This downloadable survey helps financial stakeholders assess WSME demand in a specific market. By capturing insights on financial behavior, business characteristics, skills, and support needs, it informs the design of tailored financial and non-financial solutions. Financial intermediaries, BSOs, funders, and regulators can use it to identify segment-specific opportunities and guide targeted interventions.
The goal of this step is to capture demand-side data directly from WSMEs. This includes information about their current use of financial services, their unmet needs, their access to business development support, and their aspirations for growth. By listening to women business owners, institutions can design services that are grounded in real-life experience rather than assumptions.
The toolkit provides a downloadable survey that can be adapted to local contexts. It covers seven key areas: the entrepreneur’s personal profile, business profile, jobs created or sustained, current use of financial services, financial needs, access to business development services (BDS), and non-financial support needs. The survey can be administered through interviews, online forms, or digital tools like Kobo Toolbox, depending on your target audience and resources.
Collecting quality data starts with defining who you want to reach. This step involves identifying and recruiting a diverse sample of WSMEs based on criteria such as business size, geography, stage of growth, and sector. Where possible, the toolkit recommends using a national or IFC definition of women-owned or women-led SMEs to ensure consistency. Sampling should include both clients and non-clients to avoid bias.
Once survey data is collected, responses are grouped based on expected revenue growth into high-growth, moderate-growth, and low-growth segments. Within each segment, deeper analysis reveals common business traits, support needs, and financial behaviors. These insights can be used to refine segmentation, tailor offerings, and inform strategy across institutions, funders, and ecosystem actors.