Business Development Services (BDS) are designed to help enterprise owners overcome constraints. Micro and small entrepreneurs are frequently hampered in their business growth by non-financial factors such as inadequate business management skills, lack of information and poor market access. Due to their small size and limited sources, the administrative tasks that all firms have to address weigh particularly heavily. Research and experience indicate that access to Business Development Services (BDS) greatly enhances the performance of small businesses, in an economic as well as in a social and environmental sense.

This Good Practice provides a guide on Business Development Services for small enterprises and promotes the provision of more sustainable Business Development Services that are specifically adapted to the needs of microenterprises in European countries by sharing knowledge on BDS between the South and the North.