How to Support Entrepreneurs Around the World (Even with Just 1 Hour/Month)

Every week, over 100,000 new businesses launch in developing countries. But while ideas and ambition run high, over 90% of these businesses face significant hurdles—limited access to markets, mentorship, and capital, causing many to close within a year.

At Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB), we believe the solution isn’t more charity. It’s connection. With as little as one hour a week, diaspora professionals, business leaders, and allies can help close these gaps by sharing insight, creating visibility, and connecting entrepreneur-hopefuls to opportunities that already exist on the ground.

This post explores what’s holding back emerging entrepreneurs, particularly in places like Jamaica, and offers practical ways to engage, uplift, and build sustainable momentum. 

Why Entrepreneurship is the Engine of Economic Mobility

Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business—it’s one of the fastest, most effective ways to build local economies and create long-term prosperity. EAB’s model reflects a deep belief that economic uplift starts from within communities and is powered by grassroots innovation.

Entrepreneurs Drive Local Economies

In Jamaica, for instance, MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) make up nearly 45% of GDP and over 80% of employment. These founders aren’t waiting for jobs—they’re creating them. 

They Solve Local Problems with Local Insight

While large corporations design solutions from afar, entrepreneurs live the challenges they are solving, be it mobile banking in rural areas or eco-packaging made from agricultural byproducts. Their proximity to the problem makes them agile, relevant, and innovative.

They Create Jobs and Build Resilience

Entrepreneurs tend to hire locally, build from existing community networks, and create flexible roles supporting women, youth, and informal workers.

What’s Holding Them Back?

Despite their energy and ideas, many entrepreneurs face persistent structural barriers that limit their growth potential:

• Limited access to traditional funding: In countries like Jamaica, conservative lending practices by financial institutions often require substantial collateral, such as real estate, making it challenging for tech startups, typically asset-light despite strong revenue potential, to secure necessary capital. This stringent requirement excludes many innovative entrepreneurs from accessing funding to scale their businesses. 

• Immature investor culture: Many developing nations are largely risk-averse and conservative, favoring traditional assets over early-stage ventures, while outdated legal and regulatory policies further hinder the flow of capital into high-risk, high-reward startup investments.

• Market isolation: Many founders lack the tools to access customers outside their immediate geography.

• Lack of business mentorship: Entrepreneurs learn by trial-and-error—an expensive and exhausting route.

• Visibility and credibility issues: Without digital footprints or global exposure, even the most impressive ventures go unseen.

Where You Can Make a Difference

At EAB, we’ve built a first-of-its-kind global membership, training, and connection hub to match emerging entrepreneurs with mentors and resources they actually need. Inspired by the principles laid out in More Good Jobs, a book by EAB founder Martin Babinec, our approach centers on the idea that entrepreneurial ecosystems grow best when rooted in community trust, intentional relationship-building, and engaged local leadership. Rather than relying on traditional aid, we prioritize mentorship, market access, and shared knowledge, ensuring support systems are both sustainable and grounded in real-world context.

Here’s how you can plug in—wherever you are:

1. Become a Mentor

One hour a week is enough to offer feedback, encouragement, or answer questions. You don’t need to “fix” anything—just be a sounding board and strategic guide.

• Set one small, meaningful goal per session.

• Focus on what you know best—whether that’s pricing, pitching, operations, or marketing.

• Use tools like Notion or Google Docs to track weekly action steps.

Mentorship is not management. Your role is to elevate—not direct—the entrepreneur’s path.

2. Share a Skill

Record a short video, write a mini-guide, or host a workshop on something you know well. Think: how to handle customer inquiries, set profit margins, or use mobile payment systems. Your insight could save an entrepreneur months of trial and error.

3. Make a Strategic Introduction

Sometimes, all it takes is one email or WhatsApp message to unlock a game-changing opportunity—whether it’s a new supplier, customer, investor, or fellow mentor. Connections are currency. Use yours with intention.

4. Create Visibility

Share their business in your network. Feature them in a podcast, a LinkedIn post, or a newsletter. Many entrepreneurs struggle with exposure—your spotlight could spark a ripple effect of new clients and partners.

5. Volunteer On the Ground in Jamaica

Join EAB in Jamaica to directly support local entrepreneurs through our hands-on Impact Events and multi-day Impact Tours. These immersive experiences allow you to apply your skills—whether in business strategy, marketing, finance, or mentorship—to train and uplift emerging entrepreneurs. 

Collaborate with local partners, deepen community ties, and witness the tangible impact of your contributions. Whether you're interested in a short-term engagement or a more extended residency, there's a place for you to make a difference.

6. Volunteer Remotely

Not in Jamaica? No problem. You can contribute through virtual sessions, remote consulting, and asynchronous communication. EAB’s online platform, EAB Connect, makes this easy. 

Through learning modules, certifications, and virtual showcases, entrepreneurs prepare to plug into real-world opportunities—including Office Hours, visibility events, and curated mentorship.

Why Jamaica — and Why Now?

Jamaica is more than a tropical destination—it’s an economic engine in the making. As the pilot country for Entrepreneurs Across Borders, Jamaica was chosen not just for its entrepreneurial energy, but for its strategic potential to become a regional hub for innovation, investment, and impact.

A Country Built on Hustle and Ingenuity

Jamaica has historically ranked among the highest globally in entrepreneurial intent and continues to display strong entrepreneurial confidence, with 74% of adults believing they have the capabilities to start a business. Whether it’s selling from home, launching a roadside operation, or developing creative digital ventures, Jamaicans are builders.

Yet despite this drive, many entrepreneurs remain locked out of the systems that support long-term growth. EAB bridges that gap—not with charity, but with access, connection, and community.

Small Businesses, Big Impact

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of Jamaica’s economy:

• MSMEs are responsible for the majority of new job creation in Jamaica, offering vital income opportunities in both formal and informal sectors—especially for women, youth, and rural communities.

• These businesses support local supply chains, generate community wealth, and offer flexible employment that uplifts families and neighborhoods.
  

• Despite their significance, many MSMEs lack access to capital, business development services, and export pathways—key reasons EAB’s support model is critical right now.

A Region Ready for Investment

Jamaica’s stable political environment and improving infrastructure make it an increasingly attractive place for business partnerships and foreign investment. The country:

• Ranks 6th globally for ease of starting a business, according to World Bank Doing Business 2020 report.

• Has a rapidly growing digital economy, with entrepreneurs moving into fintech, ecommerce, and digital services.
  

• Is home to a vibrant creative sector, spanning music, fashion, and the arts—with international appeal but limited scale-up support.
  
  

By investing in Jamaican entrepreneurs—through time, mentorship, or capital—you’re tapping into a network of resilient, talented individuals poised to make a measurable impact on their communities and the wider Caribbean economy.

Our Vision for the Future

At EAB, we envision Jamaica becoming the recognized hub for entrepreneurship in the Caribbean by 2028. Our goal is to connect 1,000+ entrepreneurs to a global network of mentors, resources, and partners—creating ripple effects that elevate households, neighborhoods, and industries.

Supporting Jamaica isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do. Because when local entrepreneurs rise, entire communities thrive.

Our Approach: Connection, Not Control

At EAB, we don’t believe in rescuing entrepreneurs. We believe in respecting them. Too often, outside support unintentionally replicates colonial power dynamics. We avoid that by focusing on:

• Collaboration over charity

• Cultural humility

• Long-term capacity building—not short-term fixes

We work with trusted local partners, embrace community wisdom, and ensure every resource is relevant, accessible, and sustainable.

Ready to Build with Us?

Entrepreneurs Across Borders is more than a program—it’s a movement. Whether you’re part of the Jamaican diaspora, a global changemaker, or a seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for giving back, there’s a place for you here.

Start with one hour a month. One story. One relationship. One ripple effect.

Let’s build a world where entrepreneurs in every corner of the globe have access to the support they deserve—starting in Jamaica.

Sources:

https://jis.gov.jm/survey-shows-msmes-increased-in-2023/

https://sice.oas.org/SME_CH/SICE_SME_CH_JAM_e.asp

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/130bd2f3-f4b5-5b77-8680-01e6d6a87222

https://www.gemconsortium.org/report/gem-jamaica-20212022-national-report

https://www.moyak.com/papers/business-startups-entrepreneurs.html