Racquell Brown

Were it not for being made redundant, Racquell Brown, owner of Irie Rock limited, would not have become the successful Jamaican woman she is today. According to Racquell, who now manufactures and distributes natural skincare products under the Irie Rock brand, the whole idea to become an entrepreneur first came to her when the company where she was fully employed began laying off staff members. “After the first wave of redundancies, I took my two weeks’ vacation and acquired my first set of customers. Literally a year after that I was let go, which was good for me. It gave me an opportunity to finally focus on the marketing of my own business,” said Brown, whose business was registered in 2009. “In fact, only a month after, Irie Rock gained its first significant client with a hotel-chain in Jamaica.” The company, located in Portmore, her hometown. Portmore is my stamping ground, here is where I live and attended school from primary to high. I attended Bridgeport Primary then went on to Bridgeport High. Bridgeport High was where I developed my work ethics and where I developed lifelong friendships. Here the foundation was set. After Bridgeport I went on to the University of Technology where I majored in Marketing and International Business. Four years later I ventured on to the UK to work and study, which was an experience of a lifetime. One I will always hold dear to my heart as it was in London the concept of Irie Rock was born. It was no surprise that London was the first international city we started exporting to. I grew up with my mom who was a single parent, my younger sister, and an older cousin. It was just the four of us. Rough at times I am sure financially, but we were more fortunate than others. My mom was a Senior Secretary at a local high school, who ensure we had everything we needed and most of the things we wanted while reinforcing the importance of education daily.