growing women-led enterprises in the mekong · 2020. 7. 3. · smes small and medium enterprises...

Growing Women-led Enterprises in the MekongTesting a Methodology for Accelerating Growth

Grow

ing Wom

en-led Enterprises in the Mekong

Growing Innovation

©2014 infoDev / The World Bank | 1818 H Street, NW | Washington DC, 20433 Email: [email protected] | Tel + 1 202 458 8831 | Twitter: @infoDevwww.infodev.org

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Growing Women-led Enterprises in the Mekong

Testing a Methodology for Accelerating Growth

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© 2014 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World BankMailing Address: MSN I9-900 1818 H St. NW, Washington D.C., 20433 USATelephone: (+1) 202-458-4070Website: www.infoDev.orgEmail: [email protected]: @infoDevFacebook: /infoDevWBG

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This work is a product of the staff of infoDev / World Bank. Note that the World Bank does not necessarily own each component of the content included in the work. The World Bank therefore does not warrant that the use of the content contained in the work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. The risk of claims resulting from such infringement rests solely with you. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors of infoDev, The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Nothing herein shall constitute or be considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved.

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About infoDev

infoDev, a global trust fund program in the World Bank Group, supports growth-oriented entrepreneurs through creative and path-breaking venture enablers. It assists entrepreneurs to secure appropriate early-stage financing; convening entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, mentors and other stakeholders for dialogue and action. We also produce cutting-edge knowledge products, closely linked to our work on the ground.

This study was made possible thanks to the Government of Finland.

For more information visit www.infodev.org or send an email to [email protected].

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

1. Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2. Guiding Principles for the MWEC Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.1 The Learning Style of Entrepreneurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.2 Training Alone Is of Limited Benefit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2.3 Women Entrepreneurs Benefit from Interacting with Other Women Entrepreneurs . . . 5

2.4 Most Job Creation Is a Result of the Small Percentage of Businesses That Grow. . . . . 6

3. Project Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3.1 Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3.2 Needs of Women Entrepreneurs in Mekong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3.3 Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.4 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.5 Implementation Partners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.6 Facilitators/Trainers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.7 Marketing of MWEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.8 Selection Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.9 Eligibility Criteria for Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.10 MWEC-Light Selection Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.11 Selection Criteria for Further MWEC Support (Post IC&C Workshop). . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.12 Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.13 Workshop on Innovation, Creativity, and Competitiveness (MWEC-L, or MWEC-Light). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.14 MWEC (Full Program in Lao PDR). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3.15 Peer Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3.16 Additional Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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3.17 Motivational Lunches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3.18 Individual Business Coaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

4. The Effectiveness of MWEC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

4.1 Initial Outputs and Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

5. Program Lessons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

5.1 Positioning for Growth-oriented Existing Entrepreneurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

5.2 Marketing and Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

5.3 Selection Process and Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

5.4 Grant Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

5.5 Innovation, Creativity, and Competitiveness Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

5.6 Facilitators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

5.7 Peer Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

5.8 Business Seminars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

5.9 Entrepreneur Talks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

5.10 One-on-One Coaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

5.11 Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

6. Program Costs and Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

6.1 Budget and Cost-Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

6.2 Sustainability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

6.3 Charging Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

6.4 Selection of a Local Implementing Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

6.5 Creating an Alumni Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Appendix A. Complementarity with STEPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Appendix B. Springboard Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Appendix C. Peer Learning Content and Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Appendix D. Facilitator Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

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Acknowledgments

This study, Growing Women-led Enterprises in the Mekong: Testing a Methodology for Accelerating Growth was written by infoDev, a global technology and innovation program at the World Bank. The authors of the study are Jill Sawers, Anushka Thewarapperuma, and Julian Webb. The study also benefits from the comments and input provided by Ellen Olafsen (infoDev). Xavier Cicera and Jana El-Horr (both from the World Bank) also provided comments through a formal peer review process.

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AGI Adolescent Girls Initiative (a program funded by The World Bank and Australian Aid)

DoSMEP Department of SME Promotion (Lao PDR)EMC Emerging Markets ConsultingIFC International Finance CorporationLao PDR Lao People’s Democratic RepublicMWEC Mekong Women’s Entrepreneurship ChallengePCT Participant Centered TrainingSMEs small and medium enterprisesSTEPS Supporting Talent, Entrepreneurial Potential, and Success program

All dollar amounts are U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

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1 Executive Summary

According to a recent Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 48 percent of entrepreneurs globally are women. Only a small percentage of entrepreneurs in any given country are growth oriented, and an even smaller percentage actually grows a business (estimates range from 3 to 10 percent, depending on the study). Growth-oriented women entrepreneurs face challenges such as lack of access to support services and relevant knowledge as well as regulatory and legal barriers.

infoDev focuses on enabling the start-up and growth of innovative enterprises. Recognizing the barriers that often prevent women from growing their businesses, infoDev embarked on a small pilot project designed to test a new methodology for increasing the capacity, confidence, and networks of growth-oriented women leading small businesses. The objective was to test whether this methodology would indeed lead to business expansion.

The pilot project focused on Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. Quite a few women start businesses in these countries; in Cambodia 55 percent of all businesses are owned by women, whereas in Lao PDR and Vietnam women-owned businesses represent 40 and 25 percent, respectively. According to a study carried out by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), women-owned businesses rarely grow from micro to small and medium-size enterprises.

Specific challenges identified among growth-oriented women entrepreneurs in the three target countries included the following:

• Limited exposure to innovative practices that could help with product differentiation

• Few opportunities to upgrade business and technical skills or gain access to business networks outside of family and friends

• Lack of capital for expansion

• Low levels of confidence to take measured risks

Research shows that conventional classroom training is often of limited value for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. This is related to the personality attributes that commonly characterize entrepreneurs and affect their learning styles (Caliendo and Kritikos 2011). Therefore, infoDev’s pilot—the Mekong Women’s Entrepreneurship Challenge (MWEC)—set out to test a methodology based primarily on structured facilitation of peer-to-peer learning among growth-oriented women entrepreneurs.

MWEC commenced with an open call for applications, seeking to identify existing growth-oriented enterprises in the region. A screening process to select about 70 entrepreneurs for participation in the program was applied, with criteria including entrepreneurship experience, innate entrepreneurial characteristics, revenue growth in recent years, creativity, and the intention to grow further.

The theory of change behind the program design is to enable growth-oriented entrepreneurs to learn in a more advantageous context, leading to improved business performance and investment. True entrepreneurs learn best from their peers—other entrepreneurs with whom they have a trusting relationship—by means of sharing practical, real-world experiences to improve confidence, risk taking, and business management capabilities. This is also the rationale for business mentoring, coaching, and networking, whether stand-alone programs or additional components of classroom-based business training programs. MWEC differs from many other programs in that it selects the small percentage of entrepreneurs who are growth oriented and then concentrates on the development of trusted networks among these entrepreneurs as a basis for learning from each other, which may be considered as peer group mentoring. Business coaching and traditional classroom-based training are included


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as additions to the core elements of peer learning and mentoring.

The pilot program was composed of three three-day workshops, one each in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, followed by peer-to-peer learning sessions and technical seminars focused on topics selected by the participants, motivational lunches with successful entrepreneurs, and one-on-one coaching taking place over a six-month period for entrepreneurs in Lao PDR. Additionally, small grants were awarded to a subset of the entrepreneurs.

While the ultimate goal of MWEC was to contribute to business expansion, measured by increased sales, it will take time before the capacity and networks gained throughout the MWEC experience translate into increased revenue. Outcome assessments continue and the final assessment will take place in March 2014 to update intermediate outcomes and lessons learned.

Early evidence of outcomes includes the following:

• Ninety percent of the participants have considered launching new products or services or entering new markets.

• Eighty-two percent of the participants noted that they had significantly changed their business plans as a consequence of the program.

• Ninety-seven percent of the participants rated their confidence levels higher or significantly higher following the program.

• The top reason why participants said they would recommend the program to others was networking benefits.

• Ten participants secured new business contracts totaling $2 million in value, 2,000 new customers, and investments totaling $400,000.

The positive outcomes of the program to date were due largely to the generation of trust among participants, which underpinned learning from each other and led to increased confidence and business contacts; the dynamic facilitators who spoke the local language; the profile of the implementation team; and the adaptation of concepts and materials to fit cultural contexts and participants’ needs. Interestingly, the grant funding was not nearly as valued by the participants as the opportunities offered to network and learn from experienced entrepreneurs.

This report discusses the design, outcomes, and lessons of MWEC in further detail and provides a few preliminary recommendations for the design of future programs targeting the growth of women-owned enterprises.


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2 Guiding Principles for the MWEC Program

Four hypotheses underpin the content and structure of the MWEC program as it was designed for Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.

While business training has existed for quite some time as a simple and cost-effective intervention for supporting SMEs, a recent World Bank study (McKenzie and Woodruff 2012) evaluating business trainings noted that training programs focused on business survivorship have either zero or slightly negative effects for female-owned businesses. Randomized impact evaluations from Sri Lanka suggest that the effects of business skills training are quite limited, as the authors found little to no evidence for the impact of these programs on women’s business performance (Karlan and Valdivia 2011; De Mel, et al. 2012). A study from Peru notes that a training program targeting women did not lead to higher profits or revenues but may have changed their mind-set and thinking on new markets and profit-making opportunities. A 2013 joint study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce on “Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in Vietnam” observed that women tend to be less satisfied with training and more satisfied with advisory services.

The theory of change behind the program design is to enable growth-oriented entrepreneurs to learn in a more advantageous context, leading to improved business performance and investment. Genuine entrepreneurs learn best from their peers—other entrepreneurs with whom they have a trusting relationship—by means of sharing practical, real-world experiences to improve confidence, risk taking, and business management capabilities. This is also the rationale for business mentoring, coaching, and networking, whether they are stand-alone programs or additional

components of classroom-based business training programs. MWEC differs from many other programs in that it selects the small percentage of entrepreneurs who are growth oriented and then concentrates on the development of trusted networks among these entrepreneurs as a basis for learning from each other (that is, peer learning), which may be considered as peer group mentoring. Business coaching and traditional classroom-based training are included as additions to the core elements of peer learning and mentoring.

2.1 The Learning Style of EntrepreneursAs noted by Caliendo and Kritikos in an Institute for the Study of Labor discussion paper, a growing literature examines the relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurship (Caliendo and Kritikos 2011). Notwithstanding that more research is called for, it seems clear that entrepreneurs and small business owners have different personality traits (Carland et al. 1984), which include tolerance for risk, a strong internal locus of control, self-confidence, openness to change, problem solving, and conscientiousness. Arguably their learning styles differ to comparably less entrepreneurial people. Okhomina (2010) concludes that research into the relationship between psychological traits and entrepreneurship has important implications for entrepreneurship pedagogy, including as a technique for identifying students for entrepreneurial careers and to enhance entrepreneurial success through nourishment of competencies such as innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking behavior, and competitive aggressiveness.

Entrepreneurial characteristics can be very effective when starting a business and during the early growth stage, but as the business grows over time, this style can be a disadvantage. There is a point at which the entrepreneur may need a team of business managers. Noting that


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learning styles differ from person to person and from personality to personality, Dr. Michael Schaper, then the professor of entrepreneurship at Newcastle University, Australia, pointed out that entrepreneurs generally display learning styles that are experiential, intuitive, ad hoc, needs based, personal, rarely structured nor systematic, and are usually from trusted sources, noting that existing SMEs favor information from customer feedback and informal sources (friends, family, personal networks) over conventional sources.1 In other words, they learn best from people they trust and respect, typically other entrepreneurs, that is, their peers.

As such, within the MWEC program, encouraging these learning styles is underscored as a core methodology.

2.2 Training Alone Is of Limited BenefitMost people who work and interact with entrepreneurs have observed that classroom-based training may provide little benefit. Rather, entrepreneurs are known to take advantage of one-on-one support, coaching, and from interaction with their peers and business mentors, arguably reflecting their personality and learning styles. For this reason, classroom-based business education programs targeting growth-oriented entrepreneurs often include mentoring, networking, and coaching as possible components. For MWEC, the balance and focus is different. The focus is networking, peer learning, and coaching; classroom-based business training is used as a supplement only.

A critical review of entrepreneurship training impact undertaken by the World Bank finds that existing firm owners implement some of the practices taught in training, but often these

1 Dr. Michael Schaper, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Newcastle University, Australia, in a speech to the Australian Government’s Business Entry Point, 2004.

improvements in practice are relatively modest. Few studies find significant impacts on profits or sales, although several studies with more statistical power have done so (McKenzie and Woodruff 2012). The review largely points to the paucity of research and suggests improvements to research design. However, it also cites cases where follow-up after training can be beneficial to the business, if it provides technical assistance specific to the needs of the business rather than a more generic follow-up.

With these weaknesses in mind, static one-off

training makes up only a small portion of the MWEC program, as compared to peer learning and follow-up technical assistance, specific to the needs of participating businesses.

2.3 Women Entrepreneurs Benefit from Interacting with Other Women EntrepreneursIn most entrepreneurship support activities, gender is immaterial. Gender can sometimes bring different yet complementary skills and experiences to peer learning discussions. Similarly, the selection of coaches and mentors is usually based on competency, experience, and ability to transfer knowledge and “open doors,” rather than on gender.

However, anecdotal case studies reveal the need and preference for women-only groups, where participants feel free to share openly and learn from other women entrepreneurs. It is therefore important to create a trusting environment for women to share freely, where they can discuss and raise sensitive issues, and where they can be nurtured by their peers.

Women-only self-actualization sessions provide a motivational environment where participants are encouraged to explore and challenge norms and beliefs that are constraining their growth and engage with these issues in a supportive


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environment. Self-actualization sessions can give participants an opportunity to reflect on themselves—the “engine” of their business—in order to strengthen and build their resilience and confidence.

As such, self-actualization activities that aim to build trust, confidence, and resilience are interspersed throughout the MWEC program.

2.4 Most Job Creation Is a Result of the Small Percentage of Businesses That GrowOnly a small percentage of entrepreneurs actually grow a business,2 typically the 3 to 5 percent that is referred to as the “gazelles.” “Economic gardening,” which first started in Littleton, Colorado, in the United States, found that focusing on the 3 to 5 percent of local gazelles produces far better impacts and outcomes, in terms of productivity and employment, than more generic

2 GEM 2004 estimates 3 percent; some research may go as high as 10 percent; and microbusinesses in all countries are 90+ percent of all businesses.

approaches and has since rippled around the world.3 More recently, NESTA, an innovation charity in the United Kingdom, found that 6 percent of companies generate more than 50 percent of the employment in the United Kingdom (NESTA 2009), a finding that led to changes in government policies to support enterprise development. These entrepreneurs who grow businesses typically have prior work experience (IADB 2002).

These gazelles more than make up for the lack of job and wealth creation of the typical start-up. Moreover, because many gazelles have matured to be fairly old and large by the time they become major wealth and job creators, the story is even more extreme for start-ups. Ultimately, a very small number of new companies account for a disproportionately large percentage of wealth and job creation (Shane 2009). The difficulty lies in selecting these companies in advance.

The MWEC program focuses on and selects entrepreneurial women with growth-oriented

businesses in an attempt to identify the local gazelles.

3 http://growinglocaleconomies.com/economic_gardening.


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3 Project Design

3.1 ObjectiveThe Mekong Women’s Entrepreneurship Challenge, or MWEC, was designed by infoDev, a global partnership program at the World Bank, with donor funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the government of Finland, to support women entrepreneurs in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam tackle barriers associated with the growth and expansion of women-led businesses. The specific objectives of the pilot included the following:

1. Encourage women to grow their businesses, create more employment opportunities, and produce new products and services.

2. Improve women’s knowledge of innovation, creativity, and competitiveness for application to their businesses.

3. Create an open knowledge environment for reflective learning through the sharing of personal experiences.

4. Build a trusting business network among training participants.

5. Test a new methodology attempting to address a perceived gap.

3.2 Needs of Women Entrepreneurs in MekongIn the Mekong region, there are three notable obstacles for women entrepreneurs:

1. Lack of access to networks

2. Absence of exposure to experienced business support mechanisms

3. A dearth of relevant business information and knowledge

IFC Enterprise Surveys from 2005, 2007, and 2009 indicate the main constraints on business

development in the Mekong are “low productivity/efficiency,” “lack of technically skilled labor,” “lack of market information,” “lack of management skills,” and “lack of capital” (Lao-German Program 2010). Compared with other countries, women lack business skills and exposure to international good practice. Business development services are provided largely by family members; only 4 percent of companies receive such services from professional service providers (Lao-German Program 2010). For the women interviewed in the feasibility study for the MWEC pilot, the main knowledge gaps were marketing, financial management, and exposure to good business practices. The Vietnam research by the IFC found that businesswomen expressed a clear need for entrepreneurial and women-only training, improved access to finance, and an official channel or “home” through which they could relay their particular business concerns to policy makers (IFC GEM 2007).

MWEC targeted existing women-owned or women-led enterprises, with the aim of encouraging business growth and creating additional employment opportunities in addition to producing new products and services.

In addition to empirical data and publications from the region, a feasibility assessment was also undertaken in 2011 to assess the landscape of women entrepreneurs in Lao PDR. In this case, the target audience was growth-oriented women entrepreneurs, specifically excluding those with self-reported subsistence/survivalist/supplementary income. The assessment indicated that there were indeed growth-oriented women entrepreneurs in need of this specific type of support. Challenges for these women entrepreneurs included the following: Limited exposure to innovative practices leading to little product differentiation, in turn resulting in poor positioning for competitiveness and success

• Limited exposure to innovative practices leading to little product differentiation, in turn resulting in poor positioning for competitiveness and success


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• Lack of formal business training and limited opportunities for upgrading business and technical skills for company directors, managers, and staff

• Very limited access to business networking opportunities and specifically successful women entrepreneurs as role models

• Lack of capital for expansion and lack of financial management systems and skills

• Lower levels of self-confidence in taking measured risks and flexible thinking to adapt to market demands

The study for the MWEC pilot program underscored the need for an intervention that would address the aforementioned challenges that were inhibiting women entrepreneurs in growing their businesses.

3.3 LinksThe design of MWEC complements other initiatives to support entrepreneurs, working for an entrepreneurship promotion continuum. Focusing on existing growth-oriented businesses addressed a gap in the market in all three countries, where existing interventions tend to focus on new starts

and microbusiness development, as is the case in most countries. MWEC’s contribution to development of the entrepreneurship support ecosystem is best illustrated in Lao PDR, where the full program was offered. MWEC supported existing growth-oriented entrepreneurs while complementing the microbusiness development activities: Lao PDR’s SME Promotion and Development Office (DoSMEP, formerly SMEPDO) uses ILO Start and Improve Your Business programs, and the World Bank’s Adolescent Girls Initiative STEPs program assists fresh start-ups with a business plan competition and follow-up support.

3.4 MethodologyFigure 1 below indicates the positioning of MWEC on the entrepreneurship promotion continuum in the region. The emphasis of the program was on supporting entrepreneurs to grow (rather than start) their businesses.

The program was designed as a pilot activity to take place through a period of one year, commencing in September 2012. The total pilot size was $425,000. In all three countries, a three-day workshop on innovation, creativity, and competitiveness was

FIGURE 1: Entrepreneurship Promotion Continuum

Promote new

network

Promote


10

offered; in Lao PDR, the target group would go through further follow-up activities, including facilitated peer learning, technical seminars, motivational lunches with successful entrepreneurs, and one-on-one coaching. Key learning points and best practices illustrated in this report are extrapolated from that period. The follow-up program in Lao PDR still continues, and the aim is to gather data after another six-month period. The pilot program will determine the effectiveness of the program with a view toward possible scale-up in the region or implementation in other developing countries where there may be a need.

In Lao PDR, the MWEC program complemented the ongoing World Bank initiative Supporting Talent, Entrepreneurial Potential, and Success (STEPS), an initiative of the Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) funded by Australian Aid. While the STEPS program sought to identify and support women and young entrepreneurs who are seeking to start or expand a business, the MWEC program targeted existing growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Thus, in Lao PDR the MWEC pilot would also determine whether there was complementarity

between MWEC and STEPS and whether these programs could support each other in the future.

In order to target local growth-oriented entrepreneurs, the design placed heavy emphasis on discussion-based learnings, one-on-one coaching, and some structured learning. It also included addressing some of the softer issues, including self-actualization sessions for confidence building.

The program had a two-pronged approach (MWEC and MWEC-Light), based on availability of funding and the implementation timeline. In all countries, approximately 30 women would be selected to follow a three-day workshop on innovation, creativity, and competitiveness. Following the workshop in Lao PDR, 10 women would be selected to receive follow-up support and grant funding of approximately $9,000 each. In Cambodia and Lao PDR, five women would be selected from the workshop to either receive grant funding (of $3,000) or be selected to participate in infoDev’s Global Forum on Innovation in South Africa in May 2013.

FIGURE 2: Overview of MWEC Program Design

Mekong Women’sEntrepreneurship Challenge Project

Workshop on

PeerLearning

1 to 1Coaching

Seminars

Workshops


11

3.5 Implementation PartnersinfoDev partnered with Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC), a Cambodia-based firm with offices in Lao PDR and with consulting and early stage funding experience in the Mekong region, to implement the pilot program in all three countries. In each country, the program partnered with a number of local associations to leverage their networks and experiences working with SMEs. In Lao PDR, the program partnered with DoSMEP. The Lao Women’s Business Association and the Lao Handicrafts Association also provided support. In Vietnam, the network of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC), which is part of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), was leveraged. In Cambodia, the program worked closely with the Cambodia Women’s Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA).

3.6 Facilitators/TrainersThe facilitators were selected based on their entrepreneurial background, managerial experience—explicitly in human resources and psychology, facilitation and training experience (specifically Participant Centered Training, or PCT)—business development experience, and competence interacting in the local language. Appendix E includes short descriptions of the experience of the three respective facilitators.

3.7 Marketing of MWEC One of the challenges of implementing the pilot program was finding entrepreneurs who fit the selection criteria: the small percentage of entrepreneurs with some experience and who also go on to grow a business and who would, among other things, be able to both contribute and benefit from the various peer discussions. Placing advertisements in the local newspapers proved to be insufficient in terms of outreach. EMC (hereafter referred to as the project implementation team) spent considerable time on public relations and marketing of the program and even used social media tools such as Facebook. Other efforts included approaching entrepreneurs via direct “cold calling”; via business support organizations, trade associations, and chambers of commerce and industry; and via targeted information workshops held throughout the three countries. Direct marketing and targeted information sessions had the best return, because women interested in applying tended to stay behind for one-on-one discussions, providing an opportunity for the implementation team to further engage them.

3.8 Selection CriteriaIn order to target a group of participants with enough skills to contribute effectively to the program and benefit from the same, eligibility and selection criteria were developed by the implementation team and infoDev, in consultation with the Lao World Bank STEPS team. This was done to ensure the MWEC program, which focuses on existing and growth-oriented entrepreneurs, complemented the STEPS program, with a focus on start-ups. Assessment of eligibility and selection was undertaken by the implementation team.

Selection criteria are important to ensure the participants are from the small percentage of entrepreneurs who are authentically interested in growing their business and with a track record of doing so, consequently, no new start-ups. Criteria included entrepreneurship experience, innate entrepreneurial characteristics, revenue growth in recent years, creativity, and the intention to grow further. All applicants received one-on-one contact from the implementation team.

Implementation of the program has been defined as either MWEC (comprehensive program,

FIGURE 3: Participant Selection

Direct

Help

the

form

of

SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS


12

including post-workshop activities) or MWEC-Light (workshop and in some instances, award of a small grant).

3.9 Eligibility Criteria for ApplicationBusinesses eligible to enter MWEC’s competition were required to meet the following criteria:

• Women-owned business (51+ percent) or where women lead the business (for instance, leading a family business)

• Existing business or in the process of registering

• Currently profitable or potential for profitability

• Revenue growth in recent years and intention to grow

• Business in a sector or a subsector that can be competitive domestically or internationally

• Evident creativity

• (For Lao PDR) A small or medium-size business, as defined by Lao PDR

• (For Vietnam and Cambodia) Open to Cambodian and Vietnamese nationals only

3.10 MWEC-Light Selection CriteriaInitial applicants were graded on their knowledge of their businesses’ product and service line, potential to grow, and understanding of basic business concepts, including finance, risk,

and competition. After the grading process, applications were further scrutinized against the following criteria:

• Entrepreneurship experience, as evident in their application

• Market/product demand for offered products and services

• Growth plan: the intended expansion and/or improvement plan to address the market demand for the product or service

Applicants who met the criteria were invited to attend the three-day workshop. Program marketing involved personal contact by the implementation team with each applicant to help her complete the application form.

3.11 Selection Criteria for Further MWEC Support (Post IC&C Workshop)In Lao PDR, the project included a second component: a series of interventions aimed at providing follow-up activities to successful applicants of the three-day innovation, creativity, and competitiveness (IC&C) workshop. All 25 women who participated in the IC&C workshop in Lao PDR were invited to submit a revised application form and an adapted proposal that reflected new thinking resulting from exposure to the workshop. A panel comprising the project implementation team, DoSMEP, and the facilitator for Lao PDR selected 10 final candidates to participate in the follow-up component.

TABLE 1: Applicant Breakdown

Applicants and Participants

Marketing and selection Reach: approximately 1,000 women

via Facebook and other social media, email blasts, partners, cold calls, and information sessions

Applicants Lao PDR: 130Cambodia: 57 Vietnam: 52

Program Participants Lao PDR: 25 Cambodia: 22 Vietnam: 21


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The second-round selection of 10 winners consisted of the following eligibility criteria:

• Commitment to the peer learning program

• No direct competition within applicant pool (different sectors or different components in one value chain)

• Commercial feasibility of growth aspirations

• Ability to address learning needs

The 10 winners also received grant funding of up to $9,000 to improve their business.

Following the IC&C workshops in Cambodia and Vietnam, a number of winners were selected to receive up to $2,000 in grant funding for business improvement and to participate in the infoDev 5th Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship in South Africa in May 2013. These women were selected based on the following criteria:

• Commercial feasibility of growth aspirations

• Achievability of business expansion plan if grant funding was provided

• Understanding and confidence in utilizing and interacting in English if selected to participate in the Global Forum

3.12 ParticipantsThe 68 women entrepreneurs who took part in the three-day workshops in Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Cambodia represented a diverse range of ages, provinces, education backgrounds, and industries. All participants had a strong motivation to learn and willingness to participate, which contributed greatly to the overall energy of the workshops.

In Lao PDR, 48 percent of the finalists were between 25 and 35 years old, 32 percent were between 36 and 45, 12 percent were over 45, and 8 percent were under 25. The range of ages contributed positively to workshop dynamics, as the older, more established entrepreneurs proved to be an inspiration to the younger ones.

In both Cambodia and Vietnam, the range of participants’ ages was significant: in Vietnam, 76 percent of participants were over 35 years of age, with only 25 percent under 35. Conversely, in Cambodia, almost 80 percent of participants

were below 35 years of age. Age differences didn’t seem to represent an obstacle for the workshop dynamics or teamwork activities. It was observed that all participants interacted with each other equally, both individually and in teams, regardless of age and implicit experience of the individuals.

Workshop participants represented an assortment of businesses from different sectors, including agro-processing, auto repair, and construction supplies. In Lao PDR, the most well represented sectors included food and beverage (eight participants), beauty and health (four), and livestock (two).

The majority of participants in Vietnam were from the agriculture sector, whereas the majority in Cambodia was from the consulting and food and beverage sectors.

3.13 Workshop on Innovation, Creativity, and Competitiveness (MWEC-L, or MWEC-Light)The workshop content was based on IDEAS (Innovation Development Early Assessment System) (English 2007), a program developed by Jack English, an Australian academic focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. IDEAS is a structured process for assessing the feasibility of taking a new product to market, given the competitive business environment and associated risks. The program has been successfully implemented in Australia and several other countries, including Iran, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia.

TABLE 2: Age Breakdown of Workshop Participants

Age

Lao PDR

(n = 25)

Cambodia

(n = 22)

Vietnam

(n = 21)

< 25 48% 0% 0%

25–35 32% 68% 24%

36–45 12% 14% 19%

> 45 8% 9% 57%


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TABLE 3: Lao PDR Finalist Breakdown by Industry Sector

Finalists Company Name Industry Sector

Mary Bounthalath Vingsay Sinniyom Transportation Transportation

Maniphay Chanthalang Maniphay Furniture Furniture

Nanthida Chanthavong Savankham Brick Factory Construction

Samlarn Chanthavong LTB Plastic Manufacturing Manufacturing

Nongnut Foppes Xao Ban Group Food and beverage

Bouathip Hormchandee Thipsavang Noni Juice Food and beverage

Oneta Keophanya 2PK Restaurant Food and beverage

Daraphone Kiatsritanakorn Dala Spa Beauty and health

Chanthachone Kodsimeuang Pig Farm Agriculture

Sengmani Oupathanar Organic Rice Milk Food and beverage

Siriphone Phanthavong ECME Electrical engineering

Khamsene Phimmavong Herbal Beauty Product Group Beauty and health

Vilay Sanguantrychan Luxe Interior Design Interior design

Souksakhone Sayyasone Kanida Import-Export Health and beauty

Soudalie Silaphet Poppy’s Pharmacy Health and beauty

Manola Sisouphanthavong Lao Kitchen Food and beverage

Vannaphone Sitthirath Lao New Wave Cinema Production Media

Aluna Thavonsouk Thavonsouk Resort Hotel

Mesone Velaysane Design and Sewing Clothes Garment

Latsamy Vetsaphone Sep-ee-lee Purple Noodle Food and beverage

Phonesavanh Vilivong Le Trio Coffee Food and beverage

Somphone Vongdeuane Lao Savang Garage Auto repair

Xayalith Vongsaravanh Duck Farm Livestock

Chintakone Xaysana Thanva Ice Factory Food and beverage

Naly Yotyai Naly Rice Mill Agro-processing


15

FIGURE 4: Vietnam Finalist Participant Breakdown by Industry Sector

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

7

3 3

2

1 1 1

3

OtherICTFood and Beverage

Fashion and Health and Beauty

Sector

Vietnam (n � 22)

Agriculture

FIGURE 5: Cambodia Finalist Participant Breakdown by Industry Sector

0

2

4

6

5 5

3 3

2 2

1 1

HouseICTTourismHealth and

BeautyFashion and Food and

Sector

Cambodia (n � 21)


16

The goals of this activity were to improve participants’ understanding of important business concepts in innovation, creativity, and competitiveness (IC&C); enhance personal capacities for entrepreneurship; and build stronger networks between businesswomen. The curriculum included an adaptation of IDEAS and was designed to both foster and identify new ideas with genuine commercial merit and strategic alternatives for commercialization. IDEAS was selected due to its focus on the concepts in the three topic areas, IC&C, and as a methodology for “identifying and selecting winning business ideas.”

The workshop focused on three IDEAS concepts that were adapted to fit local context:

• Potential demand

• Market acceptance

• Competitive position

The curriculum also included the following concepts and tools:

• Entrepreneurship Self-Assessment

• 4P-4C (product and customer needs)

• Features vs. Advantages vs. Benefits (FAB)

• Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other purposes, Eliminate, Reverse (SCAMPER)

• Unique Selling Point (USP)

Based on these concepts and the IDEAS curriculum, objectives for each day of the workshop were established.

3.14 MWEC (Full Program in Lao PDR)In Lao PDR, the 10 participants who attended the full training were invited to provide a proposal to receive more follow-up support, including:

1. Participation in facilitated peer discussion groups on topics of interest (in entrepreneurship) to the group. The framework for discussion is based on the Springboard methodology that was developed and used very effectively by other enterprise development agencies and governments in Australia.4

4 www.creedaprojects.com.au.

2. Attendance in workshops and seminars delivered by experts on subject matter in entrepreneurship. Important topics included financial management, accounting, marketing and branding, exporting, and so on.

3. One-on-one tailored coaching support.

4. Self-actualization coaching for confidence and resilience building.5

In addition to the above, a grant of up to $9,000 was provided to each participant in order to improve some aspect of her business, for example, capital equipment, business software systems, consultancy support, and so on. The follow-up component in Lao PDR consisted of the subsequent modules:

• Three-and-a-half-day peer learning and facilitated discussions with a focus on marketing, finance, and accounting, covering two modules per day

• Two-and-half-day workshops on financial management and marketing

• Two “motivational” lunches, each having a successful Lao woman entrepreneur as a guest speaker

• One-on-one coaching sessions provided by the project implementation team to address individual needs

5 Such coaching had formed an integral part of the FEMTECH Experiential Training Program that was developed by South African FEMTECH (Pty) Ltd. and delivered successfully to women entrepreneurs in South Africa, and which was very highly rated by the participants.

TABLE 4: Objectives of Three-day Workshop (see appendix C for further breakdown of content)

Workshop

Day

Objectives

1 • Building trust and relationships• Developing creative and innovative

ideas

2 • Understanding basic marketing• Understanding competitiveness

3 • Developing business proposals• Developing presentation skills


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3.15 Peer LearningIn Lao PDR, the 10 winners participated in a series of facilitated peer learning sessions that focused on topics including SWOT analyses; market assessments and marketing; resource management and budgeting; time management and lifestyle choices; financial benchmarking; network and joint venture formation; financing; and quality development.

As per the Springboard methodology (see appendix B), these topics were selected by the participants themselves based on a range of topics offered. The facilitator introduced and facilitated each respective topic and discussion.

The original methodology for peer learning sessions allows for a period of approximately two to four weeks in between sessions, enabling participants to digest and apply the learning from each session. However, given a number of time- and budget-related constraints, the methodology was adapted and the sessions (two per day) were offered back-to-back over a period of three and a half days or over 16 hours. Even though the peer learning was appreciated by participants, this structure was not successful: it did not allow time for reflection and implementation in between sessions and required participants to be away from their businesses for too long.

3.16 Additional WorkshopsBased on the articulated needs of the participants in the peer learning sessions, two additional

workshops were developed that focused on the basics of finance and accounting and general marketing concepts. The accounting and finance workshop exposed participants to new ways of making their current financial and accounting systems more efficient and effective for quality decision making. It covered cash flow, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and basic pricing models for products. The marketing workshop focused on strengthening the participants’ existing knowledge and introducing new concepts (for example, digital marketing) to help them expand their business. Other topics included addressing core marketing concepts and the need for data-driven decisions in product evolution and marketing.

3.17 Motivational LunchesThe project implementation team developed a series of lunches with successful women entrepreneurs as speakers to share their knowledge and experience with the participants.

The invited speakers were role models who had already attained success in the same environment as the winners, and could inspire the participants by sharing their entrepreneurial journey. This was conducted in an informal environment where information exchange and sharing was encouraged.

3.18 Individual Business CoachingThe project implementation team also provided one-on-one coaching to the 10 participants. Each winner received three days of additional coaching. This enabled the implementation team to work directly with the entrepreneurs to review the current state of their businesses, conduct a brief analysis of the current and future product market, and review their activity plans. This enabled the implementation team to advise on how to best utilize the grant funding given to the entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs’ plans were thus aligned with the disbursement of the additional grant funding, managed by the project implementation team.

Objectives of Peer Learning Sessions

• Provide locally contextualized background information and knowledge that will stimulate discussion and development of ideas.

• Offer an environment in which participants are able to share knowledge, take risks, and provide each other with support and feedback.

• Support participants in identifying and resourcing individual and group development needs.

• Encourage reflective learning by using personal experience as an ongoing case study.

• Offer knowledge of local, regional, or national resources to support the development process.

• Encourage the development of networks that will survive the program.


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The theory of change behind the program design is to enable growth-oriented entrepreneurs to learn in a more advantageous context, leading to improved business performance and investment. True entrepreneurs learn best from their peers—other entrepreneurs with whom they have a trusting relationship—by means of sharing practical, real-world experiences to improve confidence, risk taking, and business management capabilities.

Overall, the MWEC program and MWEC-L benefited the participants in all three countries. Positive media attention raised public awareness of the workshops, the participants, and their businesses, which participants believe has helped them to grow their revenues. Based on pre- and post-surveys administered to the participants, feedback indicates that the IC&C workshops met objectives in terms of developing creative and innovative ideas, building trust and relationships, and increasing confidence levels by providing relevant business information and knowledge.

Ninety-six percent of Lao participants felt that their networks with women were stronger to significantly stronger post-workshop, compared to 76 percent who rated their networks as average to weak prior to the workshop. All participants in Cambodia and Vietnam rated their business networks as strong or significantly stronger following the workshop. This is highly significant in a region where networking outside of close family and friends is limited. The sharing and learning continues to date, in both formal and informal aspects.

In Lao PDR, 84 percent of participants said they have thought about producing new products and services or accessing new markets since the

workshop ended. All Vietnamese participants and 90 percent of Cambodian participants indicated similar changes in thinking.

Throughout the program, ideas were clarified, new products developed, and, most important, the women finalized focused plans for improvement rather than more general plans for attempting a variety of endeavors. All the participants who completed the program are positioned to be more competitive in the marketplace without reducing their prices, as shown by the growth plan summaries in appendix F and in feedback from the business coaches. Fundamentally, the program helped the women understand and fill gaps in their business knowledge and determine a clear focus to move forward. For example, the participants requested an accounting workshop once they realized they lacked knowledge in this key area. All the women benefited from the workshop and keep coming back to the project implementation team for continued support.

4.1 Initial Outputs and OutcomesThe following data covers the period up to November 2013.

Over the next two to three years, the expectation is that revenues, jobs, and investment will increase as a result of the program, once participants have implemented the growth plans summarized in appendix F. To date, most of the participants report tangible improvement to their businesses. This starts with the positive media associated with the full program in all three countries and reports of increased revenues in a number of the businesses. A number of case studies illustrate the emerging impact of the program, and the Lao PDR business expansion plan summaries show how the program helped refine expansion plans and report initial progress toward these plans.

4 The Effectiveness of MWEC


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TABLE 5: Initial Results

Initial Results

Marketing and selection Reach: approximately 1,000 women

via Facebook and other social media platforms, email blasts, partners, cold calls, and information sessions

Applicants Lao PDR: 130Cambodia: 57 Vietnam: 52

Program Participants Lao PDR: 25 Cambodia: 22 Vietnam: 21

Outcomes $ Amount of contracts secured by women entrepreneurs:

Approximately US$2 million secured by 10 women; revenue leverage of 8.8 compared to the cost of running the program

# Customers secured by women entrepreneurs:

Over 2,000 secured by 10 women

Dollar amount of investment secured by women entrepreneurs:

Approximately US$400,000; investment leverage of 1.76 compared to the cost of running the program

15 new direct jobs and 40 indirect

10 new jobs created for women


20

The following section reviews the overall program results and provides lessons learned for future program implementation as well as for policy makers, donors, and other interested stakeholders.

Program improvements are largely related to organization and delivery, as indicated by the participant feedback surveys, advice from the facilitators, and feedback from the implementation team. The program lends itself to a modular approach, with the IC&C workshop and peer learning sessions as core modules, complemented by entrepreneur guest speakers, technical seminars to address particular needs arising in the peer learning, and one-on-one coaching as outlined below.

Initially, the program was designed as a sequential set of modules, as shown in the diagram on the next page.

However, the technical seminars and entrepreneur lunches should be interspersed with the peer learning so participants can apply and discuss

lessons and the challenges with implementation. One-on-one coaching can be implemented at the completion of the other modules, or it can be interspersed with peer learning on a case-by-case basis.

Each element can be managed as a stand-alone activity, but without the peer learning sessions the IC&C workshops have less impact, and both have less impact without relevant technical seminars, entrepreneur talks, and one-on-one coaching.

5.1 Positioning for Growth-oriented Existing EntrepreneursFocusing on growth-oriented existing businesses addressed a gap in the market in all three countries. However, it is more easily observed in Lao PDR, where the full program was offered. Existing interventions tend to focus on new starts and microbusiness development, as is the case in most countries. An example would be the business plan competitions of the World Bank Adolescent Girls Initiative–STEPS program and microbusiness development services provided by the government of Lao PDR’s Department of SME Promotion (DoSMEP).

5 Program Lessons

and

andOne-on-One


21

Mekong Women’sEntrepreneurship Challenge Project

Workshop on

PeerLearning

1 to 1Coaching

Seminars

Workshops

Compared to microbusiness development, the MWEC program can only ever aspire to assist a relatively small number of people. DoSMEP have trained thousands with their business development programs, whereas MWEC only assisted 25 in Lao PDR, and of these only 10 were selected for the full program. It should be noted that only a small percentage of small and medium-size entrepreneurs are considered growth oriented,6 typically the 3 to 5 percent who are gazelles.

For similar reasons, focusing on new start-ups, typically with students who risk unemployment, attracts large numbers of participants, many of

6 GEM 2004 estimated 3 percent, while other research has noted that it may be as high as 10 percent; microbusinesses in all countries is approximately 90 percent.

whom will not proceed and who then risk failure. Research typically shows that entrepreneurs who grow businesses have prior work experience (IADB 2002) and, more controversially, that far better impacts are achieved by focusing interventions on the small percentage of existing growth-oriented businesses.7 In the end, it is not a question of one approach or the other but of both approaches in a well-functioning innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

7 Economic gardening, which first started in Littleton, Colorado, found that focusing on the 3 to 5 percent of gazelles produces far better impacts and outcomes than more generic approaches and has since rippled around the world (http://growinglocaleconomies.com/economic_gardening). More recently, NESTA found that 6 percent of companies generate more than 50 percent of the employment in the United Kingdom (NESTA 2009).


22

Implementers need to be prepared to champion the focus on existing growth-oriented companies, as opposed to new starts and microbusinesses. A need to raise awareness to other ecosystem players about this focus is important for development and business growth.

5.2 Marketing and PromotionWhile marketing and promotion of the program were successful in all three countries, they are dependent on the drive of program implementers and any implementation partners. To find genuine growth-oriented entrepreneurs is a matter of proactive direct marketing, or as noted by the project implementation team, a “foot-soldier move.” There is a demonstrated need to liaise with chamber associations, sector associations, or other government and nongovernmental organizations to tap into existing networks. Follow-up targeted sessions providing presentations and individual coaching for application submission are also vital.

As no control group was established prior to program commencement, it is difficult to assess the benefit to those applicants who were not selected. However, simply answering questions not customarily asked of these entrepreneurs via the application process may have provided a benefit to the entrepreneur’s business and plans for growth. This has been noted by the project implementation team in Lao PDR and was echoed in Vietnam, where the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), found the design of the questions in the application form “very useful and intelligent.” All advance teams in search of applicants for the program noted the benefit of meeting applicants prior to making a decision, rather than just reading the application itself.

Local partners with exceptional, unique, and broad networks as well as the necessary resources are vital to finding and selecting growth-oriented entrepreneurs, for which direct marketing and one-on-one sessions with applicants are fundamental. Mass media advertising might work for generic start-ups, but it is inadequate for selecting the minute percentage of growth-oriented enterprises, as opposed to the mass of microentrepreneurs.

5.3 Selection Process and CriteriaThe goal of the selection process was to select existing growth-oriented women entrepreneurs with realistic growth plans. This was achieved in all three countries. In Lao PDR, the first tier of selection was to choose 25 participants for the IC&C workshop out of 130 applicants, and then to select 10 participants for the remainder of the program. In Vietnam and Cambodia, only the workshop was offered, resulting in only one round of selection. A number of lessons and observations emerged in this process.

Stratification by education and age. In Lao PDR, the participants naturally broke into two groups: (1) those with better education, often younger, and with international experience based in the capital city of Vientiane; and (2) older participants with less education not based in Vientiane. Those with less education appeared more reticent in the presence of their better educated peers and did not share as freely. Sometimes the pace of the group was constrained by those who lacked wider education and exposure. The participants with better education and international exposure talked more easily in groups and might, at face value, be considered to be more entrepreneurial and growth oriented, but it was not, in fact, the case. Those based in Vientiane found it easier to network together and continue to network, whereas it proved more difficult for those from regional areas. On the other hand, the cross-pollination between the two groups was beneficial and mutually appreciated.

Supporting participants from higher income

groups. Inevitably, in selecting growth-oriented entrepreneurs on the merit of their growth plans in less developed economies such as Lao PDR, a bias can exist toward those from higher income levels, unless means testing is included as criteria. Put simply, applicants with better education, international exposure, and support from their families and assets can sometimes be in a better position to grow their business. This may lead to questions about supporting populations who are less in need of help than others through such programs. In Lao PDR, where the project implementation team raised these issues, the selection resulted in a mixture of participants from all income levels.


23

Winners and losers. In Lao PDR, 25 people attended the IC&C workshop, with 10 finalists selected for further intervention, unwittingly creating two groups of winners and losers. At times the networking broke down following this segmentation. In retrospect, it would have been beneficial to continue the full intervention for all 25 initial participants, creating two groups for peer learning, for which the maximum in any one group is around 12 people and the minimum around 7, for the personal dynamics to work properly.

One tier, not two, of selection. If the full program is to be offered, as in Lao PDR, then it will be less divisive, simpler, and more efficient to conduct only one selection for the workshop and not have a second round of selection for the remainder of the program. Participants would still rework and resubmit their growth plans after the workshop, but all would continue through the remainder of the program.

Composition of peer learning groups. The issues mentioned above, specifically regarding the divide between those with higher education levels and international exposure, can be addressed by careful attention to the composition of the peer learning groups and good facilitation, encouraging cross-fertilization and easy networking. Geographic segmentation is also important, and, in retrospect, it would have been constructive to have one peer learning group for those from the capital city and a second group for participants from the outskirts, and for the two groups to come together from time to time. Knowledge gained about the participants and their businesses during the workshop gives organizers invaluable information for formation of the peer learning groups. Based on the information gleaned from the participants, the learning groups can be structured to ensure a diversity of skills, type of business, personality types, and lack of direct competition in order for the entrepreneurs to meet and engage together relatively easily.

5.4 Grant FundingFollowing the three-day workshops, participants were asked to submit a second-round application form, from which winners were selected. In Vietnam and Cambodia, 10 winners received the following:

• Five participants received $2,000 cash prizes to improve and expand their businesses.

• Five participants attended the infoDev 5th Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship in South Africa, held in May 2013.

In Lao PDR, 10 winners were selected to participate in a series of other follow-up activities, in addition to receiving a grant of up to $9,000.

Post-program evaluations clearly show that grant funding was not the main benefit and motivator, compared to the networking and learning. A guest speaker for the program and a successful woman entrepreneur encapsulated the drawbacks of these types of funding. Cash funding/grants can distort thinking and objectives, with a project-by-project and dependency mentality, rather than encouraging entrepreneurs to focus on the sustainability of their business. Moreover, in some cases the cash funding proved insufficient for participants with much larger businesses or from higher levels of income.

Follow-up support as a prize. Rather than cash prizes, participants should pitch for follow-up support and technical assistance, which may be donated by sponsors or provided as an investment from third parties in locations where this is a realistic option. This preserves the benefit of pitching and avoids perceptions that grant funding may have different impacts based on income levels. It also focuses participants on developing their business rather than winning grants/funding. As such, pitching for ongoing support should be incorporated after the peer learning.

It is still an option to use the program and provide grant funding, noting that it be linked to specific business growth activities, mutually agreed between the winner and the organizer, but recognizing the perceptions that may result as discussed above.

5.5 Innovation, Creativity, and Competitiveness WorkshopAs noted in the survey data, the IC&C workshops achieved the targeted objectives of building networks, trust, and relationships for peer learning; improving thoughts about innovation and competitiveness; developing creative and innovative ideas; and building and increasing confidence levels by providing relevant business information and knowledge. The workshops’ success was due largely to the level of trust among


24

participants, the dynamic facilitators who spoke the local language, the implementation team, and the adaptation of concepts and materials to fit cultural context and participant needs. As noted by one facilitator, it is “the departure point to open peoples’ minds . . . the starting point for learning and business planning.” The workshops had both business and personal development impacts, as shown by the participant quotes below.

Quotes illustrating the personal benefit:

• “Confidence—how to present myself, how to talk about my business and to define myself.”

• “Confidence—public speaking.”

• “Gave me the confidence to make a decision to grow my business through shifting to training, advice, and supply of materials. . . . and now I’m excited.”

• “Inspired me, opened my mind to business, motivated me to run the business, and be with the business more—gave the starting point.”

• “Helped organize my brain.”

The results regarding improvement in participant confidence are noteworthy, as shown by the post-workshop rating for Vietnam participants, which was similar for both Lao PDR and Cambodia.

Quotes illustrating the business benefit:

• “All the activities were meaningful in themselves, for example, team cooperation and focus—goal focus.”

• “Now more focused and not trying to sell to everyone—better product definition and customer targeting.”

• “Helped me see the opportunities to employ and help more people.”

Quotes illustrating the networking benefit:

• “Networking was great.”

• “Most important to meet real people who are successful and to learn from them.”

• “Amazing to get to know all of these talented hard working women. . . . inspired me to realize the capacity I have and to learn more, through connections with these guys.”

• “Made us realize what networking is like, without jumping into the big text book.”

• “Got to learn and think and reflect from others.”

In Lao PDR, 96 percent of participants stated that their networks with women entrepreneurs were stronger to significantly stronger post-workshop, and in Cambodia and Vietnam the ratings were similar. Prior to the workshop, 76 percent rated their networks as average to weak. Moreover, networking was the top reason why participants said they would recommend the workshop to other women entrepreneurs.

The Participant Centered Training (PCT) techniques employed in the workshops by facilitators was a feature that needs to be retained.

FIGURE 6: Participant Confi dence Levels

0

20

40

60

0 0

5

52

43

10

30

50

higherHigherLower


25

It was new to most people and very highly appreciated.

Reduce content. Even though the workshop was successful, exit surveys noted that it was too crammed with content and aimed to accomplish too many objectives during a small period of time. Content should be adapted to local markets. For example, in the Mekong the content on external risk and competitor analysis was too advanced for participants. In addition, participants may not have the necessary data for analysis and synthesis of these topics.

Reduce the length of the workshop. Three days was simply too much for entrepreneurs with hectic businesses. Many women entrepreneurs found it difficult to block out large chunks of time from their day-to-day business activity. However, most realized that the same impact would not be achieved with only a couple of hours per day spread over weeks. The third day of the workshop was set aside for participants to work on growth plans, largely on their own, and with assistance from the facilitator. This component does not need to be offered as a part of the workshop itself, which can then be accommodated in two days.

5.6 FacilitatorsAll participants in the IC&C workshops provided positive feedback on the facilitators. To succeed with the workshop and the peer learning,

the facilitators need to combine skill sets as mentioned in the earlier section.

Training of trainers needs to include PCT training

as well as the content of the program. Facilitators need to be carefully chosen for their experience working with growth-oriented entrepreneurs and their capabilities as trainers and facilitators. They should speak the local language and have an understanding of the local environment. Trainers should undergo a train-the-trainer process to ensure the relevant PCT skills are acquired and they are well versed with the training material.

5.7 Peer LearningIn Lao PDR, the 10 winners participated in a series of facilitated peer learning sessions focused on topics including SWOT analysis; market assessment and marketing; resource management and budgeting; and time management and lifestyle choices. The peer learning adapted the Springboard Business Growth Program methodology and was conducted in one three-day block (though the initial design suggests a spread of seven two- to three-hour sessions over a longer period). This structure was not successful, as it did not allow time for reflection and implementation between sessions and required participants to be away from their businesses for too long.

Nonetheless, the style of facilitated peer learning around particular topics was valued

FIGURE 7: Participant Network Strength

0

20

40

80

0 04

68

28

60

Network strength


26

and appreciated. The women learned from each other, appreciated the networking, and in some cases proffered a venue for further business opportunities.

The majority of participants agreed that the group was supportive, the content and information was applicable to their business, and that peer learning significantly changed how they observed their business and what they do in their business.

The majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed with a variety of statements about the peer learning program, including the fact that it confirmed participants’ thinking (giving them the confidence of their decisions) and provided practical ideas that could be applied in their businesses (see appendix F for breakdown).

Multiple sessions not all in a block. The project implementation team, participants, and the facilitator all agreed that the peer learning should be spread out over at least four to five days in two- to three-hour sessions, with time in between for reflection and to apply the learning to the business. The participants should determine the frequency of meetings with their facilitator.

Sessions 1 and 2 are not required. Given that peer learning follows the IC&C workshop, the first two sessions outlined in the Springboard Business Growth Program manual—Introduction & Networking and Mickey Mouse or Mini Empire (commitment to growth and competitiveness)—are redundant.

Retain flexibility with the content. Recognizing that the needs of participants will vary with time and location of the program, the content addressed in the peer learning session should be decided by the participants, using the topics in the manual as a guide.

Use local facilitators. In order to have regular two- to three-hour sessions, local facilitators should be used and trained accordingly in a train-the-trainer program. It is also essential to use local facilitators so that local conditions are immediately understood.

Interweave technical seminars and entrepreneur

talks. Rather than adopting a linear approach with technical seminars and entrepreneur talks scheduled after the peer learning sessions, these components should be interwoven with the peer learning, as and when needs arise. This will enrich

learning and discussion about how learning is implemented and challenges overcome.

Improve communication between sessions

and after the program. The momentum of peer learning will be sustained with clear, structured communication channels for participant use following the peer learning sessions. Even though networking and communication will be improved by spreading the peer learning out over a longer period of time, improved communication between sessions and after the program will be a valuable enhancement. The program should make provisions for formal facilitation of the communication process.

5.8 Business SeminarsTechnical seminars were organized in response to needs expressed by participants in the peer learning. Two seminars were held covering marketing and accounting. The accounting workshop, “Finance for Non-finance Managers,” was timely and very beneficial, according to participant feedback. It helped them understand the gaps in their knowledge, the importance of good financial management, and left them wanting to learn more. After the workshop, 100 percent of participants ranked their knowledge of accounting and finance as higher to significantly higher, as shown on the right.

For some participants the session was too short. For others, templates proved useful, although the support needed is often more specific than can be provided in templates. For example, one entrepreneur coped well with the cash flows of her business but struggled with stock, wholesale, and debtor problems. For others, the workshop convinced them to hire an accountant for their businesses so that they can focus on the business itself.

Following the marketing workshop, the majority of participants said the workshop encouraged them to think outside the box in terms of their marketing strategy and approach, and most planned to change their strategy as shown in the chart on the right.

Feedback from participants to the facilitators and organizers indicates participants seek practical tools for marketing, especially to validate the market for new products and services.


27

FIGURE 8: Accounting Knowledge of Participants

80%

20%

FIGURE 9: Marketing Strategies of Participants

87%

13%

YesNo

The initial design involved a personal development module to reinforce the idea that entrepreneurship is as much about personal development of the entrepreneur—to develop their personal resilience, leadership, and other entrepreneurial characteristics—as it is about technical business development.

Participants often noted that the current program gave them confidence, and in Vietnam leadership development was noted as a necessary improvement. This supports the argument for more content to help individuals develop these personal characteristics. Accordingly, an optional personal development workshop module is warranted.

Combine sessions with one-on-one coaching. To obtain the most impact from accounting and

other technical workshops, the ideal methodology is to provide individual consulting support to each entrepreneur following the workshop, to demonstrate to participants how methodology can be implemented.

Interweave with peer learning sessions. Particular topics such as accounting or aspects of marketing will almost always arise in peer learning sessions. If the peer learning sessions are spread out as recommended, then technical seminars can be interwoven to address chosen topics in detail, which can be used for further reflection and discussion about what each business is doing in practice.

Personal development workshop module. A personal development module should be developed and included in the standard material. In countries where self-reflection is not a norm, the inclusion of this module may be optional.

Market validation workshop module. Participants seek concrete tools to assess the market for new products and services. Learning from The Lean Start Up,8 If You Build It Will They Come,9 IC2 Advanced Commercialization Training,10 and other similar methodologies for market validation, a specific workshop module on market validation can be developed. These methodologies are transforming the start-up and business development landscape, for which market validation is now considered to be far more important than market research or business planning.

5.9 Entrepreneur TalksLearning from successful women entrepreneurs in an informal setting was highly valued by the participants. In Lao PDR, the two speakers had memorable experiences to share, gave clear explanations, and were inspirational. One hundred percent of the participants recommended inviting the speakers back again.

Successful entrepreneur talks in informal settings should be offered as a core component of the program.

8 http://theleanstartup.com/.9 http://drrobadams.com/books/.10 http://ic2.utexas.edu/education/act/.


28

5.10 One-on-One CoachingA benefit for the participants was access to experienced business consultants to review and discuss their expansion plan and their overall business. Each entrepreneur received three days of one-on-one support, with review and analysis of their business and market, in-person discussions, and development of a focused plan on an area of concentration. This helped participants refine and implement their growth plans. Generally, coaching focused on marketing, distribution, or accounting, which were the main knowledge gaps.

Feedback from the entrepreneurs and organizers, as well as analysis of business expansion plans, indicate that one-on-one coaching was valuable, helping the participants to apply concepts that they learned earlier in the program. The majority of participants updated and changed their business expansion plans. Examples range from shifting focus from exporting to domestic markets, to focusing on developing distribution channels for new products.

An indirect outcome of the coaching among most of the participants is awareness of where help is needed and a willingness to pay for professional assistance. Some participants may need coaching from individuals with very specific industry expertise.

One-on-one coaching is clearly valuable, although how much can be provided is constrained by

resources. Longer engagement will be more beneficial and should be incorporated when budgets permit.

5.11 NetworkingNetworking, facilitated through activities as well as the associated sharing and peer learning, was one of the most important benefits reported by participants. The facilitators observed levels of trust develop while participants helped each other and introduced others to their own personal networks. After changing mental frameworks and learning about new tools to help grow their business, participants require a network of their peers to apply what they have learned and to help cope with similar challenges.

Participants all expressed a willingness to share knowledge and in some cases even their financial information. Even though some networking continues without facilitation, both informally and formally, this aspect can be improved. Participants and the project implementation team believe that independent facilitation and organization is required to keep up momentum and maintain the networks.

Peer learning sessions. By dispersing the peer learning component, networking will have more time to take root in a culture where networking outside of family and friends is not the norm.


30

6.1 Budget and Cost-EffectivenessWhile a number of similar programs currently exist, this pilot program aimed to consider how similar programs could be run in other countries or regions and whether they can be sustainable. Although the first iteration of these types of programs may require injections of funding from donors, governments, the private sector, or other interested stakeholders, often the costs diminish

over longer periods of time with fixed costs such as program management fees, training materials, and some operational costs remaining stable.

The program was delivered in all three countries for $430,225. The cost to run the full program version in Lao PDR was $226,000.

It is too early to consider the cost-effectiveness of business impacts from the program, although these figures will be tracked over time. The following figures look at the cost per participant for the various components as well as the program as a whole in Lao PDR.

6 Program Costs and Sustainability

MWEC Lao PDR Cost Item

Duration

(days)

No. of

Participants

Cost

(US$)

Cost per

Participant

Cumulative

Cost per

Participant

Marketing 15 133 18,000 135 135

Workshop on Innovation,

Creativity, and

Competitiveness

3 25 15,000 600 735

Peer Learning 3 10 12,000 1,200 1,935

One-on-one Coaching 3 10 11,000 1,100 3,035

Workshops and Guest

Speakers 6 10 5,000 500 3,535

Subtotal 61,000 3,535

MWEC Lao PDR Cost Item

No. of

participants Cost (US$)

Project Implementation Team Fees 35,000

Activities, Implementation, and Operational

Expenses

40,000

Subtotal 75,000

Full Cost for Participants 61,000

Total 10 136,000

Grant Funding 10 90,000


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Direct costs for the full program are in the order of $3,535 per participant ($735 for the workshop alone), excluding grant funding for prizes and organizational costs.

6.2 Sustainability The changes recommended earlier, in particular, allowing all 25 participants to continue on after the IC&C workshop to peer learning, coaching, and other workshops, will make the program more cost-effective, even allowing for an increase in personal coaching time.

Variables to the program costs are outlined above.

6.3 Charging FeesFeedback from the participants in Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Cambodia indicates some preparedness to pay for the program, even though this is not the norm and many other programs are fully supported by donors. Payment by participants is sometimes used as a mechanism to ensure attendance and completion. However, even without payment 100 percent of MWEC participants completed the program without any dropouts.

In Lao PDR, 92 percent said they would be willing to pay for the training. The overwhelming response in Vietnam and Cambodia was positive; however, 11 percent of participants from Vietnam and

Cost decreasing measures ↓

• Use previous marketing materials• Leverage only the most cost-effective channels• Exploit the success and popularity of previous editions• Use volunteers for screening and selection

MWEC marketing • Program already set up and designed• Know-how and expertise gained • Economies of scope • Use volunteers for activities management

Program management fee

• Materials available tailored to local reality and business environment • Gained expertise in most cost-effective mechanism for successfully running the program

Activities implementation and operational expenses

• Switch program focus from grant funding toward education and networking

Participant grant funding

• Use materials from previous editions• Training of trainers

IC&C workshop • Use materials from previous editions, remove least useful sessions (according to previous edition participants’ feedback)

• Training of trainers

Peer learning • One-on-one coaching on a pro bono basis

One-on-one coaching

• Use previous edition participants as guest speakers• Restaurant-sponsored lunches• Local university and private sector involvement, rather than professionals, as workshop

speakers


32

29 percent from Cambodia said that they would not be willing to pay for training.

In Lao PDR, when asked how much they would be willing to pay, participants gave several different answers, as this was a free response question. The most common response was $12.50 or about 100,000 Lao kip for training similar to the workshop.

The hypothetical amount participants stated that they would be willing to pay would cover approximately 15 percent of the total expenses incurred to run the workshops (for example, logistics, facilitator, translation), excluding organizational and management costs.

While participants are prepared to pay modest fees (estimated at 15 percent of costs), and payment validates value-add and commitment, this is insufficient to cover all the costs in a market like Lao PDR, where such services are donor-supported and paying for this type of support is not the norm. However, it must be noted that sponsors might not want to have participants pay, fearing the potential negative impact this might have on their brands.

Recommendation:

A program such as MWEC will be dependent on some level of sponsorship, most often at the onset of the program. Although the participants should be charged an affordable fee to ensure their commitment by the associated value-add, it is highly unlikely that this fee would cover the overhead component. Hence, it is important to identify local ownership of the program up front, for example, through potential sponsorship or donor funding. These program funders should be engaged actively throughout the process so that they are witness to the rollout and impact of the program, resulting in their continued buy-in. The identification of any potential funders should, therefore, be an activity at the start of the program, such that by the delivery of the first workshop there is a committed sponsor who is willing to continue supporting the program and ensure its longevity.

6.4 Selection of a Local Implementing PartnerAnother important element of sustainability is the selection of the implementation partner. The partner should ideally be a local organization with

a good track record in supporting and growing enterprises. In most cases, the preference would be an entrepreneur-led organization from the private sector, as this would encourage relevance (effective coaches who have experience in running their own businesses), rapid response times, and the sharing of good business practices.

Building sustainable capacity in a local organization is important for continuity, and given that employees are very mobile, a partner should be selected that intends for this to become one of its core offerings. In this way, there should be adequate resource planning and allocation, as well as a knowledge base retained and grown within the organization.

Similarly, a core of trainers should be capacitated in the country to deliver future training. A train-the-trainer component should be included, where local trainers are selected, trained, and endorsed to deliver the IC&C workshop and thereafter monitored. This not only strengthens and builds local capacity, but also should ensure that the material remains relevant for the local environment.

6.5 Creating an Alumni NetworkPrevious participants’ involvement as alumni is key to the successful implementation of the program. Winners from earlier editions can be the best ambassadors for subsequent editions, providing a potential source of applicants through their networks, and their involvement can also be one of the most valuable assets for program management.

In order to guarantee previous winners’ involvement, a program committee should be established. The program committee serves as the official representative to external stakeholders and supervises the implementation of the program. Selected winners sit on the program committee as board members. In order to minimize the time commitment required from these members, the program committee only has facilitating and supervising powers. Board members meet once a month or every two months for monitoring and evaluating the status of each activity. Previous edition winners can also be involved as guest speakers during workshops on entrepreneurship and as hosts of networking events.


33

Five Areas to Consider Prior to Program

Implementation

A number of points need to be considered prior to adaption and implementation of the workshop:

• Type of Entrepreneur

The workshop should focus on the small proportion of entrepreneurs who are growth oriented, typically only 3 to 10 percent of all entrepreneurs. It may be important to learn more about the target market where the program is to be implemented, with surveys and focus groups that can be integrated with marketing and service delivery.

• Target Sectors

The workshop may or may not take a sector focus, but it needs to focus on those businesses and sectors that can be globally competitive if people are to grow profitable and viable businesses. If the workshop focuses on a particular sector, any direct competitors need to be handled very carefully to encourage development of trust and sharing, either by having direct competitors in separate groups or by avoiding direct competitors all together. So long as participants operate in different market segments, varied supply chains, or with different product or service offerings, competition should not be an issue, and sharing can be richer and deeper as participants realize how they may complement each other.

• Program Implementers

The project implementation team for the workshop is one of the most important success factors. Typically this is an organization or firm with excellent private sector and business development experience and expansive networks. The team should understand innovation and competitiveness and should be at ease with the workshop content. The implementation team should also be able to go back to their networks to select growth-oriented entrepreneurs, a process that will require much hand-holding beyond direct marketing and advertising.

• Program Facilitator

The program will need to engage a specialist facilitator to lead the workshop. Facilitators need to be carefully chosen for their experience working with growth-oriented entrepreneurs, business incubation, private sector experience,

and their capabilities as trainers and facilitators. They should speak the local language and have an understanding of the local environment. Trainers should undergo a train-the-trainer process to ensure the relevant Participant Centered Training (PCT) skills are acquired and they are well versed with the training material. The balance of PCT skills should be carefully screened. A facilitator with weak PCT skills is likely to end up lecturing, and a facilitator with strong PCT skills, but without real-world experience with the content, may be able to engage participants, but that facilitator will rely upon them too much for content learning and will not be able to lead discussions effectively.

• Budgets and/or Funding

To ensure the sustainability of the program and to ascertain that the relevant results are achieved, a budget should be structured and funding set aside to reach target indicators.

Mentoring

infoDev’s Business Incubator Manager Training introduces mentoring as follows: “Mentoring is developmental. It’s about building and strengthening the key business asset: people. As such, mentoring is defined as an educational process in which the mentor serves as a role model, trusted counselor or teacher, providing opportunities for professional development, growth and support to less experienced individuals. A mentor may give information, encouragement and advice to individuals as they plan and grow their businesses. The mentor is typically a person of greater experience and seniority in the field the mentee is entering. This person acts as teacher, sponsor, counselor, developer of skills and intellect, host, guide, exemplar and one who supports and facilitates the realization of the mentee’s dream.”

The MWEC program did not involve traditional one-to-one mentoring, but in its peer learning and networking activities it is an example of group mentoring, whereby the group of entrepreneurs mentored each other, with the assistance of a facilitator. Feedback from the women entrepreneurs reinforces the importance of the main aspects of mentoring noted above. Trust is critical and was clearly developed among the participants allowing them to share openly and honestly. The process helped develop the participants personally, improving their self-


34

reflection, awareness and confidence, and business acumen, as illustrated by the following participant quotes:

• “Amazing to get to know all of these talented hard working women . . . inspired me to realize the capacity I have and to learn more, through connections with these guys.”

• “Inspired me, opened my mind to business, motivated me to run the business and be with the business more—gave the starting point.”

• “Confidence—how to present myself, how to talk about my business and to define myself.”

Some participants were more experienced than others and some knew more about particular topics than others. As such, those with more experience, or knowledge about a topic, were able to help those who were less experienced, noting all participants expressed benefit, irrespective of their experience. In the unlikely event that all participants in a group are equally inexperienced, there is a danger that the blind may lead the blind, sharing poor business practices. As such, an experienced facilitator is crucial to guide the process and ensure sharing of good as opposed to poor practices. Another way to mitigate the risk is to ensure groups have a diversity of experience and skills among the participants.

Traditional mentoring, revolving around a one-to-one relationship, is resource intensive, in terms of valuable mentor and mentee time. Compared to traditional mentoring, the group mentoring inherent in the MWEC program is far less resource intensive, requiring only one facilitator to guide the process of entrepreneurs helping each other.

In the end, entrepreneurs learn best from other entrepreneurs and mentoring is a powerful tool. One option is traditional mentoring, which matches a seasoned entrepreneur with a less seasoned entrepreneur, for a lasting one-to-one relationship. MWEC shows that another less costly option is facilitated group mentoring.

Women’s Entrepreneurship Program

Comparisons

At the core of the MWEC program is peer learning and network development, which distinguishes it from other similar programs. As shown in the table below, other programs focus on business management education, supplemented by mentoring, network development, and finance. MWEC is subtly different in that peer learning and networking are at the core, supplemented by business management education, coaching, and finance.

MWEC Goldman Sachs

IFC Business Edge

(no gender focus)

Network development ✓Core program ✓ ✓

Mentoring (one-to-one) ✓Faculty

Peer learning (group mentoring) ✓Core program

Business management education (technical seminars/workshops)

✓Supplements peer learning, networking and coaching

✓Core program ✓Core program

Entrepreneur talks ✓ ✓Training takes place in renowned business schools

✓

Coaching ✓

Finance ✓Prize ✓Under development with IFC

✓


36

Appendix A: Complementarity with STEPS

In Lao PDR, the Supporting Talent, Entrepreneurial Potential, and Success program, or STEPS, was also in implementation through the World Bank Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI). It was funded by the World Bank and Australian Aid in the amount of $400,000. The program was implemented over a two-year period in 2011 and 2012 in three provincial cities: Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang, and Pakse. STEPS was a competition designed to promote entrepreneurship among women with ideas for starting businesses. The STEPS approach achieved its intended goals of promoting entrepreneurship across a wide range of the population, particularly among youth and women. STEPS used a business plan competition method to promote new ideas and excitement about entrepreneurship. To maximize success, the winners received seed grants of up to $5,000 and mentorship support from the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Lao PDR to turn their business ideas into reality. STEPS invested resources to inspire and promote entrepreneurship in the overall market, partnering with civil society and government stakeholders to conduct its activities.

STEPS entailed three components:

1. Fostering a culture of youth entrepreneurship, especially in women, using a “marketplace” model that identifies strong business ideas and supports young entrepreneurs with business skills training, mentorship, and seed grants.

2. Providing unemployed and recently graduated young women and men with employment services, including work-readiness-skills training, career advice, job placement services, and links to internship and employment opportunities in the private sector.

3. Monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating lessons learned.

Specific objectives for STEPS:

• Identify and support women and young entrepreneurs who are seeking to start or expand a business (component 1).

• Provide employment services to unemployed and recently graduated young women and men who are looking for employment in the private sector (component 2) (Knowles 2013).

The partner for component 1 was the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Lao PDR. Selection criteria for the program included the following:

• Existing or new microenterprise where $5,000 in matching funds could be utilized effectively

• Demonstrated creativity in the business, that is, a process to do things better

• Commitment from the entrepreneur

• Market demand for the product/service

Two hundred twelve proposals were received (of which 144 were from women). One hundred twenty-two more detailed applications were received (of which 75 were from women). Seventy-eight made the short list and qualified for entrepreneurship training, which was delivered by the Lao PDR–India Entrepreneurship Development Center, using ILO-certified training material. After the training, 67 revised proposals (business plans) were submitted in the second round of the competition, including 42 for enterprises led by women (or approximately 63 percent).

The second round of submissions involved 104 individuals, including 61 women. Thirty proposals were selected as finalists, including 17 for enterprises led by women. In June 2013, the finalists’ business ideas were showcased at the Marketplace Exhibition and awards of “seed funds and mentorship” were given to 11 winning proposals, of which 7 were led by women.

Thirty-seven percent of the Marketplace Competition participants (of which almost half were women) reported that they had started a


37

new business or expanded a preexisting business within a seven- to eight-month period after completing the STEPS training. Feedback from the Marketplace participants indicated that women entrepreneurs have limited access to capital, lack confidence in decision making, and receive less support from society (Knowles 2013).

MWEC or STEPSWhereas the focus of STEPS was on early stage business development and on raising awareness of entrepreneurship as a career option, particularly among women and youth, the emphasis of MWEC was on supporting more established (later stage) women-led companies to grow. By exposing the participants to innovative thinking in order to position their businesses more competitively in the market, MWEC supported existing women-led businesses in improving their growth prospects.

If both programs were to continue, with time there could be a natural progression of some of the women entrepreneurs from STEPS to MWEC, creating a pipeline for the MWEC program. Where STEPS would be supporting participants in basic business training, including understanding their market and business model (as inputs to developing a business plan), MWEC would be challenging participants to differentiate their offerings from those of their competitors and to position their businesses competitively for growth. STEPS would reach a larger target audience, eventually focusing on a smaller, qualifying, and committed group and providing them with business training. MWEC would be starting with a smaller group (for example, 25 participants) and providing intense, one-on-one support for those who commit to their growth plans.


38

Appendix B: Springboard Program

The Springboard Program was developed as a cost-effective program to support those with growth aspiration and potential, specifically for existing growth-oriented small businesses attuned to the learning styles of entrepreneurs, and following government-backed research into home-based businesses in Australia. It has been used successfully by many enterprise development agencies throughout Australia. The Springboard Program is designed for entrepreneurs that typically have the following characteristics:

• They prefer very active forms of learning with a practical, problem-solving focus.

• They value the opportunity to share experience, knowledge, and skills with people in comparable situations.

• There are some key issues for which they will wish to seek expert information and knowledge.

• Time is a key resource in short supply, consequently they need development input that is convenient, short and to the point, timely, and very tightly focused upon their real-world concerns.

The Springboard Program is a facilitated peer learning program that provides a context in which participating entrepreneurs can

• Validate their own experiences by comparison with the experiences of other business operators;

• Scaffold on others’ experiences to accelerate development of their own business activity;

• Gain knowledge of best practice, relate best practice to their own context, and identify the benefits of such an activity; and

• Develop a reflective approach to their own business activity to increase the learning benefits of their own practical experience.


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Appendix C: Peer Learning Content and Structure

Session 1 Registration,

introduction, and

networking session

Not applicable when a part of MWEC, for which the IC&C workshops serve

the same purpose

This session brings together all the participants and facilitators involved in the program. After the introductions and networking time, each group will get together with their facilitator. The aims, objectives, and content of the program are discussed and agreed upon.

Session 2 Businesses—

Mickey Mouse or

mini empire?

This session starts with the big picture, the pros and cons of doing business, and then focuses in on the more specific personal aspects of each business. The key issues and challenges in running and growing a business: managing time and stress, balancing work and home life, working on as well as in your business.

Session 3 Marketing I: What

sort of business are

you in?

This session focuses on defining businesses in terms of customers and markets. Who are the competitors? What makes the participants’ businesses different to other businesses in their industry, town, or region? What gives them the market advantage? Which product or service development would bring the greatest returns?

Session 4 Marketing II: Getting

the word out,

marketing yourself

and your products

Once participants have defined their market niche, this session considers how participants can most effectively reach their potential customers and build a broader customer base.

Session 5 Benchmarking

financial

performance and

structuring your

business for growth

This session focuses on how well participants know their business. Knowing the specific costs and returns of each type of business activity gives an insight into where development time and ideas should be invested. Structuring business for growth means setting up and fine-tuning the systems that will allow growth—without burning out! Effectively interacting with financial institutions can be a key challenge.

Session 6 Information and

communication

technology: Making

it work for you

In this session participants sift through the “hype” to determine which technology can really add value to their business and how to get the support they need to make it work.

Session 7 Growing your

business: Making

decisions and

planning action

In this session, the broader implications of growing a business are considered. Participants are encouraged to consider the context in which their business development plans sit, and form action plans and strategies based on their work in the program, with a focus on strategies that help their business to grow—sustainably—so that they have a balanced approach to their life and their business!

Session 8 Networking function

and presentations

This final session brings the members of all the groups back together for an opportunity to meet, network, discuss business, and develop opportunities. The session includes a presentation of certificates to all participants who have successfully completed the program. Time is also given for feedback and evaluation of the program. Participants and facilitators are encouraged to plan a review meeting for later in the year.


42

Appendix D: Facilitator Profiles

Lao PDRThe facilitator is currently a staff member of the School of Management Technology and Manager of the Suranaree University of Technology Business Incubator in Thailand. She supported the development of the workshop material and facilitated the three-day innovation, creativity, and competitiveness (IC&C) workshops and peer learning sessions in Lao PDR. After the Vientiane workshop, the facilitator ran a two-day train-the-trainer workshop for the two facilitators who were selected to deliver the IC&C workshops in Cambodia and Vietnam. This session provided an opportunity to get familiarized with key concepts, training methodology, and participant activities.

VietnamThe facilator selected for the Vietnam component is currently Southern Director at the Topica Education Group, an online education and business incubation company in Vietnam. The facilitator combines business management, business incubation, and training experience with PCT methodologies.

CambodiaThe trainer selected for Cambodia is a business training consultant and specialist in entrepreneurship.

Profi le of Lao PDR Facilitator

• Leading business incubator manager in Thailand• Taught courses at both undergraduate and

graduate levels in human resource management, human resource development, leadership development, strategic management, performance management, entrepreneurship and new venture management, and personal and interpersonal relationship development.

• Extensive consulting and training experience in both the private and public sectors in the areas of organizational development and business management

• infoDev certified incubator management trainer, with participant centered training skills.

Profi le of Vietnam Trainer

• Extensive business management experience• infoDev certified incubator management trainer,

with participant centered training skills• Provided input into incubation of companies in

Vietnam.• Worked in an international cooperation as an

academic director and as a communications manager.

• Teaches at the undergraduate and postgraduate level at several universities and works as a consultant for small and medium enterprises in human resources and strategy.

Profi le of Cambodia Facilitator

• Provides practical training in selling and marketing in business ventures in the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC).

• Professional experience in organizational development and capacity building

• Teaches at the local university in management and marketing, specializing in strategic management, human resource management, benchmarking, risk management, small business management, entrepreneurship, marketing research, marketing management, and sales management.

• Owns several businesses, including a music store, restaurant, and a water purification business.


44

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National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). 2009. “The Vital 6 Per Cent: How High-growth Innovative Businesses Generate Prosperity and Jobs.” http://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/files/vital-six-per-cent.pdf.

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http://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/files/vital-six-per-cent.pdf

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