Her story may be similar to others, but it is still one worth sharing. Born in the tranquil, hilly planes of Matthew’s Ridge in Region One, Indra Mekdeci nee Changa, moved from beginning life in poverty to becoming one of Guyana’s most creative and successful entrepreneurs. She is the proud owner of Reminiscence Guyana, located at Lot 5B First Avenue, Subryanville, Georgetown.
Mekdeci’s business specializes in creating tasty, high quality treats in the form of fruity or floral gifts that are oh so decadent!
In her interview with the Guyana Inc. Magazine, she was rather eager to share how she got started in this line of business.
The entrepreneur said, “I worked with my husband in his businesses before launching several ventures of my own. I ran a takeaway burger business called “Just Burgers”, unfortunately things did not work out the way I had planned and I closed it. Then I tried my hand at a small fitness boutique, selling upscale female gym wear. That did not work out either. I, then, tried reselling imported gourmet food, which proved to not be lucrative, after paying high prices for the products.”
She continued, “By then, I suffered a major setback with a back injury, which took almost a year to heal. While on bed rest, I began thinking of a business that I could do that was unique, upscale and, most importantly, one I could do from home where I could be close to my son. My business plan was soon born and I began practicing on friends and family for free. A year or so after, I started accepting orders and, with the help of some talented people, began building a website.”
The mother of one added, “Romona Khan and Red Spider were amazing with helping to make my dream a reality. And Ranveer Rickford of Fuzearts assisted in helping me find a way to collect monies online. You see, my dream was to create a gifting company so that people overseas could send tangible gifts to their loved ones in Guyana. I officially started in 2014; but toyed around in 2013 and 2012.”
As it relates to the reason behind the selection of such a name for her business, Mekdeci said that she wanted a name that would reverberate with the overseas community and people in general.
“You see, there are always strong emotions when we reminisce. I also thought that it would be great to provide something that people can enjoy together and reminiscence about later on. It’s all about making and awakening memories.”
Having acquired such a level of experience in this field, Mekdeci shared that there isn’t anything that she would do differently were she given the chance to start over.
She noted, however, that this should not be construed to mean that she did not encounter challenges along the way.
In this regard, she articulated, “My first challenge was training, perseverance, loads of research and trial and error, which helped me to hone my skills. I still research and practice until perfect before launching a new product. And even then, I aim to improve.”
“One constraint I continually work with is my dependence on the importation of strawberries. It prevents me from taking same day orders online because you can never be sure when the suppliers will be out.”
As it relates to her plans for her business in the future, Mekdeci shared that it is her heart’s desire to have Guyana’s first dessert boutique, fresh floral and edible gifts store. Her long-term dream is to train women in all parts of Guyana and have them operate under the umbrella of a reminiscence franchise.
