Who’ll tell us what world we want to live in? Startup-nation as the country’s mission

We live in an exciting time, the change of historical eras. Closed systems divided by the borders on the inside and out — ruled by an authoritarian power — are coming to an end.

A new era is coming, and the country that’s able to propose a new vision for the future will be at its forefront. For me, the future means open borders, human capital, and digital reality. Belarus has a unique historical opportunity to suggest a new vision. Why? Large states with established administrative systems are notoriously hesitant and slow to change. Belarus, on the other hand, is a relatively small country that has enormous potential due to its high-quality human capital. Therefore, for Belarus, there is a chance to start everything from scratch — not rebuilding, but creating.

Entrepreneurs are a unique breed that’s used to striving in constantly changing conditions. They know how to be creative, how to create and rely only on themselves. After all, despite the increasingly hostile times in modern Belarusian history, they were able not just to survive, but to strive and build companies recognized worldwide.

Belarus is an entrepreneurial nation

An Entrepreneurial Nation is an answer to the need for renewal and development in private and public sectors, moving towards a knowledge economy, and improving the quality of life. This strategy can be defined as a country's mission that offers a long-term vision for transformation. At the core is the clear goal of creating a new economic model based on innovative entrepreneurship and inclusive development.

By 2030, Belarus can become a nation with a new country model, which stimulates innovation based on three core principles:

• The knowledge economy and talent development
• Innovative entrepreneurship
• Digital society

We can start already today

The advantage of this strategy is the possibility of its implementation already today, instead of waiting for our victory tomorrow. We can develop digital tools, provide opportunities for personal and professional growth, and help businesses. These are priority tasks that can be achieved through model institutions that are being created today. And when the time comes, they will be transferred to new, democratic Belarus.

Entrepreneurial opportunities today mean opportunities for the whole country, and its future tomorrow. These are jobs, money in the budget, the attraction of investments as well as global financial opportunities. Even if a successful entrepreneur raises funds outside Belarus today, it still means trust to the Belarusian business and the new Belarusian state from the international financial institutions. It means including Belarus in the plans of worldwide economic development, which goes far beyond the geographical borders.

Unfortunately, the negative outlook of an aggressor after the start of the war in Ukraine has hurt Belarusian business a lot. Belarusian entrepreneurs need help today but the financial support will be received by new Belarus if it can provide conditions for the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem here and now, regardless of a specific territory.

A new start for everyone

Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. But everyone can get rewards from the developed entrepreneurial system, private sector, and stable economy. The innovative economy creates a model where consumer demand increases, and everyone gets more economic opportunities and incentives. At the same time, innovative transformation becomes a powerful factor in enhancing inclusiveness. Thanks to the innovation-based economy, connections are established between different segments of society faster and more efficiently — with instant exchange of information, ideas and products.

The role of the government in this model is to create the necessary conditions for individuals and companies to develop and grow. At the same time, the state itself can use an entrepreneurial approach — act quickly and efficiently. It wouldn’t be a heavy bureaucratic machine but instead will become an example of innovation.

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Changes will happen when we realize that we shouldn’t wait for someone who comes in and tells us what world we’d like to live in. Victory over dictatorship is the most important priority today. But in my opinion, it’s equally important to understand what kind of country we want to see after the victory, what country we want to live in, and what country we want to leave to our children. And of course, discussions about it within society and business should be happening today. Here’s my contribution to the start of such a discussion. Only through dialogue, we’ll be able to build a strategy for New Belarus.

2020 has taught us a lot. Possibly, the most important lesson of all is that changes happen only when we take a proactive approach. The approach of an entrepreneurial enterprising nation.