Gadgets have always fascinated David Milton, owner of Home Automated Systems and Caribbean Solar Energy Limited.

As a boy growing up in Liguanea, St Andrew, he would often pull open his toys and his parents' household appliances in order to satisfy his curiosity about what made the devices work.

"I couldn't see myself doing anything else but electronics," the now 30-something entrepreneur comments. "There is something about electricity and electronics that just brings life. It has such endless possibilities. You can do just about anything with it."

Education

Young David carried his childhood fascination with spark plugs and fuses to the Dunoon Park Technical High School, where he studied the sciences before pursuing an associate degree in electrical engineering at the Excelsior Community College.

He continued from there to the University of the West Indies, where he earned a certificate in business marketing and administration to assist him in his entrepreneurial ventures.

Sometime later, Milton went on to the University of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.

Milton has spent more than 17 years honing his skills in electronic engineering.

The year 2003 was an important one, Milton remembers.

Jamaicans believed the country was heading towards tipping point, even though crime figures dipped slightly down from the record 1,139 murders in 2000 to 975.

"People were feeling the need to secure themselves and this was clearly something we could optimise. So I decided to enter the security market and I registered my business," recounted Milton. He conducted a survey to get a better idea of the security solutions being sought by consumers.

Once he determined what the market wanted, then there was the matter of starting the business to serve those wants.

Difficulty in accessing loans

Milton recalls that there were many established operators in the security business and it was not easy to acquire venture capital.

"The business needed a large financial outlay and we didn't have it. I had some savings and I got a partner who provided some funds. I sold some personal assets so we could have enough to start the business," he relates.

Today, Home Automation Systems offers a number of automated security devices, including automatic garage door openers, gate openers and fire-alarm systems. Its products are sourced from the United States.

"The gate opener is our most popular device. Many people feel safer knowing that they don't have to get out of their cars to open the gate, which is how sometimes people are attacked and robbed," Milton says.

Although the market was responding to his security products, Milton sought other opportunities in the energy sector to diversify his business.

In 2007, the energy sector was moving into a crisis, as oil prices increased rapidly, causing the price of electricity to soar.

"Energy costs were going through the roof, but even though it was rising people did not want to cut back on their energy use. So we offered a solution."

More funds for expansion

The company, therefore, expanded to provide solar water heaters and other energy-saving devices to householders and commercial entities.

"After the idea to tap into renewable energy came to mind, we saw that we needed maximum resources to support this new venture. Even though we had some funds to plough into it, we needed more," remembers Milton.

One, the company needed funds to take in its own line of water heaters, Carisol, which it had built to its specifications by manufacturers in the United States; and, two, it also needed some funds to market the new product and for administration.

"We looked around for the company with the best interest rates, and JN Small Business Loans seemed to be the only institution offering something for a business like ours," Milton explained.

"It was a viable venture," said Frank Whylie, general manager of JNSBL.

"It offered a lot of value both as a business and as a tool that would promote better use of our energy resources."

In addition to that, Milton had a very good business plan, Whylie said, that clearly showed how the business would work and its potential for growth.

Milton received a BizBoost Loan from JNSBL at low interest, which he used to manufacture his Carisol brand of water heaters and to promote the new line. He also used the funds to assist with purchasing a delivery truck.

Best-selling product

The solar water heaters are the company's best-selling products today. Although the price for the product appears costly, the company encourages sales by pointing to the long-term benefits of owning the devices to clients. The prices of the products are very competitive, and the quality of the service offered is top of the line.

"Our clients are like family to us and we can be reached at anytime," said Milton.

The company, located at shop number 60 in Princeville Commercial Centre, Constant Spring Road, St Andrew, now employs seven people permanently, and four others on a contractual basis.

Milton plans to expand his alternative energy solutions to the Caribbean region in the next two years, and manufacture his own line of automated gate openers.

"The outlook for the future is looking bright and we are grateful to JN Small Business Limited for helping us to realise our goal," Milton said.