What is the International Council for Small Business?

You probably know about the annual ICSB World Conference, which features a long list of distinguished international speakers, as well as opportunities for professional development and networking among nearly 1,000 international delegates.

But how much do you know about the ICSB?

It wasn’t always international.

The ICSB was founded in 1956 as the National Council for Small Business Management Development (NCSBMD). It was formed to foster entrepreneurship in the United States on the belief that small businesses were essential to the national economy, and that those small businesses needed management education to succeed and thrive.

ICSB goes global.

In 1977, the Council decided to expand to include the international small business community, and changed its name to the International Council for Small Business. As the world’s economy expanded over the next decade, the ICSB’s membership nearly doubled. ICSB now has affiliate chapters on every continent.

ICSB on a mission.

The ICSB is devoted to continuing management education for entrepreneurs and small business.

Mission Statement

The International Council for Small Business is devoted to the advancement of management development practices for potential entrepreneurs and existing small business owner/managers through education, research, and the free exchange of ideas.

Council members representing education, industry, financial institutions and government, provide a worldwide network of ideas and experience exchange on management assistance for small business.

By filling the role of an umbrella organization, as an integrator of new knowledge, the Council reinforces rather than duplicates the work of other organizations involved in small business development. For this reason, we encourage the development of national and associate affiliates of the Council so we can continue to build the information-exchange network in many countries.

ICSB 2016

Each year, the ICSB hosts an international conference. This year, the ICSB World Conference will take place at multiple locations in New York and New Jersey, including United Nations headquarters and the Stevens Institute of Technology. ICSB 2016 will focus on the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in advancing the UN New Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about the conference, or to secure your seat, please click here or visit the ICSB’s website at http://ICSB.org/.

ICSB 2016 Kicks Off at the United Nations on June 16

When is the last time you attended a conference that opened at the United Nations headquarters in New York City? It’s an opportunity that not many people get. You won’t want to miss out on your chance this year.

The 61st Annual International Council of Small Business World Conference kicks off at the United Nations on Thursday, June 16. We are proud to announce an impressive lineup of speakers for that morning, including:

  • Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy, Executive Director, International Conference for Small Business
  • Dr. Ki-Chan Kim, President, International Conference for Small Business
  • Ambassador Oh Joon, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Republic of Korea to the United Nations and President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
  • Ms. Lise Kingo, Executive Director, UN Global Compact
  • Mr. Naquib Sawiris, Chairman of the Board of Orascom TMT Investments

The June 16 schedule continues with our first session, SME Ministerial Panel Session for the Role of SMEs in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Lunch is followed by UN media briefings (by invitation only), and then sessions two and three, Engaging SME’s for Growth and Prosperity and Humane Entrepreneurship – A Global Perspective. We will wrap up the day with ICSB Presidential Awards and a VIP dinner (again by invitation).

The United Nations was founded in 1945 with the mission to maintain international peace and security and to solve international problems through cooperation between its 193 member states. Countless international luminaries have spoken at the United Nations, including presidents, prime ministers, and religious leaders.

ICSB 2016 invites you to join us at the United Nations and at our subsequent sessions and events at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Register today to secure your seat at the conference.

Check Out the Chief Procurement Officers Forum On June 1, 2016

Is your company facing complex supply chain challenges? Is connecting with minority-owned businesses a strategic goal for your firm in 2016?

Well, you are in luck.

In early June, a wide range of Fortune 500 Procurement Officers will assemble and participate in an exciting discussion about global trends and challenges facing the business procurement business community.

Important topics will include:

  • Supplier Diversity
  • Business Development
  • Supply Chain Management and Support
  • Innovation

You won’t want to miss the 2016 Chief Procurement Officers’ Forum.

  • What: CelebrAsian Conference
  • When: June 1, 2016 at 12:30pm
  • Where: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA
  • Who: CelebrAsian – Connecting Fortune corporations and governments with Asian American and minority businesses to pursue contracting relationships.

For more details, click here.

Korea’s SMBA Administrator Young-Sup Joo to Speak at ICSB 2016

It’s official. Korea’s Small and Medium Business Administration Administrator Young-Sup Joo will give remarks at ICSB 2016.

After the Korean War, the Republic of Korea (also known as South Korea) was one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, South Korea is the 13th largest economy in the world. In 2014, it was the world’s fifth largest exporter.

Administrator Young-Sup Joo

Korea made that dramatic change by focusing on development of overseas markets by large enterprises. But today, Korea’s Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA) is working to build the country’s small and medium enterprises. Those SMEs now make up 99% of Korea’s corporations and employ 88% of its people.

“The new focus is on the promotion of global SMEs as the pillar of the economy,” says Dr. Young-Sup Joo, Korea’s SMBA Adminstrator. “We expect our initiatives to provide a climate that fosters global small giants as a measure to maximize efficiency and create job opportunities at home and abroad.”

Dr. Joo was previously the President and CEO of Bontech (Hyundai Motor Group). Dr. Joo holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering, an M.S. in production engineering, and a PhD in industrial engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

About ICSB 2016

Founded in 1955, the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) was the first international membership organization to promote the growth and development of small businesses worldwide. The organization brings together educators, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from around the world to share knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. Each year, ICSB members and affiliates come together to discuss relevant issues and share information at conferences all around the world.

This year, the ICSB World Conference will take place at multiple locations in New York and New Jersey. We will start at NYU on June 15. On June 16, we will be at the United Nations, and then at the Stevens Institute of Technology on June 17 and 18. Registration is open to the public, but limited and expected to sell out. ICSB 2016 will focus on the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in advancing the UN New Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about the conference, or to secure your seat, please click here or visit the ICSB’s website at http://ICSB.org/.

ICSB President Dr. Ki-Chan Kim to Speak at ICSB 2016

“Entrepreneurship 1.0 was for individual problem solving, entrepreneurship 2.0 was for companies and organizations, but now entrepreneurship 3.0 is for societal problem solving.” Dr. Ki-Chan Kim’s remarks at the closing of ICSB 2015 in Dubai began to lay out a new direction for a more humane kind of entrepreneurship, one “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Dr. Kim’s vision of entrepreneurship has three steps. “The first is to work for yourself. The next is to work for an organization. But the final step, which I strive for, is to work for humanity and society.”

Dr. Kim believes that ICSB has a key role to play in the development of humane entrepreneurship. “Let’s go together shoulder-to-shoulder for the new era of ICSB and entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Kim at last year’s conference.

About Dr. Ki-Chan Kim

Dr. Ki-Chan Kim is the president of the International Council for Small Business. He is a Professor of Business Administration at The Catholic University of Korea. He received a PhD from Seoul National University and has conducted research at the University of Tokyo and at MIT as a visiting scholar.

Dr. Kim was born in Korea in 1958, when that country was one of the poorest in the world. He wants to help other countries learn from the Korean experience of transforming a country devastated by war and poverty into one of the world’s strongest economies.

About ICSB 2016

Founded in 1955, the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) was the first international membership organization to promote the growth and development of small businesses worldwide. The organization brings together educators, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from around the world to share knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. Each year, ICSB members and affiliates come together to discuss relevant issues and share information at conferences all around the world.

This year, the ICSB World Conference will take place at multiple locations in New York and New Jersey. We will start at NYU on June 15. On June 16, we will be at the United Nations, and then at the Stevens Institute of Technology on June 17 and 18. Registration is open to the public, but limited and expected to sell out. ICSB 2016 will focus on the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in advancing the UN New Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about the conference, or to secure your seat, please click here or visit the ICSB’s website at http://ICSB.org/.