It also trains entrepreneurs on how to write business plans, run their businesses and introduce new products. In 1998 more than 50 new business started due to CEP's consulting and training services.
Challenges run deep, however.
Yugoslavia's history has made people resistant to the concept of entrepreneurship. Since social ownership of property was the predominant form of ownership over the last 45 years, people born after the Second World War view the private sector and the notion of risk with a large degree of skepticism. Business persons often make decisions without being concerned about risk because they assume that the government will cover their losses if they do not succeed. Despite these deep-seated attitudes, however, CEP sees an opportunity among young people. Therefore, it also focuses on elementary and high schools, including launching a project to establish entrepreneurship as a new curricula subject.