At BPN, we believe that dynamic entrepreneurs have the potential to build sustainable businesses. What they need is a reliable and trusted partner to help unlock that potential. BPN’s professional business coaches walk alongside entrepreneurs as trusted thought partners throughout their growth journey.
During the entire duration of the program, BPN offers the entrepreneur assistance. This helps building mutual trust between BPN and the entrepreneur and is key to a successful collaboration. This coaching begins with the recognition of the entrepreneur’s potential. Individual coaching serves at identifying specific business challenges and opportunities. Our coaches help the entrepreneur find the right way to go when faced with challenges and they encourage the entrepreneurs to work professionally and honestly.
Thanks to regular coaching sessions, critical situations can be recognized at an early stage and thereby be avoided. Subjects such as HR management, personal development of the entrepreneur, corruption, sound relations with authorities, etc. are dealt with during coaching sessions. More importantly, during coaching sessions, we explore the growth potential of the business, and the entrepreneur is challenged to aim as high as realistically possible.
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“Eight months into the program, I started seeing results. I went from 3 employees to 21. Without BPN, I don’t think anyone would know who I am. BPN taught me professionalism and how to operate a business. But most importantly, they taught us that inclusion should be intentional.”
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"One of the most important lessons I learned from BPN is to look at problems and to know that there are opportunities hidden in them. There was a time when my carpentry was flooded with rain water. I looked at the mess and said: 'this is going to be our showroom'. And it became our showroom!"
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“BPN has helped me grow, not just as an entrepreneur, but as a person. I’m more organized, more focused, and I’ve seen a positive shift in my relationships with family and friends. The program gave me the tools to improve my business, but also the mindset to live and lead better.”
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"BPN’s training enabled me to grasp the global view of my own business, and it taught me how to take my business into my own hands"
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BPN really came in at a key moment in the growth of this business, and we just needed that guidance for us to get to the next stage. BPN has a way of asking you crucial questions to dig deeper into your business that I have never experienced before. This allowed me to really make decisions that are justified and not just based on feelings, decisions that make sense to the growth of the business.
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BPN came into my life at exactly the right time. I was overwhelmed, facing both personal and professional challenges, and on the verge of giving up. The support I received through the program helped me formalize my business, build a proper structure, and implement better systems. I also learned how to become a stronger leader within my company. Without BPN, I honestly believe I would have closed my business. Today, our operations are more organized, and our revenues have doubled.
Following rigorous selection, the program participants are trained over two years in the basic principles of business administration and are accompanied by our technical specialists throughout their development. BPN offers various training, each 2-5 days long.
BPN participants are trained over a period of two years in the basic principles of business Management. BPN offers various training modules: 4 seminars on the business fundamentals, each 4-5 days long. Topics such as ‘The Concept of Entrepreneurship, Finance Management, Marketing and Leadership’ are dealt with in a comprehensive hands-on manner, building on the day-to-day life of an Entrepreneur in Rwanda. Additionally, BPN offers optional training modules adapted to the local context, and identified needs, such as Time Management, Conflict Management, Rwanda Labour law, Banking for SMEs, to name a few, with the aim of increasing the level of professionalism.
BPN trainers are exclusively Experts in their specific training fields. Since the seminars are mainly focused on the practical aspects, the application of the acquired principles is easy, and chances of success seem promising. The BPN Business Academy is open to the public. These trainings, attended by a rich mixture of BPN entrepreneurs and other attendants including public and financial institutions, also allow for peer-to-peer learning and networking, thus creating beneficial spillover effects.
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"When I left my first BPN training, I felt more like a leader. I gained a clear view on how my business should look like and how it should be run. My husband noticed and told me, ‘you are a different person’."
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"I used to believe that the only thing I needed to sustain my business is access to finance. Now, thanks to BPN seminars and coaching, I know that I have to make that money instead. BPN, you strengthened my motivation and determination."
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"BPN trainings are the most impactful I have ever attended in my business journey. They are full of valuable content, and are very inspiring. They always push me to work harder and to serve better."
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"As a medical doctor, I fully master the human body. BPN’s training as an add-on teaches me the core of professional entrepreneurship. Furthermore, it has helped me to understand the importance of financial management in an enterprise."
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"BPN's seminars helped me to look at my business challenges differently and find opportunities in them. This for me, is a radical change."
The BPN Business Owners’ association (BOA) connects well performing Alumni Businesses with common interests with the objective of boosting the constructive development of entrepreneurship in Rwanda. With this purpose, it represents the interests of the BPN alumni in public and in their relations with the government. It is a platform that opens doors for a Bottom-up dialog with the government.
Entrepreneurs benefit from continuous support and learning opportunities even after completing the official program. By fostering a community of like-minded peers, we cultivate a strong network that encourages mutual growth and lasting collaboration.
Only BPN Program Alumni can join the BPN Business Owners’ Association
See initiatives pioneered by the Business Owners Association :
The Magnet Institute was established by members of BPN’s Business Owners Association with a clear vision: to become a center of excellence in addressing succession challenges and managerial training needs for entrepreneurs across Africa.
Drawing from their own experience as successful business leaders, the founders identified critical gaps in managerial competencies that directly hinder business development and growth in Rwanda. A lack of ownership and autonomy among middle managers often creates bottlenecks in decision-making, preventing business owners from dedicating their time and energy to strategic planning and expansion. This, in turn, slows the overall progress of their enterprises.
In response, The Magnet Institute was created to bridge these gaps – both in competencies and mindset – by equipping middle managers with the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors to lead effectively. The goal is to nurture vision-driven managers who operate with a strong sense of ownership and are empowered to run the business as if it were their own.
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“As a member of the Business Owners Association (BOA), I’ve come to deeply appreciate the shared commitment to excellence that defines our community. BOA emphasizes the importance of delivering high-quality products and services that can compete on a global scale. This drive for quality isn't just about individual success, it's about raising the bar for entrepreneurship in Rwanda and across Africa. Striving for excellence is more than a personal ambition; it’s our collective responsibility to grow businesses that are sustainable, competitive, and impactful.”
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"It is important for me to be part of the generation that creates employment and gives people jobs, so that they can take care of their families. I pay taxes. I am part of the economy. I feel very proud."
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"BPN helps me identify the root of the problems I faced and I learned how to solve them in a creative way. It is a key stepping stone to making my business professional."
Assisting entrepreneurs in organizing their finances and establishing formal financial management systems is crucial for investment readiness. Integrated with coaching and training, this intervention enhances understanding of financial management, raising awareness of growth needs and funding options. Implementing robust financial systems empowers entrepreneurs to make informed decisions on funding mechanisms for business expansion.
BPN Participants may obtain a BPN loan with a fair interest rate. Entrepreneurs pay back the loans in a way that is adapted to their specific situation. The BPN loan can only be used to invest in expansion like buying equipment and infrastructure.
Additionally, BPN partners with some of the largest commercial Banks in the country ‘Bank of Kigali’ and ‘I&M Bank’, to provide loans that are out of the BPN’s range at preferential interest rates.
BPN is always partnering with other trusted organizations that can facilitate access to financial opportunities for SME’s growth and expansion.
Access to finance is only for entrepreneurs who are part of our programs.
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"Before joining BPN, I rarely controlled my financial statements. Now I am able to analyse the financial status of my business. I manage to save and reinvest the profit in my business."
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"Through BPN, I understood that the most important thing about being an entrepreneur is adding value to your community. You are adding value to your employees, adding value to your customers and adding to the country as a whole."
At BPN, we believe in the power of collaboration to drive sustainable impact. We partner with local and international organizations, institutions, and businesses that share our mission of empowering entrepreneurs. Through these strategic alliances, we provide valuable resources, expert knowledge, and expanded opportunities to support the growth and success of Rwandan small and medium-sized enterprises.
See some of our partners
