Despite the numerous support programs, it is possible to say that social entrepreneurship is still in a nascent stage in Macedonia. Social enterprises do have a lot of potentials for development, but main obstacles are lack of awareness on social entrepreneurship (SE) benefits for the society by government and CSOs, and low level of entrepreneurial skills and thinking among CSOs, which are the main drivers of SE in many countries.

Therefore CRPM has established the Smart start school. Within the Smart Start School the CSOs complete an online self-assessment that help them rate their own organization’s capabilities on a set of selected factors that influence performance. This in entire confidentiality, and upon the completion of the OECA assessment tool, CSOs receive a summary report via email. The results will give them an overview of where organization is now and will establish what areas would be most useful/urgent to focus on. In addition, self-assessment in area of entrepreneurial capacities would enable CSOs to start thinking on new challenges and new skills needed in ever changing environment for CSO work.

Secondly the Smart start school offers capacity building for social entrepreneurship encompassing six modules: introduction to social entrepreneurship, business planning; marketing; branding and communication of a business idea to customers. The training is delivered within 6 months (1 module per month).

Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6
Introduction to social entrepreneurship Business planning Marketing Design thinking Branding Finalization of business plans
Political, legal models of SE Structure of business plan Market research Problem solving Brand Communication of business idea
Financial models of SE Value propositions Pricing of products Visualization, mapping, and storytelling Selling methods Pitching business ideas

Instructors and coaches

Module 1 – Dr. Marija Risteska

Marija Risteska holds PhD in political science. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Research and Policy Making. Her research work is in the area of public administration reform, public management, good governance, policy transfer and European integration. She thought political science courses at FON University and New York College Skopje. Risteska has contributed to four specific public sector reforms in Macedonia on public policy development, strategic planning, and better regulation. Dr. Risteska is member of the policy development group for the Law on entrepreneurship.


Module 2- Riste Jurukovski

Riste Jurukovski is a Master of business and administration. He is an author of number of business plans and fusibility studies in Republic of Macedonia and abroad. He has also taken part in projects as a management consultant or a team member in wider region. He currently works in one of the companies- green field investment, where he is the author of the business plan on the post of manager for development and export.


Module 3 – Dr. Igor Andreev

Igor Andreev is a Doctor of Economy, an expert in innovative marketing, strategic management and researches, on the contentment of the clients with great experience in these issues, which was gained by realization of over 15 researching projects, and training over 1000 people as well as making of more strategic documents for many institutions. Apart from the training courses for startups of small businesses Dr. Andreev is one of the creators of many innovative and successful  innovation projects in the area of social entrepreneur such as: “The most successful students learn from the most successful entrepreneurs”, “Together with the most successful students for local economic development of Skopje” STUBRAND Macedonia and others.


Module 4 – Sofija Bogeva

Sofija is a Master of management and innovation and has more than 6 years working experience at the post of management consultant in private and public sector. Currently she is working on a UNDP project for establishing a center for innovations in the City of Skopje as a consultant for innovations and at the same time has the role of coordinator in the Regional Social Innovation Center in Skopje.

 

 


Module 5 – Dr. Ljupka Naumovska

Ljupka Naumovska is an expert, professor and entrepreneur. Her expertise and business focus are related to marketing communications, specifically Public relations, Brand management, Integrated marketing communications and internal marketing.  She is a founder and director of Hanibiz- a Marketing and PR communication agency where she actively runs projects and campaigns for domestic and foreign clients from different industrial areas.

 

 


Module 6 – Zlatko Simonovski

Zlatko Simonovski has a Bachelor degree in Journalism. He also holds two MA degrees; in Media and Communications (Ss. Cyril and Methodius – Skopje) and in Human rights and Democracy in South East Europe (University of Bologna and University of Sarajevo). He has a three year working experience as a TV-reporter covering daily events mainly in the domain of labor, economy and social care. Since May 2013, he becomes part at the Center for Research and Policy Making holding triple positions – program coordinator of the School for Public Policy “Mother Theresa”, as well as project coordinator and researcher on projects related to energy efficiency, climate resilience, social entrepreneurship and transparency and accountability. In the last three years he gained valuable international experience during job shadowing in NGOs in UK and USA. He was also serving as a n.f. Teaching Assistant at the New School in NYC.