North and Northeast regions gain prominence in micro-entrepreneurship and inspire impactful solutions at a national event

More than 400 people gathered in June in Brasilia (DF), during the Summit Entrepreneurial Alliance 20 Years 'A meeting dedicated to the construction of public policies, sustainable development and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. Microentrepreneurs, authorities and representatives of organizations from all regions of Brazil were present, especially representatives of the North and Northeast, which have been consolidating as strategic poles of national microentrepreneurship, driven by female protagonism and by solutions adapted to local realities

Among them, participants in the project Raiz Business ithis an initiative of the Entrepreneurial Alliance, supported by Youth Business International (YBI) and funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation, through the Futuremakers program.Towards strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the bioeconomy in the North and Northeast regions, the project has already benefited more than 800 microentrepreneurs in its first cycle alone.

The meeting also brought together government officials, including representatives of the states of Para and Maranhao, who actively participated in the debates on public policies for the strengthening of microentrepreneurship.The program united two events held annually by the Entrepreneurial Alliance: the National Meeting of Microentrepreneurs and the Brazilian Forum of Microentrepreneurship, this held through the Entrepreneurship 360 Program.

Female protagonism in evidence

More than gathering experiences, the Summit highlighted the role of these two regions, not only by the expressive presence of entrepreneurs, but also by the actions of public managers and local organizations committed to regional development.An example of this was the participation of the State Secretariat of Women of Para (SEMU), represented by Clarice Laonel, Director of Articulation and Policies for Women, who presented several initiatives aimed at sustainable female entrepreneurship in the region.

Among the many actions of SEMU, the Entrepreneurial Alliance is a partner for inclusive training, access to credit and appreciation of the self-esteem of entrepreneurs, especially those in situations of vulnerability. “A Entrepreneurial Alliance deserves all our recognition for the excellent didactic way in making use of this platform (Summit) for collective articulation between government, civil society and the private sector, focusing on inspiring more women to transform their realities”, she said Clarice.

Clarice also highlighted the growth of female participation in informal entrepreneurship, even in the face of the challenges of family care. According to her, the material produced during the Forum will serve as a basis for improving public policies, decentralizing actions and aligning strategies to the socioeconomic realities of the municipalities of Para.

After the exchanges at the Summit, SEMU intends to implement active listening spaces to map local needs, training and access to credit, in addition to developing training trails with certification in business management and digital marketing, among others, and is in conversation with the Entrepreneurial Alliance for the deepening of the partnership. It is also planned to adopt digital platforms for management and monitoring of public policies, expanding the effectiveness and visibility of initiatives aimed at female entrepreneurship in the state.

Microentrepreneurs Raiz Business also participated

The project Raiz Business she attended the event with eight entrepreneurs, including Aline Rodrigues da Silva Costa, Izabela Conceicao Lopes and Jessica Santos da Cruz Moraes, participants in the first cycle of the initiative, which lasts three years. Participation in the event was for them an opportunity to exchange experiences, strengthen networks and establish new partnerships for the growth of their business.

Psychologist Aline Rodrigues highlighted that the Summit provided significant connections with other entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions aligned with her mission. According to her, there were many learnings on topics such as management, impact, networks and purpose. “The connections made, for sure, will reflect directly on the growth and expansion of the social impact of my work”, she said. 

“Seeing how each entrepreneur, even coming from different contexts, faces similar challenges and seeks creative and powerful solutions is something that greatly strengthens our journey.What caught my attention was the strength of the community, collaboration and the ability that each business has to generate social impact in its territory, regardless of size or available resource”, he added.

The diversity of profiles and branches of activity among the participants was also a point highlighted by Isabele Conceicao, from Iza’s Confectionery Delights. For her, the event highlighted the strength of cooperativism and partnerships as engines for the growth of small businesses.“The biggest learning was to realize how each business can grow when there is support from other partners.This showed me how important these connections are for the development of our work”, she said.

In the same vein, Jessica Santos, of the initiative Fiber Women, uh she classified her experience at the Summit as a true “turned key” for her business. She highlighted the unity among entrepreneurs, regardless of regional differences: “It was wonderful! What most caught the attention was the unit. Even being from different places, we were there in search of the same purpose, in search of experiences and knowledge” For her, the event was also an invitation to overcome and search for the right spaces to achieve goals: “Superation and breaking paradigms, because living this moment was incredible”.

Strategic partnerships

Credisol, a microcredit organization, also had an active participation in the event, represented by ESG coordinator Stefano Mattei. For him, the Summit deepened the understanding of the diversity of realities faced by microentrepreneurs, especially in the North and Northeast regions. The exchange of experiences reinforced that the most effective solutions are those built from local characteristics, avoiding centralized models that little dialogue with contexts marked by informality and community ties.

Also according to Stefano, many entrepreneurs from these regions have presented initiatives rooted in their communities, with solutions adapted to local reality be it in language, in the way they distribute, in sales channels or in the use of available resources. “At the same time, I realized that a common point among the partners of the region is the need to create products and services financial and non-financial & non-financial & recognize this diversity from the beginning. Ready models, thought in a centralized way, tend to fail where informality and community ties are stronger than the formal structures”, points out.

The experience at the event also highlighted Credisol's strategic role as a regional articulator within the impact ecosystem, especially by fostering partnerships with entrepreneurial training institutions, such as the Entrepreneurial Alliance.In this sense, the collaboration between the two organizations opens new possibilities to expand access to microcredit and training, contributing to productive inclusion with a focus on social impact.

Among the main learnings, Stefano highlights the importance of understanding in more depth the profile of the audiences served, adjusting not only the supply of credit, but also the support offered, in a more sensitive and contextualized way. In addition, points out the need to strengthen the institutional visibility of the organization, occupying spaces for public and sectorial debate, and emphasizes the value of active listening as a tool for joint construction with entrepreneurs, as well as the importance of clearly measuring and communicating the impact generated.

For Lina Useche, co-founder and Head of Institutional Relations of the Entrepreneurial Alliance, it is this diversity of voices that make the Summit of the Entrepreneurial Alliance, and the Brazilian Forum of Microentrepreneurship, unique events on the national scene. “The events are very strategic moments where we can gather narratives from all over the country, which stimulate income generation and productive inclusion end-to-end when we talk about entrepreneurship at the base of the pyramid. Having guests who represent this power of the North and Northeast contributed to a rich agenda of debates, where what is unique and unique to each region directly influences the construction of effective solutions for the microentrepreneur.