Andre Pitts: The “Bright Side” of Entrepreneurship

This week, our quest for inspiring stories in entrepreneurship—a field where many aspire, but few succeed—led us to a remarkable young businessman. At just thirty-one years old, Andre Pitts manages several businesses simultaneously. How does he do it? That was the question on our minds. Sabreena Daly sat down with him for a brief chat and filed this report.

 

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

If you stop at the Old River Bar and Grill, you’ll likely meet its owner engaging with staff or customers in a branded shirt representing one of his growing number of businesses. This week, when we stopped in, we saw him dressed as Headway Marketing’s rep. Andre Pitts is also the owner of Old River Bar and Grill and several other businesses.

 

Andre Pitts, Entrepreneur

“Well for me it’s not about having my own business or being my own boss. I just really love dealing with numbers. I love doing marketing and logistics. So, owning businesses is a way to keep myself occupied with the things that I enjoy. That’s how I really look at it.”

 

 

It all began with Headway Marketing seven years ago. It’s a platform that allowed Pitts to channel his love for writing and creativity. Then during the Covid-19 pandemic, he launched another business, expanding his entrepreneurial pursuits.

 

Andre Pitts

“Brain freeze, that was a COVID baby; Locked up at home, thirsty, stressed. So I just started playing with mixed drinks and then frozen drinks. Started playing with margaritas and  my recipe went from very bad and then it got bad and then kind of good and good and I kept working on it and after a couple months I was very happy with the taste of my margarita.”

 

 

And so were many others who tried the alcoholic beverage. Anthony Wagner was there from the start.

 

Anthony Wagner, Friend
“He said, bro, it’s perfect. Bars could buy this from us and they don’t have to worry about it. They can still sell it for the price. They just need a little bit of tweaking. The tequila is perfect. I just needed a little bluer. And I think one of the first times we did it was just, it was either at Smoked on a Saturday afternoon, or it was a pop up we did at one of the parks. Me, Andre, a bunch of cups, a blender, and then it went from one regular blender to a Ninja blender to us having ten blenders. Next thing you know, there’s a trailer, there’s this. You have me grinding on people at the Agriculture Show and brain freeze just took off.”

 

Brain Freeze developed a unique identity, quickly becoming the beverage of choice at many events. Pitts even expanded the brand by introducing a non-alcoholic version, Brain Freeze Slushies, inspired by his daughter.

 

Andre Pitts

“With brain freeze margaritas, my daughter, she’s a bit attached to me and she would always want to help out and be next to me. But it always felt strange to have her around alcohol. Plus she would always want something to drink in a fun packet. So I would make non alcoholic drinks for her. And so I don’t remember what. Really triggered the idea but definitely inspired by her and so we launched brain freeze slush it together  She’s the co-owner and she has a lot of creative input slash demands  and that has been Extremely fulfilling to do along with her. She gets her dividends monthly and She checks in on what’s happening and where we’re going. So that is extremely fulfilling and fun.”

 

Dana Rhamdas is Pitt’s mother. She is also a businesswoman. He credits much of his inspiration to her. According to Rhamdas, she has always been in awe of Andre’s entrepreneurial spirit from a young age.

 

Dana Rhamdas, Mother
“One day, I was on the veranda looking out and somebody passed by who knew us. And they said, oh when is the art show? And I was like, what art show? This time, Andre has to be like eight, nine, right? And I said, what art show? And she said, see the flyer right there? I looked over the veranda rail and there was a big poster where he announced that in about a week there was going to be an art show at my house. He always had this leadership thing going, even amongst like the cousins, even though he was younger than some, they always looked up to him as a leader because he always had something going on. But. That weekend, he had all of them. They were doing art. Everybody was busy, busy, busy. And the next Saturday, they did it. They came and they put up their art throughout the house, in the living room. And they sold like 35 worth of art.”

 

Andre Pitts
“You have to figure it out. Those three words alone is a massive foundation for everything. You just have to figure it out, figure it out. So just seeing her being relentless and creative and sacrifices and sticking through the good and bad times with business, that’s a huge inspiration because saying it sounds one dimensional, but seeing it and experiencing it and living it. That’s three dimensional and it really played a big role.”

 

In the heart of downtown Belize City, the Old River Bar and Grill is teeming with activity. Pitts revealed that this new venture was a symbolic door he built for himself after facing rejection.

 

Andre Pitts

“This was a product of, I would say, rejection or frustration. With Brain Freeze Margaritas, with the growth of the brand and the growing popularity,  it  became a competitor for promoters and venues. So, my invitations started to decrease. I would apply to participate in certain events. I would start to get more and more rejection. So I knew that it would become important for me to create my own platform where I could sell my products.”

 

And now, there’s much more than Margaritas on the menu.

 

Christopher Carillo, General Manager, Old River Bar and Grill

“I definitely feel like we brought some type of energy and life to the downtown area, especially in the evening times. Cause you know, we’re like the only business downtown in the city that’s open and caters to the public and we sell very good food and drinks. And it’s hard to find somewhere like this, especially with good prices.”

 

 

 

Pitts’ ventures have not only brought new life to the bustling streets of Belize City, but also employment opportunities for others. He now has a staff of fifteen at his restaurant, including his latest hire Jermaine Nickolas. Jermaine stopped by recently, and openly expressed his desire to make an honest living while admitting to having a criminal record.

 

 

Sabreena Daly

“What do you do here, Mr. Jermaine?”

 

Jermaine Nickolas, Staff, Old River Bar and Grill

“What do I do here?  As a workman,  I do the dishes, maintenance, looking around to see if anything is not good. If something is needed like mopping, I help. Like my customers.”

 

 

 

 

Andre Pitts
“He was straight up. He said he had a police record, but he just wants to work. And so we decided to give him an opportunity, and he has been a great addition to the team. He has a very bubbly personality, very silly and funny, but extremely, extremely hardworking and reliable.”

 

 

 

Andre’s contribution to business is a testament of resilience and community impact. Turning rejection into motivation, he reveals that there is a lesson in every setback and an opportunity to propel one’s self further. And if you’re wondering whether this is the cap on the businesses Pitts plans to manage, he said not so. This entrepreneur plans to launch a new business idea every year. Looking on The Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.