How this CEO is supporting small business owners to elevate their game

Arash Asli, CEO and Co-Founder of Yocale, is on a mission to create an entire network of businesses and consumers that will help healthy, thriving communities to join together and support each other in a virtual services marketplace.

"More needs to be done in terms of equipping small business owners with the same systems and technology that’s available to large businesses, so that they can enjoy the same opportunity to grow and prosper," says Asli, a Canadian businessman who co-founded Yocale in 2013.

Small businesses play a vital role in communities around the globe, particularly in developing countries. The World Bank reports that small businesses worldwide are important contributors to job creation and global economic development. They represent about 90 percent of businesses and account for more than 50 percent of jobs worldwide.

Support Small

Despite the fast-growing impact that local businesses have as the heart of communities, the fact remains that small businesses aren’t afforded the same opportunities as bigger ones.

Challenges relate to financing issues, insufficient technology and a basic lack of support when it comes to managing day-to-day operations.

Not surprisingly, there’s an industry gap, whereby small business founders graduate from their field of study and are equipped to run the business from the perspective of what they learned, but not the day-to-day operations. Often, they lack expertise and systems that support basic business operations like scheduling, business management and payments, among other challenges.

"By working together to build a global footprint beginning at the local level, network effectively and share a fintech platform, the small business industry is well-positioned to save money, reduce operational costs and enhance revenue in new ways."

In response to the need for greater support of global small businesses, many of which are family run enterprises, companies like Yocale are committed to building local communities and creating a network of industries to support one another.

"The small business community needs to come together to share best practices, business tools and network with one another, so that they can develop lasting connections where it matters most – their locale," Asli says.

"Yocale helps consumers book and manage services online, manages small businesses’ online reputation, enhances client relationships and handles requirements such as taxes and invoices."

Community Creators

And for Asli, it is not these services that are most valuable to small businesses, but the community it forges alongside them.

"Bringing accessible technology to busy business owners helps healthy, thriving local communities to join in a virtual services marketplace. By working together to build a global footprint beginning at the local level, network effectively and share a fintech platform, the small business industry is well-positioned to save money, reduce operational costs and enhance revenue in new ways," Asli explains.

"What’s most interesting about Yocale is that small business owners come for the tools and stay for the network. In other words, to tap into the power of a one-stop-shop to get all the tools they need to streamline, automate and run their business. That’s how we build local communities."