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Ecuador, regional leader in entrepreneurship, for the sixth consecutive year
Posted On 09 Oct 2018
Ecuadornews:
Ecuador is positioned for the sixth consecutive year as a leader in the region in the index of Early Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA, by its acronym in English), according to the measurement made by the Business School of the Espol for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, which measures the entrepreneurship in 66 countries that represent 69.2% of the world population.
The study shows that, in 2017, close to 3 million adults in the country started a business (nascent enterprise) or owned one with less than 42 months old (new entrepreneurship), which represents 29.6% of the population between 18 and 64 years old, being the highest TEA in the region for the sixth consecutive year, followed by Peru and Chile, although it has gradually decreased up to 6 percentage points since 2013.
It determined characteristics: that the Ecuadorian entrepreneur has, on average, 36 years, that his business is consumer oriented, that 48.8% comes from households with monthly income between $ 375 and $ 750, has at least 11 years of schooling. In addition, 33.4% have additional employment to their business, 50.2% are self-employed.
The rate of those who undertake by opportunity exceeds that of those who do it out of necessity (57.31% vs. 42.33%)
There are advances in relation to previous years, such as more advice and physical spaces to disseminate products, something in which the universities and the Municipality of Guayaquil collaborate. But there are also difficulties. The financial costs to start a business are high in the country. Here are three stories of ventures:
The Park Fair, a municipal space with a social vision
It was born four years ago in the park of Urdesa and in a short time the place was small. This is how Josué Sánchez, current councilor of Guayaquil, remembers the start of the already recognized Fair of the park, in the space of support that the Municipality offers to entrepreneurs.
The last fair was held on Saturday September 29 at the boardwalk of Puerto Santa Ana, where some 5,000 people almost emptied what was offered in 90 stands.
“From 2014 to the last Saturday some 1,300 entrepreneurs, free of charge, have exhibited their products, ranging from crafts, clothing, to gastronomy,” said Sanchez, promoter of the fair. The public also enjoys live music, yoga classes and how it was from the beginning in Urdesa, the adoption of pets is promoted.
There are no restrictions regarding products, but entrepreneurs must meet certain requirements, according to Sánchez, such as “not having a place, having social media accounts, which is where they are promoted, and have a brand that seeks to grow” .
Por supuesto que existen ángeles en la tierra! Valientes, guerreros, llenos de esperanza y de ganas de vivir! Hoy pasamos una linda mañana junto a ellos y a la fundación Ser Feliz y entregamos las donaciones de nuestros emprendedores de La Feria del Parque. pic.twitter.com/jVO7qWMiOo
— Josue Sanchez (@JosueSanchezEc) October 4, 2018
The particularity of this fair, which since November will be fixed on the Zig Zag bridge, is that entrepreneurs are inculcated with social responsibility. They donate certain products that are given to the Ser Feliz foundation, which works with children with cancer.
A solution service was born from the problem of insecurity
The rate of those who undertake an opportunity in the country exceeds that of those who do it out of necessity (57.31% vs. 42.33%), according to a study by the Espol Business School, which collected information from 2,060 people and 37 national experts to analyze the entrepreneurial environment.
This figure is related to another not less important fact: 33.4% of entrepreneurs in Ecuador have an additional job to their business and 50.2% are self-employed.
Jorge Rodríguez (i), from JRSolutions, shows one of the products he installs as part of his services.
The first is the case of Jorge Rodríguez, a 37-year-old engineer in Systems, who works in a private company and also manages security systems through his business: JRSolutions.
“Graduated from the university in December of 2012 I started with the sales project and security facilities both closed circuit television and perimeter electrical meshes, alarms for homes and industries, and now we are venturing into home automation,” says Jorge, takes orders to install cameras in citadels for the control of crime.
From this problem that afflicts the city, the JRSolutions business opportunity emerged, oriented to customer service, as indicated by the data of the annual report on enterprises in the country.
Jorge fits into the profile that today becomes a value as important as talent and manual skills to undertake: academic training, which gives more chances of success in the projects.
A police checkpoint in abandonment is ‘workshop’ of entrepreneurs
The entrepreneurship in Guayaquil not only seeks the economic development of its participants, but has also become a way to guide young people, to expand their learning and keep them away from the streets, explains Patricia Grijalba Ruiz, president of the Neighborhood Council of the cooperative San Ignacio de Loyola, northwest of Guayaquil, where some enterprising adolescents, who were candidates for the queen of their neighborhood, have met for a month and a half in an abandoned police checkpoint to design and set up tables, seats, pet beds, ornaments and more elements with recycled tires.
“The Neighborhood Council put a seed capital of $ 500 to buy tools, the rest is recycled; The neighbors, seeing this effort, help us, lend tools and teach the girls how to use them “, says Grijalba.
The Young Entrepreneurs’ Table of the San Ignacio de Loyola cooperative. Dayanna Quinde (17), Yerina Caicedo (19), Karelys Aguilar (18) and Kendy Grijalva (17) are part of volunteering. Without hesitation they collect their hair to cut and drill wood, paint, promote and sell the products.
The resident Lady Rodriguez is the guide of this group, which is known as the Young Entrepreneurs Table, created to “keep children away of the dangers of the street. “
” We were already at a fair and the products were very popular; the neighbors are surprised because they did not think that something so well done could come out of here, we already have several orders “, says Cynthia Mina, member of the Neighborhood Council. (I)
