Start and Improve Your Business

What is SIYB?

The SIYB programme is a system of inter-related training packages and supporting materials for small-scale entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. It aims at increasing the viability of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through management principles suitable for the environment of developing countries. The ILO assists Business Development Service (BDS) organizations to develop the skills required to implement, monitor, manage and finance the training programme, and sets up a sustainable training system at the national level, thus contributing to sustainable economic growth and employment generation.

How did SIYB come about?

The SIYB programme originated from a management training package called “Look After Your Firm” which was developed in the late 1970s by the Swedish Employers ´ Federation for local small and medium entrepreneurs. In 1977, the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) funded a project for the ILO to adapt the materials to reflect the needs and situations of entrepreneurs in developing countries. The adapted training package was called the “Improve Your Business” (IYB) programme. In the early 1990s, an ILO technical cooperation project in Fiji developed the “Start Your Business” (SYB) training package addressing potential start-ups. The programme, after an initial development stage, quickly spread around the world. The product range grew as the “Generate Your Business Idea” (GYB) package was developed.

All of these training packages use the “SIYB Business Game” as a key motivational and learning tool that simulates a real life business situation. As all the programmes had a similar design, in the late 1990s the ILO decided to group the GYB, SYB and IYB training packages and associated management tools within a common framework, calling it the “Start and Improve Your Business” (SIYB) programme. In the early 2000s, the ILO developed the next generation of training modules and interventions for growing small enterprises called “Expand your Business” (EYB) and this also became part of the SIYB programme.

The training packages

The SIYB programme is structured into four separate training packages, Generate Your Business Idea (GYB), Start Your Business (SYB), Improve Your Business (IYB), and Expand Your Business (EYB) which are designed to respond to the progressive stages of business development.

• Generate Your Business Idea (GYB) is intended for people who would like to start a business, and who, through the training, develop a concrete business idea ready for implementation. A GYB course typically lasts 2-3 days. Plus subsector adaptations and simplied packages: – Tourism – Construction – Grassroots GYB = Generate your Business Idea SYB = Start your Business IYB = Improve your Business EYB = Expand your Business Enterprise Growth GYB Time IYB EYB SYB Start and Improve Your Business Implementation Guide 3
• Start Your Business (SYB) is for potential entrepreneurs who want to start a small business and already have a concrete business idea. The programme is a combination of training, field work and after-training support, and helps participants assess their readiness to start a business and to prepare a business plan and evaluate its viability. SYB courses are usually delivered in 5 days.
• Improve Your Business (IYB) introduces already practising entrepreneurs to good principles of business management. Its six modules (marketing, costing, buying and stock control, record keeping, planning for your business, and people and productivity) can be taught individually or all combined in a full course. If the full course using all modules is delivered, its duration is approximately 7 days.
• Expand Your Business (EYB) gives growth-oriented SMEs the practical tools for business growth, assisting them through training and non-training interventions with a focus on business strategy to expand their business. The main output from the training programme is a business growth plan, which includes chapters on marketing, operations, human resources, financial and strategic management. Chapters can also be used as stand-alone training and support products. If the full content of EYB is delivered, its duration is 1-2 weeks; like for the shorter courses above, the course delivery can be spread over a longer time span (e.g. 1-2 days per week over several months) if this is preferred.

The SYB and IYB packages also include the SIYB Business Game, a practical simulation tool to help participants understand the realities of starting and running a business. The EYB Business Game simulates an expanding business during training to help participants experience the impact of strategic decisions on their business operations.

Apart from these “core” materials, available in English and in some 40 other languages, adaptations for specific sectors (e.g. agriculture; construction; tourism), specific target groups (e.g. youth; low literacy populations; rural workers) or geographical settings (e.g. specific countries) also exist.

The implementation model

The SIYB programme was designed with an institutional approach and a multiplier strategy. After assessing the market for business services in a given country or region and establishing the demand for business management training solutions, the ILO builds the capacity of local training providers to effectively and independently implement SIYB training and related activities. In addition, it provides international training and certification to a group of “SIYB Master Trainers”, to whom the management of the SIYB programme and the quality assurance system will eventually be handed over. By using this multiplier strategy, the ILO intends to create a sustainable training and quality assurance system at the national level. Figure 2 illustrates the implementation of the SIYB methodology.

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