Mr. Scarlett told Sunday Business that the company was formed a year ago out of his frustration to find a plumber in Jamaica for his mother while searching for one online in New York.  He said thereafter, he thought that there should be an online resource which allowed one to quickly log on and find any service.

With the vision to fill a need and operate a business which has earning potential of more than J$100 million yearly, the young businessman created the website.  It allows users to browse through and upload services offered in Jamaica listing from A-Z.

ALLIANCES

He explained that the new website forged alliances with over 100 search engines, is gaining increasing popularity and many search engines have approached him to do business with Jamaicanservices.com.

"I have seen listings which are true eye openers," said Mr. Scarlett referring to his discovery of services he never knew existed in Jamaica.

According to the young entrepreneur, "Jamaicans need to know that this opens up doors of opportunities for them."  He said the webite gets over 9,000 unique hits daily.  Mr. Scarlett noted the benefits are two-fold because the website serves as a bridge between consumers and business operators.  "Businesses will get more exposure," he said.  "It allows you to easily gain online presence which allows you to multiply your business."

He said the website is very user friendly and reliable.  One needs to simply log on, click the link that says submit and select a category.  "When you do a search, you can operate with the key words and it will filter out and return the results," he explained.

Users also have the option to review the products, upload or download forms.  The website has also partnered with movie companies for online users to get the latest review.  The website also acts as a portal to other websites, noted Mr. Scarlett.

Businesses can list on the website free of cost.  However, for prime visibility he said companies will have to pay to upload their banners.  Persons using a simple email address can list.

A consultant specialising in web-based Internet, with more than six years experience in the industry, Mr. Scarlett believes Jamaica is poised for exponential growth in the area of information technology especially with the fast reducing cost of high-speed Internet .

There are plans to officially launch the website next year.  "There are literally thousands of Jamaican websites that have not yet been discovered," he said.  "We aim to bundle all of this in a neat package," outlined Mr. Scarlett.  With a directory of that magnitude, he said he would be sending out more than 200 agents to scour the length and breadth of Jamaica looking for persons with businesses or services who would be willing to log on.

"We are sparing no expense at all to ensure it maintains a 99.9 per cent up time," he said.  "To make payment easy we plan to open offices all over town."

The company intends to extend the service to other locations in the world which have Jamaicans operating businesses.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050904/business/business2.html