Small and Growing Businesses

During nationwide protests, Wilson's business was destroyed. But with determination, he worked with TechnoServe to restore his future.

After partnering with TechnoServe, Lúcia Arão Ndimande gained the confidence and skills to take her small shop to the next level.

A woman who needed healthy food for her young son used her ingenuity to place herself on the path of success by starting her own business. Today, she is an entrepreneur with big plans for the future.

Aditi Madan went from a TechnoServe business training program to becoming the first woman entrepreneur on Shark Tank India. Here, this food business visionary shares her journey to national success after overcoming challenges and learning how to “unlearn” what she thought she knew.

Determined to support her family, Dossi Degui turned to TechnoServe for better business skills. Now she sells her artisanal soap around the country--and can't keep up with demand.

A business skills training program helped Gilda Lourenço find a way to care for her family while helping her small business survive the pandemic. And now she’s ready for more.

Rob Johnson is a former TechnoServe Fellow who worked in Haiti in 2011 performing a poultry value chain assessment. After his time as a Fellow, Rob returned to serve as a program manager in the TechnoServe Haiti Office. He then launched a social enterprise in Haiti called Acceso, which works to improve smallholder farmer income through inclusive value chains. In this Q&A, Rob shares how TechnoServe played a foundational role in his life and social enterprise career.

Ermelinda Vargas Paye, owner of Hostel Mary in the city of Moquegua, Peru, won’t let COVID-19 steal her spirit – or her livelihood. A lifelong attitude of determination, and business training from TechnoServe, prepared her to lead her enterprise through the pandemic.

Despite the challenges small- and medium-sized businesses have faced throughout the pandemic, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. From Benin to El Salvador to India, read about five reasons to get excited about what’s ahead.

In Central America, the number of young people entering the job market outpaces the availability of jobs. But many young people lack the skills they need to find or create economic opportunities, leading them to seek a better future elsewhere. How can thriving small and growing businesses reverse this trend?