"PrtnerUp is becoming a real success saga for us"

Before Winston Riley stumbled on PrtnerUp, he was close to doing something he has very little experience in – giving up. 

“I think I was getting close to the end of the road. I lost everything in the pandemic. I started again afterwards building up a new business, but the loan I’d taken to start out was running low. Things weren’t looking great.” 

International Services Management, Winston’s business process outsourcing venture, had almost everything it needed – office space, expert staff, a compelling proposition to reduce costs for small businesses. But it lacked the most important ingredients – marketing breakthrough and cashflow. 

“When I found PrtnerUp, I thought it was worth a shot,” Winston says.

Looking for a business partner to help International Services Management drive growth, Winston reached out to everyone in the PrtnerUp community who seemed relevant. 

“I think I contacted almost everyone,” he laughs. “I didn’t get a whole lot of responses, but the ones I did get, boy, did they sure open some doors for us.”

They just weren’t the doors he was expecting.

“You never know how things will go,” he says. “You just need to build connections, keep your eyes open, and see where opportunity takes you.”

Where opportunity was taking Winston was in an unexpected direction.

“Alongside International Services Management, I’d also set up a non-profit called The People’s Chocolate. Some of my staff had relatives in the cacao growing industry in the Philippines. They were telling me how hard it was for their relatives. Cacao growing around the world is on the frontline of climate change, and small-scale farmers are getting hit the worst. I wanted to give something back to the community so I founded The People’s Chocolate to try to help some of these people out.”

Through PrtnerUp, Winston found investors who had links to the cacao industry in Cameroon. He also met an industry expert in specialty chocolate.

“Suddenly, I saw this new opportunity to grow The People’s Chocolate and benefit International Services Management, instead of the other way around.”

Winston has found his business partner, with a new Executive Director, and is focused on supporting the burgeoning growth of The People’s Chocolate with his International Services Management staff. 

“This is a win-win. I can grow The People’s Chocolate and support small-scale cacao growers in an industry I’m passionate about, and use International Services Management to support affiliate sponsors and other industry entities to reduce their costs or fill vital roles like marketing and administration at a fraction of the cost and risk of taking on a full-time member of staff.”

This week, Winston is promoting The People’s Chocolate in New York at the world-famous Salon du Chocolat industry event. 

“PrtnerUp has given us momentum and we’re on a roll. There’s still more ways to get involved with us though. We’re still looking out for an investor in International Services Management. And with The People’s Chocolate, we need connections between processors, distributors and chocolate companies. Sales is what makes the world go round but the farmers need to survive. We need partners in every link of that chain.”

International Services Management helps companies custom-build dedicated support teams with a simple process. For more information or to reach out direct click here https://ismbpo.com.

The People’s Chocolate is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help cacao farmers worldwide adapt to the effects of climate change, one sweet bite at a time. For more information or to get involved click here https://peopleschocolate.com.