Photo by Gozha Net on Unsplash

Author: Aija Lokenbaha

Historically, small and family businesses from generations have been inherited by the oldest EU member States. The opposite for most of the new Member States, this experience was completely destroyed during the Soviet Union. During the 70 years regime, a complete replacement of generations, giving place to a generation that had no experience and inherited family businesses.

Following the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the ’90s began violently – the over-understood freedom has allowed the full development of the shadow economy and the racket. Nowadays, the generation that took up its first experience in the ’90s is respectable and recognized entrepreneurs with almost 30 years of experience. The new generation that takes over family businesses also raised. However, the popularity of small and family enterprises throughout the EU is decreasing, including in the post-Soviet countries where such traditions were not yet rooted.

A modern-day prosperous EU citizen’s life model provides for an expensive education at a prestigious university that guarantees well-paid work in one of the international companies. In case of success, you can build a good career and become relatively richer than your companions. For this model, the child is prepared since birth - parents accumulate money for a university, a child from the age of 2 visits the kindergarten, then pre-school, school and then university. The whole life is well planned.

While modern education has made creativity and non-standard thinking about the most necessary qualities in the 21st century and actively integrates it into its learning processes, the definition of such a plan of life since the birth of the child completely excludes these qualities. Who is it profitable for? For large multinational corporations with a beneficial "grey mass" – highly skilled workers "fit in with".

This approach contributes to the concentration of people in large cities, where large enterprises are concentrated. It contributes to the reduction of family roles, as family members, as individuals, spend a considerable amount of time in their workplaces, often by being detached from each other. Children are only devoted to weekends. In Western society, there is no respectful woman who does not work and spends her time at home with children. It is also very seldom possible to have part-time employment, which could be successfully connected to family life. Living in big cities, spending most of their time in modern offices, people are alienated from nature and unaware of how enormous the ecological footprint leaves themselves and the whole city as a whole.

Traditionally, small and family businesses operated in different fields. In addition to the trade and food services, which are also popular in big towns, the rest of the fields are eradicated. Animal husbandry – a few who have seen the cow in modern-day supercity, not to mention the ability to nurture such an animal, to obtain offspring, to obtain milk and to produce dairy products, to feed. Agriculture – a few of today's inhabitants of the city are able to cultivate their food, cultivate the land. Crafts – making items, clothing, footwear with their own hands is an exclusive skill in modern society.

In today's Europe, an individual whose parents have not invested a significant amount in his education is actually decided in poverty – a system designed by it. There is, however, an instrument for how we can stand up to it: the development and promotion of small and family businesses that preserve family values, enable women to be with children, freedom, and independence, and ensure the transfer of basic human skills to future Generations - how to breed food for themselves, how to grow livestock and how to produce items. As well as creating jobs outside the big cities, they are changing the world around them, putting more attention to the environment. Entrepreneurship is open to all and can help to eliminate poverty!