Oscar Francois admits that he is more business than anything else.

"I live, eat and sleep my business," said Francois who is the founder and owner of Oscar Francois Limited (OFL).

Born on August 16, 1927 in Port of Spain, he is the only child of Percy and Alice Francois. Back then his family was not involved in any businesses but as a young man he made use of all the opportunities which came his way because he wanted to become his own boss.

"My father was employed with the government as a wardsman and my mother was a clerk in a retail store," said Francois.

He said that he had to leave school at age 14 and look for a job because his parents could not afford to pay secondary school fees then, of $16 a term.

So he joined Agostini brothers as an office boy. However, he was determined to elevate himself and soon learned how to type.

With his newly acquired skill he moved up to the customs department of the company and shortly after he became the first medical sales representative in the country detailing the Ciba Laboratories Inc.

He went on to establish the pharmaceutical department at Agostini Brothers which he spent nine years developing.

While working at Agostini he met his wife Alicia, a Venezuelan, who had come to Trinidad to learn English.

"When I proposed to Alicia I told her that she had to wait a year here or go back to Venezuela because I had decided that the day I got married I was not going to work for anybody," said Francois.

He had decided he was going to start his own business the year he left Agostini Brothers because he felt that he had acquired the knowledge, confidence and competence to make it on his own.

All his years of hard work had given him the strength, courage and determination to carve out his own niche and make it in the business world.

On March 1, 1958 Francois finally realized his ambition with the opening of Oscar H. Francois Limited at his mother's home. He began selling Buckley's Cough Mixture, the Union Chemique Belge range and the A. H. Robbins line.

In time Francois was joined by his wife and four daughters who now form the company's board of directors.

Francois said his daughters have done well and he felt a sense of pride when they all decided to work in the family business. They have also given him seven grandchildren.

His eldest daughter Jacqueline is the deputy managing director of the company while sister Janine is the financial controller. Jasmine is responsible for sales and Giselle is the managing director of Intersol Limited at O'Meara Industrial Estate, Arima.

"My daughters more or less run the company and I am just here consulting because I have decided a long time ago not to be selfish and to give them the opportunity to take control," said a proud Francois.

Through the years Oscar Francois Ltd. has gone from strength to strength diversifying into Personal Care Products, Pharmaceuticals, Veterinary and Environmental Health Products and even a Security Division.

He also owns Intersol Limited where the Diquez range of products are manufactured together with deodorants, TCB relaxers and VO5 shampoos which are being marketed in all the small islands.

Though Francois said that he is more business than anything else he still finds time to play golf at least four times a week.

In the years gone by he had also been an ardent horse racing fan with his share of fortune having owned and bred many prize winning horses.

He has also found time to travel with his wife visiting England, Italy, Spain and the United States on several occasions.

Business for him had been good with not many ups and downs.

"We never had any ups and downs just one down that is when the manufacturing business after 25 years of marketing Faberge in the Caribbean was acquired by a multi-national company Levers in 1989," said Francois.

"We lost the franchise but in place of that we created Diquez petroleum jelly which has grabbed a fair share of the market," he added.

Francois has noted throughout the years that the method of doing business has changed dramatically in Trinidad as a result of open marketing which has brought with it reductions in protective tariffs.

"By that reduction locally produced products are very vulnerable to cheaper imports because of the lower level tariff barriers," said Francois.

"In the next couple of years we will be distributors like everybody else. We intend to diversify in whatever areas which will give us opportunity because if we don't then we will start dying," added Francois.

He described the competition out there as very vicious. "We are competing in many areas but every body has their strengths and weaknesses and we have survived because of our loyalty to our numerous customers. We can also guarantee a constant supply of the products we promote," he added.

Francois now employs about 70 people the office still stands at Duke Street where it began 40 years ago.

Recently the management and staff of Oscar Francois Ltd. came together with their local buyers and international agents to celebrate the company's 40^th anniversary.

The auspicious occasion was heralded by a mass at the Church of Assumption followed by a lavish dinner and awards function at the Trinidad Country Club.

Though he has just celebrated his 70^th birthday, Francois has no plans of retiring because his business has become so much a part of him.

Francois who resides at Federation Park said that he would continue to do what he has been doing for the past 40 years - serving his clients and enjoying his life, especially going back to the golf course.

The company began 40 years ago because Francois had a cherished dream.

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