When Shelly-Ann Aqui Solomon started her business with just $40 and an unshakable belief that God had more in store for her life, she couldn’t have imagined that one day, her name would be synonymous with empowerment, purpose, and prosperity across the Caribbean and beyond.
She has since flipped that $40 into seven figures and now stands as an award-winning mentor, transformational strategist, and the founder of the Positioned to Propel Academy (PTPA), a global platform helping women in over 30+ countries design the lives and businesses they deserve.
Her story isn’t just one of success; it’s a testament to transformation. Shelly-Ann represents what she calls the Picture of Possibility, living proof that when faith meets strategy, anything is possible.
From $40 to a global movement
Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Shelly-Ann’s entrepreneurial journey began from a place of deep faith and necessity. After facing professional setbacks and personal trials, she realized she was living life by default, not design. Determined to rewrite her story, she started with what she had: forty dollars, a dream, and a vision bigger than her circumstances.
Through resilience, consistency, and relentless belief, Shelly-Ann transformed that small investment into a global coaching enterprise. Her signature program, the Life by Design Framework, has since empowered hundreds of women, from the Caribbean to Africa, the U.S., and the U.K., to build businesses that support the lives they truly want.
For Shelly-Ann, entrepreneurship isn’t just about money or milestones. It’s about alignment, creating a life that reflects who you are, what you value, and what you were called to do.
The picture of possibility
Earlier this year, Shelly-Ann’s work received global recognition when she was named the 2025 Caribbean POSH Icon Woman – Entrepreneur of Excellence, chosen from 24 nominees across 14 islands.
For her, this award is more than a trophy; it’s a mirror of what’s possible when Caribbean women refuse to play small.
“This recognition isn’t just about me,” she shared. “It’s a celebration of every Caribbean woman who dares to believe that her story, her gifts, and her voice matter. It proves that we are not behind …… we are becoming.”
Shelly-Ann’s story is not just a business success. It’s a faith story. A perseverance story. A story of Caribbean brilliance, powered by divine purpose and an unbreakable spirit.
Community is currency
For Shelly-Ann, the heartbeat of entrepreneurship is community. She believes that women entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and across the diaspora often struggle in silence, and it’s time to change that.
“No woman succeeds alone,” she emphasizes. “Community is currency. When we collaborate instead of compete, we multiply opportunities, not just for ourselves but for generations to come.”
Through the Positioned to Propel Academy, Shelly-Ann has cultivated a thriving global sisterhood, a network of women who uplift, collaborate, and celebrate each other’s success. Her mentorship approach combines mindset mastery, faith-based principles, and strategic business systems, showing women that they can build profitable, peaceful, and purpose-filled lives.
Lessons for the Life by Design Woman
As part of her mission to help women create their own Life by Design, Shelly-Ann shares three guiding principles that have shaped her success:
- Start with what you have.
“You don’t need to have it all figured out, you just need to start. Faith grows in motion.” - Prioritize peace as much as profit.
“Success that costs your peace is too expensive. Build systems that support your well-being, not just your bank account.” - Find your tribe.
“Your circle determines your ceiling. Surround yourself with people who remind you of your potential, not your past.”
These lessons have become the foundation of her Life by Design movement — a call for women to stop waiting for the “right time” and start creating the right life.
A voice of Caribbean women, globally
Shelly-Ann’s influence extends far beyond the Caribbean. Her message has resonated across the U.S. and the Caribbean diaspora in Florida, where many women are balancing ambition with identity, trying to build success while staying rooted in their Caribbean heritage.
“I want women in the diaspora to know that their roots are their power,” she says. “You can live in Miami, London, Bridgetown or Port of Spain, but your Caribbean identity, your strength, your grace, that’s what makes you unstoppable.”
Shelly-Ann’s next chapter includes expanding her academy’s global footprint, launching a digital mentorship network for Caribbean women entrepreneurs, and partnering with organizations that promote women’s leadership across the Caribbean and North America.
She is also preparing to release new online training programs and a book that dives deeper into the Life by Design philosophy, giving women practical tools to align faith, purpose, and financial success.
A call to Caribbean women everywhere
Shelly-Ann Aqui Solomon is not just a success story, she is a movement. A voice echoing from Trinidad and Tobago to Florida, from the Caribbean to the world, reminding women that they are the Picture of Possibility.
“You deserve to live the life you’ve been dreaming of,” she says. “Not someday, not when it’s perfect, but right now. Everything you need is already within you. You just have to believe it and begin with expert guidance.”
For the women reading this, whether you’re running a small business in Tobago, leading a team in Kingston, or balancing dreams and deadlines in Miami, Shelly-Ann’s story is your reminder that you can create your own Life by Design.
Follow her journey @simplyshellytnt across all platforms and join the growing Positioned to Propel community because when Caribbean women rise, the world rises with them.
