Improving the Financial Health of Micro-Entrepreneurs

From July 2018 to December 2020, ADA and EMN carried out a joint research project in the field of the financial health of micro-entrepreneurs. The project received support from J.P. Morgan and its purpose was to identify and share good practices on the assessment of financial health and specific support provided to micro-entrepreneurs at risk or facing financial issues such as cash flow management, confusion between personal and professional finances, access to finance, or late payments. The project was structured as a cross-country research activity covering eight countries across three continents (Europe, Latin America, and Africa) and involved a mix of financial and non-financial service providers in France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Peru, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

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1/ Manual & tools

Key output of this project, the financial health Manual comes complete with a set of tools to improve the organisational practices used to assess the financial health of micro-entrepreneurs and support those in financial crisis. This manual was written for business advisors, mentors, coaches, and/or trainers working with micro-entrepreneurs to help them deal effectively with financial issues.

In order to download the manual and tools, please fill in this form. These tools are available in 5 languages (French, English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil) and Italian).

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2/ Research publication

The research publication synthesises the major findings and serves as a reference document for those who wish to learn more about the financial health of micro-entrepreneurs.
The publication also contains a selection of case studies showcasing selected examples of successful financial health assessments and effective support provided to businesses in crisis.

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT REPORT

Both of these documents (manual & research publication) were revised to reflect the feedback provided by project partners after having tested the beta version of the manual in 2020. These revised versions also contain a special chapter on dealing with financial health issues in times of crisis, for example during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Very useful and beneficial for the development of financial health in microentrepreneurs."

Annie McWalter
CEO
SAICA Enterprise Development and The Hope Factory - South Africa

"An innovative and necessary tool to improve the financial health of micro-entrepreneurs."

Mar Casanova
Director of International Department
INCYDE Foundation

Project partners

PerMicro, Fondazione Welfare Ambrosiano (Italy); Adie, Positive Planet (France); Fundación Oportunitas, Incyde (Spain); Outset Finance, NWES (UK); CREDISOL, Aliança Empreendedora (Brazil); Pro Mujer, Pro Empleo (Mexico); Norandino, ADEC ATC (Peru); SEF, SAICA (South Africa).