Practical business development for Lao MSMEs
Stronger businesses.Stronger entrepreneurs.
A practical business development program that helps Lao business owners understand their businesses more clearly, identify opportunities for growth and turn new ideas into action.
Built around the business
The business itself becomes the case study.
Running a small or medium-sized business means constantly making decisions about customers, cashflow, people, competition and growth.
B-Strong gives business owners the opportunity to step away from day-to-day pressures and look at the bigger picture. Participants work directly on their own businesses — examining where they are now, identifying what may be holding them back, exploring new opportunities and developing practical actions they can take forward.
“The B-Strong program changed my way of thinking, especially about how to manage our internal operations more systematically and professionally.”
A complete business view
Six areas.
One stronger business.
Each area addresses a real business challenge. Together, they give entrepreneurs a clearer view of how the parts of their business connect — and where focused action can unlock growth.
Growing Your Business
Understand the business model, clarify where the business is going and identify practical opportunities to drive growth.
Growing Your Customer Base
Understand customers more deeply, strengthen competitive advantage and create offers that deliver greater value.
E-Commerce Opportunities
Use digital channels more effectively to build visibility, engage customers and generate sales.
Opportunities for Innovation
Look differently at products, services and processes and identify opportunities to improve, adapt and innovate.
Financial & Cashflow Management
Understand the numbers that matter, manage costs and margins, and use cashflow planning to make stronger business decisions.
The People Challenge
Build stronger teams, manage people more effectively and develop the leadership capability needed as the business grows.
Learn by doing
Understand it. Use it. Take it back to the business.
B-Strong was deliberately designed to be different from traditional classroom-based business training.
Participants don’t simply listen to presentations. They analyze. Discuss. Question. Test ideas. Work with other entrepreneurs. And apply each new tool directly to their own businesses.
“From the very first day in the B-Strong program, I received a detailed analysis of my own business. It helped me clearly see both my strengths and weaknesses, and gave me practical ways to make improvements.”
In their words
What business owners told us.
01
“This is the first time I feel I have clear steps to grow my business — the tools are easy to use and I can apply them immediately.”
02
“The cashflow planner helped me realize where money was being lost in my business. I am already making changes.”
03
“The LAPS framework made me think differently about how to approach customers — now I have a system.”
04
“I liked the peer sharing. It showed me that other MSMEs face similar problems and we can learn from each other.”
Learning from each other
Entrepreneurs bring experience into the room.
Participants come from different industries, backgrounds and stages of business growth — and frequently discover that they are dealing with many of the same challenges.
That creates space to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, share experience and build new relationships. For many participants, those connections continue beyond the workshops through referrals, collaboration and informal peer support.
“What I appreciated most was the exchange — meeting new entrepreneurs, refreshing my knowledge, and learning from many knowledgeable speakers who advised us on areas we didn’t know.”
Practical ideas. Real changes.
The value of B-Strong is what happens after participants leave the room.
“Sometimes we think we are doing everything, but when we come back from learning here, we realize there are important things we missed.”
Business owners have used the program to:
- 01Rethink their business models and create clearer growth plans
- 02Improve social media and digital marketing
- 03Introduce cashflow forecasting and stronger financial decisions
- 04Build more systematic approaches to finding and converting customers
- 05Strengthen internal management as the business grows
Helping businesses grow stronger
Designed for MSME reality. Built to turn learning into action.
B-Strong reflects Katalyst’s approach to MSME development: practical, highly interactive and grounded in the realities of running a business.
B-Strong was a program of the Department of SME Promotion (DOSMEP), under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC), designed and delivered by Katalyst Partners with World Bank support. It helped more than 150 Lao businesses build capability, strengthen decisions and act on new opportunities.
We work with governments, development partners and private-sector organizations to design programs that help entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and turn learning into action.