The fifth Business Coffee “There Are Ideas, What Lacks Is Courage” was held in Tuzla.

At the International Portrait Gallery, the Tuzla Community Foundation organized a “Business Coffee,” a unique event aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking among young people. This year, the main theme of the panel discussion was “Entrepreneurial Skills and Youth – A Recipe for Employment and Self-Employment.” It was an opportunity for young people, participants in the program, and future entrepreneurs to hear from successful businesspeople, practitioners, and academics involved in entrepreneurship.

The panelists at the event included: Mr. Adem Azapabić, a professor and long-time trainer and mentor in the entrepreneurship program at FTZ; Almir Paočić, director of the Center for Education and Training; and Senajid Đozo, executive director of the Impakt Investment Foundation. They discussed why entrepreneurial thinking and action are essential, what skills successful entrepreneurs possess, whether young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are entrepreneurial, and how much the education system takes into account the development of entrepreneurial skills in youth, as well as how (un)stimulating the environment is for young entrepreneurs.

Edin Hukić from Tuzla, a participant in the event, although still very young, clearly knows what he wants but is gradually working towards his goal: “As a young person, you can’t know everything you need to start your business or even just to be entrepreneurial. Informal education is very important in this respect because you need to be financially and legally literate to even think about developing an idea. Now, after learning some things, I can see myself as an entrepreneur. The risks are significant, and there is fear, but I plan to combat that by gaining more knowledge. The experiences of seasoned entrepreneurs, people who have launched thousands of successful small businesses, are very important to me because I want to develop an idea and offering that doesn’t exist in our market, and in this process, I believe mentors are the most important.”

While emphasizing that there is no shortage of money or ideas for support, the panelists noted that a lot of courage is lacking, especially among the youth. Therefore, it is crucial, they said, to constantly encourage young people and equip them through informal education to think entrepreneurially.

To provide knowledge and mentorship and to create a more favorable environment for the development of entrepreneurship, the Tuzla Community Foundation has been organizing bimonthly training for the past five years, after which the best business ideas can receive financial support. This process significantly eases the path for those starting their businesses as they are mentored by experienced entrepreneurs and experts.

“Young people need guidance and to be educated about entrepreneurship because that is the path to their future, not only concerning starting a private business but so they can be entrepreneurial in any situation. They need to be entrepreneurial in whatever company they work for, as today, entrepreneurship is a category sought in any form of work, in any form of engagement,” emphasizes Adem Azabagić, a trainer and mentor in the entrepreneurship program at FTZ.

The activity was realized within the framework of the “Youth Social Change Makers as Entrepreneurs” project implemented by the Tuzla Community Foundation as part of the BY LEAP program supported by the European Union.

For more information on educational, mentoring, and financial support through the FTZ entrepreneurship program and how to apply, find out HERE.