Photo Gallery

Small Businesses, Big Ideas: 17 Photos of Entrepreneurs Around the World

Entrepreneurs transform business ideas into reality.

Muiya Khatri sells homemade pickles in Ason, Kathmandu, Bagmati province, Nepal. Khatri, who has been selling pickles for 20 years, makes them with chiles, lemons, radishes, mangoes and various meats.

Sunita Neupane, GPJ Nepal

Daniela Navarro, left, and Jessica Sánchez demonstrate an ultrasonic water meter and app, which they hope will replace the mechanical water meters normally found in houses, at a forum at the Chihuahua Convention Center, Mexico.

Lilette A. Contreras, GPJ Mexico

John Nherera washes a car in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Nherera, a mechanic, opened a car wash to supplement his income.

Evidence Chenjerai, GPJ Zimbabwe

Andrea Hess López prepares an order at her tea house, Antel, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. She reopened her business after having to close during the coronavirus pandemic and now serves more than 60 blends of tea.

Marissa Revilla, GPJ Mexico

Jenath Pratheep places colorful chicken toys to attract customers in Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Vetrichelvi Chandrakala, GPJ Sri Lanka

Azucena Villegas prepares mango ice pops with chamoy sauce and chile powder at Colonia Iztaccíhuatl in Mexico City. Villegas, whose spookily decorated house is known in the neighborhood as "The House of Horror," carries over 50 flavors of homemade frozen treats on a bicycle decorated with a Halloween theme.

Mar García, GPJ Mexico

Jeff Jevousaime outlines a sandal he is making for a customer in Madeline, Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Jevousaime, who was a cabinet-maker before an accident where he lost his fingers, hopes to open a workshop to produce clothing and shoes on a large scale.

Wyddiane Prophète, GPJ Haiti

Inusa Limbu, right, weaves cloth at Inusa Dhaka Industry in Jhapa district, Nepal. She founded the business in 2015 and has offered jobs to others while becoming financially independent.

Mayamitu Neupane, GPJ Nepal

Nadine Katungu fries potatoes for sale in Kirumba, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. She sells food every evening on her neighborhood's main road to make a living for herself and her child.

Merveille Kavira Luneghe, GPJ Democratic Republic of Congo

Soraya Guzmán stands in her store, AcceSory, in Oaxaca, Mexico. During the coronavirus pandemic, Guzmán successfully promoted her business on social media, and she opened a physical store in August 2023.

Ena Aguilar Peláez, GPJ Mexico

Avinash Jha makes surgical masks at Roshana General, a store in Kathmandu, Nepal. Bijay Yadav launched the business during the pandemic and has created employment opportunities for locals.

Yam Kumari Kandel, GPJ Nepal

Delgermaa Dulamdorj, 16, sells notebooks and photo albums made with recycled paper and cowhide at ARA Complex in Erdenebulgan, Arkhangai province, Mongolia. She developed this idea with a friend during the pandemic lockdowns and has made handicrafts since 2020.

Odonchimeg Batsukh, GPJ Mongolia

Vincent Ndagijiimana sells pilau, a rice-and-meat dish, in Kasubi, Kampala, Uganda. He transports the hot rice pan around residential areas on his motorcycle.

Edna Namara, GPJ Uganda

Richa Luitel selects glass beads to make a necklace for a customer at her home in Nepalgunj, Banke district, Nepal. Luintel, who started a jewelry business in early 2023, receives orders via social media and messaging apps.

Amrita Jaisi, GPJ Nepal

Kaggwa Allan, right, tries to sell Nathanial Suubi a jersey on a street in Kampala, Uganda. Kaggwa says he has had to sell on the streets as customers rarely visit his boutique.

Patricia Lindrio, GPJ Uganda

Wens Chery paints cartoon figures on jeans in Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He launched this business two years ago.

Anne Myriam Bolivar, GPJ Haiti

Janette Meneses mixes peeled xoconostle, a sour fruit from the nopal cactus, common in her region, at her workshop in Teotihuacán, State of Mexico. Each week, Meneses and her collaborator, Rocío Covarrubias, prepare two or three different xoconostle products, such as sauces and jams.

Aline Suárez del Real, GPJ Mexico