June 27, 2007
Embassy of the United States of America
Belgrade

Forty-one winners chosen in the “Realize Your Dream” Business Plans Competition

On Thursday, June 28, the winners of the “Realizing Your Dream” business plan competition, organized under the auspices of USAID’s Contingency Planning and Economic Security program, will be announced at an award ceremony. U.S. Ambassador Michael C. Polt will preside over the award announcement.

The Economic Security component of the program was initiated in areas of central, south western and southern Serbia where there is high unemployment and a lack of adequate and accessible resources for people to adapt in the transition process towards a market economy. The program works to support private sector development, encourage entrepreneurship, and help vulnerable people such as chronically unemployed and redundant workers, IDPs and refugees, youth and the rural poor to improve their marketable skills to succeed in the changing market conditions.

In late winter of this year, USAID’s program conducted a competition to identify businesses with opportunities and to support private sector development in the program’s target municipalities: Kraljevo, Kursumlija, Presevo, Bujanovac, Medvedja, Novi Pazar and Prijepolje. Local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs submitted more than 550 concept papers. Of those, 135 concepts were accepted to be submitted as full business plans. During March and April, USAID provided three-day training courses in business plan preparation focusing on overall business planning, marketing and communications and finances for the 135 entrepreneurs with “winning concepts” and other entrepreneurs showing strong interest. The enthusiasm of existing local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs resulted in the submission of 108 business plans, out of which 41 were selected based on innovation, prospects for job growth and/or specific market opportunities. Winners are eligible for a variety of assistance from USAID’s project, including training, technical and/or other support which will help them realize their dream in the next six to eighteen months. Those that were not selected can use their sound business plans to approach other investors or banks.

Journalists interested in covering the event are kindly invited to be at Hotel M, 56a Bulevar oslobodjenja, Belgrade, on Thursday, June 28 at 12:45.

For further information about this event please contact Jasmina Debeljak-Maljkovic, DAI Public relations/Media specialist, at (011) 363 9900 or jasmina_maljkovic@dai.com. For more information about USAID’s activities in Serbia, please visit http://serbia-montenegro.usaid.gov

Ambassador Polt addresses the audience. Photo FoNet
Ambasador Polt se obraća prisutnima. FoNet foto

Ambassador Polt addresses the audience. Photo FoNet
Ambasador Polt se obraća prisutnima. FoNet foto

Guests. Photo FoNet
Gosti. FoNet foto

27. jun, 2007
Ambasada Sjedinjenih Američkih Država
Beograd

Četrdeset i jedan pobednik u okviru takmičenja biznis planova “Ostvari svoj san”

U četvrtak, 28 juna, biće održana ceremonija na kojoj će biti proglašeni pobednici u okviru takmičenja biznis planova ”Ostvari svoj san”, organizovanog u okviru USAID-ovog Programa za planiranje i reagovanje u kriznim situacijama i jačanje ekonomske sigurnosti. Imena pobednika najboljih biznis planova će objaviti američki ambasador u Srbiji Majkl K. Polt.
Program ekonomske sigurnosti je pokrenuo ovo takmičenje u području centralne, jugozapadne i južne Srbije, u kojima vlada visoka stopa nezaposlenosti i nedostatak adekvatnih i pristupačnih resursa potrebnih da bi se stanovništvo snašlo u tranzicionim procesu ka uslovima tržišne ekonomije. Cilj programa ekonomske sigurnosti je podrška privatnom sektoru i jačanje preduzetništva, kao i unapredjenju marketinških veština ugrožene populacije, kao što su nezaposleni i radnici koji predstavljaju tehnološki višak, mladi, siromašno seosko stanovništvo, izbeglice, raseljena lica, neophodnih za uspeh u novim tržišnim uslovima.

Tokom zime ove godine, USAID je pokrenuo takmičenje radi identifikovanja preduzeća koji pokazuju mogućnost napretka i podrška privatnom sektoru u sedam inicijalnih opština: Bujanovac, Medvedja, Novi Pazar, Kraljevo, Kuršumlija, Preševo i Prijepolje. Poslodavci, preduzetnici i oni koji su hteli da otvore svoj biznis podneli su preko 550 koncepata biznis planova. Od toga je prihvačeno 135 nacta, na osnovu kojih su izradjeni kompletni biznis planovi. Tokom aprila i maja USAID je organizovao trodnevnu obuku za preduzetnike čiji su koncepti izabrani kao najbolji. Treninzi su bili otvoreni i za druge preduzetnike, a kursevi su pokrili osnove izrade biznis planova, marketinga i finansijskog menadžmenta. Kao neočekivan visok odziv poslodavaca i budućih preduzetnika je podnošenje 108 biznis planova, od kojih je izabrano 41 najboljih na osnovu inovativnih ideja, predviđanju povećanja radnih mesta i novih specifičnih tržišnih mogućnosti. Pobednici su stekli pravo za dodelu finansijske podrške, obuke, tehničke pomoći i/ili, mentorske podrške za uspešnu realizaciju plana u periodu od šest do 18 meseci. Oni koji su izabrani na ovom takmičenju mogu da iskoriste izradjene biznis planove prilikom obraćanja bankama ili drugim investitorima.

Mole se novinari zainteresovani za ovaj događaj da dođu u Hotel M, Bulevar oslobodjenja 56, Beograd, u četvrtak, 28. juna u 12.45 časova.

Za dodatne informacije o ovom dogadjaju molimo Vas kontaktirajte Jasminu Debeljak-Maljkovic na Jasmina_Maljkovic@dai.com ili na (011) 363 9900. Za više informacija o USAID-ovim programima, molimo posetite http://serbia-montenegro.usaid.gov

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