futures. Several businesses highlighted by experts as “franchise-ready” were given opportunities for one-on-one coaching to help expand their operations.
This was the inaugural edition of the event; however, Samuel and her team indicated they intend to host this gathering of minds annually in different Caribbean islands.
