What have we learned from 15 years of experience in 15 countries?
We have learned that those entrepreneurs with the drive to change the world can really do it, but we must all go forward together in this mission. They are what we call high-impact entrepreneurs.
There are 65 million companies in the world that pay taxes and have payroll staff. Many more in the informal economy.
But there are also 200 million people who can’t find work. If we could create a planetary law requiring every company to hire only one person during the first year, this would solve the unemployment problem on a global scale.
90% of these 65 million companies in the world are micro companies, that is to say, they have never hired more than a single person, their founder. If we count the Pymes (with an average of 35 employees) the percentage is 99.7%. The rest of the companies, some 200,000 (with more than 500 employees) are the ones that maintain employment, but cannot grow anymore.
The important thing is for companies to grow, to generate jobs and economic development, regardless of their size.
What country has the most companies?
It is four times easier to start a company in Greece than it is in the United States. On the other hand, in Greece it is 4 times more difficult for these companies to grow. This is the difference between Greece and the United States, the difference between generating employment and unemployment.
In any country, regardless of its economic situation, if 100 entrepreneurs in Spain are able to make their companies grow and project their influence to other companies, invest in them, share their experience and their energy, the GDP will increase by 1%.
This pattern repeats itself in cities like Buenos Aires, Amman, Istanbul...
Is it possible to create an economy from the bottom up, starting with a small group of entrepreneurs who reinvest their experience in their own local ecosystem?
This is precisely what high-impact entrepreneurs do: make a commitment to reinvest success.
There are very few high-impact entrepreneurs anywhere in the world, and we need to find them.
Is there one in this Forum?
