ANDRÉ CONLIFFE KNEW he wanted to be in a field that dealt with taking care of people. He felt he had the patience and charm to boot. He started his schooling at Erdiston Primary, went on to Louis Lynch Secondary and then sixth form at The Lodge School.
He then spent a year at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, before “realising this isn’t what I wanted to do.”
‘This’ was chemistry and biology, to do medicine after.
“It wasn’t really clicking with my gut feelings because I really wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
The then 19-year-old talked it over with his parents (mum Trinidadian, dad Bajan).
“They were very supportive of my decision to drop out. Especially my dad. He passed away, so never got to see me graduate but he was
my rock.”
The pharmacy programme was being offered at the Barbados Community College (BCC), André applied and was accepted in 2004.
“My mum had a friend who owned a pharmacy, David King, and I would work with him. I got to love seeing what he did and how he interacted with people and it helped that I love science,” he said, chuckling.
“I developed a lot of my antics from him. For him it wasn’t about selling medicine, it was about selling yourself as a person. He had a skill where he developed a relationship with the patient as opposed to them being a customer.”
In the BCC programme, which ran for three years, André learnt introduction to pharmacy, basic chemistry, physiology, anatomy, biology, pharmacology pharmaceutics, therapeutics and so on.
Upon graduation, he was ready to hone his skills to prepare him for when he was ready to branch out on his own.
He started at Holborn, which had three outlets, so André was exposed to everything. Then he started to freelance, hoping to gain some much-needed experience from working for himself: “That was tough. It was for a year. I travelled all across Barbados, working at various pharmacies.”
In 2009, André made the adult step of marrying Sudieann and decided that he needed more stability since now he had to think about another person.
“I took a job at Friendship Pharmacy to manage it. Sylvester Watkins gave me full rein so I did everything.”
That was for a year.
The next year he said, “This is it . . . time to start my own business.”
“I really stepped out in faith. My wife and I are Christians so we prayed on it and talked it over with our pastor [my father-in-law]. So I opened a pharmacy in Empress Court [Hastings].”
That business would fold.
“Sad to say it wasn’t the best time. The rent was really, really high and the traffic wasn’t what I had expected. I almost lost everything.”
André was ready to throw in the towel. After all, his first attempt was a dismal failure and he was beating himself up over it.
“My wife tried to put on a brave face but I know that was hard on her. She is a finance major [works at FirstCaribbean Bank] so she could see the numbers not adding up. It was all of our savings I had sunk into this business.
“She would ask me if I am sure this is what I wanted. I would say ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ all chirpily but I would go in the room and hold my head in shame pondering what the heck did I do.
“So I was trying to be the extra, extra, extra best husband to her to kind of smooth over that part,” he said, laughing loudly.
When all hope seemed lost, a friend turned him on to a doctor who had a practice in One Accord Plaza, Warrens, who had a space for a pharmacy.
André met with Dr Gay and a deal was struck.
He opened a pharmacy in the clinic, occupying a tiny room.
For two years he would enjoy growing his business, but then he realised that he would soon need more space.
In 2013 Pharm-N-Care would become a reality.
He moved across the road to what was previously a bar space in 2013 when Pharm-N-Care was birthed.
“When the space became available I just ran with it. I was a little timid at first. Let me be frank. The rent would be more, and I didn’t know how my clients would respond to the sudden change.
“I had to also get money to retrofit the store and get supplies. But I worked with my bank and they were very helpful.”
André said his wife was also the main reason why he took the step.
“Coming off the failed pharmacy I was a bit hesitant too, but she said it is my dream, go with it.”
Pharm-N-Care has its own set of loyal clientele that André says he couldn’t do without. On his off days when another pharmacist fills in, André still has to field calls because some only want to speak to him.
For André, it is not only about receiving a prescription form a doctor and filling it (he calls that the boring part). It is about the patient-interaction (fun part).
André likes to be one-on-one with the customers, so “Mr Cumberbatch” becomes “Champ” and his wife knows “luv” and ‘sweetheart” are meaningless terms of endearments for his clients.
“These small things make a big difference with how people talk with you and interact with you.”
André said he is training his technician to follow his lead. He tells EASY magazine he has fired staff for poor
customer relationships.
“I am a stickler for that. And always smile. Talk to the customer. Women and men interact different, even with what they need from me.”
Reading the handwriting of the doctors comes with practice – it isn’t taught in class, André relates as he chuckled.
“You don’t want to call back the doctor to ask what it is because you kinda come across as incompetent. Sometimes I sit here for like five to ten minutes and I turn the page upside down (more laughter).”
André says there are subtle things that you look for on the more difficult-to-read prescriptions: how the doctor writes certain letters, the duration, the dosage and so on.
André is not above going out of his ways, as many would have noticed from a series of Facebook videos he has posted.
Not many are happy about it, though.
“I really started when my lawyer asked me when last did I update my Facebook page. He said using social media has given him a new set of clients. So that was the catalyst.
“The first video was just some general knowledge, unscripted, done with my phone. I was so horrible at it that the mic was even low,” he said.
“A lot of people liked the first video, which surprised me. Questions and messages started, even 11 at night I was getting them. I also got suggestions on what videos I should do.”
André took the advice, dishing out advice on low libido in females, contraceptives, yeast infections and so on.
But he has gotten flak from some naysayers, with some comments actually making him rethink doing them.
He has since addressed the naysayers on Facebook, explaining the purpose
of the videos.
“I am not taking away any patient from their doctor. I am not telling them not to consult their doctor first and come straight to a pharmacist. What I am doing is helping. I need patients from doctors so I could not tell them not to go to a doctor.”
André says he has gotten so much positive responses that he will be continuing the videos, even getting new equipment.
André is a bass guitarist who plays for his church. He likes TV series and spending time with his family, especially son Luke, aged four, whom he is teaching the periodic tables.
“I would love Luke to follow my path but whatever he chooses I am fine with. I just want him to love what he does.”
André’s aim is to open another pharmacy: “It isn’t easy. Dealing with red tape and stuff. You have to love it. And love people.” (NS)