What Do We Do Differently?

Our team of dedicated entrepreneurship support professionals at the EPI takes pride in its differentiation including multiplying impact, creating peer connections, being entrepreneurial & monitoring to refine interventions & measure impact.

Multiplying impact

We increase the impact individual small business support practitioners have with their entrepreneur & small business clients & leveraging digital tools to accelerate growth. This approach exponentially amplifies the impact of business development services, benefiting communities across the continent through improved trade, job creation, & local growth.

Every supported practitioner becomes a multiplier of impact, & every supported entrepreneur carries the ripples of entrepreneurial growth further into local communities.

Consider the number of clients each practitioner is serving, & the logic of multiplying our impact becomes clear. One practitioner serves 5 to 20 clients, which adds to 25 to 400 secured jobs, as an example of multiplying impact.

Ongoing growth through peer connection

The EPI does not only deliver single-purpose programmes or products, but understands that ongoing learning is where the real impact is created.

Our coaching approach validates the perspectives & insights peers may offer a small business owner. This is why we facilitate a network of connectedness beyond the direct programme through the DigiBiz Network. Participants do not only join a programme, they also join an ongoing network of peers.

Entrepreneurs Supporting Entrepreneur (ESEs)

We are able to place ourselves in the shoes of the business owners & practitioners we serve. We meet them where they are at, not where we want them to be, through a coaching approach that allows for flexibility & responsiveness to the real needs of the client.

Learning is therefore contextual, but not happening in a void, as we use a proven framework of support that includes linking SMART goals to the entrepreneur’s vision & the business model they are following. We also make use of holistic & easy to use planning tools, making it possible for entrepreneurs to adopt a deliberate approach to achieving their business goals.

Monitor to refine & improve

We take ongoing improvement of our own work very seriously, as well as the ability to show our partners & collaborators the impact of our work. For this reason we collect information through entrance & exit surveys, as well as ongoing information collection & recording of participant feedback.

This is an action learning approach, through which feedback & our own team reflections allow for ongoing improvement & responsiveness to participant needs. & ultimately it allows for impact reporting to partners & collaborators, as ME is embedded in all activities.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to contributing to achieving SDGs 1, 8, 9, and 10 by empowering entrepreneurs, supporting business professionals, accelerating digital progression, and promoting social inclusion in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Empowering entrepreneurs & small businesses: By equipping entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge to start and grow businesses, we contribute to poverty reduction (SDG 1), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10).

Investing in business support practitioners: Our focus on enhancing the capabilities of business support professionals aligns with the goal of promoting decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). By strengthening this network of professionals, we supports the creation of more jobs and we foster a more supportive environment for entrepreneurs.

Building capacity for digital progression: Our DigiBiz Network & Platform promotes digital literacy and empowers businesses to leverage technology for growth. This focus on digital inclusion contributes to the objective of building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation (SDG 8).

Promoting social inclusion: Our emphasis on social inclusion ensures that we target under-represented groups or areas with limited access to opportunities. This focus on inclusive entrepreneurship aligns with the goal of reducing inequalities (SDG 10).