How the Island Reach business network works.

Island Reach Marketing & Promotion exists to help small Jamaican businesses reach customers beyond their own shopfront. Instead of each owner paying for advertising alone, members of the network promote one another: they learn what other members sell, visit featured businesses, and recommend those businesses to their own customers.

The network is based in Mandeville, Manchester, and welcomes owners of retail shops, food and beverage businesses, beauty and personal-care providers, professional services, agro-processors, trades, and tourism and hospitality operators.

Each cycle centres on a featured member. The group plans a visit to that business, learns how it operates, and purchases its products or services under the agreed arrangement. The featured owner gains immediate sales and visibility, and the visiting owners gain a supplier or partner they can recommend with confidence.

Because every member eventually takes a turn as the featured business, the benefit is shared rather than concentrated on one large advertiser.

Weekly contributions are split between a business-upgrade fund and the featured member's business. The larger share builds the fund, which is intended to support member business upgrades under clearly defined membership terms. The remaining share goes to the business being featured that week.

The fund's allocation, payout schedule, eligibility requirements, and membership obligations are set out in writing before enrollment. The arrangement is proposed, and participation is entirely subject to those written terms.

Joining starts with an expression of interest: your business name, the parish you operate in, the type of business, and the weekly contribution level you are considering. The team then speaks with you about the membership terms before you commit to anything.

There is no obligation in submitting an application, and the team will answer questions about the contribution levels, the scheduled activities, and what is expected of a member.