Publications & Events

BOI shares findings from its research, evaluation, and peer learning activities in a variety of formats. Our publications share emerging and best practices, document data findings, and identify critical industry and market trends. Browse our publication topics below, or search our full list of publications here.

We also host public events and webinars that highlight industry trends, share research results, and illuminate strategies for addressing issues relating to business ownership and economic opportunity. Many of our events are co-sponsored with our colleague programs at the Aspen Institute.

Explore the Archive

All Publications from the Business Ownership Initiative

Community Development Financial Institutions
Publications

Community Development Financial Institutions

This report is a product of the CDFI Data Project (CDP)—a collaborative initiative that produces high-quality, comprehensive data about CDFIs on an annual basis.

A Measure of the Microenterprise Industry: A Report from MicroTest
Publications

A Measure of the Microenterprise Industry: A Report from MicroTest

This report from MicroTest draws on three years of performance data to offer a succinct description of trends in the microenterprise industry.

FIELD Forum Issue 14 – The Informal Economy and Microenterprise in the United States
Publications

FIELD Forum Issue 14 – The Informal Economy and Microenterprise in the United States

As practitioners know, microenterprises are more common in the United States than most people realize.

Microenterprise Support within Community Development Financial Institutions
Publications

Microenterprise Support within Community Development Financial Institutions

This free report describes the scale and significance of microenterprise lending within the CDFI industry.

Informal Economy Literature Review 
Publications

Informal Economy Literature Review 

Some preliminary issues confronting microenterprise programs which plan to offer services to informal economy entrepreneurs.

Research Report No. 2 – Microenterprise as a Welfare to Work Strategy: One-Year Findings
Publications

Research Report No. 2 – Microenterprise as a Welfare to Work Strategy: One-Year Findings

This paper presents the findings at the mid-point of FIELD’s Welfare to Work Learning Assessment one year after TANF clients enrolled in microenterprise programs.

2002 FIELD MIS Software Review
Publications

2002 FIELD MIS Software Review

Detailed reviews and comparisons of 11 major commercial software products designed for use in the microenterprise field.

MIS for Microenterprise: A Practical Approach to Managing Information Successfully
Publications

MIS for Microenterprise: A Practical Approach to Managing Information Successfully

This 190-page manual is a step-by-step guide to help microenterprise development practitioners develop an effective management information system.

Training for Microenterprise Development: A Guide to Curricula
Publications

Training for Microenterprise Development: A Guide to Curricula

This Guide briefly addresses some of the issues microenterprise programs should consider when buying a new training curriculum, and offers detailed information about 13 curricula available commercially.

Keeping It Personalized: Consulting, Coaching & Mentoring for Microentrepreneurs
Publications

Keeping It Personalized: Consulting, Coaching & Mentoring for Microentrepreneurs

This module explores how business consulting, coaching and mentoring can enhance the mix of services offered to entrepreneurs.

For Good Measure: Performance of the U.S. Microenterprise Industry
Publications

For Good Measure: Performance of the U.S. Microenterprise Industry

This report provides: an in-depth look at the performance of the microenterprise development field; insight into what “best” performance looks like; a sense of trends in the field drawing on multi-year MicroTest program data; and data programs can use to compare their microenterprise program’s performance to their peers.

Building Skills for Self-Employment: Basic Training for Microentrepreneurs
Publications

Building Skills for Self-Employment: Basic Training for Microentrepreneurs

This publication focuses on best practices in core training and its implications for improving training services.

About the Business Ownership Initiative

The Business Ownership Initiative, an initiative of the Economic Opportunities Program, works to build understanding and strengthen the role of business ownership as an economic opportunity strategy.

About the Economic Opportunities Program

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

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More from the Business Ownership Initiative

Metrics that Matter: Improving Financial Analysis of CDFI Small Business Lenders
Podcasts Videos

Metrics that Matter: Improving Financial Analysis of CDFI Small Business Lenders

CDFI boards, leadership teams, investors, and regulators have long relied on a familiar set of financial metrics to assess organizational performance.

From Crisis to Continuity: Optimizing CDFI Capital and Partnerships for Natural Disaster Response
Publications

From Crisis to Continuity: Optimizing CDFI Capital and Partnerships for Natural Disaster Response

Traditional emergency aid through SBA or FEMA takes time, and lower-income communities often face significant approval hurdles. Speed is essential to business survival.

The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability (Highlight reel)
Videos

The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability (Highlight reel)

VIDEO — Highlight reel from “The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability,” a forum hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on March 5, 2026.

The Changing Role of Small Business Ownership
Videos

The Changing Role of Small Business Ownership

VIDEO — This discussion is the first of three that took place as part of “The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability,” a forum hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on March 5, 2026.

Main Street Challenges and Policy Solutions
Videos

Main Street Challenges and Policy Solutions

VIDEO — This discussion is the third of three that took place as part of “The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability,” a forum hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on March 5, 2026.

Innovations Driving Small Business Lending Forward: It’s Not All About AI
Videos

Innovations Driving Small Business Lending Forward: It’s Not All About AI

VIDEO — This discussion is the second of three that took place as part of “The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability,” a forum hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on March 5, 2026.

To Help Small Businesses Recover From the L.A. Fires, Invest in Community Lenders
Blog Posts

To Help Small Businesses Recover From the L.A. Fires, Invest in Community Lenders

Nonprofit lenders often deploy funds faster than the government but need more capital to meet demand.

Integrating a Job Quality Practice in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): A Q&A
Publications

Integrating a Job Quality Practice in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): A Q&A

This Q&A provides insights and lessons from the work of 11 CDFIs that participated in Shared Success, a job quality demonstration led by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP).