Young entrepreneurs in Belarus: who they are, how much they invested, and why they're doing it all. Research

Survey results for young entrepreneurs in Belarus, 2025, were analyzed.

The Selfmade in Belarus project explores businesses run by young people in Belarus.

58 people participated in the survey, which is relatively small but reasonable given its focus: people under 40 who either have a business in Belarus or are planning to start one.

We raised the age limit from 35 to 40 to broaden the sample, and it was worth it: a third of participants were between 36 and 40 years old. Many people over 40 also responded (about one-fifth), but we had to limit their participation to formal responses (our apologies).

Of all participants, only half have a fully functioning business; the rest are either in the startup phase, merely dreaming about business, or have put their business on hold.

Lives in Minsk, not particularly young, lacks business education but has higher education

So, what does a young entrepreneur in Belarus in 2025 look like? First, they’re not particularly young—one-third are over 35 (31%). Only 19% are under 25, with another 28% between 25 and 35 years old.

Second, they have higher education (90% of participants), unrelated to economics or business (80%).

Third, they live in Minsk (almost 60%). However, you can also find moderately young entrepreneurs in regional centers (20%) or even villages (10%).

Wants independence and money

And some psychological aspects of the portrait.

More than half mention a desire for independence, including financial independence. Slightly less than half cite the desire to earn more (45%) and leadership qualities (40%) as reasons for going into business.

At the same time, almost a third were pushed into business by the inability to find decent employment, and almost a quarter managed to earn startup capital through employment and decided to move to the next level (respondents could choose multiple answers).

Young business owners gave similar answers about freedom of choice and independence from bosses when asked about the advantages of owning a business. Only three said they enjoy managing people, and only two claimed their business gives them independence from the state.

What type of business do they run?

However, not every business-oriented person (only one in two) actually runs an active business.

An important identifying feature of an entrepreneur is having their own company. More than 60% of entrepreneurs with active businesses have registered legal entities. Almost a third operate as individual entrepreneurs (which, surprisingly, still exist) or as professional taxpayers (though such professional activities aren’t technically businesses), while one in eleven reports they aren’t registered at all (likely startups).

There’s a high probability (26%) that an entrepreneur works alone. However, most likely (52%) they have a few employees or even up to ten. One in five has several dozen employees.

And in which sector does this average entrepreneur operate? Most likely in IT (almost 40%).

It’s worth noting that the survey was primarily distributed among IT professionals and those adjacent to the industry, which inevitably influenced the results.

However, many participants came from other domains, including services, retail, and even agriculture. The «other» category includes entrepreneurs from sports, tourism, and the flower business.

Here are some other examples:

— A pickup point owner («My business is simple: I opened a marketplace pickup point in a small town. I inherited a house from my grandmother, couldn’t find IT work in Minsk. Spent all my savings and moved to the town to avoid paying rent. Now I sit at my pickup point, and when there are no customers, I try to find IT work»)

— A former HR professional, now a cashier who weaves and sells friendship bracelets in their spare time;

— A math tutor («I teach mathematics at a college, and tutoring is my business. I work with students primarily individually—online and offline. I’m generally satisfied, though sometimes it’s frustrating that I could earn much more if I were a programmer. Still, it’s enough to live on»).

— A former IT specialist, now a coffin manufacturer («Production of inexpensive coffins and funeral accessories. In recent years, demand for these products has grown in Russia. I managed to enter the market at the right time—startup capital from IT helped. I plan to leave IT completely and open new prospects outside the industry»);

Where the money comes from, how much they earn, and how much they want to earn

So, the typical young entrepreneur in Belarus is a fairly mature, educated person who decided to venture out on their own for reasons of freedom and earnings.

What was their starting capital and where did it come from?

In most cases, less than $10K (or almost nothing), and this money was simply saved up.

But almost one-third had several tens of thousands of dollars or even more than $100K. Roughly the same proportion received help from relatives/acquaintances. And one in six had to take a bank loan or attract investments through other means.

Now for the most interesting part: how much do young businesspeople earn? Comparable to IT salaries or less.

More than a quarter answered that after taxes, they’re left with less than $1K, but these aren’t IT professionals; they represent other businesses, such as beauty and agriculture.

IT professionals typically chose the «up to $3K» and «up to $5K» options—accounting for 36%. However, the few who reported incomes of several tens of thousands of dollars (9%) also appear to be from IT. Judging by the fact that they have the most employees in their companies, these are most likely small outsourcing companies or development studios.

Interestingly, almost three-quarters of young entrepreneurs consider themselves middle class or even upper-middle class. A quarter believe they don’t reach middle-class status or simply don’t know.

What Belarus does (and doesn’t) offer as a business location

We discuss plans and business climate assessments.

The absolute majority (almost 90%) of survey participants with active businesses in Belarus target the domestic market, with two-thirds focusing exclusively on it.

Almost a third (the question allowed multiple answers) also work with the Russian market, and one in six targets Western markets. In three cases, entrepreneurs operate in all three «directions» simultaneously, and in one case, exclusively in the Russian market.

Considering that Russia is already a current market for survey participants, almost 40% confirmed their readiness to expand business in that direction. Exactly the same percentage answered negatively. The rest are undecided.

At the same time, only 9% of entrepreneurs rated their business prospects in Belarus as very good. More than half believe there’s potential within the country, but also many risks. More than a third are uncertain about good prospects or are looking for ways to develop through exports/abroad.

Here’s the ranking of business difficulties. Among the main ones are the economic situation in the country/region, bureaucracy and laws, and low purchasing power.

More than half of participants would recommend Belarus as a place for business in 2025 to beginners, albeit with caveats. We’ll present these caveats shortly.

When asked to evaluate the state’s role in supporting young businesses in Belarus, only one in seven or eight gave a positive assessment.

One in four or five chose a neutral assessment—"neither help nor obstacles,» while more than half rated the state’s role as «somewhat negative» (support is weak or formal) or «negative» (bureaucracy, barriers, distrust).

Interestingly, the most sought-after form of state assistance among young entrepreneurs is not funding, but legal or accounting support.

Though they do want grants as well.

Business incubators, networking, free courses, and mentoring were chosen much less frequently—either because they’re considered less useful, or because entrepreneurs would prefer to receive such assistance from private entities rather than the state.

Anxious optimists

Almost half of the participants have a business plan for several years ahead, while 40% plan for one year.

Thoughts about the future evoke hope for improvement, cautious optimism, or even confidence in 65% of respondents. However, for 78%, such reflections provoke anxiety, uncertainty, or fear. Don’t be surprised by these proportions: many respondents experience both hope and anxiety simultaneously.

Ten-year vision

On the HR-style question, 'Where would you like to be in 10 years?'» only one in four limited themselves to Belarus.

The majority (40%) would like to develop their business for export/abroad. One in five dreams of selling their current business by then and either launching a new one or enjoying life.

Advice and caveats from entrepreneurs

Here’s what young entrepreneurs advise those who are just starting/planning their business in Belarus:

• «Don’t take loans for startup capital or other expenses—even if the probability of failure is minimal.»
• «Study the tax code carefully, or better yet, get consultation from knowledgeable people. Yes, it costs money, but will help avoid many problems.»
• «Retail business. The biggest problem is the purchasing power of the population + the famous pricing decree.»
• «[Remember that there are] a huge number of decrees, laws, regulations, restrictions, legal nuances that no one will tell you about, but will fine you for.»
• «Everything in its time. A person must grow into entrepreneurship on their own. Or not. Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. The main thing is to learn to do something people need and do it well, or better yet—better than everyone else.»
• «I worked as an HR/career consultant in a good company. The company reduced staff in Belarus and relocated some employees. I looked for work for a year, but almost no one responded to my CV. I got a job as a cashier at 'Santa.' I opened an individual entrepreneur business and in the evenings, when there are few customers, I weave friendship bracelets and sell them on Wildberries and Ozon. Girls, hold on to your jobs as long as possible; no one in Belarus needs a career consultant!»