Bringing the world market to Bermuda is a dream that Gaylynne Cannonier Romeo has been living ever since she took over Foreign Cargo.

For the successful young Bermudian entrepreneur, who helped set up the family business, which sells bespoke furniture, home accessories and giftware, in George Street six years ago, is now running the show.

And she plans to expand the company and go into doing interior design for customers' homes in the future.

Ms. Cannonier Romeo, who is fully qualified in interior design, first got involved in the family enterprise when brother Craig Cannonier and his wife Antoinette launched Foreign Cargo as a business in 2001.

"It has always been a family business and ever since my early days I have had an interest in interior design and decorating," she said.

"It something in the family and my mother is quite good at it too."

She was living in Europe at the time when the family started up the shop and she quite literally jumped at the opportunity to go into business with them and do the job she loves and has such a passion for even today.

"When the prospect of buying Foreign Cargo with Antoinette and Craig came up six years ago and they thought I would be great to run the business because they were busy with their own jobs, so I decided to pack my bags and come back over," she said.

Then, almost a year-and-a-half ago, having been involved in the day-to-day running of the shop for almost six years, the opportunity arose to take over the business herself.

"It had been the three of us for the last six years and I recently decided to take the business over myself and now I am running it with my mother Margo Singleton," she said.

"It was a logical choice, being that I know the ins and outs of the business and we want to keep the business in the family, so now it is a mother and daughter team running the show.

"My mother is at the forefront of the business - she deals with the customers and has a great personality and warmth and once you are greeted by her when you come in the shop, you will always come back because she is fantastic with people."

In the short space of time she has been in charge of her own small business empire, she has stamped her unique character on the place and the range of products it stocks.

"What we try and do here at Foreign Cargo is to remain unique," she said,

"It is a challenge because we have to face the big companies that do similar things to us, so our challenge is to remain completely innovative and ahead of the game.

And Ms. Cannonier Romeo is keen to promote distinct styles from across the globe that meet a range of different tastes among Bermudians."

"What we try and provide in here is what works for Bermudians and for their decorative needs because our tastes can all be different," she said.

"But Bermudians are very well travelled people - they know the trends, so that is why it is important for us to keep up to dat date with them.

"Also, some people don't want to be involved with the Internet, so we deal in special orders which will let them browse through to find what they want and consult with them to create the ambience that they are trying to create with their homes."

Foreign Cargo stocks a variety of goods from throughout Europe, Asia, Mexico, such as wooden furniture, and source some finer products, including gifts, from companies in America that specialise in wrought iron items. In fact, one of the best-selling lines are the scented Yankee Candles from Massachusetts.

But Ms. Cannonier Romeo is keen to move more from the smaller items to the larger furniture, and eventually break into doing interior designs services for her customers.

"One thing that we have increased when I first took over was to increase what we bring in and we have expanded along this line," she said.

"Yankee Candles are now getting involved with doing home accessories as well, so that is another avenue to move into in that line and we also do well with Mexican wood furniture, which we have expanded on.

"So what we have decided to do is that, instead of staying small and doing mainly giftware, we are diverting into doing more furniture now.

"Basically, if we can get it for you, we are going to get it for you.

"Of course it is working, so we will be continuing this idea, but we are also staying innovative and going to the East and bringing the latest goods in to stay ahead of the game - after all, furniture is like fashion, you have to follow the trends."

And she reckons one of the biggest challenges facing, not only her own company, but small businesses in general, is competing against the bigger players in the market.

"This is our constant challenge, to stay ahead of them and to remain unique and distinctive," she said.

"But we have the advantage that customers like the warmth when they come into the shop, we believe in relationship selling and we like to get to know the customers."

Meanwhile, Ms. Cannonier Romeo, rates being your own boss as one of the best things about being in business.

"Owning a small business has its own challenges, but there is nothing like being your own boss and being able to make the decisions to the best of our own abilities," she said.

"I think the perks certainly outweigh the challenges that you face out there.

"To have the opportunity to do something that you are passionate about and to succeed and to find avenues down which to succeed is great."

And she has grand designs for the future of the company, which is a member of Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation, including setting up the interior design side.

"The main thing that we have talked always spoken about and, we already do it in an informal way, is to go to people's homes and do a bit of interior decorating," he said.

"Maybe all this will happen by the next spring."

Her advice to any budding young Bermudian entrepreneur is to do your homework before setting out in what you are going to do.

"Find out everything that you possibly can about what you want to get into before you get into it," she said.

"See if there is a demand before you jump in - Basically do something you know.

"Do your homework first and check out the market and stay positive and be passionate about what you do."

For Ms. Cannonier Romeo, who is also a keen tennis player, it is all about staying one step ahead of the game.