Why Entrepreneurship?
At ECatalyst, we believe in the power of business, especially local business, to create jobs, solve problems, and restore the dignity of entire communities.
Small businesses create all the new jobs
After a crisis like COVID, ECatalyst believes that the best way to bring restoration to hard hit communities is by creating a culture of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship engages many core issues of a crisis, including problem solving and sustainability.
Entrepreneurship solves local problems
Entrepreneurship, by its very nature, is a problem solving process. A successful business, at its core, is a service or product that solves a felt need in a way that people will pay for. This is true regardless of cultural context. So, to start a business, one has to have a deep understanding of the felt needs of the people in the place where the business operates. This is often not true of foreign corporations or even well-meaning charitable workers coming into developing areas trying to start businesses. But those local to an area do understand the needs of their culture and place, and thus they are uniquely suited to solve those problems.
Entrepreneurship is a sustainable way to help
Entrepreneurship by its very nature is sustainable and locally-owned. People care about their businesses and will work to make them successful. Because of this, entrepreneurship is an avenue for charitable giving that is self-sustaining... Charitable money poured into training, connecting, and investing in local entrepreneurs can be done without creating dependency.