Feasibility Study: e-Financial Management Solutions for Small Businesses

This project identified and disseminated key approaches that encourage book-keeping practices by micro/nano entrepreneurs.

Background

Entrepreneurs often have to seek support from others to record business information, which is based on recall rather than real-time documentation of transactions. This leads to inaccurate benchmarking of business performance, affecting business diagnostics.

There are a variety of private mobile-based apps that provide entrepreneurs with a performance-tracking system at their fingertips. This can potentially do away with the arithmetic overload of keeping track of copious manual ledgers and assist in settling debtor and creditor accounts efficiently. Proper documentation of financial records can assist the entrepreneur in establishing their creditworthiness with formal financial institutions for availing growth & working capital.

Approach

The pilot focussed on the following priority areas:

  • Assess the major bottlenecks that impede book-keeping by micro/nano entrepreneurs. 
  • Utilise the competitive private app space to identify a performance tracking system that is easily downloadable and maintainable.
  • Ease performance tracking for NRETP enterprises by BDSPs using transparent records.

Implications

The project aimed towards reaching the key goals:

  • Identify application features that encourage book-keeping practices.
  • Analyse financial performance and debt-servicing by entrepreneurs; explore the correlation between operational decisions and price volatility (such as decisions to hire more employees, diversify the product offering, etc.)
  • Improve credit access owing to stronger financial history.
  • Enhance financial forecasting and business decision-making.

Related Resources

Baseline Report: Enabling Digital Adoption Among Women Entrepreneurs – Insights From a Pilot on Digital Ledgers

Report: E-nabling Women Entrepreneurs: Digital Solutions for Financial Management – Insights From a Pilot Study

Project Leads

Sijo John, Ryan D'Souza, Sharon Buteau

Location

Maharashtra (Ratnagiri), Karnataka (Tumkur), Tamil Nadu (Erode)

Partners

Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Karnataka State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihoods, Khatabook, myBillBook

Status

Completed