2nd Report LSG meeting - Serbia

For many women entrepreneurs, starting or growing a business is not only about having a good idea. It is also about confidence, access to knowledge, useful contacts, mentoring, and the ability to turn experience into a concrete business opportunity.

This was one of the central messages of the second Serbian Local Support Group meeting, organised by the Association of Business Women in Serbia within the IMPACTA project. The meeting took place on 1 June 2026 at the House of Europe in Belgrade and brought together 29 participants from business support organisations, SMEs, academia, civil society and the wider entrepreneurial community.

The meeting focused on the first draft of the IMPACTA Training Materials and Methodologies. Participants were invited to review the proposed framework and discuss whether it responds to the realities of women entrepreneurs in Serbia.

The presented methodology follows the main stages of the entrepreneurial journey: entrepreneurial mindset development, ideation, incubation, acceleration and cooperation within the wider business ecosystem. Serbian stakeholders welcomed this structure and considered it relevant, comprehensive and well organised.

A key point of the discussion was that future training activities should remain practical, flexible and inclusive. Participants underlined that many women already have valuable knowledge, experience and ideas, but may need support to recognise their own strengths and transform them into business opportunities.

The entrepreneurial mindset component was therefore seen as especially important. Confidence-building, mentoring and peer support were highlighted as essential elements of future activities. Participants also welcomed practical tools such as customer-oriented idea validation, co-creation methods, structured brainstorming and business planning frameworks.

The discussion also showed that women-led businesses in Serbia are often micro or small enterprises. For this reason, training materials should be adapted to their everyday realities and different levels of business maturity. Local case studies, practical examples and opportunities for interaction and experience sharing were recommended as useful elements for implementation.

Stakeholders also strongly supported the ecosystem perspective of the methodology. They agreed that entrepreneurship support should not stop at training. Networking, mentoring, cooperation between support organisations and stronger links between entrepreneurs and relevant institutions are all important for long-term impact.

The meeting confirmed that the IMPACTA methodology provides a strong foundation for future train-the-trainer activities and capacity-building work in Serbia. The feedback collected will help further refine the training materials and ensure that they remain accessible, practical and responsive to local needs.

Through this process, IMPACTA is helping to create a support pathway that reflects real entrepreneurial journeys — from first ideas and confidence-building to business development, networking and sustainable growth.