The latest Social Entrepreneurship and Youth Eurobarometer delivered a striking wakeup call – Maltese youths are increasingly seeking autonomy, ownership, and the freedom to be their own boss.

Entrepreneurship is no easy venture. On the contrary, it is risky, demanding, and challenging. The journey is often solitary, the stakes are high, and the financial hurdles are burdensome. Taking the leap at a young age to start your own business requires not only grit and confidence, but also professional guidance.

It is evident that integrating entrepreneurial principles into both formal and informal education is essential for fostering a creative mindset from an early age. Experiential learning allows young people to gain confidence and develop business ideas from the ground up by acquiring practical skills, embracing risk-taking, and cultivating resilience.

However, success rarely grows within the confines of a comfort zone. Instead, success requires pushing personal limits and building strong relationships to transform ideas into real opportunities. With clients at the heart of any business, a true entrepreneur must demonstrate authenticity, sharing both successes and challenges to build long-lasting relationships.

In the real world, entrepreneurship is often a solitary journey. This is why seeking the right mentors and business partners is essential. The right mentor can act as a catalyst for growth, providing guidance and strategic insights for business development. Partnerships are equally crucial, as a good business partner can accelerate progress through knowledge sharing, shared responsibility, and access to complementary skills.

Reflecting on these realities, consider a young woman embarking on a university marketing degree, driven by a passion for sustainable fashion, and an ambition to build her own small business. Like many aspiring youth entrepreneurs, she is faced with pressing questions: Where do I start? How do I find the right mentor or business partner? And how can entrepreneurship become a force for real impact?

It is in response to these challenges that the Malta Business Bureau initiated the INNO-ANTIDOTE project, aimed at equipping Mediterranean youths with the required skills, mindset, and opportunities to develop sustainable solutions for pressing environmental challenges. The primary objective of this project is to offer guidance from the early stages of business development, addressing the challenges faced by youths when establishing their own start-up companies.

By showcasing local examples of successful businesses that prioritise marine conservation, air quality, food security, and the production of eco-friendly products, the Malta Business Bureau aims to inspire youths to develop sustainable business ideas.

Youth entrepreneurship has become a key driver of economic growth and long-term competitiveness. Therefore, the Erasmus+ project aims to help aspiring young innovators transform their innovative ideas into sustainable enterprises. Along with other Mediterranean partners, the Malta Business Bureau will be launching a national mini-incubator and providing hands-on entrepreneurial training. The top business ideas from each Mediterranean incubator will also have the opportunity to compete in an international competition in Greece.

Bringing together academia, non-profit organisations, entrepreneurs, and young people, the From Learning to Leading workshop – organised last November by the Malta Business Bureau as part of the same project – shed light on the importance of a collaborative and proactive approach to support our youths to take the initial step towards entrepreneurship. Youths heard directly from young entrepreneurs, who shared how formal education and experiential learning sparked their interest in starting their own businesses, and how strong mentorship and resilience played a central role in shaping their entrepreneurial journeys. The workshop explored both the opportunities and the challenges of youth entrepreneurship, inspiring the next generation to push boundaries, drive change, and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset.

The challenging path of youth entrepreneurship demands a collaborative and proactive approach. The work being done by the Malta Business Bureau and our Mediterranean partners highlights an important reminder: collaboration among stakeholders is the key to cultivating the next generation of business leaders – leaders who drive innovation and create positive social change.