“ You have to have your heart in your business          

             and  your business in  your heart. (Thomas J. Watson, Sr)  “

We live in the world full of opportunities and very often we hear such names as Bill Gates, Charles Revson, Kostyantin Jevago, William Ding, George Becali.We know they are all from different countries. However, there is one thing they  have in common . They did business with their heart and from their young age they didn’t miss the opportunity to develop their managerial abilities , thus they becoming the world famous entrepreneurs.                                              

 Even if they are so popular among the new generation, there are not so many who try to follow their example.  This can be explained by the numerous problems faced by young people when expressing their initiative to start a business.

In Moldova, due to the financial crisis and political instability, it is difficult for the young to start a business and this initiative is destroyed from the very beginning. Thus, the idea of entrepreneur can’t be brought up in the imagination of the future businessmen. The educational programs are not financed anymore, and as a result there is a lack of knowledge how to start and run a business. As well there is no discipline in the undergraduate educational system that would stimulate imagination, innovation and cultivation of the entrepreneurial skills in pupils.

 

The young people who managed to pass over above-mentioned barriers,  however, face other problems such as: corruption,  lack of transparency, protectionism and one more consisting in the finding and attracting financial resources for the business development. In present, in the Republic of Moldova the only state entity, which undertakes some attempts to help the young in this sense, is the National Program of Economic Empowerment of the Young People.

 

But the financial resources allocated by this organization are insignificant and target only the young with the rural residence visa. Another major problem is the fact that these credit resources are allocated to the beneficiaries only through the country financial institutions, which set additional conditions of loan and the choice of the pledge form.

 

The National Program of Economic Empowerment of the Young People  started its activity in June, 2008 and till the end of the year had supported 181 projects of 52 mln. Lei. For  the first 7 months of  2009 , their contribution in 92 projects was estimated to the amount of 25.5 mln. lei. In comparison with  2008 , in  2009 the number of the beneficiaries as well as the loan value has been twice reduced.

 

   The State Registration Chamber besides the Ministry of Informational Technologies (public entity where the intentions of the individuals willing to practice the entrepreneur activity are registered) is also providing some concerns. In 2006, according to its data, 5232 traders opened their activity. In 8 months of  2007  -7611, in 8 months of  2008 -7096 and in the same period of  2009-4890. Thus, if in 2007 we had an essential increase of individuls who wanted to start a business, from the beginning of  2008, a sudden decrease started, despite the fact that the ex government declared that due to their policy the Republic of Moldova was not affected by the crisis.

 

 If we  compare these constraints faced by the young people  in relation to the adults, we would observe that  adults in their turn  have some advantages due to their work experience that they have already gained, but they are not enthusiastic anymore and do not contribute to the new business creation. Needless to say ,that  the business environment, as well as the whole economy, suffers.

 

    The measures that are to be implemented by the new government for the entrepreneurship stimulation among the young people are the following:

 – Creation of the discipline in schools, which will provide pupils with usefull information about management, leadership and the way how to start a business in the Republic of Moldova;

 – Creation of the incubators in all country districts and support of the young by informing them about business through the governmental and non-governmental organizations projects;

– Initiation of the governmental site in internet, which will encourage:

a)  the interaction with the potential investors

b) the virtual documentation center about entrepreneurship, translated in Romanian, Russian and English.

c)  the free consultancy online 24/24;

 – Decrease of the state social insurance contributions by 4-9 % applied both to the payment by the employer and the employee; in a such way it will stimulate consumption (because by diminishing the tax burden  citizens will have more incomes ; also it will lead to decrease of prices for selling goods and services ) and the legalization of the envelop salary incomes. Consequently, we will obtain revitalization of the national economy branches and as binding the essential increase of the tax bonds;

 –Maintaining of  income tax at  0 quota in the future;

 – Passing to international accounting standards.

 – Facilitation of the way of starting and dissolution of a firm (eg. to eradicate a firm you need in at least 60 days).

 

I really hope that these measures, wand  others, will help us spread the entrepreneurship spirit among the young people, during that difficult period of crisis in Moldova , and in a such way we will have entrepreneurs who will run business with their heart  and as a result will think better, free and global.