I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and I consider myself a strong woman with many business ideas.” – Juliana Mário
Imagine for a moment, if you can, owning a small grocery shop in Mozambique. It’s become a hub of community life, and you begin to dream about how you might make it grow, and what other services and products you might offer.
...And then comes COVID.
That was the situation for Juliana Mário last year. Juliana has never been short on ideas since she opened her shop, and she loved seeing it thrive. But when COVID hit, she saw a reduction of over 50% in her daily sales. Instinct and experience told her that those ideas of hers could provide a pathway to coming through COVID intact. And to scale her business for the future; but without a market and access to finance, it wasn’t entirely clear how to get there.
Hear from Juliana and learn how TechnoServe’s support helped her retain and reimagine her business during COVID:
Support to Sustain and Scale
Juliana enrolled in a TechnoServe business training program developed from research showing that micro-savings products are one of the most impactful tools for women entrepreneurs to access in order to grow their businesses. Typically, only 17% of adults access formal mechanisms like bank accounts to establish savings. Mobile savings products offer women greater security, privacy, and control over their incomes–so they can re-invest in their businesses and gradually move to more profitable activities.
This can mean the difference between surviving day to day, and creating a trajectory for an entrepreneur and a business that builds and grows over time.
For Juliana, this process gave her the skills and knowledge to launch a product line extension selling baked goods.
With the training tips, I was able to keep my business open and think outside the box. Today I can save money… calculate my monthly profit, manage stock, and better manage my customer’s needs. I can set goals for both my business and for my personal life in general.”
Millions of small business owners around the world have a vision for what they’re trying to create – all they need are the frameworks and tools to create a roadmap that turns vision into reality.
We invite you to be a part of our movement to catalyze change for entrepreneurs like Juliana. Help her and other small business owners transform their lives with a $100 donation today.
