Over 160 European small businesses learn to “read” crisis signals
What do a carpenter from Arezzo, an accountant from Porto, a small businesswoman from Sofia, and a business consultant from Valencia have in common? They all attended training seminars for the European OITBC project and now know how to recognise the early warning signs that can push a company towards crisis.
Training seminars for micro and small enterprises, as well as business consultants, on preventing corporate crises have recently concluded. The “Observatory and Initial Training on Business Crisis for MSMES” (OITBC) project, funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, organised these sessions. The initiative involved over 160 businesses and professional consultants across four countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Bulgaria.
The numbers tell a story of success that exceeds initial expectations. The project, coordinated by Casartigiani Arezzo in collaboration with partners from Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Bulgaria, aimed to reach at least 40 businesses and professionals per country. Instead, entrepreneurs and consultants responded so positively that organisers had to arrange a second session in some territories to meet all participation requests.
“Our objective was to raise awareness among micro and small enterprises and their consultants about the opportunities offered by European Directive 2019/1023 on preventive restructuring,” explains the project coordinator. “But what we discovered is that both entrepreneurs and professionals had a great demand for practical knowledge on how to protect companies.”
Each three-hour seminar took place virtually to ensure maximum participation, even from the most remote areas. The formula proved effective: two 90-minute sessions each, with a technical break that allowed participants to absorb concepts and ask specific questions.
The first part addressed the fundamentals: what the European Directive says, what causes corporate crises most commonly, and, most importantly, how to recognise alarm signals before it’s too late. These weren’t theoretical lessons: trainers explained every concept with concrete examples, real cases, and situations that entrepreneurs face daily.
“Many participants told us they finally understood why certain controls were so important,” recounts one of the trainers. “Entrepreneurs and consultants discovered together that this wasn’t just bureaucracy: these were concrete tools for monitoring company health.”
The second part of the seminar focused on specific national regulations and management control tools. Each country has indeed transposed the European Directive differently, creating unique opportunities for local businesses. Italian entrepreneurs discovered the advantages of automatic indicator systems, while Spanish ones explored possibilities for preventive consultancy. Meanwhile, Bulgarian and Portuguese participants examined new restructuring procedures available in their countries.
To make the content even more accessible, the project created five training video capsules, each approximately 3 minutes long, available in the languages of partner countries on the digital platform www.oitbc.eu. These brief videos quickly went viral among local entrepreneurial communities, garnering thousands of views that demonstrated interest in these topics.
The seminars’ success wasn’t accidental. Researchers designed all training material based on a preliminary survey conducted among hundreds of micro and small enterprises and business consultants from participating countries. The researchers asked entrepreneurs and professionals directly: “What do you need to better manage business crisis situations?” The responses guided the design of every single lesson.
“We didn’t want to create yet another theoretical course,” emphasises the project team. “We wanted to give entrepreneurs and consultants tools they could use immediately in their daily work.”
Feedback collected at the end of the seminars confirms they hit the target. Most participants declared they had acquired immediately applicable skills and understood the importance of preventive monitoring of company performance. Many also requested further insights and second-level courses.
The OITBC project, launched in October 2023 and lasting 24 months, is now completing its final phase with the systematisation of all training materials and the creation of a permanent observatory on business crisis management. The seminar experience has demonstrated that there is strong demand for practical and accessible training on these topics, paving the way for possible future developments of the initiative.
The impact of these seminars goes beyond numbers. Each trained entrepreneur and consultant becomes a knowledge multiplier in their professional community, creating a chain effect that can protect the entire local economic fabric. In an era of global economic uncertainties, knowing how to recognise and manage crisis signals is no longer a luxury for specialists: it’s a fundamental skill for anyone who wants businesses to survive and thrive