IMPACT STORIES

The BPN (Business Professionals Network) Foundation supports small business owners in developing countries with individual coaching, business education and loans. Each year, the foundation, which has its head office in Switzerland, selects twenty to thirty entrepreneurs to take part in its two-year programme from the five countries it works in: Nicaragua, Rwanda, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

Building a flourishing online business in Georgia

“I am crazy about work,” says Medea Tavberidze, founder of the Georgian blogsite, Jolo.ge. “My children are jealous,” she laughs. ‘You love Jolo more than us,’ they tease me. “They say it’s like my third child.”

Medea lives in Tbilsi, the capital of Georgia, well-known for its mixture of architectural styles, mishmash of cultures and large variety of Georgian dishes from all over the country. She trained as a journalist and spent almost twenty years working as a feature writer for famous Georgian news journals such as Audientia, Bibraidi and Prime Time. She loved her career but in 2012, a change of government cost her her job.

“I was working for one of the most distinguished and prestigious newspapers,” she says. “Then all at once, several of my colleagues and I were left without a job. We were told that the newspaper no longer needed culture and we should switch to politics. So, we had to bid our farewells.”

Medea knew she had to continue writing and was determined to create something positive out of a challenging situation. 

“I am a motivator by nature,” she explains. “In my spare time, I’m always reading up on anything related to positive thinking. I love sharing with people what’s in me and thus motivating them. I wanted to create an online journal, which changes people’s lives for the better, but which also has nothing to do with politics.”