Want to be an entrepreneur? How to do it right

Running your own business is a dream for many people. It can be a route to independence as well as a way out of poverty – particularly when formal jobs are scarce.

But entrepreneurship isn’t easy. Having a good idea and turning it into a successful, sustainable business are very different things, and many small businesses fail because their founders lack basic business skills.  However, training can help, and one of the ILO’s most successful initiatives is designed to do just that. It’s SIYB, or Start and Improve your Business, a suite of programmes designed to help people from all backgrounds, education levels and cultures start, build and improve their own businesses, including creating jobs for others.  Since it started, in 1977, around 28 million people worldwide have been trained, including 12 million women.