A new wave of micro-businesses is emerging. We are going through turbulent times in which interconnectivity and rising socioeconomic complexity make it increasingly difficult for large corporations to adapt and build long-term strategies. Meanwhile, individuals are leveraging networks, crowd-funding, and new platforms to create informal and micro-enterprises that better respond to, and thrive in, our unstable business environment. Microbusiness is not a niche, but often overlooked and definitely underserved. In most countries it represents over 70% of employment, and is the world's fastest growing sector of the economy as new forms are emerging, like micro-manufacturers and parallel entrepreneurs.

In this workshop we will provide insights into this new wave of micro-businesses and their unmet needs.  Then small groups will work together to create services that solve for their specific challenges in new ways. Together we will answer the question: How can we design better services that meet the real needs of today's micro-business?