Insights from the Digital Diaries Report
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June 2021 Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund Insights from the Digital Diaries Report “I”“I don’t feel like I’m working, I feel like I’m living” 2 | Entrepreneurship Diaries Table of Contents Executive summary ....................................................................................................... 8 Reflections on SEF and looking to the future.............................................................. 10 Thirteen things we learned from Diaries participants .................................................. 11 Introduction: Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund........................................................ 16 Fifteen young African entrepreneurs .......................................................................... 20 The meaning of entrepreneurship ............................................................................. 31 What does entrepreneurship look like? ...................................................................... 32 Entrepreneurs as transformative leaders .................................................................... 36 Servant leadership ................................................................................................... 42 The role of their current venture in their career plans .............................................. 44 Entrepreneurship as dignified and fulfilling work ...................................................... 46 Entrepreneurship as give-back ................................................................................ 49 Social ventures, designed for impact ........................................................................ 52 Changes at the individual level ................................................................................... 53 Changes in households and communities .................................................................. 54 Changes in institutions and society ............................................................................ 56 Navigating entrepreneurship pathways with resilience ........................................... 59 Human capital ............................................................................................................. 62 Learning-by-doing .................................................................................................... 63 Financial capital .......................................................................................................... 65 Social capital .............................................................................................................. 68 Family, friends, and .................................................................................................. 69 community ............................................................................................................... 69 Access to mentorship, experts, and networks .......................................................... 73 3 | Entrepreneurship Diaries Building social capital remotely ................................................................................ 77 Physical capital ........................................................................................................... 78 Navigating systems .................................................................................................... 80 Gender-based barriers and ageism ......................................................................... 86 Navigating risk, uncertainty, and shocks .................................................................... 89 Managing risk and failure ......................................................................................... 90 Handling the unexpected: balancing multiple responsibilities .................................. 95 COVID-19 ................................................................................................................ 96 Reflections on the Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund and looking to the future .. 102 What was the SEF “value-add”? ............................................................................... 102 Social entrepreneurship ......................................................................................... 105 Financial capital ..................................................................................................... 105 Wraparound supports ............................................................................................... 106 What was missing? ................................................................................................... 108 What do they need at this stage of their ventures? ................................................... 110 Thirteen things we have learned from Diaries participants ................................... 115 Appendix 1: Methodology ........................................................................................ 121 Diaries approach ...................................................................................................... 121 Recruitment, onboarding, and honorarium ............................................................. 123 Data collection ....................................................................................................... 125 Analysis ................................................................................................................. 126 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 127 Monthly monitoring surveys ...................................................................................... 128 Baseline surveys .................................................................................................... 130 Follow-up surveys .................................................................................................. 131 Data analysis ......................................................................................................... 133 Limitations .............................................................................................................. 133 4 | Entrepreneurship Diaries Appendix 2: Findings from the monthly surveys ................................................... 137 Employment .............................................................................................................. 137 Income ...................................................................................................................... 141 Appendix 3: Consent and terms & conditions ........................................................ 146 Appendix 4: Diary instrument .................................................................................. 151 Appendix 5: Focus group instrument ...................................................................... 153 Appendix 6: Reflections on methodology ............................................................... 158 Ten considerations for rapid youth-centred qualitative learning ................................ 161 Appendix 7: Advice to other entrepreneurs ............................................................ 164 5 | Entrepreneurship Diaries Acknowledgements The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is grateful to the 15 young entrepreneurs who took part in this study during a very challenging time. Their extraordinary generosity, candor, and passion is an inspiration, and we know this will contribute to fresh insights about how to better support young African entrepreneurs. This study would also not have been possible without many young entrepreneurs who took part in monthly surveys about their ventures and who chose to take part in the Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund. The Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund was made possible by the committed, thoughtful leadership of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program’s Implementing Partners across Africa and around the world. Many people contributed to the development of the Youth Entrepreneurship Digital Diaries and this report. Codou Diaw had the idea for a qualitative study and led the co- creation of the Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund. Others who contributed to the study design included Tonya Reid, Laurie Armstrong, Liliane Musanganire, Elie Mandel, Shona Bezanson, Ashley Collier, Hélène Grégoire, Noura Kamal, and Randeep Nijar. Support for data collection on the monthly surveys was provided by Emily Farbrace and GeoPoll. The draft report was also reviewed by Duaa Mohammed, Hélène Grégoire, Matthew Grollnek, and the study participants. The report was prepared by Uttam Bajwa (Consultant, Mastercard Foundation), Emily Gilfillan (Consultant, Mastercard Foundation), Robyn Read (Research Partner (contract), Mastercard Foundation), Mallory Baxter (Research Partner, Mastercard Foundation), and Emmanuela Alimlim (Scholars Program Analyst, Mastercard Foundation) for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. Recommended citation: Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. 2021. “I don’t feel like I’m working. I feel like I’m living”: Insights from the Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund (SEF) Digital Diaries. Toronto: Mastercard Foundation. Cover quote: Dee 6 | Entrepreneurship Diaries Photos (L-R top): Suly, Takunda, Eva, Izzy, Destiny (L-R bottom): Echo.Mike, Victoria, Suly, Elina 7 | Entrepreneurship Diaries Executive summary The Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund (SEF) was launched in 2018 “Entrepreneurship has by the Mastercard Foundation been a really great Scholars Program to help incubate Scholar- and alumni-led social journey for me.” enterprises. The SEF was also