This study explores the differences between men and women’s small businesses in Colombia and specifically in Bucaramanga. It also examines one intervention designed by the MIF and the Chamber of Commerce of Bucaramanga to promote women’s entrepreneurship in the region, Mujeres ECCO (Emprendedoras Colombianas por la Competitividad).
The study combines primary data analysis from the databases of the Chambers of Commerce of Bucaramanga and Cartagena with interviews with 120 small business owners as well as participants in the Mujeres ECCO program to gain further insight into the differences between men’s and women’s and successful and unsuccessful businesses and the factors influencing those differences, and to better understand how one program worked to specifically address women’s business needs.