In a business landscape where many women say they are left to “figure it out alone”, a small but growing Barbados-based support and working group is helping female entrepreneurs improve their structure, accountability and practical skills.
Business Baddie, founded by attorney and former educator Kerrilyn Walters, brings together women at different stages of business to work through the challenges of moving from idea to execution.
Established in 2021 as a small consulting and online initiative, the initiative has since evolved into a structured membership group and is steadily gaining traction among female entrepreneurs seeking accountability, skills development and peer support.
Walters said the idea for Business Baddie grew out of her own experience of running a baking business before entering law.
“Business Baddie was started back in 2021, but more so on a consulting basis,” Walters, who is the Chief Business Baddie Officer (CBO) explained in an interview with Barbados TODAY.
“I wrote a book for female entrepreneurs, did Lives on Instagram, sold apparel and did a little consulting. That’s just what it was.”
“I realised you need some help. You really need persons that you can readily lean on, so I decided I’m going to create what I wish I had,” she added.
She said the shift came in 2024, when she decided to formally open the group to women who were serious about building or growing a business.
However, unlike traditional seminars, Walters stressed that the sessions are deliberately hands-on.
“What Business Baddie is now is a group of seriously committed female entrepreneurs where we focus on taking our business from point A to point B.”
“Every single month we have workshops, and the workshops include things like marketing, content creation, planning, budgeting and scheduling,” Walters said.
“When we do these seminars, it’s not people just talking to you. If you’re doing content planning, you’re literally planning your content for the week [or] month coming.”
A central feature of the group is accountability, with members paired and rotated quarterly.
Walters revealed that the group, which currently has about 13 members, intentionally remains small to ensure consistent engagement.
“Every single person has an accountability partner. The purpose is to keep you accountable to the things you said you wanted to accomplish, because life happens and people fall off.”
“We keep it small so that no person feels like they’re left out or that it’s unmanageable,” she noted.
However, Walters pointed out that membership was open to women of all ages and at different stages of business development.
“You don’t have to already have a business. If you’re seriously looking to start, you can still join the group because you will have that support,” she said.
Walters maintained that support extended beyond workshops, with members communicating regularly via WhatsApp.
She explained that structured support groups have wider social value beyond entrepreneurship, particularly for young people.
“If you send a message in the group, persons are going to respond. The accountability can happen on WhatsApp. You could go far by yourself, but you can go so much further when you have the right help,” she highlighted.
“Support is always important. When people feel like they have somebody to lean on, they think twice or thrice before they engage in certain activities.”
Walters cited examples of members expanding their operations, including one entrepreneur who moved from operating out of her home to opening a standalone salon.
As the group closes out its second cohort, Walters said preparations are already underway for a third cohort in 2026, with new initiatives to be announced at their upcoming members’ dinner set for Sunday, December 14, at the Radisson Aquatica Resort.
Business Baddie operates primarily through its Instagram platform, @businessbaddiebb. (SM)
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