TRADE Minister Satyakama Maharaj says he is committed to removing the barriers facing entrepreneurs by improving access to funding, creating stronger support systems for start-ups, and making it easier to do business across the country.

“Because the next great global brand can come from right here, from you. Let’s build a future where bold ideas are embraced, not ignored; where young entrepreneurs are empowered, not overlooked; and where the brightest minds in our nation don’t wait for approval—they take the lead, break new ground, and build the future themselves,” Maharaj said.

“So, I challenge you, start now. Start small if you must, but start with courage. Because the future we’re all hoping for is waiting for you to create it,” he said.

Maharaj made the statement as he delivered the feature address at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT)’s Leader in YoUTT Seminar held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on Thursday.

But Maharaj cautioned the young entrepreneurs and students of UTT that while dreaming is easy, execution is far more difficult.

Accordingly, Maharaj urged them to remain persistent and to practice unwavering discipline.

“When I first accepted this invitation, it was as the founder and managing director of Sacha Cosmetics, and this was accepted as part of my ongoing commitment to mentor young entrepreneurs. In keeping with that commitment, I’ve spoken at multiple forums like this and launched Young Entrepreneurs TT, now one of the fastest growing entrepreneurship groups in the region, with nearly 15,000 members in under two years”, Maharaj said.

“At the time that I accepted the invitation, I never imagined I’d also be standing here today as Minister of Trade, Investment, and Tourism. When I was appointed, I was asked if I still wished to address you. My response was immediate: absolutely. Because no matter the title, I remain fully committed to mentorship and sharing the lessons I’ve learned building Sacha from scratch over the past 45 years”, he said.

On May 7, Maharaj was sworn in as the Minister of Trade, Investment and Tourism.

Speaking to the “group of future leaders”, Maharaj said McKinsey & Company recently ranked Sacha as the oldest continuously successful beauty brand created for people of colour.

Maharaj said that while helping his mother at her beauty salon, he realised the products simply didn’t work on women of colour.

“This wasn’t a minor inconvenience. It was a global problem hiding in plain sight. That realisation lit the first spark. I began wondering if I could build a brand to satisfy this unfulfilled gap in the market. It wasn’t about business. It was about solving a problem that the cosmetics giants could not be bothered with,” he said.

Maharaj said he could not stop thinking about the problem.

“I knew that if I did not fix it, chances were that no one else ever would and our women would continue to be marginalised by the cosmetics industry. That, more than anything else, was my primary motivation,” he said.

“I had no science background, no lab, no funding. But I had something far more powerful: I had a reason. When your reason is strong enough, you figure out the rest,” he said.

Maharaj said Sacha was not created to be just another beauty brand.

“But I knew ideas weren’t enough. Dreams are easy. Execution is hard. If I wanted to change the narrative, I had to build something real, something the world couldn’t ignore,” Maharaj said.

“Sacha became more than a brand. It became a disruptor, born in a small Caribbean nation, proving that beauty has no borders, that representation is not a trend, and that even from a small island, we could compete globally—and win,” he said.

Maharaj said while ideas are exhilarating and can make one feel unstoppable, the truth is that having the idea is the easy part.