Senior Entrepreneurs: Best Practices Exchange Seniors as Entrepreneurs Laboratory

Table of Contents
1.

Project Information .............................................................................................................................4

Senior Entrepreneurs Initiative ..................................................................................................... 4
Project Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 4
The Laboratory .............................................................................................................................. 4

2.

Laboratory Agenda ..............................................................................................................................5

3.

Laboratory Approach and Participatory Leadership Techniques .....................................8

The Heros Journey: the journey of the senior entrepreneur ....................................................... 8
Common Participatory Leadership Techniques ............................................................................ 8

4.

Practical Information ...................................................................................................................... 10

Transfer service upon arrival in Barcelona.................................................................................. 10
Hotel and venue .......................................................................................................................... 11
Meals ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Contact Person onsite ................................................................................................................. 14
Weather in Barcelona, Spain ....................................................................................................... 14
Important Notice ......................................................................................................................... 14
Laboratory Guidelines ................................................................................................................. 14

5.

Facilitators........................................................................................................................................... 15

6.

The Silver Lining................................................................................................................................ 16

7.

Implementing Organisations ........................................................................................................ 20

8.

Useful Web-links ............................................................................................................................... 21

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SENIOR ENTREPRENEURS: BEST PRACTICES EXCHANGE

SENIORS AS ENTREPRENEURS LABORATORY
17 AND 18 SEPTEMBER 2015
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Dear Participant,
Thank you for participating in the European Commission funded Senior Entrepreneurs: Seniors as
Entrepreneurs Laboratory, under the Senior Entrepreneurs: Best Practices Exchange initiative of the
Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).
Included in this Laboratory Kit you will find an introduction to the European Commission Senior
Entrepreneurs: Best Practices Exchange initiative, project background information, as well as
practical information.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Senior Entrepreneurs Team at
DEVELOPMENT Solutions: seniorentrepreneurs@development-solutions.eu, or you can reach us by
phone at +86 (10) 85275705.

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1. Project Information
Senior Entrepreneurs Initiative
Senior Entrepreneurs: Best Practices Exchange is a twelve-month project commissioned by the
Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) to support and ensure the
sharing of experiences and good practices in i) seniors as mentors, and ii) seniors as entrepreneurs.
The 'Senior entrepreneurs: Best practice exchanges' project is designed to contribute to the overall
EU Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan by directly addressing the third objective of developing role
models and reaching out to specific groups, while also indirectly contributing to the other two pillars,
the provision of education and training and the creation of a favourable environment for
entrepreneurs, through related actions. Supporting the transition of seniors to become
entrepreneurs (or mentors to younger entrepreneurs) presents an important segment for potentially
increasing economic and innovation activity.

Project Objectives
This project aims to establish a framework of good practice for all stakeholders to aid seniors to (i)
enter the market as entrepreneurs, (ii) become and continue to be mentors for younger
entrepreneurs, and/or take on other related roles, such as investors in entrepreneurship. The
objectives of the project are the following:
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.

Facilitate peer-learning and the exchange of good practice between actors involved in
supporting senior entrepreneurship;
Explore and develop innovative ideas in the field of senior entrepreneurship, such as senior
entrepreneurs becoming partners in start-ups (Entrepreneurs Seniors model from France),
and approaches to reconciling senior entrepreneurship and pension provision in various
Member States;
Collect good practice cases and practical guidelines that will be used by the European
Commission, national/regional governments, business support organisations and
practitioners to further develop their policies and activities in this field.
Offer a model for similar events to be organised at national or cross-country level;
Foster cooperation and possible joint projects between participating organisations,
especially cross-country and on a European level.

The results of this project will include the dissemination and uptake of the good practice manual and
the two laboratories, which will include recommendations for policy and programmes, to interested
administrations and organisations (e.g. public administrations, national and regional governments,
business support providers, and social support organisations) for replication.

The Laboratory
These objectives will be realised through the creation of two high-profile transnational
"laboratories" which will act as a platform for best practice sharing amongst public administrations
in the EU supporting start-ups or entrepreneurship or business transfers, or developing policy in this
area, and involving organisations already working in the field of senior entrepreneurship, business
support organisations, and selected senior entrepreneurs.
A detailed programme is provided in section 2.
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2. Laboratory Agenda
The Senior Entrepreneurs: Seniors as Entrepreneurs Laboratory will kick off in the morning of
September 17th with an Opening Plenary, presented in cooperation with EASME and the Barcelona
Activa. The importance of the overarching issues of an ageing workforce in the European context will
be presented, as well as discussing the importance of supporting seniors to become entrepreneurs.
Through the Heros Journey sessions, the laboratory offers the space for some of the participants
to share their experience in the plenary sessions and to convey to the audience the work of those on
the ground through their successful stories and challenges in promoting senior entrepreneurship.
These presentations at different times of the two days will inspire and encourage participants to
share
their
own
experience
in
the
participatory
leadership
sessions.
The Senior Entrepreneurs: Seniors as Entrepreneurs Laboratory will be concluded on the second day,
September 18th, after a learning space in which participants will identify potential new projects and
partnerships and concrete next steps to transform those new ideas into reality.

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AGENDA
Entrepreneurship Laboratories: Seniors as Entrepreneurs
Day 1 - Barcelona, September 17, 2015
10:30 11:00

Registration and Welcome Drinks

(please make sure to bring your boarding passes/train tickets)

11:00
11:20

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Entreprises (EASME) and
Barcelona Activa

11:20
11:30

The Senior Entrepreneurship Laboratory Project (Jon Echanove)

11:30 12:00

Check-in: Who is in the room?

12:00 12:30

THE HEROS JOURNEY: A SENIORS ENTREPRENEURS

ROAD TO SUCCESS

12:30 14:00

CALL TO ADVENTURE! QUALITIES OF THE SENIOR

AS ENTREPRENEUR
Breakout session

14:00-15:00

Lunch and networking

at LActiu Restaurant

15:00 15:45

STORIES OF THE HEROES: SENIOR ENTREPRENEURS

TO BE

15:45 17:00

SUPERNATURAL AID FOR THE HEROES INITIAL

SUPPORT TO SENIOR ENTREPRENEURS
Breakout session

17:00 17:15

Coffee/Tea Break

17:15
18:00

STORIES OF THE HELPERS: SUPPORT TO START-UPS

18:00
18:30

What we have learnt today

20:00

Dinner and networking at Rac de la Vila

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Entrepreneurship Laboratories: Seniors as Entrepreneurs

Day 2 - Barcelona, September 18, 2015
10:00 - 10:30

10:30
12:30

12:30
12:45

12:45 - 14:00

14:00 - 15:00

Welcome

ROADS OF TRIALS DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO

SUPPORT SENIOR ENTREPRENEURS
(Non-conference Space)
Open Space
Breakout rooms
Coffee/Tea Break

TEMPTATION TO QUIT LEARNING FROM FAILURE

(Learning Space)
Breakout Rooms
Lunch and networking
at LActiu Restaurant

15:00 - 15:45

STORIES OF STRUGGLE FAILURE AND ASCEND OF

SENIOR ENTREPRENEURS

15:45-16:30

THE ULTIMATE BOOM IMAGINING AND MEASURING

SUCCESS

16:30
16:45

Coffee/Tea break

16:45 - 17:45

RETURN OF THE HERO DISSEMINATING SUCCESFUL

STORIES

17:45 18:30

WRAPING UP SUMARISING THE HEROS JOURNEY

18:30
19:00

Closing Remarks

19:30

Dinner and networking at Casa Aliaga

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3. Laboratory Approach and Participatory Leadership

Techniques
The Heros Journey: the journey of the senior entrepreneur
The laboratory is structured around the idea that to becoming an entrepreneur echoes many
features of the journeys of mythological heroes as introduced by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a
Thousand Faces (1949). In the EC Senior Entrepreneurs Laboratory we have simplified the journey to
the following stages:
CALL TO ADVENTURE! As any hero, there is a spark of inspiration or an event that leads a
senior to become an entrepreneur. How that happened? Are there any identified qualities of
those seniors that become entrepreneur?
SUPERNATURAL AID FOR THE HEROES Once the hero has committed to the quest, her
guide and magical helper appears or becomes known. What is the magical help that seniors
need to become entrepreneurs? Whats already available and what might be missing?
ROADS OF TRIALS - The road of trials is a series of tests that the person must undergo to
begin the transformation. In facing the challenges of an entrepreneur, a senior entrepreneur
finds allies and enemies. What are those enables that help seniors be successful
entrepreneurs once they have decided to become one? What are the obstacles that they will
face? How are we addressing those obstacles and making the enables available to them?
What is missing?
TEMPTATION TO QUIT - Often hero fails one or more of the tests, leading to a desire to
abandon the quest. While failure may be seen as a lack of capacity of the hero or the senior
entrepreneur, it is an essential part of the learning journey. Having an environment
conducive to provide second opportunities and to reframing failure into learning is critical
to avoid wasting the experience of those who have taken the courage to start the journey of
the entrepreneur, i.e. hero. To learn from failure we need to share identify it, normalise it by
sharing it and minimise it by helping others to be aware of them.
THE ULTIMATE BOOM - The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is
what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare the
person for this step. How do we imagine success in our task of promoting and supporting
senior entrepreneurs? How should we measure it?
RETURN OF THE HERO After achieving the goal of her quest, the hero returns home and
shares the prize and benefits of her achievement. How well are we sharing stories? How
much impact are those stories having in seducing new seniors into entrepreneurship? How
well are we communicating those stories to policy makers? What is working well? What is
missing?

Common Participatory Leadership Techniques1

The laboratory aims at eliciting as much participation and sharing as possible. Besides sharing
individual stories for each of the stages of the Heros Journey, the sessions will follow a participatory
leadership approach in different formats to offer a diversity of spaces to contribute. Some of the
common Participatory Leadership Techniques that may be used during the laboratory are:

For more detailed information on Participatory Leadership Techniques visit

http://www.kstoolkit.org/KS+Methods
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Appreciative inquiry (AI) is a model for analysis, decision-making and the creation of
strategic change. The Appreciative Inquiry Process consists usually of five main steps:
o Definition: establishing the focus and scope of the inquiry.
o Discovery: eliciting stories of the system at its best - this is started in pairs, with the
stories then shared with larger groups.
o Dream: collecting the wisdom and imagining the future - this includes graphically
visualising the desired future.
o Design: bridges to the future based on the best of the past and the present - groups
work to use assets discovered in the second phase to design a plan to create the
desired future.
o Destiny: Making it happen
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion
for specific problems by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
Card collection is a facilitated process that involves the use of cards to gather ideas from
people, especially where a diversity of answers is expected. Starting with a question, ideas
are captured onto cards and later clustered based on similarities. Once these clusters are
labelled, they can be prioritized or elaborated on further.
The Thinking Hats exercise is a kind of role-play in which different perspectives are
represented by hats of different colours. When a participant is symbolically wearing a
specific hat, they must seek to perceive the situation through the lens associated with that
colour.
Hat colours and their meanings:
o The white hat focuses on data, facts, and information known or needed.
o The red hat focuses on feelings, hunches, gut instinct, and intuition.
o The black hat focuses on difficulties and potential problems, like why something may
not work.
o The yellow hat focuses on values and benefits, like why something probably may
work.
o The green hat focuses on creativity: possibilities, alternatives, solutions, new ideas.
o The blue hat focuses on managing the thinking process: focus, next steps, action
plans.
Emergent Learning is a set of practices and tools designed to help organizations address
complex challenges, by pooling their know-how in peer-learning events and then taking new
ideas forward to test in their own practice. EL Map is a visual tool that provides a simple and
intuitive structure for sharing and collaboratively enriching know-how
A market place aims to be a meeting place where exchange can happen informally around
an exhibition with technical booths, posters, demonstrations, training sessions and more.
This is also a place where participants can organize informal meetings. In addition to exhibits,
which may include booths and posters, it is useful to include informal seating and meeting
points (sofas, chairs).
Open Space is a method for convening groups around a specific question or task or
importance and giving them responsibility for creating both their own agenda and
experience. The participants self-organise in small groups to work on a series of topics
identified by them as the most relevant in a particular domain.
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Ritual dissent is a formalized way for a group of peers to criticise sketched ideas, drafted
proposals or strategies in order to increase their resilience. After a short presentation, the
learner turns around and listens attentively to the critics without intervening. Listening in
silence without eye-contact increases the attention of the listener and de-personalizes the
attacks and critics.
The World Caf is a whole group interaction method focused on conversations. A Caf
Conversation is a creative process for leading collaborative dialogue, sharing knowledge and
creating possibilities for action in groups of all sizes. The environment is set up like a caf,
with paper-covered tables for four supplied with refreshments. People sit four to a table and
hold a series of conversational rounds lasting from 20 to 45 minutes about one or more
questions which are personally meaningful to them. At the end of each round, one person
remains at each table as the host, while the other three travels to separate tables. Table
hosts welcome newcomers to their tables and share the essence of that table's conversation
so far. The newcomers relate any conversational threads they are carrying -- and then the
conversation continues, deepening as the round progresses

4. Practical Information
Transfer service upon arrival in Barcelona
Transport from point of arrival to the hotel and to the venue
o

Upon arrival at the airport, a driver will wait at arrivals hall showing a board with
your name. Please note that you might be grouped with other participants. It will
take 30-35 minutes from the airport to the Hotel.
Upon arrival at the railway station, the meeting point is outside main entrance, near
the door of McDonalds restaurant. A driver will be there, showing a board with your
name. Please note that you might be grouped with other participants. It will take 3035 minutes from the airport to the Hotel.
For participants arriving on the 16th, you will be taken to the hotel; for participants
arriving on the 17th and 18th, you will be taken to the hotel or directly to the venue,
depending on your itinerary.

A transfer service to send off participants to airport/railway station will also be arranged.
o

A driver will wait at the hotel reception with a name board. Please note that you
might be grouped with other participants so please be on time. For participants
going to the airport, the scheduled pickup time will be 2.5 hours before your
departure time; for those to the train station, it will be 1 hour before departure
time.
Please note for participants who leave on 20th or later, will be asked to make their
own arrangements.

The transfer company which provides the services is BookTaxiBarcelona. If you are not able to see
the driver at the meeting point or if your schedule change, you can call +34 932 906 929.
Kindly be informed that the transfer service has been prepaid by the organiser. In case where you do
not show up within the one hour courtesy time, you will need to make your own arrangement to the
hotel/venue and we will not be able to reimburse you this cost. You can call the DS Event Manager
Ms Sara Wojewodzka in case you need assistance.

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Hotel and venue

All participants will be accommodated at Holiday Inn Express Barcelona City 22@ Hotel.
Holiday Inn Express Barcelona - City 22
Calle Pallars 203, Barcelona 08005, Spain
+34 93 4338400
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/barcelona/bcnba/hoteldetail
The hotel is within walking distance away from the laboratory venue Barcelona Activa.
Barcelona Activa
Carrer Llacuna, 162 -164, 08018 Barcelona, Spain

http://www.barcelonactiva.cat/barcelonactiva/cat/
Tel.: +34 934 019 77

Please note that the official check-in time is from 15:00 and the check-out time until 12:00. Should
you be leaving Barcelona straight from the venue, please remember to do the check-out in the
morning and take your luggage with you. Thank you.
Important note: accommodation (including breakfasts) has been prepaid by the organiser. However
any additional expenses that may occur during your stay (e.g. phone calls from your room, mini bar
etc.) will not be covered by the project and should be covered personally upon check-out.

Meals
Breakfast will be provided by the hotel with no extra charge. Lunches are provided by the organiser
during the laboratory and will consist of a light meal. During the course of the event there will be
morning and afternoon coffee breaks. Finally, each evening a dinner with traditional Spanish food
will be organised.

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The lunch on both days will take place at L'Actiu Restaurant between 14:00-15:00. The restaurant is
located at Carrer de la Llacuna, 162, 08018 Barcelona, 1 minute walking distance from the venue.

The dinner on September 17th will be arranged at 8pm at Rac de la Vila, located at Carrer de la
Ciutat de Granada, 33, 08005 Barcelona, Spain. We will meet you at the restaurant at the time given.
If you depart from the hotel, it will take you around 8 minutes walking to Rac de la Vila.

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If you depart from the venue, it will take you around 15 minutes walking to Rac de la Vila.

The dinner on September 18th will be arranged at 7.30pm at Casa Aliaga restaurant, located at
Carrer de la Llacuna, 154, 08018 Barcelona. We will meet you at the restaurant at the time given.
The restaurant is conveniently located one minute walking distance from the venue.

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Contact Person onsite

The DS Event Coordinators, Ms Sara Wojewodzka and Ms Phoebe Chen will be available to answer
any of your questions or requests onsite. If you need any help, please contact them directly on the
ground. Their phone number is: 0044 7452039064.
Should you have any problems in contacting Ms Sara Wojewodzka and Ms Phoebe Chen please call
our 24 hour help number: 0086 18211004089.

Weather in Barcelona, Spain

After August the weather cools down considerably and some of the best Barcelonan weather
conditions can be experienced in the months of September. The average daytime temperatures in
the month of September are around 26C (that is about 78F), whereas the average minimum
temperatures drop down to 17C (that is about 62F.) The summer season in Barcelona generally
lasts from June 22nd until September 19th. So even during September you are still guaranteed warm
sunshine on most days of the week. So make sure to bring appropriate clothing with you when
travelling in Barcelona.

Important Notice
Please ensure the following notices will be taken into account prior to your departure, thank you
very much:
1. Please keep all boarding passes for all of your flights (connecting and direct flights) and all
tickets for rail travel. Please bring the original boarding pass/train ticket to the
registration. DS staff will collect the original travel cards. All participants are requested to
scan the return boarding pass/train ticket by email to the following address:
seniorentrepeneurs@development-solutions.eu and then send the originals to the following
address:
DEVELOPMENT Solutions
Room 2480, Beijing Sunflower Tower
No. 37 Maizidian Street
Chaoyang District
100125 Beijing
China
2. Please take note of the luggage allowance for your trip. Excess luggage could be charged
up to 40/kilo.
3. Please bring the necessary or routinely required medications with you.

Laboratory Guidelines:

Please kindly ensure to switch your mobile to silent or vibrate during sessions.

Please wear the name badge provided to you.

Punctuality is expected for all sessions.

An Evaluation Form will be handed out during the laboratory. Please make sure to fill it out and
hand it to DS staff before you leave. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

Please contact the hotel directly if there are any problems with your room.

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5. Facilitators
Name
Jon Echanove

Anna Dimitrova

Odysseas Velentzas

Anton Valkov

Nikos Rovakis

Experience
Executive Coach with more than 6 years experience in
facilitating adult learning and multiple stakeholders
training and workshops. Jon, in his role as Team Leader of
the project, is tasked with ensuring that the workshop
design, facilitation and harvesting respond the contractual
requests of the European Commission. As part of the
Facilitators Team he will contribute to the design,
facilitation and harvesting of the laboratories.
Anna is a multidisciplinary professional blending social
innovation, Art of Hosting, lean and design thinking. She
has led and supported local and international social
ventures in delivering their mission. She has worked with
leaders of social innovation and social enterprise support
globally and has helped them build better incubator and
accelerator programs. She is passionate about deep
impact through designing and leading agile collaborative
and participatory processes, workshops and events for
organisations, social enterprises and communities.
Odysseas Velentzas is a coach-facilitator and host of
participatory processes. He is facilitating a variety of tools
based on organizational learning, systems thinking
approach and a range of participatory processes for
business, social enterprises and Institutions in a range of
large scale transformative work to team coaching and
strategic planning. Odysseas will contribute to the
designing and facilitating of the laboratories.
Anton Valkov is an Art of Hosting practitioner and local
coordinator of the Art of Hosting network in Bulgaria. He
works as a host, trainer and facilitator at Communication
Academy, and is owner of Open Space - an organisation
focused on transforming his local community. He hosts
strategic conversations and provides trainings around
participatory methods for business, education and nonprofit sectors. Anton will contribute to the designing and
facilitating of the laboratories.
Nick Rovakis is a Graphic Facilitator, Graphic designer and
Concept artist. His work includes the visual
communication and harvest of transformative work in
both social initiatives as well as business sector. Nikos will
be contributing to the harvesting by providing animations
of the main outputs of the laboratories, which will be
included in the Best Practices Manual.

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6. The Silver Lining

The European Union (EU) continues to be in a state of economic malaise following the financial
crisis that began in late 2008. The prolonged economic downturn is characterised by low or
stagnating levels of growth that have resulted in, and been exacerbated by consistently high rates of
unemployment among many of its Member States; average annual real GDP growth in the EU was
0.4% in 2012 and 0.1% in 20132, while the average unemployment rate in 2013 was the highest since
the EU was founded, at 10.8%3. The need to return the EU to healthy economic growth is of
immediate importance, and job creation is not only acknowledged as an outcome of growth but also
as a means to reinforcing the growth process in the mid- to long-term.
Innovation within the economy is recognised as a key driver of economic growth and
competitiveness, and originates both from the contributions of new market entrants in addition to
well-established larger enterprises. Newly established companies introduced to the market by
entrepreneurs (defined as those who seek out opportunities and through new ventures decide how
resources can be most effectively applied4) create new goods and services, or the means to
produce existing ones more efficiently. This can initiate new cycles of production and consumption
that in aggregate contribute to higher growth, while also creating more jobs. Thus, entrepreneurship
has a fundamental role to play if the EU is to become a true innovation union as part of its
Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan initiative.
The European Commission (EC) has recognised that when compared to its major competitors, such
as the US, the EU produces fewer entrepreneurs relative to its workforce5. This disproportionately
limits the opportunities for growth and employment creation, as new enterprises have been
identified as key to creating a job-rich recovery in Europe6. However, the lack of entrepreneurs is
not necessarily a consequence of formal economic structures it is also the result of underlying
social and cultural factors.
The desire to be self-employed rather than an employee in the EU is relatively low and has
decreased within the last 5 years7, though not only because of the economic conditions and
individual financial limitations. This situation is also compounded by the fact that Europe is generally
not known for having a strong base of entrepreneurs nor entrepreneurial success stories (relative to
the US), while formal education generally does not encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs

p.1, European Commission (2014) European Economic Forecast Winter 2014. Brussels: EC. Available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/european_economy/2014/pdf/ee2_en.pdf
3
p.35, European Commission (2014) Statistical Annex of European Economy Spring 2014. Brussels: EC. Available
at: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/european_economy/2014/pdf/2014_05_05_stat_annex_en.pdf
4
p.4, ETF Indicators for Implementing Entrepreneurial Learning in HE: Improving the Evaluation Tool, Presentation
as part of EU Policies & Activities Regarding SMEs and Innovation (IM 32227), Cairo, Egypt, 7/12/2009.
Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/6381/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/pdf
5
p.31-32, Amors, J.E. and Bosma, N. (2014) Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2013 Global Report. London:
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Available at: http://www.gemconsortium.org/docs/download/3106
6
p.27, European Commission (2013) Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. Brussels: EC. Available at: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0795:FIN:EN:PDF
7
p.5, European Commission (2012) Flash Eurobarometer 354: Entrepreneurship In The EU And Beyond (Summary).
Brussels: EC. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_354_sum_en.pdf; p.4, European Commission
(2013) Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. Brussels: European Commission.

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either8. The lack of an entrepreneurial culture within Europe is a multi-faceted problem but
international examples suggest there is no permanent obstacle to achieving a favourable
environment for entrepreneurs.
At the policy level the EU has responded to this underachievement with the Entrepreneurship 2020
Action Plan, with the aim of facilitating the growth of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial activity in
Europe. The plan proposes actions under three main pillars encompassing (i) the provision of
education and training, (ii) the creation of a favourable environment for entrepreneurs, and (iii) the
inclusion of specific groups and use of role models. The Senior entrepreneurs: Best practice
exchanges project directly addresses the third objective of developing role models and reaching out
to specific groups, while also indirectly contributing to the other two pillars through related actions.
Supporting the transition of seniors to become entrepreneurs (or mentors to younger entrepreneurs)
presents an important segment for potentially increasing economic and innovation activity.
The proportion of the EU population over the age of 50 is increasing, and will continue to do so
over the next 50 years9. The working age of the population is also changing: between 1987 and 2011
the labour participation of EU citizens between the ages of 50 and 64 rose proportionally more than
any other comparable age demographic10. However, it is acknowledged that raising retirement ages
alone may not be sufficient to address both a growing old-age dependency ratio and foster the
continual innovation needed for growth.
A key issue in this regard is that, despite the demographic changes that are taking place, EU Member
State citizens over the age of 50 (henceforth seniors) remain under-represented in
entrepreneurship within the EU11. Thus the potential for increased entrepreneurial activity by this
group is significant. Moreover, seniors as entrepreneurs, or mentors to others involved in new
business, are beneficial to the EU economy and their involvement should be facilitated because:

There are a large number of retired or semi-retired citizens in good health who are highly
educated and experienced in their professional fields, and therefore could become
entrepreneurs themselves, or offer valuable assistance to other entrepreneurs.
With an increase in self-employment or prolonging ageing employees working careers
through self-employment generates added value to society, as well as an increased standard
of living. Profitable involvement in entrepreneurship can increase consumption and jobs
thus contributing to economic growth.

In addition to the socio-economic factors which necessitate increased entrepreneurial involvement,

there are circumstantial influences on seniors decisions to become entrepreneurs. These can be
categorised as either push or pull factors. Push factors can be seen as the negative circumstances

p.18-19, European Commission (2012) Flash Eurobarometer 354: Entrepreneurship In The EU And Beyond
(Summary). Brussels: EC. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_354_sum_en.pdf
9
European Commission (2012) The 2012 Aging Report: Economic and budgetary projections for the 27 EU Member
States (2010-2060). Brussels: EC. Available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/european_economy/2012/pdf/ee-2012-2_en.pdf
10
p.6, European Commission and OECD (2012) Policy Brief on Senior Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial Activities
in Europe. Luxembourg: EC. Available at:
http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/EUEMP12A1201_Brochure_Entrepreneurial_Activities_EN_v7.0_accessible.pdf
11
p.22-24, European Commission (2013) Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. Brussels: EC. Available at: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0795:FIN:EN:PDF

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that result in seniors becoming more inclined to take an entrepreneurship opportunity, while pull
factors are the potential positive outcomes of an opportunity that persuade a senior to take action.
Push factors include:

Unemployment or early retirement which can trigger entrepreneurial actions.

Insufficient savings with the prospects of a long retirement which require supplemented
income.

Pull factors include:

The potential financial rewards of entrepreneurial activity.

Increased life expectancy and improved health during senior years which allows for the
planning of longer more productive working lives.
New Information and communication technology (ICT) which allows for more time- and
location-flexible business management and administration. This allows business activity to
be more easily adapted to individual commitments and lifestyles.
Changes in family circumstances, such as no longer being responsible for younger
dependents, which allow for the pursuit of a lifelong passion or hobby.

Some of these pull factors can also act as limitations for senior entrepreneurs. For instance, having in
place national health insurance coverage can allow some seniors to move to full-time
entrepreneurial activity without the related adverse financial and health risks, though EU Member
State provision of such services varies. Similarly, while ICT can present opportunities, the lack of
uptake of these technologies among seniors is a significant issue in regards to both business
practices and support services. Also, despite records showing that seniors are less likely to fail when
starting a new business, when compared with younger entrepreneurs, seniors can find it harder to
achieve financing through facilities such as bank loans. Many policy makers and government
authorities across Europe still see the situation of ageing populations in terms of liability instead of
the real opportunity that it presents to introduce new economic models. For example, research
shows that older entrepreneurs are more likely to introduce products and services with applications
for social or environmental benefits, which will contribute positively to society overall.
Whilst senior entrepreneurial activity can be facilitated by providing support in the initial stages of
new business ventures, mentoring requires a different set of approaches. First of all, seniors as
mentors often fit the profile of a successful, independently wealthy retired or semi-retired
entrepreneur or executive. Furthermore, mentoring as an activity does not commonly occur
independently of support services and is usually a voluntary vocation; national views on voluntary
work differ greatly, thus uptake of services can be varied. However, there are a number of strong
reasons for the need to facilitate mentoring opportunities:

Seniors are highly experienced, often show good business judgment, for example are
financially prudent and conservative, and can provide valuable advice and insights to a
younger generation of entrepreneurs.
Mentoring exchanges do not arise naturally due to the competitive nature of the market exchanges between market agents are usually limited to those directly relating to business
transactions.
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Informal opportunities for communication on business issues between seniors and younger
entrepreneurs are infrequent because of social and cultural differences between the
different age groups. Seniors therefore present an exception to this norm.

Despite the number of experienced seniors who have the time for mentoring either through
retirement or flexible work arrangements, current senior mentoring activities are very few in
number in the EU. This indicates a lack of recognition by business support service providers of the
potential number of senior entrepreneurs available and the value they hold for new business
development.
Policies and business support services which aid seniors to become entrepreneurs or mentors rely
on successful outreach to target demographics. Although many existing business support services
may be applicable or adaptable, many traditional services do not recognise the potential of seniors
as clients, and therefore do not consider outreach to this demographic. This is because of the
stereotypical image of the young entrepreneur that partially defines outreach efforts, such as the
focus on recent graduates, youth-orientated language and discourse, and online activity that limits
engagement among seniors with lower ICT literacy.
There is a lot of untapped potential in the role of EU seniors both in terms of their direct
entrepreneurial activity and as mentors to junior entrepreneurs. In order to support this
development the current myriad of obstacles facing the entire involved stakeholder groups need to
be addressed and innovative policies and programmes introduced. All work should aim to reverse
the established thinking that seniors are a liability within the economy so that they are seen as a
new force for growth.

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7. Implementing Organisations
DEVELOPMENT Solutions (DS) is a UK consultancy which serves the
international donor and business community in delivering
sustainable development and sustainable investment projects. Our
expertise is in project design and management, research, policy and
regulatory analysis, and the delivery of capacity strengthening
projects. Training design requires a thorough needs assessment,
ensuring that formats are highly relevant to the local context and
build on the achievements of previous training programmes. Our activities are delivered through
seminars, training workshops, internships, study visits and policy studies. DS has established a strong
network of contacts in government authorities in Europe and third countries, industry groups, civil
society and academia and is well versed in the communication protocols to cooperate with these
networks. DS has a recognised expertise in state of the art visibility, communications and
dissemination campaigns.

In partnership with:
Barcelona Activa, integrated in the Area of Economy, Enterprise
and Employment, is the executive tool of the Economic
Development policies of the Barcelona City Council.
For more than 25 years, Barcelona Activa has promoted the
economic growth of Barcelona and its influence area, fostering businesses, entrepreneurship and
employment, while promoting the city internationally and its strategic sectors, while maintaining
proximity to the districts and citizens.
The Barcelona Activa's mission is to be the reference organization for policies supporting
enterprises, employment creation and international projection of Barcelona, as an excellent
environment for economic activity and social progress.
Barcelona Activa supported 4,293 companies through its Business Services and Programmes which
will be integrated into the Business Support Office (OAE- Oficina d'Atenci a l'Empresa). It also
accompanied 2.653 entrepreneur projects. Furthermore, 132 enterprises and 15 projects were
installed in its business incubators. Concerning the Employment area, 19,332 people attend
Barcelona Treball Services, 46% of whom found a job within six months.

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8. Useful Web-links
A wealth of resources are available online relating to Senior Entrepreneurship within the EU, the
following list provides a comprehensive review of the sources available:
Senior Entrepreneurs, European Commission DG GROW:
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/promoting-entrepreneurship/we-work-for/seniors/index_en.htm

Senior Entrepreneurship
The Missing Million: Illuminating the employment challenges of the over 50s, The International
Longevity Centre UK:
http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/images/uploads/publication-pdfs/The_missing_millions_web.pdf
The Missing Million: Pathways back into employment, The International Longevity Centre UK:
http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/images/uploads/publication-pdfs/The_Missing_Million__Pathways_back_into_employment.pdf
The Missing Million: Recommendations for Action, The International Longevity Centre UK:
http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/images/uploads/publication-pdfs/The_Missing_Million__Recommendations_for_action.pdf
Elder People Learning to be Mentors for Young People, the Danish Lead Partner, VIA University
College: http://www.viauc.com/projects/hearme/Documents/HEAR%20ME%20guide.pdf
The Labour Market and Demographic Change in the Baltic Sea Region, Best Agers Project:
http://www.best-agers-project.eu/Portals/18/General_Best%20Agers_Final_121008.pdf

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