More than a Loan: Market Access for women
microentrepreneurs in Slovakia, Romania, Russia,
Bulgaria and Serbia
Allan Bussard, Managing Director
The Integra Venture, Slovakia
swww.integra.sk
European Microfinance Network, Barcelona, October,
2005
July 2003, 624 women trained, 109 micro-loans
created 160 jobs. Increased demand for training,
declining loan demand. Different intervention
needed.
Number of clients trained/ loans disbursed per annum
# of Clients
•
150
125
100
75
50
25
0
Annual training courses:
1999 2000 2001 2002
1
99
9
1
00
0
2
01
0
2
02
0
2
03
0
2
Trained
Funded
(7
s)
h
t
on
m
3
4
(Integra Slovakia only)
8
2003
6
Slovak MED program for women at risk: July 2003,
624 women in program. Challenged entrepreneurs
who needed BDS to survive
Vision:
To improve economic standing of clients,
To help women in Slovakia
start their own business.
•22 training/lending cycles
•624 women involved
•15 locations served
•Changing business environment
•new retail landscape meant closed markets
•EU accession and new competition
Women @ Risk
Objectives
Achievements
Challenges
Challenged
Entrepreneurs
Strategy: move beyond training and credit to
‘Business Development Services’
Clients:
women at risk, priority start ups
Environment:
transition economy, new realities
Risk:
uncompetitive businesses, default
Empowered
clients
Poor
women,
no
opportunity
Entrepreneurship =
Micro-Enterprise Development
process
Skill
Development
-BDS
-IT skills
-Communication
skills
-Mentoring
-Thematic
training
Financial
Services
-Microcredit
-Banking
services
-Public
programs
Market
Access
Services
-Brand
-Consulting
-Retail
-Wholesale
Community building = developing social
capital
community groups, networking and mentoring.
sustainable
companies
new jobs
Fair Trade meets the Integra
Market Access Program
Financial sustainability analysis
Wholesale and store can be sustainable.
Consulting will need subsidy.
€, 000
wholesale
60
40
20
0
-20
client consulting
retail
Pr ofit (Los s)
In ves tm ent
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
0
-20
Pr ofit (Los s)
In ves tm ent
-40
-40
-20
-40
Pr ofit (Los s)
In ves tm ent
-60
2004
2005
2006
-60
-60
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
Consulting Clients
Current Clients of the MED program
Low fit with Market Access
New Clients
• Non-niche food
• Proximity Services
• Retail
stores
High fit with Market Access
clients who can meet
market access
standards
• producers fitting target
group criteria
• Service providers
needing consulting
• Ethnic goods producers
Consulting
Clients
• Souvenir/ Gifts producers
• Previous Shell Participants
• Clients able to fit with both traditional MED selection criteria
and new Market Access standards and needs
Brand Applications
- Ten Senses Ltd. – Integra-owned
commercial company
- Ten Senses Shop – a retail outlet selling
products of Integra and other fair trade
organizations under fair conditions
- Ten Senses Consulting Service – product
development and quality consulting
- Other retail and wholesale activities
/supplying retail chains, participation at
sale events and fairs, etc./
Lessons / Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
exclusion due to
globalization
product consulting
profitable
market access > credit
access in mature economy
serve other NGOs, MFIs
social capital growth
though stable supply chain
north-north fair trade policy
support
advocacy with global retail
The Ten Senses Shop
Integra owns and operates the Ten
Senses branded shop. The shop sells
the micro-enterprises’ products
alongside other products either localy
made or imported.
Sales 50% higher than initial business
plan projections.
Special space is devoted to the fair
trade products imported through the
network of fair trade importers or
directly from fair trade producers with
whom Integra has established trading
partnerships.
The offer has a distinct philanthropic
consumer value proposition.
The Shop is a social enterprise with a
strong social brand identity.
Shops opening in Sofia and Brasov
(RO) to end of 2005