Meet Dennéil Larmond | Author, Entrepreneur and Lawyer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dennéil Larmond and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dennéil, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica with my mother, grandmother and extended family members. My mother taught me the importance of hard work, determination and that I’m capable of achieving anything I put my mind to. Those values have been with me ever since and have helped me take risks and pursue new opportunities throughout my life.

In the midst of my legal journey I pivoted into entrepreneurship by accident because I left my job in litigation without a plan. I knew God wanted me to leave and I would be taken care of. It was a risk that I took on myself. This gave birth to Healthee Organics, a holistic natural wellness brand as I believe that mental health and a more natural approach to life are key for our people especially in this present climate. Having started Healthee Organics and interacting more with the entrepreneurial sector, I have observed some of the needs of entrepreneurs. My legal experience has lead me to start a business and legal consultancy practice, Atlas Consultancy. Which focus on compliance and structure to allow entrepreneurs to maximise opportunities, resources and grow.

People from the Caribbean region are known for their creativity. We know how to make something from nothing. I realised that sometimes, people don’t understand how to protect their work or the value of their work and sometimes get taken advantage of. That lead me to combine my legal and entrepreneurship backgrounds and write a book entitled “Juice That Orange – The Caribbean Creatives’ Introduction to Intellectual Property”. The book focuses on condensing knowledge on intellectual property rights and tailoring it for creatives in the Caribbean. The creative economy is a growing one and is expected to grow exponentially in the foreseeable future. So there is a need for guidance of the creatives in the sector to enable them to monetise their work.

I draw from my experience in business and my legal background to connect with a diverse range of creatives. I believe that my unique perspective helps me to bring fresh ideas to the table and find creative solutions to complex challenges.

Overall, I’m proud of where I came from, and I believe that my background has played a key role in making me the person I am today. My willingness to take risks, combined with my strong work ethic and determination has been one of my greatest strengths in my career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Juice That Orange is an introduction to intellectual property rights for creatives. I use creatives in the broadest sense possible here. For me, a creative is someone that brings to fruition an idea. “Juice That Orange” is for those who have taken the non-traditional career path, those who want to learn to protect their work, maximise it and monetise it. The book takes different aspects of intellectual property and puts it into bitesize portions so that people can understand while using real life examples from persons in the Caribbean who have taken the path to monetise their craft and are seeing the benefits both short and long term. The book also takes into consideration any pitfalls or cautions that those persons might have encountered to impart knowledge to others on what they should be aware of. In the book we discuss crafting your story, brand power, designing for impact, unlocking innovation, the dollar value of a secret and trading tactics. While the book is geared specifically to the Caribbean community, the knowledge that is available is useful to anyone that wants an introduction to intellectual property and how to protect their work.

What sets this work apart from others is that it’s the only work that I have come across on the market that specifically speaks to the protection and monetising of creative works in the Caribbean in this manner.

In the Caribbean there are many persons who have the entrepreneurial mindset but they may go about this in a less formalized way and remain there. There are also others that may have started out this way and then realise that their venture is profitable long-term but don’t know how to go about formalizing it. Let’s take musicians for example, someone might be producing work on their own and are presented with a record label deal with a lump sum payment. That might be the biggest thing for them and they jump for it. Did they consider if they would own the masters? The branding rights? Royalty payments overtime vs a single lump sum payment only? When you treat your craft like a business and not a hustle, these are some of the things you would consider. I would have seen persons go through these motions and then you hear the horror stories. Juice That Orange shows us how to protect our birthright.

It wasn’t easy for me to complete this book because of writer’s block at various times. I knew what I wanted to convey but I didn’t want it to sound too legal and to ensure that the content was easily understandable for anyone. One of the most important lessons that I learnt during the writing of the book is that I’m most productive at nights and that I can’t force creativity. When I feel motivated to create, that’s when I do my best work. That’s why I always have a book and pen, my laptop or the notes app on my phone handy for the strike of inspiration.

Juice That Orange is just the beginning. I want to do so much more with the creative sector, transferring knowledge and sharing stories so that the next generation can learn from those who have experience in the industry. I want to be a conduit for that information to be shared throughout the region as there is much more that unites us than divides us and I want to showcase that.

I want people to understand that they can turn their craft into a business, if they want to. If you’re good at something, why not take it to the next level? The next level is protecting that work because we aren’t just creating because we’re bored. We need to protect our work to be able to monetise it. When you create, protect and monetise your work, you know the fair value for your work, what you will accept and what you won’t. When you own the intellectual property for your work you have a unique advantage because it means that no one else can rightfully claim your work as theirs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Two of my favourite things are food and nature so a week long itinerary will definitely include my favourite spots. I feel most connected and at peace when I’m outside and good meal added to that makes everything right.

Sunday – Mt. Caramel Waterfalls
The trek to the waterfalls is a mini hike as you’re going through the bush. The waterfalls itself is magnificent. There are multiple waterfalls here with the highest being over 70 feet tall. I have climbed this. That was an adventure. There are also two smaller waterfalls that you can slide down. The entire space is like a natural waterpark.

Monday – Underwater Sculpture Park
The underwater sculpture park is unique to Grenada as it showcases the heritage in a different way. The park creates reefs for fishes to thrive in abundance. Persons can dive or snorkel there but fishing is prohibited as the area is protected. There are different sculptures to be seen such as the Mermaid, the Nutmeg and Vicissitudes.

Tuesday – Cabier beach & Dinner at Dexter’s restaurant
The drive to the beach is a journey in itself but the destination is a relaxing and calm atmosphere.

Dinner at Dexter’s is the perfect way to end a day of relaxation. The five course meal is flavorful and leaves you filled but not stuffed. Th staff is welcoming and the spin on the new ways to present produce grown locally is a testament to the creativity.

Wednesday – Street Food Wednedsays at Dodgy Dock Restaurant
The best way to sample some local restaurants is at Street Food Wednesdays at Dodgy Dock. Whatever you’re in the mood for, there’s an option available. The live music and dancing after is just icing on the cake.

Thursday- Dinner at LaLuna
When I think of LaLuna, I think of pasta with local infusions.

Friday – Sunrise or sunset hike to Welcome Stone & Comfort food at Nikki’s under the Mango Tree
I love a good sunset but sometimes I’m able to wake early for a sunrise too. This is another trek although it can be steep at some points but the view experienced from the sun’s rays gently kissing the lake, sea and mountain peaks below is simply breathtaking. After, we’d get what is, in my opinion, the best tasting fried chicken on the island from Nikki’s under the Mango Tree. Juicy but not too greasy with some turkey soup.

Saturday – afternoon drive around the island
To top off the week, an afternoon drive around the island to just explore and take in the beauty.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
God My faith in God allows me to believe in myself and in something greater than me and to believe that all things are going to work together for my good

Mother
For teaching me to be resilient and that anything I set my mind to, I can achieve it

Support system
I am fortunate to be surrounded by a community of people that wanted to bridge many of the gaps that I’m bridging in my various roles. Many of these persons are also entrepreneurs at different stages in their journey. Through knowledge sharing we learn from each other and grow.

Website: https://juicethatorange.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtocaribbean/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denn%C3%A9il-larmond-227817116/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjNMCwAAJze2LK0G_VQUGgg

Other: Link to purchase a copy of the book: https://a.co/d/fQCF2zn

Image Credits
Careem Gilbert for photographs