Sustainability Assessment Report

Diversification of Monotown Economies

DOME Program

Submitted on May 5, 2016 by the GWU Assessment Team Isabel Berdeja, Zhengzheng Ma, Meera Sawkar, and Maria Dolores Vallenilla

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement…….….……………………………………...…………………….…………………………………………… 2 Acronyms…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………. 4 Introduction ...... 5 Program Description ...... 5 Assessment Framework and Evaluation Methodology ...... 6 Interviews ...... 6 Focus Group ...... 7 Research Limitations & Ethics ...... 7 Sustainability Assessment: Key Insights ...... 8 Knowledge Transfer ...... 8 Ownership ...... 9 Strong Partnerships ...... 10 Gender Stereotypes ...... 11 Youth Inclusion ...... 12 Economic Setbacks ...... 13 Cross-cutting Focus Group Insights ...... 14 Areas of Opportunity ...... 15 Recommendations ...... 16 Conclusion ...... 18 Appendices ...... 19

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Sustainability Assessment Report is the culmination of a six month-long effort that brought together the ideas, research, and vision of a range of individuals. We express our sincere gratitude to our capstone advisor Dr. Robert Maguire. We also appreciate the contribution of the DC PYXERA team: Brian Chang, Ellie Jorgensen, Daniel Benckart and Liza Vasylenko; and the PYXERA Field team: Zharas Tugulbayev, Azat Samuratkyzy and Dilya Strezhelskaya.

Finally, we would also like to thank the DOME program participants and supporting institutions, who generously shared their perspectives with us. Their experience and knowledge are a wealth of information, which we hope will inform future development programs in the Karaganda region.

GWU Assessment Team: Isabel Berdeja Zhengzheng Ma Meera Sawkar Maria Dolores Vallenilla

ACRONYMS

BSPs Business Service Providers BCC Business Case Competition DAMU Entrepreneurship Development Fund DOME Diversification of Monotown Economies GWU George Washington University MSMEs Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises PYXERA PYXERA Global USAID United States Agency for International Development

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Sustainability Assessment Report is a collaboration with the Diversification of Monotown Economies (DOME) Program and the GWU Consultant team (GWU team). The report assessed the sustainability of the project’s outcomes through desk and field research. The GWU team interviewed a total of 23 key program participants including grantees, business case competition (BCC) participants, business service providers (BSPs) and DOME program’s support institutions, such as the National Entrepreneurship Development Fund (DAMU) and the Chamber of Entrepreneurs.

The DOME Program's objectives were building the capacity of BSPs and entrepreneurs in the region. The key findings of the report focus on the following indicators to measure the sustainability of the program interventions: (i) Knowledge-transfer, (ii) Ownership, (iii) Partnerships, (iv) Gender stereotypes, (v) Youth inclusion, and (vi) Economic setbacks. Furthermore, the report also includes cross-cutting insights from the PYXERA field team gathered from focus group research. Additionally, key area for opportunities were identified with youth inclusion, gender integration, and industry-specific trainings.

Based on the findings, four areas future programing were identified. One recommendation is to include a participatory planning element into the proposal development phase. Second, to focus programming on gender integration rather than gender inclusion. DOME Program participants showed a strong demand for further business training programs. If USAID and PYXERA are able to continue engaging with entrepreneurs in the Karaganda region, industry specific trainings would significantly help local businesses. Lastly, any future programing should also focus on at-risk populations, such as youth, to create opportunities for retaining local talent and curtailing brain-drain.

The DOME Program improved the community for entrepreneurship in the Karaganda region and developed local resiliency against the current economic challenges facing the country. The program interventions will leave behind strong partnerships, shared value, and increased human capacity for MSMEs in the region.

INTRODUCTION

The Sustainability Assessment Report is the culmination of a six-month collaboration between PYXERA Global and the GW Assessment Team. The assessment aims to evaluate the USAID- PYXERA Diversification of Monotown Economies (DOME) Program outcomes to determine their sustainability. Throughout the assessment, we present both analysis and fact-based findings. Most of the findings are articulated as a narrative, in a categorical form, and are based on the analysis of key informant interviews, direct observation and a focus group with the PYXERA field team. The indicators that are directly observable and verifiable are articulated in quantitative form.

This assessment aims to inform, provide recommendations, and highlight best practices for future entrepreneurship training programs.

While the DOME program has achieved significant results to date, throughout this assessment we have summarized the program’s key outcomes in the region. The purpose of the report is to identify the program's positive impacts and to determine their level of sustainability keeping in mind the current economic setbacks in Kazakhstan. The US $1.5 million DOME Project was initiated in July 2013, and it is scheduled to end in July 2016.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The DOME Program was designed to foster an ecosystem for entrepreneurship, expand private sector participation and stimulate job creation in six monotowns of the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan. The program was set to achieve two key outcomes:

(i) Improve capacity of business service providers to offer new services and consulting for MSMEs; (ii) Increase capacity for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to leverage skills and resources obtained through the program to improve new or existing businesses. Source: EUROASIANET.COM, April 26, 2016 “A mural created by street artist Pavel Kas in the industrial city of Temirtau.”

ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK AND EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Using a utilization-focused methodology, the GWU assessment team worked with PYXERA Global’s program manager and field program director to select the relevant questions that defined the assessment’s focus. Since the GWU team report will be part of PYXERA’s final report to USAID, the scope of research was limited to the sustainability of the DOME program interventions. With this in mind, the GW team designed interview protocols and a focus group to provide data for the three main indicators of sustainability: (i) knowledge transfer through BSPs and MSMEs capacity building, (ii) local ownership, and (iii) strong partnerships. Additionally, the assessment also evaluated (iv) gender stereotypes, (v) youth inclusion, and (vi) economic setbacks, that play a contributing role in the program’s sustainability approach

The assessment was conducted in two parts. First, extensive desk research and second, a qualitative field study research. The desk research, performed between the months of December 2015 and February 2016, included country profile, national development strategies, consulting with regional experts, attending seminars on the current situation in Kazakhstan, posing detailed questions to PYXERA Global management and field office teams, and reviewing all programmatic documentation including annual and quarterly reports of the DOME program.

INTERVIEWS

After finalizing the background research, the GWU team traveled to the Karaganda region for ten days in order to interview key program participants and program staff from March 25- April 2, 2016. The DOME program staff arranged interviews with the program’s stakeholders in Karaganda city and four monotowns (Abay, Saran, Shakhtinsk, and Temirtau).

Each interview was conducted by two GWU consultants and translated by a PYXERA staff member. The GWU team interviewed a total of 23 key program participants including: 11 grant recipients, 3 employees at 2 of the grantees’ companies, 2 Business Case Competition participants (BCC), 3 Business Service Providers (BSP) and 6 representatives from the DOME program’s partner institutions, such as the National Entrepreneurship Development Fund (DAMU) and the Chamber of Entrepreneurs. Each interview was approximately 45 minutes to one-hour long. All the interviews were transcribed into Dedoose, a software for mixed-methods data analysis.

FOCUS GROUP

On Friday, April 1st, the GWU Team performed a focus group with all five team members of the field office. The objective of the activity was to assess what the program leaves behind. It was performed through a participatory approach and it allowed for all team members to have the same amount of time to voice their opinions. The consultants asked questions and each team member had post-it notes where they could individually write down their thoughts. Writing their ideas down on paper, allowed for less vocal team members to participate equally. Encouraging participants to write down their answers elicited more thoughtful responses. Once the PYXERA team had their ideas written, the post-it notes were pasted into the whiteboard. The team, with the help of the consultant leading the question, commented on each other's responses and assisted in identifying trends.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS

The main limitation of our assessment stemmed from the selection of a small sample group. The DOME team concluded it was more strategic to select key informant interviews as primary sources of data. This means that the sustainability assessment has selection bias. Respondents were not randomly selected, and as a result, the findings may not represent the perceptions of all stakeholders. Thus, the data reported does not cover all aspects of the program outcomes.

The research also has recall bias since participants were required to remember past events or experiences, which always introduces a level of subjectivity to the data. Furthermore, there can also be response bias if the interviewee’s responses do not reflect their true opinions. Interviewees could have changed their answers in hopes that the DOME program is extended.

In order to offset these biases, data was triangulated to the best of our ability. All of the information collected from primary sources was compared to and evaluated against research and conversations with the DOME staff.

Lastly, the most significant limitation to the assessment was the language barrier. Members of the DOME team simultaneously translated and interpreted, which means that the collected data is not a verbatim reflection of the interviewees’ responses. In order to ensure an accurate portrayal of judgement and perceptions of the interviewees, the conversations were recorded and small excerpts were replayed to independent Russian speakers for quality control.

RESEARCH ETHICS

In order to promote a mutual learning process during the assessment, the interview tools included a consent agreement where the interviewer assured the interviewee of the anonymity of their responses, looked for an express consent for the interview to take place, and asked for permission prior to recording the conversation.

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT: KEY INSIGHTS

During our interviews, we gathered insights on (i) knowledge transfer through capacity building, (ii) local ownership, and (iii) partnerships. These three indicators helped determine the level of sustainability of the DOME program’s intervention and strongly relate to the program's objective: an improved capacity for BSPs and MSMEs. Furthermore, the GW team also collected insights on (iv) gender stereotypes, (v) youth inclusion, and (vi) economic setbacks to further understand the context of the DOME program interventions.

SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES:

Many interviewees articulated that the DOME Program will be greatly missed. DOME allowed entrepreneurs to build strong relationships during their training and the business case competitions. However, the current economic setbacks presented with the devaluation could strain these relationships. Participant attrition is common, and could be exacerbated by the current state of the economy. Entrepreneurs or Business Service Providers could switch jobs or relocate making these networks weaker. Even if DOME participants continue working together, it will be challenging for these positive linkages to remain as active and fruitful as they were in the past.

(I) KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Throughout the three-years of activities, DOME has built the capacity of BSPs and collaborated with business support institutions to ensure their ability to continue providing consulting services to local businesses on their own. The information aggregated referring to knowledge transfer revealed the following findings:

● 7 out of 11 interviewed grantees have received training from the DOME program and shared the knowledge with colleagues and informally with friends and families. ● 4 out of 11 grantees didn’t receive training directly from the DOME program, but most of them have received them from other partner organizations such as DAMU. ● 2 training participants indicated that the quality of business training conducted by the DOME program was better than the ones conducted by DAMU - after they participated in both. ● 2 out of 11 grantees did not want to share their business knowledge with other entrepreneurs due to concerns of industry competition. ● BSPs found the DOME training materials are valuable for emerging entrepreneurs to learn the basics of entrepreneurship.

● The Business Plan Template developed for the Business Case Competition was adopted by the Karaganda Chamber of Entrepreneurs. ● The business support institutions tend to employ DOME trained business service providers.

The interviews reflected that the knowledge transfer was organically shared between emerging and experienced BSPs and entrepreneurs. The local BSPs and entrepreneurs have self-initiated clubs and organizations due to DOME programming that brought them together. For example, the Club of Business Experts and Consultants won a US$20,000 contract, among others, with various MSMEs in the Karaganda region. One emerging BSP opened his own consulting agency, and created new courses for business training. Based on his experience and conversations with business owners, he created a time management training. Furthermore, this emerging BSP is innovating by expanding his consulting business through YouTube and Instagram.

These are the clear indication that knowledge transfer was one of the strongest outcomes of the program. DOME program’s efforts facilitated the flow of knowledge in the Karaganda region. For example, local clubs or associations for business consultants and entrepreneurs are critical to the sustainability of the program outcomes and economic success. Local associations are able to create a community of entrepreneurship and business innovation.

(II) OWNERSHIP

The engagement of local stakeholders throughout the DOME program cycle helped promote consensus and ensure ownership of the economic diversification efforts. One of the main components of a sustainable intervention, is the ability of participants to acknowledge that programmatic activities are relevant to their own personal growth. Participants’ buy-in and time investment in the program contributes to the continuity of the program outcomes. This was exemplified through one interviewee, “we feel we can change our town by being more involved.” During the focus group exercise, the DOME field team communicated that they observed a change in mentality, since participants have become more proactive in their business decisions. These changes in attitudes reaffirm that ownership of this program will continue.

Furthermore, another key component of ownership relates to how the DOME program fits in the overall development strategy of the nation. The DOME program is closely aligned to Kazakhstan’s national strategy of diversifying the economy through entrepreneurship. As a result, the DOME program provided great support from local partners such as DAMU and the Chamber Entrepreneurs. While interviewing one of the directors of the Chamber of Entrepreneurs she explained that the Chamber and the DOME program developed together, since both started around the same time. In the future, the national initiatives could easily work with DOME trained BSPs, MSMEs and grantees. DOME’s cohesion with existing national strategies is key indicator for how local ownership will lead to sustainability.

Additionally, since the DOME program complemented the local partner initiatives, and did not compete, they were able to take advantage of the existing relationship. The DOME program involved DAMU, the Chamber of Entrepreneurs, and the Young Chamber of Entrepreneurs in the program activities. DOME was able to advertise to a wider range of potential participants since each organization collaborated and shared contact information. All the representatives from the business support institutions in Karaganda region agreed that the DOME program complemented or assisted local institutions.

DAMU and the Chamber of Entrepreneurs are part of the Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy. Each organization has a strategic purpose and will to continue providing support for entrepreneurs in the region in the foreseeable future. Once the DOME program ends, DOME participants will continue to be assisted through these national and regional institutions reaffirming the program’s local ownership to diversify the economy in these Monotowns.

(III) STRONG PARTNERSHIPS

During field research, the GWU team identified a series of partnerships that effectively ensure knowledge transfer and strengthen the capacity of entrepreneurs. In order to determine the relevance of these networks, the GWU team was looking for (a) their sustainability and (b) if they were directly facilitated by the DOME program interventions. Additionally, the team looked at the following:

1. If the partnerships are linkages that allow for information exchange. They cannot merely be social connections, but reflect actual evidence of knowledge transfer. 2. If they include two or more parties outside of DOME or the PYXERA team indicating they are independent of DOME. 3. If they are sustainable, meaning if these networks continue and can remain functional once the DOME program ends.

Through the interviews with key informants and direct observation, the GWU assessment team found over 25 cross-cutting and effective partnerships that fulfill the criteria described. This analysis of partnerships is done under the assumption that entrepreneurs are willing to continue cooperating and that there is no unforeseeable event can change these relationships.

GRAPH 1: DOME PARTNERSHIPS

CHALLENGES: PARTNERSHIPS

Business associations can be often spearheaded by one or two enthusiastic individuals that allow for more networks to be developed. For example, the Youth Chamber of Entrepreneurs in Karaganda city. Although this association cannot be attribute to DOME programming, if the founder leaves there is reason to believe that the organization might not survive because of its small size and start-up phase. Similarly, this can happen to networks facilitated by DOME. However, considering that the DOME networks can rely on the partner institutions such as DAMU and the Chamber of Entrepreneurs that have national support, existing networks should have strong standing.

(IV) GENDER STEREOTYPES

Women were active participants in the DOME program. As a result, the PYXERA team was interested in understanding gender perceptions in the region. Throughout the interviews the GWU team asked: ‘Do women entrepreneurs in the region have different challenges than men?’. This question aimed at understanding the perceptions of women in the Karaganda region and was asked to male and females alike. At first, participants did not understand the question. The majority answered that there was no difference between men and women in the region. A male interviewee mentioned “our women are very strong and active, so the men need to follow”, another female interviewee said, “It is not an issue for women to work in business in 11

this area...Women have more advantages because they have more initiative and are more motivated to start ventures.”

Looking at the responses we found that 62% of the interviewees had non-stereotypical perceptions towards women and 38% of interviewees had stereotypical perceptions. Women in particular, had more stereotypical perceptions towards females. For example, one female interviewee mentioned “They (women) have opportunities to develop enterprises but mostly in the beauty industries, manicures, pedicures, sales and bakery industries.”, another indicated “This is a woman type-of-job, that is why they (women) are more interested in this type of job. The men are not so passionate or patient to work with sewing machines.”

CHART 1: INTERVIEW EXCERPTS - GENDER STEREOTYPES Totals 21 Non-Stereotypical 62% Stereotypical 38%

Female/Stereotypical 7 43% Male/Stereotypical 1 20%

Female/Non- Male/Non- Stereotypical 9 47% Stereotypical 4 80%

These excerpts are clear examples that women’s inclusion and participation is not enough, but rather gender integration and gender-aware programs are important for SMEs development. If gender stereotypes still persist for women as well as men, it is important to have a deeper understanding of how they interact with one another. These interactions can affect programming. Gender roles change; they are dynamic and having discussions about gender and creating more awareness can improve inclusion and acceptance. It might also result in more diverse business ventures that fit local needs better.

(V) YOUTH INCLUSION

Youth inclusion is a fundamental cornerstone of a diverse and growing economic environment that facilitates entrepreneurship. During the interviews, the GWU Team was able to observe three main trends: (i) youth are likely to build networks, (ii) they have little access to finance, and (iii) they are leaving the monotowns. Based on our analysis, youth, are the most vulnerable population in the region.

The most relevant component for sustainable youth inclusion was that youth tend to form networks with their peers. 75% of our young interviewees mentioned they belonged to an entrepreneur network, business club, or that they have simply exchanged best practices with other entrepreneurs. For example, in a university in Karaganda, a young grantee started a business club with fellow students. In this club, young entrepreneurs provide advice to their peers who are interested in starting a new business. Furthermore, interviewees talked about their increase in knowledge throughout the multiple network exchanges with BSPs. For

example, a young grantee mentioned, “'I started an association with young entrepreneurs to offer them and share my experience (I opened it with my friends) they call me for my advice to improve their business and they are from all over (Astana and Almaty). We are just starting.”

The GWU team also found that the main constraint for youth development, besides access to jobs in their communities, is their lack of collateral to obtain loans. Over 30% of interviewees mentioned the biggest challenge for young entrepreneurs is financing.

During the assessment, the GWU team found that there is a perception of lack of motivation among youth: “The Government supports youth. I know the director of that center (Chamber of Entrepreneurs in one of the monotwns), so now I do motivational talks to students that want to be entrepreneurs. Youths want to leave town. In these towns, they are not productive. They smoke, drink and fight – they want to be the boss. We need to motivate them.” Additionally, youth in the Karaganda region need business capacity. One of our interviewees mentioned, “They (youth) also need the know-how of starting a business. Youth in the monotowns don’t know how to smartly spend their money. It’s not only about money, they also need to be supported and gain knowledge.”

Investing in capacity building for youth deepens the sustainability of project outcomes. The current trend in the Karaganda region is for youth to move to the cities, or migrate to other countries. One of the business trainers said during an interview: “Young people in monotowns tend to go to city centers and not stay in the monotowns. They don’t see any opportunities in their towns. The biggest challenge is that they don’t know they can do a business here. There weren’t any businesses during communism, so we need to get into a different mindset.”

(VI) ECONOMIC SETBACKS

The current economic setbacks in Kazakhstan are mainly due to falling energy prices which led to significant currency devaluation. As a result, it was important to ask each interviewee how the current economic situation impacted their business. This is an important aspect of the DOME program’s sustainability since it directly relates to business owners’ ability to continue operating. In order to assess these setbacks, we asked participants how the economic situation and devaluation affected their businesses to date, and how do they anticipate the economic challenges would impact their businesses in the upcoming year.

Based on our research, 50% women perceived and anticipated more negative effects from the devaluation than men, 33% had positive perceptions, and others had neutral perceptions (See Chart 2). Although the findings were distributed between the total number of responses, a significant number of participants displayed economic resiliency in the face of adversity. For example, the Montessori School grantee commented that she believes that having the equipment is the reason school enrollment has not gone down under the current situation. She now has a competitive advantage over other schools in the area after receiving the DOME

grant. Even the respondents with predominantly negative perceptions said they, and the country, are able to face the adversity and will emerge stronger from it.

CHART 2: ECONOMIC SETBACK PERCEPTIONS

Economic Perceptions Totals Female Male

Negative 9 6 3 Neutral 5 2 3 Positive 7 4 3

Case Study: Devaluation One grantee used his award to purchase a he ating unit for a car repair store. The grantee saw a business

opportunity as the Russian ruble devalued. He observed

Kazakh taxi and transportation companies purchasing

cars from Russia for their businesses in Karaganda. The entrepreneur says that even tho ugh his sales have decreased by 50% due to economic challenges, he expects the business will improve since more people are

purchasing used cars abroad. Additionally, he says the

devaluation does not impact the cost of materials

because there are many metal companies in the Karaganda region.

(VII) CROSS-CUTTING FOCUS GROUP INSIGHTS

Through the focus group performed with the PYXERA field team, the GW team has identified crosscutting findings that provided invaluable context for the DOME program insights. For example, the field team identified the following best practices of the DOME program activities: (i) effective partner collaboration (DAMU and Chamber of Entrepreneurs), (ii) clear rules for the grant application process and easy application form, (iii) good follow-up implementation, i.e., site visits for quality control, (iv) mentorship between emerging and established BSPs, and (v) organic collaboration among BSPs by sharing clients, training and experience. The field team also shared that in their opinion, DOME leaves behind (i) new businesses, (ii) new partnerships, networks, and friendships, and (iii) change in mentality i.e., participants have become more proactive, they have developed new skills that can be shared with others.

When we asked what change they saw in the region, they answered that generating trust was invaluable. They explained that corruption is common, that applications for loans are cumbersome, and government processes are not clear. DOME program, they observed,

improved trust and created change by operating transparently and following clear rules. One field team member mentioned, “by simply doing things differently, people trusted us.” Additionally, the focus group clarified a common expression we heard during our interviews. Many interviewees said they could not believe an organization would give them a grant or training for free. Through the focus group, we understood that participants were probably surprised by the transparency and ethical standards upheld by the PYXERA team.

Lastly, the cross-cutting insights that affect the DOME program’s sustainability were: (i) existing national corruption can undermine or slow programming. The first BCC competition, for example, had a considerable low turnout. Building trust is essential for wide participation in programs and the competition. Grants, as DOME field team signaled out, contributed to building trust. Secondly, not all towns should be approached in the same way. For example, one field team member commented “in Zhezkazgan, things move very differently than other towns”, while another mentioned, “Temirtau is the biggest and most developed monotown, it needs less when compared the other five we do programming in.” These local differences between the towns should be carefully examined and correct programming for a more needs-based and balanced approach.

AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY

Our desk and field research helped identify several areas of opportunity that can inform future programming and ensure an effective implementation of similar programs:

First, consulting people on the ground during the program planning phase ensures that the programs activities are directly addressing the participant’s needs. For example, some participants conveyed that industry-specific training, as opposed to general business training, would have been more useful. Multiple participants would have benefited from Information Technology (IT), manufacturing and product workshops, restaurant management training. Considering that the PYXERA team is now more aware of this opportunity, in 2016 they conducted an industry--specific training such as restaurant management training in Karaganda City.

Ensuring supporting institutions reinforced each other, as opposed to competing, was a strength of the DOME program. The collaboration between the Chamber of Entrepreneurs, the National Entrepreneurship Fund, and the DOME program grew organically. Furthermore, it facilitated the program activities and dissemination outreach. Additionally, it promoted ownership by aligning with the national development 2050 strategy.

As our interviews showed, including women in program activities is not enough to ensure a change in gender norms. Future programs must introduce the idea that men and women’s roles are dynamic, that they can change. Creating more awareness of common stereotypes can improve mutual inclusion and acceptance.

Finally, fostering partnerships through networking events is key to ensuring information exchange among participants - especially among young entrepreneurs. Youth programming in this region is an important area of opportunity in order to diversify the economy of these monotowns. Future programming in the region needs to curb youth migration, lack of motivation, and financial access.

RECOMMENDATIONS

From our assessment, the GW team has developed the following recommendations for PYXERA Global’s consideration in future program iterations:

1. Adopt a participatory approach in the program planning phase.

During the planning process, a participatory approach enables communities and local organizations in Karaganda region to provide their input for the program design. Now that PYXERA can leverage the relationships created with this project, participation will become easier but also expected. Local support institutions have developed a strong relationship with the DOME program team. This approach may ensure that planned activities are directly addressing participant needs, and creates a stronger feeling of ownership over the program resulting in more sustainable results.

2. Promote gender integration throughout programmatic activities

Women and men have equally engaged in the activities of entrepreneurship in Karaganda region. A grantee and a BSP mentioned that women sometimes have more opportunities than men. However, the interviews reflect the persistence of gender stereotypes limiting people’s potential. Cultural restraints can limit men and women to specific industries. The program should introduce the idea that men and women’s roles are dynamic and encourage all to take part in diversifying businesses.

3. Provide more industry-specific training

Interviewees that participated in BSP training showed a willingness to pay for additional training programs, if the programs were specific to their industry. Despite the economic constraints facing MSMEs, many were interested in additional training to improve their businesses. For example, one interviewee said he wants to invest in new equipment, but he is not sure what type of equipment to buy. Currently, he buys equipment and does not know if it is the correct machine or if it will be useful until it is delivered. Participants would appreciate training programs that offer industry-specific advice. Our recommendation for subsequent programs would be to conduct industry-specific training or hire experts from specific industries for one- on-one consultation with MSMEs.

4. Focus on at-risk populations

Through our interviews, we have identified that youths are at-risk in these monotowns. They tend to leave the monotowns to find better job opportunities. From adults to youth alike there is a common feeling that life is better in the city. Further analysis is needed to understand the push factors of youths and how to address them locally. Future programming needs to target youth as an at-risk population. Youth programming is essential to the sustainability of the program’s outcomes, especially in entrepreneurship promotion. Youth can bring innovation to these towns, and generally are prone to take on higher business risks. Youth in the Karaganda region seem to need business skills, motivation, and appropriate financing mechanisms that do not solely rely on having collateral.

CONCLUSION

Through this sustainability assessment, we have identified that the Karaganda region possesses strong gaps between the national 2050 plan and its current condition. Economic diversification and skills development are essential to bring the country closer to its goals, but high lending interest rates, little to no collateral from emerging entrepreneurs, and the current economic situation makes it difficult for MSMEs to flourish in the region. Furthermore, it seems that corruption is also a strong hindrance to doing business and that there is a strong tendency for youth to leave monotowns to find better opportunities in the city.

However, even under the current circumstances, the DOME program generated strong knowledge transfer, ownership, and partnerships. The DOME program provided grants that considerably helped emerging entrepreneurs to expand their business, empowered local service providers to further assist entrepreneurs, and inspired innovation through the Business Case Competition. For example, one of our interviewees who participated in the BCC (and was not considered among the finalists) started a leather accessory business during the competition and was able to successfully launch her business with the guidance of one of DOME’s BSPs and the grant program.

The networks that were organically created through program activities seem to be strong and lasting. The incorporation of PYXERA’s Business Plan Template into the Karaganda Chamber of Entrepreneurs is a strong indicator of a lasting knowledge transfer tool that can now be used by many. Additionally, the program activities allowed for personal learning opportunities that were shared with others, allowing participants to learn from themselves and learn from each other. All indicate that overall, the Diversification of Monotown Economies project by PYXERA Global has strong and sustainable results.

APENDICES

I. References II. Interview Guides III. Interview Itinerary IV. Excel Sheets with coding analysis and excerpts: A. Knowledge Transfer excel sheet B. Partnerships excel sheet C. Economic perceptions excel sheet D. Women perceptions excel sheet E. Youth perceptions excel sheet

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• World Bank: Oil Rents Percentage of GDP http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PETR.RT.ZS

• George, Alexandra, Journey into Kazakhstan : the true face of the Nazarbayev regime. 2001.

• Bonora, Gian Luca; Pianciola, Niccolo. Kazakhstan: religions and society in the history of Central Eurasia. U. Allemandi, 2009.

• Ostrowski, Wojciech. Politics and Oil in Kazakhstan. Routledge, 2010.

• Aitken, Jonathan. Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan: From Communism to Capitalism. New York: Continuum, 2009.

• Shayakhmetov, Mukhamet. Silent Steppe: The memoir of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stanlin. 2007.

• LeVine, Steve. The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea. Random House, 2007.

• Frantz, Douglas. Temiratau Journal: Steel Company buys a mill, gets a Kazakh town. The New York Times: 2001. Available: • http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/01/world/temirtau-journal-steel-company-buys-a- mill-gets-a-kazakhtown.html

• Bank Watch Organization. The danger of mining in Shakhtinsk, Kazakhstan. 2007. Available in: • http://bankwatch.org/danger-mining-shakhtinsk-kazakhstan

• World Bank: Kazakhstan Country partnership strategy FY12-FY17 • http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/03/16220488/kazakhstan-country- partnershipstrategy-period-fy12-fy17

• World Bank: Oil Rents Percentage of GDP http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PETR.RT.ZS

• Kazakhstan Strategy 2050: http://strategy2050.kz/en/

• The Diplomat: China and Russia Tussle for Influence in Kazakhstan: • http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/china-russia-and-the-tussle-for-influence-in- kazakhstan/

Appendix II: Interview Protocols

General Protocol

The interview will be conducted by three (3) officers, one that administers the interview protocol and will be in contact with the interviewee, a Russian-English translator that will be also in contact with the interviewee, and another who will be taking verbatim notes of the conversation, keep up with the time since the interview is designed to last no more than an hour and will not engage with the interviewee. The interview is composed of 9 questions. Please refer to the given probes to ask more information to the interviewee.

The place of the interview will be in a private room of choosing by the interviewee. After the interview, the interview conductor and the note taker will summarize their key findings without the presence of the translator. These written findings and the transcript of the interview will be shared with the research team as soon as possible.

Note: The primary interviewer will be taking some notes, but will concentrate in the conversation with the interviewee. The secondary interviewer will be the primary note- taker (on our laptop computers) and recorder, only if the interviewee agrees with the recording. We will have our interview questions translated and printed out to show it to the interviewee just in case some questions need more clarity. Additionally, we will have a 1 page checkbox of the interview questions to help facilitate the coding and processing of information.

Grantee Questions

We wanted to thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. My name is ISABEL, GENESIS, MEERA OR LOLY, (prompt: country of origin, student, purpose of project) and I would like to talk to you about your experiences participating in the DOME Program, implemented by PYXERA Global. As one of the components of our overall program evaluation, we are assessing the program’s sustainability. This interview should take less than an hour. My coworker, ISABEL, GENESIS, MEERA OR LOLY will take notes of the session to register your comments and XX will help us with the translation. If you agree, we would also like to record this interview. All responses will be kept confidential. This means that your interview responses will only be shared with the research team members and any information we include in our report will not identify you as the respondent.

You do not have to talk about anything you don’t want to and you may end the interview at any time you wish. Are there any questions about what I have just explained? Are you willing to participate in this interview?

Gender F M

Age: Town of Residence: Abay • 18-24 years old • Saran • 25-34 years old • Satpaev • 35-44 years old • Shakhtinsk • 45-54 years old • Karaganda • 55-64 years old • Temirtau • 65 years or older • Zhezkazgan • Other ______

Are you currently a business owner? Which field of business are you working in? • Agriculture • Yes • Education • No • Extractive industry/ mining/ steel/ iron* • Government • Health • Information Technology • Printing and Advertising • Manufacturing • Manufacturing (Textiles) • Retail** • Other: ______Q1. Can you tell me about your business? Q2. Can you tell me about your experience with the Pyxera Global grant? (Q.3.1) Q3. Do you think the grant from the DOME program changed your business? How? (Q.3.1) Q4. Do you have female employees? (For other industries, ask if they have men employees) What is their participation? Q5. Have you received any trainings to improve your business? (S.2.1) • If yes, which trainings? From which source? (clarify if outside DOME) • Did you pay a fee? If no, are you willing to pay a fee in the future for a similar training? Q6. Have you shared what you learned with a family member, friend, or colleague? (I.1.3) If yes, can you tell me more about it? • If no, do you know anyone outside of the DOME program who would be interested in learning about business skills? Q7. Do you expect you will be able to continue your business in the current economic situation? (Challenges) (S.2.3) If yes, how? If no, why? Q8. How do you think young entrepreneurs could be better supported to develop or strengthen their businesses? Q9. And for our last question, is there anything more you would like to add or comment? (Probe for a story) Thank you. We have concluded our interview. We will be analyzing the information you and others have provided and we will submit a draft report to Pyxera Global in one month. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you.

Collaboration Partners Protocol:

Age: Gender:

Organization: Place of residence:

Q1. How has DAMU/ Chamber of Entrepreneurs collaborated or worked with the DOME Program? Probe: Do you have a specific example that you could share with us of how this partnership has functioned? (S.2) Q2. Which are the most common challenges any entrepreneur faces in the Karaganda region? Probe: are these challenges similar at a national level? Q3. Which are the most common challenges that women entrepreneurs in the Karaganda region? Probe: are these challenges similar at a national level? Q4. How has the devaluation/finance situation impacted your work and how will it affect future programming?

Q5. How has DOME Program contributed to the DAMU/Entrepreneurship Chamber? Probe: Do you have a specific example that you could share with us of how this partnership has been positive? (S.2) Q6. Considering that DAMU and Dome have clients in common, how do you envision your organization collaborating after the DOME Project comes to an end? Probe: If yes, will you be working with BCC, Grantees or BSPs of DOME in the near future? When and under what circumstances? If no, why not? What would you need from them to make this collaboration last? (S.1) Q7. Has DAMU/Entrepreneurship Chamber worked with DOME’s trained business service providers? Probe: if Yes, How many and under what circumstances? What were the skills that made them more valuable to your organization? If No, why not? What skills did they lack for it to be a more valued collaboration? (S.2.3) Q8. How could DAMU/Entrepreneurship Chamber and DOME have collaborated further? Probe: Take your time to think about it. Is there any case in particular were you would have wished your collaboration would have been different? (S.2.4) Q9. And for our last question, is there anything more you would like to add or comment? A story you might want to share with us? Probe: something you wish we ask or should know about? Thank you. We have concluded our interview. We will be analyzing the information you and others have provided and we will submit a draft report to PYXERA Global in one month. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you.

BSPs Interview:

1. Profile Gender F M

Age: Town of Residence: • 18-24 years old Abay • 25-34 years old • Saran • 35-44 years old • Satpaev • 45-54 years old • Shakhtinsk • 55-64 years old • Karaganda • 65 years or older • Temirtau • Zhezkazgan

Are you member of the Business Consultant Association? In which towns did you conduct the trainings? (Select all applicable) • Abay • Yes • Saran • No • Satpaev • Shakhtinsk • Karaganda • Temirtau • Zhezkazgan

Q2. Can you share with us which trainings have you conducted? (Select all applicable.) Prompt: examples • Finances for Non-Financiers • Human Resources Management • Marketing & Sales

• Strategic and Business Planning • Tax and Law • Other: ______

Q3. How was your experience with the DOME trainings? (Q.3.1) Probe: was there a training in particular/piece of knowledge that you found useful? Q4. Did the DOME trainings increase your ability to train business owners? How? (Q.3.1) Probe: If so, how are you more capable of training business owners now? If no, which areas do you wish your trainings had covered and why? Q5. How do women and men trainers participate (equally) in the program activities? Q6. Tell me about your work with other BSPs: • Were you encouraged to work together with other BSPs, share experiences and exchange best practices during the duration of the program? (Q.3.2) If Yes, how were you encouraged to work together with other BSPs: • If No, do you believe theses interactions would have been fruitful?

Q7. Have you applied what you learned at DOME trainings in other formal trainings without DOME financing?(S.2.1) Yes. If yes, which trainings did you perform, where did they take place, and with whom? No → If No, have you thought of doing trainings on your own? What is stopping you? Q8. Have you shared business skills with a family member, friend, or colleague? (I.1.3) Yes. If yes, can you tell me more about it? No. Do you know any other person, who has not participated before, who would like to participate in a training program/workshop? Q9. Do you expect you will be able to continue providing trainings after the DOME program ends? (S.2.3) Q10. Please tell us how the devaluation has impacted your business and how you anticipate the economic challenges will impact your business in the upcoming year? (R.1.2 and S.2.2 ) Q11. Have any of the DOME participants contacted you for further information, desire for training, or other types of assistance? Q12. And for our last question, is there anything more you would like to add or comment? Probe: something you wish we ask or should know about? We have concluded our interview. We appreciate the time you took to talk to us. We will be analyzing the information you and others have provided and we will submit a draft report to PYXERA Global in one month. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you.

Appendix III: Interview Itinerary: TOTAL number of interviewees: 23; Grantees: 11, Employees: 3, BCC participants: 2, BSP: 3, Support Institutions representatives: 6 # Name Type Interviewers

MONDAY March 28, 2016

1 Director of HR, Chamber of Entrepreneurship partner Genesis, Isa 2 Director of Economy, Chamber of E partner Loly, Meera 3 IT company grantee Isa, Genesis 4 DAMU Entrepreneurship Development Fund partner Meera, Loly

TUESDAY March 29, 2016

5.1 Abay-Textile LLP/ IE Malyuk double grantee Loly, Genesis 5.2 IT Manager, Abay-Textile LLP/ IE Malyuk employee Meera, Isa 5.3 Sewing worker, Abay-Textile LLP/ IE Malyuk employee Isa, Meera 6 Kashkimbekov Daniyar, Abay Polymer Service LLP double grantee Genesis, Loly 7 IE Fink grantee Isa, Meera 8.1 IE Alpispayeva/ PK Talisman (Jewlery Display) grantee Meera, Isa 8.2 Workers, IE Alpispayeva/ PK Talisman employee Loly, Genesis Lunch Break

9 IE Filatova BCC, double grantee Genesis, Loly 10 IE Bratukhina/ Children’s entertainment and development center SoNik grantee Isa, Meera

WEDNESDAY March 30, 2016

11 IE Suleimenov Kairat, repair of engines and manufacture of metal assemblies for vehicles grantee Genesis, Meera 12.1 Consultant at the Chamber of Entrepreneurship of Saran BSP Loly, Isa

12.2 Director of Chamber of Commerce partner Loly, Isa 13 IE Khassenov Kanat, Horse grantee Isa, Loly milk production 14 IE Konnov, production of leather accessories 1st year BCC participant, grantee Meera, Genesis 15 Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Temirtau; Dos-Mentor LLP BSP Genesis, Meera

THURSDAY March 31, 2016

16 Head of the Sheber, Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan and the Center of Masters of Arts Partner in the organization of industry-specific training Isa, Genesis

Lunch Break

17 Sanatoriy Bereznyaki LLP Grantee Cancelled FRIDAY April 1, 2016 18 IE Altyn Urpak double grantee Meera, Loly 19 Club of Experts and Consultants; Center AT BSP Genesis, Isa

Lunch Break

20 Director of Kazakhstan Association of Young Entrepreneurs Partner in the organization of the 2nd year BCC Loly, Meera

Appendix IV: Excel Sheets with coding analysis and interview excerpts A. Knowledge Transfer Knowledge Transfer Knowledge from DOME Transfer to Among Excerpt Copy Karaganda Locals ID Type Sex Age Town Industry

A: The BCC helped me with skills. I learned how to organize biz and how to manage HR. Yes BCC Female 25-34 Temirtau Other A: The trainings I received before were not about biz. The first training about biz is at the BCC. I received the trainings organized by DOME for HR management, Strategic and Business Planning. Later, I received trainings about International standard for management from DAMU.

Q: How did trainings changed your ability? A: I learned how to create and manage a team. Everybody was very interested in what we are doing here. I worked on team spirit and kept them active. I also learned how to plan my biz like what I need or what I don’t need. For example, I had issues with workers before. There were things that we couldn't agree on. After I received the trainings, I started to solve the problem by listening to my workers. That was a big improvement. Yes BCC Female 25-34 Temirtau Other I shared the knowledge learned from trainings with my friends and my biz partners. I shared the knowledge I gained with my coworkers about how to make products and how to use machines. Yes BCC Female 25-34 Temirtau Other A: Time management. Speaking of my field (advertisement), the situation is different because we share knowledge with and support each other. However, in the field of accessary biz, people do not tend to share knowledge with others. When I ask someone how to do it, they would think that I should figure it by myself. I don’t think there will be any trainings in this field because it is very narrow. I wouldn’t even be interested in going to such trainings but rather to visit some factories with bigger scale. No BCC Female 25-34 Temirtau Other DOME changed my opinion. At first the DOME program increased my confidence that I am a person who is able to train others. Before being a participant I thought I was the only one who has no diplomas on business. I thought all I had done before was wrong. When I worked with DOME I understood that here in Karaganda the people who have most experience are the ones that have no diploma. This helped me connect to other business people. I told them that before I had no training and all my success Karagan I learned from the people. Yes Yes BSP Female 35-44 da City Training

She found the business essentials trainings very useful. It was separated in different topics, and it covered every topic fully. It covered all trainings fully, and she thought the quality of handouts was great and the speakers were great. Business essentials is very useful, because most of the participants in the trainings are starting entrepreneurs, they need to learn about essentials. As legislation changes, we also need to learn about the change of legislation and how the law works. We need to adapt, and these trainings give us the basics. Yes BSP Female 35-44 Saran Training Yes, I learned how to conduct trainings on my own. Yes BSP Female 35-44 Saran Training As I work here (entrepreneur Support center), I help all entrepreneurs use this knowledge we learned from DOME in our everyday work. One example: strategic business planning: here we use a model business plan developed by DOME to help entrepreneurs. Yes BSP Female 35-44 Saran Training Yes, I am planning to continue to conduct training for entrepreneurs even if the program stops. We will not be able to collect money from entrepreneurs, maybe just a little bit of money like for the handouts and coffee breaks. But even if its not profitable, I want to continue to train people. Yes BSP Female 35-44 Saran Training

This is a part of our job and anyways we will conduct the trainings and events.

We work for the chamber of entrepreneurs. We keep working with them, and we have expressed our desire to support government programs. We are helping them out, we provide them with necessary tools and all the programs we use here, we give training. BSP Female 35-44 Saran Training I started when the DOME program started when Zharas started working with DAMU. Before they were the DAMU, now it is called the chamber of entrepreneurs. Aziz was working for the Chamber and Zharas invited all DAMU trainers to participate in DOME Program. Before DOME, he was a DAMU consultant and was not a trainer. So then he started to train locally. “At first I was not sure if I could do it on my own, so I found another person to do trainings with me.”

He was working in different activities related to the DOME program. After he became a trainer, Zharas asked him to be a mentor for the BCC program for youth entrepreneurs. As a mentor, Aziz helped the young people write the business plans. Aziz also participated in the training session, consulting essentials. He was involved in all consulting sessions. He gave information for entrepreneurs in Timertau about the DOME program. Yes Yes BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training Pyxera Global and the DOME program made me a trainer from zero, and now I have become who I am because of their project. Now I am an individual consultant, a business consultant, and after I finished my work with DOME I will work as a business consultant. I also want to become an individual business service provider. He has started vlogging on YouTube and Instragram with the username dosmentor. Yes BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training She started doing trainings before DOME. She did all five trainings, but she prefers to train for Human Resources Management and Strategic and Business Planning because she has a huge experience on this sphere. She shared from her own business experience. But there is a complicated thing connected to all five. So my participants asked for trainings on Finances and Tax. I did. I am not the best at this. So I understood Karagan that it was better to ask other trainers to work together, as a team. Yes BSP Female 35-44 da City Training I started charging fee from very beginning. But my colleagues were not charging, so I had to give them for free. For example, during a training in Karaganda, the price was 6000 Tengue. When people called Karagan they said, why is it so cheap? Yes BSP Female 35-44 da City Training We already have some contracts with the companies in Karaganda to train the staff, and sure we will Karagan continue. I cannot even imagine the amount, but I am optimistic Yes BSP Female 35-44 da City Training

She is retired but wants the spread the company internationally and share her knowledge with other Employe Manufact people Yes e Female 55+ Abay uring Yes. Actually, she was working for another company. And she went to many trainings with Japanese companies, and sometimes it is a little bit sad because all these new techniques under the same names they are based on Soviet Union techniques. We already knew about these matters. Just because Soviet Union ended, we lost all these people, and we lost these techniques. It is a bit sad. Employe Manufact Surely the new equipment brings improvements, but before we had the knowledge already. No e Female 55+ Abay uring The main source of the knowledge was the director and manager. They showed them how to use Employe Manufact computer, she did not take any course. We are very clever we are self- taught. Yes e Female 55+ Abay uring Yes. I keep updated. I received training for communications, marketing, sales, tax and law. I have also Agricultur done trainings with DAMU Yes Yes Grantee Male 45-54 Saran e Yes, Marketing and Sales and other trainings without certificates. It is very important for business. She Educatio received coaching too Yes Grantee Female 35-44 Abay n We have trainings every month – and share our knowledge with our colleagues. Future, we will do the Educatio trainings but not sure if I will pay in the future. Yes Grantee Female 35-44 Abay n The Montessori equipment brought her a lot of opportunities. She received a training from a Montessori methods training facilities that she paid for, she is still getting training from them. She is attending trainings in Astana- there are 3 stages, after the thirds stages, then she will be a Montessori trained Shakhtin Educatio specialists. She also received DAMU training on business relations and another training as a business No Yes Grantee Female 35-44 sk n advisor.

Would you be willing to pay? Yes, I am willing to pay. I am interested in developing as a mentor. She is a member of women entrepreneurs. She also attended DAMU training in HR management and taxes and Shakhtin Educatio law. Yes Grantee Female 35-44 sk n Shakhtin Educatio Yes, she has shared a lot with family and friends. Yes Grantee Female 35-44 sk n Yes with Pyxera (the BCC), and with DAMU. With DAMU I did trainings 2 years ago (Road Map 2050; it was how to increase productivity, how to business trainings). I went to 4 or 5 trainings with DAMU. I heard it my city they have a DAMU center. These trainings were free. Zhezkaz Educatio Yes, if it is an interesting trainings and it will depend on who is doing the trainings. Yes Yes Grantee Male 18-24 gan n Yes, I ask them why you are not applying to grants. I have a lot of friends that are entrepreneurs, and they could not believe Pyxera Global was given them grants. Now we have a young entrepreneurs club Zhezkaz Educatio to help others. Yes Grantee Male 18-24 gan n They also need the know-how of starting a business. Youth in the mono-towns don’t know how to smartly Zhezkaz Educatio spend their money. It’s not about the money, they need to be supported and have knowledge. Grantee Male 18-24 gan n I started an association with young entrepreneurs to offer them and share my experience (I opened it with my friends) they call me for my advice to improve their business and they are from all over (Astana Zhezkaz Educatio and Almaty). We are just starting, they are just building. N/A Yes Grantee Male 18-24 gan n Training sessions by DAMU in Astana (Nazarbayev University) he avoided the common mistakes – important to do research and how the market likes the projects. Now it is first only one line of production so later he can expand after he sees how the market reacts. Regarding future trainings, at the University they could see production process in Germany and US but he just started this so he did not go. In 2 years, he believes he would benefit greatly from trainings – free Manufact – but if it is not too expensive I would be able to pay. Yes Grantee Male 35-44 Abay uring Not in this region – he learned from theses mistakes. He doesn’t want to share because it will be for his Manufact competitors. In other regions, he can help in the future but if he gets payed. No Grantee Male 35-44 Abay uring

At the university, we provided services to other university students to help them getting to know other entrepreneurs in the biz field, especially to establish the link for them to know more established biz owners. It is like a small biz club. Informati About the biz club: in 2015, we spread information about the DOME program that they provide trainings on about how to start and run biz among students. They started to use services from the DOME. The biz Karagan Technolo club was formed naturally. N/A Yes Grantee Male 18-24 da City gy The second grant includes the software trainings in Almaty. The trainings were very difficult, so I appreciate the work that women are doing here.

Other trainings outside: I have received certificates for HR management, marketing management that were hold by the DOME. The guy went to the Kaizen training by Japanese expert.

Willingness to pay: It depends on the subject. If it relates to our work, we are willing to pay, but not the similar biz trainings we had before. Yes Yes Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Other I have received trainings from DAMU, not about a specific topic, but rather how to be an entrepreneur and apply different trainings for the government. He didn’t participate in other trainings, it’s all about experience. Yes, they were free trainings. He would be willing to pay for further trainings, if the trainings really holds direct information about the most challenging sections of management and entrepreneurship. Because there are some challenges that you meet in the business, and he would like to learn about other’s people’s experience. Shakhtin Manufact An example of these challenges is finding very challenging is how to manage the technologies, how to N/A Yes Grantee Male 45-54 sk uring apply the new technologies related to his industry. He wants more industry- specific trainings. PYXERA and DOME helped him understand that he can continue getting new equipment. But when he buys it, he doesn’t understand if this is the right equipment. DAMU is now providing mentors who come from abroad to teach them how to apply and use their knowledge about technology in the production process. His wife is a BSP so he is involved in all of the trainings. He has obtained all of the trainings and received all of the certificates from DAMU. He has participated in Kaizen training and University in Astana w/ marketing trainings. He said that when the trainings were with Pyxera and DAMU, he thought the trainings were more effective and stronger. He doesn’t know why, but when he attends the training with DAMU, it feels different. DAMU doesn’t have as broad information as the trainings from Pyxera Manufact Global. Yes Yes Grantee Male 45-54 Saran uring Yes, she attended the training with the US embassy, Pyxera, and Peter Corbett. He brought his training session about e-commerce, creation of applications. Marina said it was interesting to listen to a professional IT person, it gave her an idea to do internet advertising on social networks and Instragram. She did not pay, DOME/Pyxera invited grantees to participants. Did you pay a fee? If no, are you willing to pay a fee in the future for a similar training? Yes, she is willing Educatio to pay. Yes, I am very interested in industry specific trainings and entrepreneurship development. Yes Yes Grantee Female 35-44 Abay n Yes, I meet them for work, and personal/ professional events. My main goal is to hire workers that were trained by the DOME program. I prefer to hire workers who are trained by DOME. It’s useful for our Governm work. I am doing my best to attract more entrepreneurs. We want to learn, but we also want to practice. Yes Partner Female 25-34 Saran ent I can share my own experience. I went to Timur’s training for finance for non- financiers. Now I am doing my financials on my own. I am using the tables and materials from the workshop. It is really valuable. Governm Some people don’t even need accountants anymore; they can do it on their own. Yes Partner Female 25-34 Saran ent

I have been working with the CC and I was very impressed by the training conducted by BSPs. The key is that old clients that are with us now, came thanks to the training of the DOME program. The trainings gave a push to the business. All our clients knew about us through the training. We have opportunities to Governm tell entrepreneurs about our programs as well. I am very grateful. Yes Yes Partner Female 25-34 Saran ent The main mission of this org is to make entrepreneurship popular amongst youth. Also we help young entrepreneurs how to become entrepreneurs. There are a lot of programs and projects that support young entrepreneurs, but young people don’t know about the programs so we are a link between government support and business linkages. We are not a government org, we are an NGO. We are funded by ourselves and sometimes without a profit. For example, one event that we do every year – Karagan they have a lot of collaborations with the European Educational Fund. N/A Yes Partner Male 18-24 da City Training As I already mentioned, our organization has a mission to collaborate with entrepreneurs in monotowns, cities, for them to work together so they can participate in different business incubators. The main purpose is to create this union. In this union, we are speaking at universities and schools to spread Karagan information. We are also arranging meetings w/ successful entrepreneurs. N/A Yes Partner Male 18-24 da City Training For example the BPS from Hamid- they work with him. I know Pyxera global does good trainings so we Karagan encourage our entrepreneurs to participate in Pyxera Global’s BSPs. Yes N/A Partner Male 18-24 da City Training Q5. The business service providers trained by Pyxera worked closed with the Chamber of Entrepreneurs. When Pyxera first announced, it wasn’t going to possible for everyone to participate. The head of the chamber did not want everyone to go because the courses were during work hours. At first they let everyone go because the hours were long and somebody had to keep doing work. Nevertheless, we are work with DOME trainers w/ trainers like Tatyana, She does training sessions, and the works of the Chamber of E help her attract new participants. The Chamber has the same training programs. I have participated in more complex international trainings. The point we are missing here is that trainers who are trained by the entrepreneurs themselves do not always deliver the training sessions. Its Karagan Governm important for the trainings to be led by real entrepreneurs. Yes Partner Female 45-54 da City ent How we solved this problems- there are 2 types of trainings. The first is called business advisor for Karagan Governm emerging entrepreneurs w/ no experience who can use theoretical advice. For them we do not need N/A Yes Partner Female 45-54 da City ent very experienced trainers, they just need the basics. The second project is called Project Learning, here they are divided by fields. They are given a person experienced in a particular field, ie agriculture, that person gives training in that field, ie how to breed, where to sell, which companies to contact and so forth. For example, they also have specific people from local areas- as in successful business in the local area and specific field. Recently there was a training for bakeries, it attracted a lot of women, and the entrepreneur had a successful bakery factory. So the model is to find entrepreneurs around one field, find a successful entrepreneur, and then conduct a training program. Personally, I’ve been working in business for more than 20 years. I am a co-owner of a business. I was invited to join the Chamber b/c I can collaborate w/ government and I am a trainer. I am trained in project management- I teach people to run programs. The DOME program was timely b/c there are 8 monotowns, an it engaged w/ 6. We want DOME to work with the 2 remaining, especially Bahash which has amazing entrepreneurs. The best thing is we published a business plan online, and anyone could download it, we are still using it. That was a great them to do. Also, a good experience I learned was that DOME only gave grants to established entrepreneurs who already had something good going on, we did cite visits. Because in the program in the Chambers, they gave emerging entrepreneurs grants that they Karagan Governm could not handle. Yes Partner Female 45-54 da City ent

USAID offered training for entrepreneurships sessions, Helena she started to develop (she was appointed as developer of entrepreneurship) Mostly in Karaganda region, NGO structure was very developed. More developed than other regions. This network started from 2003/ 2004 they had received the training from USAID and they started to develop in different sides of Kazakhstan. Helena’s colleagues became directors in different parts of the country. They all know each other. Knowing each other helped strengthen the network of entrepreneurship. USAID has taught these professionals during other projects all over the country (when the chamber of entrepreneurs started, then the collaborators al already knew each other) so from the beginning Karagan Governm everyone wanted to collaborate with DOME program. Yes Yes Partner Female 45-54 da City ent Skills: DOME contributed to develop the specific method on how to train business providers. It made a strong network to have the BSPs collaborate among each other. Creating the network was the main Karagan Governm outcome. Yes Partner Female 45-54 da City ent We are planning to continue trainings once the program closes, but it will be hard for entrepreneurs to be left without the benefits of the program. For the last month we have a schedule to make several trainings and get the most of the program before Governm it closes. Yes Partner Female 25-34 Saran ent There were several missing points. If the DOME training gives entrepreneurs theoretical knowledge, we go on site and visit the business to help them solve the problems they might have in their specific industry. We help entrepreneurs to collaborate with government institutions so that they have any problems with Governm law. Yes Yes Partner Female 25-34 Saran ent The most important collaboration with DOME was that our interests in development of artisans and women empowerment in the region are very similar. We didn’t have professional trainers to teach people who are interested in this kind of activities. Historically, a lot of women are interested in making handicrafts and creative activities. After the economic crisis, a lot of people are unemployed. Therefore, they want to develop creative sectors, but we didn’t have the capacity to train them. That is why that the collaboration is so important because that DOME provided such services. Due to DOME, we have trained people who become the trainers to train other people. Karagan Manufact It is exciting outcome from the collaboration with DOME. Yes Partner Female 35-44 da City uring

B. Partnerships

Informati Independent on BUT Media exchang ATTRIBUTAB SUSTAIN Codes Applied ID Title Excerpt Copy e LE TO DOME ABLE Combined Type Sex Age Town Industry 20Partner Collaboration/Par Partn Karaganda 0401.docx They are also conducting parties for networking. YES YES YES tnership er Male 18-24 City Training How many of his entrepreneurs have worked with grantees of the 20Partner DOME program? I cannot say the exact number but I can say that Collaboration/Par Partn Karaganda 0401.docx 600 entrepreneurs are interested in collaborating and working YES YES YES tnership er Male 18-24 City Training

different business incubators.

20Partner young people don’t know about the programs so we are a link Collaboration/Par Partn Karaganda 0401.docx between government support and business linkages. YES YES YES tnership er Male 18-24 City Training At the university, we provided services to other university students to help them getting to know other entrepreneurs in the biz field, especially to establish the link for them to know more established biz owners. It is like a small biz club. About the biz club: in 2015, we spread information about the DOME Informatio program that they provide trainings about how to start and run biz n 3Grantee0 among students. They started to use services from the DOME. The Collaboration/Par Grant Karaganda Technolo 328.docx biz club was formed naturally. YES YES YES tnership ee Male 18-24 City gy 11grantee have friends who are entrepreneurs and I encourage them to attend Collaboration/Par Grant Manufact 330.docx training sessions. YES YES YES tnership ee Male 45-54 Saran uring Zharas asked him to be a mentor for the BCC program for youth entrepreneurs. As a mentor, Aziz helped the young people write the 15BSP33 business plans. Aziz also participated in the training session, Collaboration/Par 0.docx consulting essential YES YES YES tnership BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training Before DOME, he was a DAMU consultant and was not a trainer. So 15BSP33 then he started to train locally. “At first I was not sure if I could do it Collaboration/Par 0.docx on my own, so I found another person to do trainings with me.” YES YES YES tnership BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training There were about 15 trained BSPs and now he communicates with 10 them a lot. They have built a network and they are collaborating. Now it is more professional, not just as friends, they are collaborating. For example, he is very passionate about marketing, 15BSP33 these is another that is interested in the psychology behind Collaboration/Par 0.docx entrepreneurship. YES YES YES tnership BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training 15BSP33 the handbag designer, he is helping her and working with her to Collaboration/Par 0.docx overcome entrepreneurship challenges YES YES YES tnership BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training 18Grantee Collaboration/Par Grant 0401.docx Now we have a young entrepreneurs club to help others. YES YES YES tnership ee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education I started an association with young entrepreneurs to offer them and share my experience (I opened it with my friends) they call me for my 18Grantee advice to improve their business and they are from all over (Astana Collaboration/Par Grant 0401.docx and Almaty). We are just starting, they are just building. YES YES YES tnership ee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education

he main mission of this org is to make entrepreneurship popular amongst youth. Also we help young entrepreneurs how to become entrepreneurs. There are a lot of programs and projects that support young entrepreneurs, but young people don’t know about the programs so we are a link between government support and business linkages. We are not a government org, we are an NGO. We are funded by ourselves and sometimes without a profit. For example, one event that we do every year – they have a lot of collaborations with the European Educational Fund. He showed us one of the event video- 26 February, advertising of the campaign- shows that the event has a 1,000,000 tenge prize. There are organizations in Kazakhstan that contact them to have these events. There was a forum of young entreprenures in Spring 2015 with Pxyera Global, the prize was 1,000,000 tenge. In terms of 20Partner collaboriation w/ Pyxera Global, we find the entrepreneurs and we Collaboration/Par Partn Karaganda 0401.docx encourage them to be a part of the training session w/ Pyxera. YES NO YES tnership er Male 18-24 City Training

C. Gender Stereotypes Totals 21 Non-Stereotypical 62% Stereotypical 38%

Female/Stereotypical 7 43% Male/Stereotypical 1 20%

Female/Non-Stereotypical 9 47% Male/Non-Stereotypical 4 80%

Excerpt Copy Perceptions ID Type Sex the women in the Abay have to work because the salaries of the men are quite low. S Grantee F The best thing for Abay women is to get married and have kids! S Grantee F

To be honest, it is well known that the situation of women in mono towns is difficult. It is difficult for them to have opportunities for jobs. I am member of committee of entrepreneurship support, and we are seeing that women are keen to develop their entrepreneurship skills, particularly in creative areas. He considers himself loyal, so he is making two shifts for women, because he understands that women have families. Women are range (28- 35) and he understands their situation. So he thinks they are difficult to manage, but the salary is very good, I am paying vacation time. S Grantee M

They have opportunities to develop enterprises but mostly in the beauty industries, manicures, pedicures, sales, bakeries. NS Grantee F

50-50, he said it’s equally men and women participating. The women and men are similarly involved. Our women are very strong and active, so the men need to follow. The women have something in their heads, and we (men) need to follow them! NS Grantee M

I didn’t pay attention. There are a lot of women doing biz. In my field, there are women who own different workshops. It is not an issue for women to do biz in this area. NS BCC F

The girls are more active and more entrepreneurial. The purpose is not about individuals owning businesses on their own, they are supposed to work together and start businesses on their own. For example these girls –video- have a business that looks for restaurant professional. Waiters work for short periods of time and then leave so restaurants want help finding employees NS Partner M

Today we have 22 members. 50% 50% men or women. Probably there are more women. 70% are women participants. Sometimes there are a lot of men, but mostly women. I think the men they, are not shy but afraid of being thought silly. They are afraid of admitting that they don’t know the knowledge. NS BSP F

The worst challenge for women, they don’t think before starting business. “I didn’t go to school and I lost the job” so I want to start business. They don’t know how to do it. So they go to chamber, and they cannot deny them. So they get money.

Women need to research themselves, understand what they want, be very honest with themselves. Acknowledge if they have enough drive to follow through. Agreement from relatives. And if it was my opportunity, I would do an exam before giving the money. I don’t want to play God, just give them the clear picture I know a lot of women who are great specialists, they can do great things. Like for example they can be doctors. But not entrepreneurs. It is very modern now. It’s a trend for everyone to want to be entrepreneur. S BSP F

I think there are a lot of opportunities here for women. Maybe you heard about the committee of business women that we organized together. We try to get together experienced entrepreneurs and less experienced. That space is for them to interact and get together. I think women have maybe more opportunities financially and in terms of access to finance and training opportunities. NS BSP F Just like how 50% of women are driving a car, the same way 50% of men and women start businesses. NS BSP M

The particular interest in entrepreneurship among women, there is a committee of businesswomen. According to a report, women own 60% of small and medium sized enterprises. Based on my experience, the situation is the same at the national level and Karaganda as well. NS F

I wouldn’t say they are different problems. I would say that women have more advantages than men, because I personally own a SME, I have a manufacturing business. And I would say banks are more willing to support women. They have special programs directed at supporting women. Women have more advantages because they have more initiative and are more motivated to start ventures. We also have the data that 46% of all entrepreneurs in Zharan are women. The number is growing because most entrepreneurial groups are organized by women. NS Partner F

Q3. WOMEN H: This is the era of service, not industries anymore. This is why NOW is the boom of the women entrepreneurships because they can sell, sell in internet, its simpler than producing products. Women in Karaganda are more entrepreneurial because people are a lot of nationalities, women want to develop. Dylia: We didn’t get info about the challenges (she was awesome to clarify) H: Women are creative, they want to do something creative, but this entrepreneurship does not come in the programs as supported by the countries. So its hard to get enterprise started. Eg. Most programs want to support production, industry, etc. Lack of capacity Lack of finances NS Partner F National level – DAMU specific project for women. They are addressing this. NS Partner M There aren’t many opportunities for women in Abay. Now that the big company from the soviet times has closed. Women are now working in sales, in markets, but now this is one of the biggest companies in Abay that involves women in the production. This is the biggest company in Abay for women, maybe not the only one, but the biggest one. S Employee F the company is expanding and more women will be employed but not many women here work, most are housewives. The young ones don’t have opportunities here so they go to the cities. This younger women for example, is an intern- smaller pay she is learning how to do work here for 6 months. She will become a sewing master. S Employee F

Yes. This is a woman type of job, that is why they are more interested in this type of job. The men are not so passionate or patient for the sawing machines. This is very difficult. It’s not easy. S Employee F

Women are very active. She is member of the union of businesswomen in this region. They are trying to help women entrepreneurs in this area. My employees have a good contribution, I am the manager but they are the ones teaching. NS Grantee Female Since they are just starting, there are just two women in the company. When there is any construction, they hire other people from other companies. Since they are small, they cannot employee other people full time. She has hired one women for designing work and secretary work.

Follow up- What is the future of women in the Abay region: It’s a difficult question. The best thing for Abay women is to get married and have kids! It’s difficult to find opportunities in this region. But there are opportunities for entrepreneurship, in the sales industry, entertainment industries- weddings for examples, baking industries for women, sales of products (retail), there is also a beauty industry. In fact, the women in the Abay have to work because the salaries of the men are quite low. S Grantee F

D. Youth Inclusion Excerpt Copy ID Type Sex Age Town Industry

Young people are specialists, they are well prepared and want to go abroad because there are more opportunities and Partner Female 45-54 Karaganda Government people need them in other countries. City young people in monotowns tend to go to city centers and not stay with monotowns. They don’t see any opportunities Partner Male 18-24 Karaganda Training in their towns. The biggest challenge is that they don’t know they can do a business in their monotowns. There weren’t City any businesses in communisms, so we need to get into a different mindset.

The 18-year-old entrepreneur attended the event and won the 1,000,000 tenge prize. The uniqueness of our events is Partner Male 18-24 Karaganda Training that we don’t give them cash, we buy them equipment for them. City The Government supports youths (sic) (different from the chamber of entrepreneurs), I know the director of that center, Grantee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education so now I do motivation students for young entrepreneurs since in our town youths want to leave the town

When I went to DAMU the trainings, I met with business men and studied the university in Almaty and this gave me Grantee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education motivation to be like them. I want to be successful There are a lot of opportunities to realize yourself, and if you want you can do it. If you are unemployed it’s because of BSP Female 35-44 Karaganda Training you, not because of the country. He can enter university free. It is possible if he works, I cannot City There are no problems. If you don’t have enough money, you can go to CE and be granted some money if you have a good idea. If your idea was refused, and you stopped trying again and again, then you are not an entrepreneur.

But I think that most young people in monotowns, they are more involved with computers to be managers. It is more Grantee Male 45-54 Saran Manufacturing difficult to get them to come and do work in production. I have nephews and relatives that I want to bring to here but

The employee, Anastasia, said at a minimum you need to go to Karaganda- there are no chances for young people in Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education Abay. The Government supports youths (different from the chamber of entrepreneurs), I know the director of that center, so Grantee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education now I do motivation students for young entrepreneurs since in our town youths want to leave the town. In our towns youths are not productive (smoke, drink and fight – they want to be the boss) we need to motivate them so they would be productive. I started an association with young entrepreneurs to offer them and share my experience (I opened it with my friends) Grantee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education they call me for my advice to improve their business and they are from all over (Astana and Almaty). We are just starting, they are just building. I started to develop the BCC – I have spoken to young entrepreneurs in our city to start with this initiative in our town. I Grantee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education have also spoken with my town officials – hey are helping us to find the funds to organize the competition and provide the funds for the winner. We have gathered some money, but we gave it to child centers during the holidays but it is difficult to get others to help with the funding but if we all help it would be easier.

The main mission of this org is to make entrepreneurship popular amongst youth. Also we help young entrepreneurs Partner Male 18-24 Karaganda Training how to become entrepreneurs. There are a lot of programs and projects that support young entrepreneurs, but young City people don’t know about the programs so we are a link between government support and business linkages. We are not a government org, we are an NGO. We are funded by ourselves and sometimes without a profit. For example, one event that we do every year – they have a lot of collaborations with the European Educational Fund. He showed us one of the event video- 26 February, advertising of the campaign- shows that the event has a 1,000,000 tenge prize. There are organizations in Kazakhstan that contact them to have these events. There was a forum of young entreprenures in Spring 2015 with Pxyera Global, the prize was 1,000,000 tenge. In terms of collaboriation w/ Pyxera Global, we find the entrepreneurs and we encourage them to be a part of the training session w/ Pyxera.

Access to loan and financial support should be better and interest rate should be lower for young entrepreneurs. For Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Other example, in order to get a loan of 0.2% interest rate, I have to first bring 20 m so they can give me the 100 m loan. Additionally, I have to use my house as collateral in order to get the loan. Young people don't have collaterals to get the loan. However, Abay has a promising market because the labor costs are cheaper here. I’m thinking that young people 20- 30 do not want to be involved in productive process, they mostly want to take Grantee Male 45-54 Shakhtinsk Manufacturing managing positions in the companies. But I actually think it’s easy to work in production. He has a contract with colleges in the mono towns, to invite students who are interested in the production process. There are a lot of opportunities now. The government helps. If you want to do something you have all sorts of Grantee Male 45-54 Saran Agriculture opportunities here. Since I am 45, I’m willing to teach everyone who wants to learn. A: People are not brave enough and lack of motivation to start a bussines, even they talk a lot about it. Also, there are BCC Female 25-34 Temirtau Other very few good ideas for bussines. Everybody does the same thing. As a common problem, the economic crisis has affected some bussines. It is difficult to answer this question. But I think that most young people in monotowns, they are more involved with Grantee Male 45-54 Saran Manufacturing computers to be managers. It is more difficult to get them to come and do work in production. I have nephews and relatives that I want to bring to here but

Government has a lot of help currently – there are a lot opportunities to do it. No issues with collateral. Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education The employee, Anastasia, said at a minimum you need to go to Karaganda- there are no chances for young people in Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education Abay. Young men are interested in IT, web design. Grantee Female 35-44 Shakhtinsk Education

Follow up- what are you hoping for your kids when they become young men? I am hoping they won’t be in Shakhtinsk! There are few opportunities for them here. More than 70% of people go to universities and then work. Then 30% of the people are willing to take a risk and there Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education is opportunity to start a business and develop the region.

Motivation is the first aspect, they will work hard and then they will be successful. I practically lived in my office for 16 Grantee Male 18-24 Zhezkazgan Education months. Now that I have employees I can relax a little more and we are more productive. Additionally, they need financial support but it is not the 1st thing. They also need the know-how of starting a business. Youth in the monotowns don’t know how to smartly spend their money. It’s not about the money, they need to be supported and have knowledge. Barriers before you open, papers to collect, people to meet and see that can be discouraged. It took a while for me to Grantee Male 35-44 Abay Manufacturing start this business. This building as in a worse condition, they improved it – very burocratic process and this is still a barrier Government has a lot of help currently – there are a lot opportunities to do it. No issues with collateral. Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education

E. Economic Setback Perceptions (Codes Applied Excerpt Copy Combined) ID Type Sex Age Town Industry Negative Economic Karaganda High interest rates so these are the biggest problems. Similar interest rates nationwide. effects Partner Male 25-34 City Government Negative imports are affected. Resources and equipment are very high and everything is in Dollars so this has Economic Karaganda negatively affected. effects Partner Male 25-34 City Government Negative t’s easier for people to spend their money in Karaganda than spend it here in Saran. It’s hard to develop local Economic trade effects Partner Female 25-34 Saran Government

The first problem is that we sell accessories which are not essential goods for living. People started to think more before they spend. We buy leather from Russia, so the price hasn’t changed much. But the second Negative problem is that we buy equipment in dollars. The devaluation has directly affected the price for even a small Economic piece that keeps machine working. The paintings and other small devices all cost more now. effects BCC Female 25-34 Temirtau Other Negative Economic Some students have left because of money issues – parents lost jobs. effects Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education The devaluation made raw material more expansive. We are working to solve it. For example, we found one company in Kazakhstan that could provide good qualitied material for a good price on the condition of bulk order (around 1 million tenge). Since we cannot afford such bulk order, we are looking for programs that Negative could help us with such amount of purchase. This is the only challenge that artisans face now, so we need to Economic Karaganda think about collaborate with such company. effects Partner Female 35-44 City Manufacturing Negative I am actually positive about the situation. I am concerned with the situation because I have a lot of family Economic members and friends who are in sales and different jobs, and its hard for them. effects Grantee Female 35-44 Shakhtinsk Education Before the economic crisis, the most popular training was Human resource management. But today, because of the hard situation, there were changes in Law. The tax code and labor code were changed. So today, Negative because of the hard situation,the most popular trainings are finance and sales. Sales, sales, sales. How to Economic Karaganda increase, how to survive. effects BSP Female 35-44 City Training he already feels it because the plastic became more expensive to buy from Karaganda. He does not know Negative because it was because of the devaluation of if it was artificially increased. That will affect the final cost of the Economic product. effects Grantee Male 35-44 Abay Manufacturing

The tendency here is: it’s not the crisis that prevents people from paying. It’s the mentality. People are not used to paying for something intangible. They don’t understand the value of learning. People who are willing to pay for knowledge, I believe will continue to do so. No effects BSP Female 35-44 Saran Training It is an IT company, so we haven’t had any direct impact from the economic situation. People who have Karaganda Information demand would be willing to pay for the services. No effects Grantee Male 18-24 City Technology When the devaluation started, we felt there were less customers. However, later on, people started to order again. We are able to receive the same amount of orders now. No effects Employee Female 25-34 Abay Manufacturing

Yes, it is difficult to start a business in this economic situation. He has friends he worked with him before in the transportation company, they said 50% of sales has dropped down. But he benefits a little with devaluation because the ruble became low too. So people went to Russia and bought second hand vehicles, so he has more jobs because these cars need to be fixed. Even though they lost some clients (auto service) since business dropped by 50% so there is less demand from these companies. No effects Grantee Male 45-54 Saran Manufacturing The devaluation doesn’t affect his business because he wants to do mentorship and make a union of mentors to work together in Kazakhstan to help established and emerging entrepreneurs work together. I don’t think the devaluation can affect my business. No effects BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training PYXERA made really good contribution to mono towns economic development. We went to the people that Possitive Karaganda you shouldn’t go to the city to get information, the basic information can be given by the trainers in their town. Effects Partner Female 45-54 City Government

I would even say that the crisis has influenced us in a positive way. All the companies who make orders now have to think more before they buy. So we are sort of winning in the market because of our good quality. The Possitive crisis has given us the chance to use our production processes in a better way. Effects Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Other

We might have fewer customers, but we will be more focused on each entrepreneur. His perspective is, if he can’t get one entrepreneur, then he needs to think why he failed. It’s not from the devaluation. This can only Possitive make us stronger. The crisis will end and the skills will stay with us. Effects BSP Male 25-34 Temirtau Training The economic crisis is a push for entrepreneurs. We have been experiencing a lot of difficult economic situations, but we are still alive, still trying to develop the economy. Of course everyone is worried, but entrepreneurs are trying to optimize their expenses- only buying the essentials, but we are still alive! For example a female friend, when everything is stable and everything is good, everything is going slowing. Once the crisis started, people start to empower themselves and develop themselves. It is a push for Possitive entrepreneurs. Effects Grantee Female 35-44 Abay Education

but he has actually benefited because now he can compete with the Russian and Chinese markets in regards to prices. He is not expanding, but at least he has no challenges. They have the challenge of being dependent on jewelry sales, and if people are not selling jewelry then it’s harder to sell. That is why they are Possitive diversifying their production. That is why they started to produce wooden products. Effects Grantee Male 45-54 Shakhtinsk Manufacturing She is very positive. We hope for the best. We work very hard. We are getting more and more orders. We Possitive are not afraid of it. Everything is we can find a solution. We are not afraid. Effects Employee Female 55+ Abay Manufacturing The situation is normal, the situation has it’s ups and downs. The crisis is a time for young entrepreneurs to beat the older entrepreneurs. This gives them the opportunity, they can show their strengths in a time of Possitive Karaganda crisis. Effects Partner Male 18-24 City Training