Engage with local and, where possible, international governments and other key development agencies to understand priority areas and the targets that are aligned with global development goals while remaining focused on your ESO’s vision and mission. Aligning your intended outcomes, targets, and data collection and measurement against country- and regionally-specific goals can help build strategic partnerships as well as make your contribution towards shared goals as clear as possible. 

It is also important to acknowledge that some countries have clearer targets or more data than others. 

An ‘ecosystem’ is made up of many different players, structures, and policies, both government and non-government. Entrepreneurs need accessible business support in many different forms, including in training, mentoring, networking, legal structures, accessing information, finance, and accessing capital, office space, and more. 

As an ESO, your voice represents entrepreneurs and the support structures they need. Consider what the current business ecosystem looks like for entrepreneurs in your country, what an enabling and thriving business environment could look like in the future, and how you can measure your contribution towards it.

Be clear and specific about the impact your ESO intends to create and how you will measure it. If you are aligning this work with a specific economic goal or strategy, make it clear exactly what this is and how you will measure your progress and contribution towards it. 

For example, some countries have specific government policies around supporting small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and improving the business environment for SMEs to operate, such as through changed policies or clearer regulations related to business registration, legal practices, etc. Your ESO may provide entrepreneurs with access to information and tailored support to navigate or utilise these policies, so consider how you can measure the outcomes of this work and the contribution towards the local governments’ priority goals. 

If aligning your ESO’s intended impact against the SDGs, for example, be specific about which goals, the targets under these goals, and how you will measure progress towards them. 

When starting a new project, sit down together and discuss what success looks like for the program to ensure your outcomes and success indicators for the project align. Do you agree on what success looks like for the project or program? Are you on the same page about what data will be collected and measured? Are your longer-term goals and strategies aligned? Consider who has the most experience and expertise in supporting entrepreneurs, and make sure their voice is heard. 

Upholding effective communication about what success looks like with key partners and how you define, measure, and report it is crucial to building strong relationships and avoiding problems that may arise from misunderstandings in the future. 

Be clear on your ESO’s vision, mission, values, and strategic goals. When working with different partners, alignment towards a shared vision and goal is key to strong and impactful partnerships, and this needs to be balanced with ensuring programs and their success indicators do not pull you away from your mission.