Horne:Just do it!
Published:Monday | January 20, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Krysta Anderson, Lifestyle Reporter
Debbie Horne is living testament to the proverb, 'It takes a village to raise a child'. The general manager of Wealth Access Financial - a position she assumed on December 16, 2013 - admits it's not without its challenges, but her accomplishments are all attributed to how she was raised.
Born and raised in Portland, she told Flair, "Rural life is just more laid back, offering security and protection." She added that while she grew up with her parents, the community played an integral part in her growth and development. One such person was her godmother, Hazel Sinclair. "She was a midwife for the community and a mother. I always found it amazing how she would go to the hospital, take care of her children, taught at JAMAL (now the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning), and while actively involved in her church. I looked up to her," Horne reminisced. "She encouraged us as children to follow our dreams. I was always a reader and she was always getting me books. She was always in good spirits and no matter how late members of the community would knock on her door, she found the time to assist them, and that was truly incredible to me."
Proud of her rural roots, she beamed with pride when speaking of her alma mater - Titchfield High School. "Apart from having the best school uniform for girls in Jamaica, I was captivated by the institution's rich history and they were strict on instilling knowledge and discipline in order to maintain the school's high standard of excellence," said Horne, who left to pursue studies at the University of Technology, then College of Arts, Science and Technology.
While her current job is relatively new, the role of general manager is familiar territory. She was the acting general manager for Payday Advanced Limited for a year and a half, simultaneously functioning as the investment and operation manager as well. "I initially wanted to work at the bank and I did, at National Commercial Bank in 1992, before transferring into manufacturing." She joined Desonel Manufactures as an administrative assistant in 1998, and became the company's operations manager in 1999.
Manufacturing was the turning point in her career. Working in a bank, it was all about the numbers -manufacturing was more about where the money was going. She had to learn the process of business - how to make money and how to help others grow their business.
Capital Solutions became her new family in 2002, where she began as treasury officer and the rest is, as they say, history. But for Horne, the obstacle she encountered boiled down to acceptance. "Business is mostly about a 'club'. Everybody lymes with each other, so you find that in order to do business, you have to get into the club. Networking is very important, since everyone is pretty much in the same field - it's not hard, but you have to get in."
Love, support, assistance
Having a young child did not slow her down. Horne told Flair the secret for her was the love, support and assistance she received from her family and friends. "It's easy when you have your friends and family to turn to. The person willing to help you with your daughter by picking her up, and babysitting her until I got home."
Now that her daughter is 24, the balancing act is much easier. "My proudest achievement is my daughter. We manage to be close and be there for each other. Sure, it has not been smooth sailing, but we have always maintained a great relationship and nothing has ever come between us."
In her downtime, Horne catches up with her first love - reading, and her new love for exercising. She exercises four times per week and hopes to run for a charity cause in the very near future.
With Nelson Mandela inspiring her with his selfless act of living his life not only for himself, but for the greater good, she encourages those wanting to follow their dreams to do just that. "Anything you think you can do, do it. There's no need for doubt and second thoughts, so just do it."