Martínez, C., Orozco, J. & M. Valdivia. (2025) Running Ahead or Moving Together? Individual and Group Consulting for Female Entrepreneurship.

This study evaluates cost-effective strategies for transferring management skills to female entrepreneurs in urban Peru, particularly established SME owners and managers. Through a randomized experiment, researchers compare the impact of individual and group-based consulting on these groups. Both consulting formats led to better business practices and to sizable increases in sales (32%) and profits (24%), with no statistically significant difference between them. Group consulting also improved participants’ business networks and practices through peer learning, though its effectiveness was sensitive to group composition. Individual consulting had stronger effects among larger, more established firms with stronger networks at baseline. These findings suggest that while group consulting offers a scalable, cost-effective alternative, participant selection should match high-performing firms with strong networks to individual consulting, while assigning others to well-designed group sessions that manage within-group heterogeneity.