According to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, in four years in Russia the number of individual entrepreneurs under the age of 25 has increased by more than 1.5 times — by the end of 2023 there were already 243.5 thousand people. This was achieved thanks to the national project "Small and medium-sized enterprises", which provides comprehensive support to young people. Aspiring businessmen open sports schools, beauty salons, shops and many other institutions in demand in the country's settlements.

"In 2023, the number of young entrepreneurs under the age of 25 increased by 20%. Today there are more than 240 thousand of them. Such creative energy must be supported so that the average income per employee employed in the field of small and medium-sized businesses grows faster than the rate of GDP growth in the next six years. That is, the efficiency of such a business and its quality indicators should increase," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"This is a very important and useful project. There are many talented young people in the country who could eventually become legendary businessmen and philanthropists who will form the basis of the economy of the future. And since it is often not enough to find money in business, the right connections are needed, Delovaya Rossiya, within the framework of the Youth Investment Elevator special project, helps young entrepreneurs present their projects to experienced businessmen who can become investors, mentors, and guides to the market," said the Vice President, head of the executive Committee "Business Russia" by Nonna Kagramanyan.

According to the national project "Small and medium—sized entrepreneurship", young people can receive a grant to open their own business - from 100 thousand to 500 thousand rubles (or up to 1 million rubles if the activity is conducted in the Arctic zone). Entrepreneurs between the ages of 14 and 25 can take advantage of such financial support by contacting one of the My Business centers. They are located in 84 regions of Russia. They will help young entrepreneurs to apply, write a business plan, and explain how to complete the training necessary to receive funds.

In general, in 2023 alone, more than 540 thousand entrepreneurs, self-employed citizens and individuals planning to start their own business received support under the national project "Small and Medium-sized Enterprises" in the My Business centers.

In the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, a 21-year-old girl took advantage of this opportunity and became a successful entrepreneur. Violetta Gareeva from Nefteyugansk opened the ProFIX hairdressing salon, and with the help of a grant for young entrepreneurs expanded the network to three salons. Business is Violetta's first job. The girl says: there were two reasons to start a business. The first is an example of a mom who has been running a business for more than 30 years. The second is the outdated format of providing hairdressing services in the city.

Violetta wanted to create a modern and affordable service. In 2020, the girl acquired a franchise and opened the first ProFIX salon in Nefteyugansk. A distinctive feature of such hairdressers is a stylish space and a fixed price for services. Women's, men's and children's haircuts, manicures, eyelash extensions and other beauty treatments are done here. The salons have the quality mark "The best in their business" from the administration of Nefteyugansk and the trademark "Made in Ugra".

"In our salons, customers do not overpay for tea, coffee, advertising and everything that increases the cost of a haircut. An electronic administrator terminal is installed in each branch. Through it, you can choose a service, sign up and pay for it in a convenient way. And we also return up to 10% cashback to our customers," Violetta Gareeva said.

Violetta successfully passed the grant competition and received financial support in the amount of 500 thousand rubles. She directed the money to open a third studio: she renovated the premises, purchased equipment and supplies, and ordered advertising. And last autumn Violetta entered the contest "Young entrepreneur of Ugra" and reached the final.

There is also a socially significant aspect to the work of the studios. They give free haircuts to veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and provide discounts to vulnerable segments of the population. Violetta also signed a contract with Nefteyugansk Polytechnic College for the employment of students. She admits that she is happy to work with creative and creative people.

In the Kursk region, businesswoman Irina Skorova creates compositions from balloons. Last year, Irina received a grant in the amount of 500 thousand rubles for the development of her business.

"With the help of the grant, we were able to buy a printer for printing products, as well as purchase equipment for making stickers. This allowed us to increase the range of services and goods. I would like to note that we were advised and supported by specialists from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship. Therefore, I did not experience any difficulties in obtaining funds. Thanks a lot for that. In the near future, I plan to expand and turn Ostrovok into a full—fledged store," commented entrepreneur Irina Skorova.

At some point, in the village of Talmenka in the Altai Territory, the state printing house was closed and entrepreneur Andrey Shmarikhin, who was engaged in the stationery trade in Talmenka, realized that this niche needed to be occupied urgently. He bought risographs, a guillotine and other equipment and opened his own printing house in 2013. His eldest son Nikita was still at school at that time. But when he and his father arrived in Talmenka and began to unpack the brand-new equipment, Nikita realized that he would like to master it.

"Then it was like something lit up in me," Nikita recalls. He wanted to learn printing by helping his father. Nikita began to master computer programs for graphic design, slowly making layouts, tables, greeting cards. There he learned the basics of working with video, graphics, and photography. In between studies or remotely, Nikita helped to fulfill orders in the printing house. After graduating from university in 2019, the young man opened an individual entrepreneur and received a ready-made business from his father.

In 2022, twenty-five-year-old Nikita saw an announcement that entrepreneurs from 20 to 25 years old could participate in a grant competition. The young entrepreneur applied for participation and defended his project aimed at expanding the range of services. Shmarikhin wanted to purchase a center for laser cutting of sheet materials, a spectrophotometer and a guillotine. Now he is developing a new direction — laser cutting. With its help, Shmarikhin cuts out blanks of complex shapes from plywood, rubber, plastic, which he then grinds, paints and collects various souvenirs from them: piggy banks, key holders, key rings.

Now the entrepreneur is working in the local market, and at the end of this year he plans to enter marketplaces and thereby cover the whole of Russia. He has a manager on staff who collects orders and a printer who executes them. A designer and a marketer work on the remote site.