Global poverty remains one of the defining economic problems of our time. The World Bank estimates that approximately 8.5% of the global population lives in extreme poverty on less than $2.15 a day. When the more relevant poverty line for upper-middle-income countries—$6.85 a day—is applied, the proportion rises to about 44%, or 3.5 billion people. Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme reports that 1.1 billion people across 112 countries experience acute multidimensional poverty, including deprivation in health, education and living standards. worldbank.org
Even these figures do not capture the millions of households living only slightly above official poverty thresholds. They may have employment but possess little capital, limited savings and almost no protection against illness, unemployment or inflation. Poverty is therefore more than low income. It is frequently the absence of assets, marketable skills and the ability to create new sources of income.
The small group that creates employment
Entrepreneurs are a relatively rare economic resource. Almost half of the world’s employed population may be classified as self-employed, but this category includes own-account and informal workers who employ nobody else. The International Labour Organization has estimated that employers—people who regularly provide work to others—represent up to 3% of the global workforce. Measured against the entire world population, that is broadly equivalent to around 1%. ilostat.ilo.org
Yet this small group accepts the financial, professional and personal risks involved in establishing enterprises. Entrepreneurs organise capital, labour, information and technology; identify unmet demand; create products and services; employ people; pay suppliers and generate tax revenue. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises account for approximately 70% of employment worldwide, according to the ILO. International Labour Organization
Entrepreneurship should therefore be treated as strategic national infrastructure. Countries cannot create sustainable prosperity solely by distributing existing wealth. They must continuously generate new economic value—and that requires people who know how to turn knowledge, talent and ideas into functioning organisations.
The missing link in conventional education
General education provides indispensable foundations: literacy, numeracy, languages, history and scientific understanding. The problem is not that these subjects lack value, but that students are rarely shown how to connect them with economic life.
A child may learn mathematics without learning how to prepare a budget. A student may study technology without developing a marketable product. Schools teach writing, yet few pupils learn to prepare a commercial proposal, negotiate with a customer or explain an idea to an investor. Knowledge is accumulated in separate academic subjects, while real life requires people to combine it.
The consequences are measurable. In the 14 OECD countries assessed for PISA 2022, 18% of students lacked basic financial-literacy proficiency and could not reliably apply their knowledge to everyday financial decisions. The gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students averaged 87 points—more than one full proficiency level. OECD
The situation is even more serious in lower-income education systems. The World Bank estimates that 70% of ten-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text. Before young people can become entrepreneurs, education must solve this foundational crisis—but literacy alone is not enough. Pupils also need financial judgement, initiative, communication, digital competence and experience of completing real projects. worldbank.org
Education must teach application
The central educational task of the twenty-first century is to help people apply what they know. “Monetisation of knowledge” does not mean reducing education to money. It means learning how knowledge can solve a genuine problem, produce value for others and support an economically independent life.
This is the purpose of the educational programmes developed by the International Business Academy. MINIBOSS Business School introduces children and teenagers to entrepreneurship, finance, leadership and start-up development. BIGBOSS Business School continues this work with adults, while the wider franchise network connects business education with science, art, languages, media, technology and higher education.
Students do not merely discuss entrepreneurship. They develop ideas, study customers, allocate responsibilities, calculate costs, prepare presentations and defend their projects. This process turns abstract information into practical competence.
Private interest with public value
Adam Smith explained that a person pursuing a legitimate private interest may, without consciously intending it, contribute to a wider public purpose. In The Wealth of Nations, he wrote that an individual seeking personal gain can be “led by an invisible hand” towards an outcome that also benefits society. This idea is often oversimplified: private initiative creates public value only when it operates within fair competition, responsible governance and the rule of law. Adam Smith Institute
An education franchise illustrates this relationship. Its owner establishes a private enterprise and expects a financial return. At the same time, the business employs teachers, pays taxes, introduces new educational methods and gives local families access to programmes that may not otherwise exist in their city.
The franchise owner also invests in the environment surrounding their own children. Their sons and daughters gain access to an entrepreneurial community, while other pupils receive the same opportunity. A personal decision consequently develops human capital across an entire city.
Right People to Invest in Franchises
The International Business Academy reports that its education network has grown to more than 100 franchises across five continents. The next stage is to work with entrepreneurs who want to introduce practical, internationally oriented education in their own markets.
Eight international education franchises
- NANOBOSS GENIUS SCHOOL, ages 3–6: early development based on the Eight Intelligences methodology.
- MINIBOSS BUSINESS SCHOOL, ages 6–17: entrepreneurship, finance, leadership and start-up education.
- BIGBOSS BUSINESS SCHOOL, ages 18+: practical business education and a contemporary approach to MBA-level learning.
- LEONARDO ART SCHOOL, ages 6+: creative intelligence, art, design and visual communication.
- ROYAL BRITISH SCHOOL, ages 6+: English-language education, international communication, British educational tours and camps.
- EINSTEIN SCIENCE SCHOOL, ages 6+: STEAM education, experiments, inventions and technology.
- FILM SCHOOL: filmmaking, blogging, screenwriting, media production and digital content.
- INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ACADEMY: university-level programmes in business, start-ups, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
A franchisee acquires more than a curriculum. The package includes an established brand, teaching programmes, operating standards, staff training, certification, marketing resources and launch support. Depending on the chosen format and territory, the stated investment range is £5,000 to £150,000. Prospective owners should assess local demand, costs, contractual conditions and projected returns before investing; as with any business, profitability cannot be guaranteed.
One programme can begin as a weekend school. Several complementary franchises can subsequently be brought together to create an education centre serving children from early years through secondary school, adult professional education and university-level programmes.
What do you invest in?
Gold may preserve wealth. Property may generate rent. Cryptocurrency may rise or fall sharply. Education creates a different kind of asset: knowledge, capability, reputation and an international professional community.
Investment in children does not produce an instant financial return, but its effects can last for generations. A child who understands how to create value, manage money, cooperate with others and turn an idea into a project enters adult life with substantially more agency.
For an entrepreneur, an education franchise combines two forms of investment: a commercial enterprise with long-term income potential and a contribution to the human capital of the next generation.
Invest in a ready-made international education business. Build a school, develop a community and give the next generation the tools to create its own future.BUTTON: EXPLORE IBA FRANCHISES