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Our Story

After nearly twenty years of working with Caribbean business owners and the institutions that support them, we saw the same pattern again and again: most businesses remained founder-dependent — and eventually, they hit a ceiling they could not grow through. For us, what began as a personal passion for small business development became a clear conviction: growth must be intentional, and the capacity to scale must be built on purpose.

EQUIP Development Strategists was created to help entrepreneurs develop the leadership strength and systems required for a business to grow beyond founder-dependence. We believe the region’s long-term economic strength depends not simply on more businesses, but on more businesses that can scale effectively. Today, we partner with organizations and institutions to strengthen the structures, pipelines, and strategic discipline that turn founders’ vision and ambitions into scalable enterprises.

Our Mission

To improve the quality and practice of entrepreneurship and enterprise growth across the Caribbean

Our Core Values

Excellence Everywhere

Excellence is our baseline. From the first interaction to the final deliverable, we reject ‘good enough’ in favor of our best work

Quest for Growth

We maintain an insatiable curiosity and unwavering focus on growth—challenging complacency to expand capacity and competitiveness.

Uncompromising Standards

We are architects of organization. We believe in robust systems and process orientation to create agile, efficient, and disciplined businesses

Intentional Impact

We are outcome-driven by design, aligning effort, resources, and execution to achieve a clear and purposeful end.

                               Practical Partnerships

Collaboration is our chief strategy. We build alliances grounded in our clients’ realities and driven by the need for superior results

Our Leadership

Althea West-Myers, Chief Strategist

The Strategic Lead

Althea is the founder and Chief Strategist of EQUIP Development Strategists. With nearly two decades of experience in business and enterprise development across the Caribbean, she has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business leaders through roles spanning the Jamaica Business Development Corporation, the Cayman Islands Government’s Small Business Development Centre, and her own consultancy practice. She understands the Caribbean SME landscape from the inside — its constraints, its potential, and what it actually takes to build businesses that last.

Althea holds an MBA and is currently completing a Global Doctor of Business Administration at Burgundy School of Business, deepening her expertise in organizational growth, leadership development, and enterprise transition. She is also a mentor with Founders Institute Caribbean.

At EQUIP, clients work directly with Althea — drawing on her experience, her frameworks, and where needed, a trusted network of associates with complementary expertise across finance, marketing, operations, and technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you only work with businesses in Jamaica?

No. We work with businesses and institutions across the Caribbean. Travel and accommodation costs are included in proposals for engagements outside of Jamaica.

Can individual business owners work with you directly?

Yes, in some cases. While much of our work is delivered through institutional partnerships that reach multiple enterprises at once, we work directly with growth-stage businesses and leadership teams navigating significant transitions — organizational restructuring, leadership development, or preparing for scale.

Can you work with early-stage startups?

Our work is designed for established businesses with proven traction, profitability, and growth potential. If you’re still searching for product-market fit or in survival mode, we’re not the right fit yet.

What makes your approach different from other business consultants?

We’re not importing generic frameworks. Our work is grounded in nearly two decades of on-the-ground experience with Caribbean businesses — we understand the constraints, the capital realities, and what actually works in this context.

How do institutional partnerships work?

We partner with multi lateral agencies, financial institutions, banks, development agencies, and business support organizations to deliver services for their SME portfolios.  This support takes different formats, including  designing entrepreneurship and business management curricula, designing and implementing projects, delivering structured training programmes, and providing consulting/advisory services that strengthen the overall impact of their own enterprise development initiatives.

Do you deliver programmes virtually or only in person?

We deliver in both formats — in-person, virtual, and hybrid — depending on your team’s needs and location. Some programmes work better in person (like strategy retreats), while others are effective virtually.

What industries do you work with?

Our work is sector-agnostic. We focus on strengthening the capabilities required to run and grow a business—strategy, leadership, organizational systems, and decision-making. These capabilities apply across a wide range of industries and sectors.

Capability is the bridge between ambition and scale. If you are ready to build that bridge, let’s begin with a conversation

Enough Talk, Let's Build Something Together