Helping small businesses attract investment
Across Jordan, micro and small enterprises (MSEs) represent the backbone of the economy, yet many remain trapped in a cycle of limited growth and scalability.
For many years, grassroots entrepreneurs in Jordan have put in significant effort trying to keep their businesses going so they can make a living and support their families. These experiences are not isolated; they reflect the broader reality faced by many businesses in the local communities.
For them, growth remains stalled due to practical constraints, such as inability to scale, limited investment readiness, and unclear business and financial models. With these challenges, even promising businesses struggle to thrive.
Through the Informal Livelihoods Advancement Activity (Iqlaa), funded by the United States Government, such constraints were addressed through targeted capacity-building sessions in areas where gaps exist, acting as a catalyst to transform 44 businesses from limited operations into scalable ventures. This intervention was implemented by Expectation State, one of the consortium partners of Iqlaa that is led by Mercy Corps.
Participants managed to strengthen their business models, financial planning, and investment-pitching skills. They have advanced professionally and are now better positioned to secure the funding needed to scale.
Samira Al-Mutlaq founded Super Peanut in 2020 in Mafraq, and built her enterprise on a foundation of sustainability, recycling by-products, and empowering local women. Through the sessions she received, Samira transformed her business from survival mode into a thriving enterprise by upgrading production, strengthening marketing, and improving investment readiness.
We have been able to grow our revenues and expand our operations beyond the local market.
Samira Al-Mutlaq, Founder of Super Peanut
The shift for Samira has been profound. She described the training as, “an experience that allowed me to move from simply trying to keep the business going to building a model with real growth potential and local impact."
Since then, she has scaled production of her sugar-free nut butters to 10 tons annually and created five new jobs for local women in the process. This growth proves that when a business is built on the right essence, production increases and employment opportunities multiply.
In Mafraq, Ayada Al-Sharafat founded ‘Ayadi Al-Badia’ for vegetable dehydration in 2012; a small enterprise that blends traditional farming with sustainable food processing to reduce waste. The business basically bridges traditional farming practices with modern, sustainable food processing. However, the business still needed to strengthen its investment readiness to mature and prosper.
“Through Iqlaa’s technical and investment-readiness training, we were able to better understand the market needs, improve our business model, and communicate our value proposition more effectively. This support has helped us grow our business,” says Ayda Al-Sharafat.
Today Ayadi Al-Badia secured the funding they needed to really take off. This allowed them to ramp up production from 12 to 20 tons a year and start selling their products in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They also hired 17 local women, giving them a way to earn a good living and take care of their families.
In Amman, Dania Al-Shamaseen and Mohammad Homsi founded Healthy Choice in 2019, an enterprise that offers medically tailored meals developed with certified dietitians to support family nutrition, especially those managing chronic conditions. However, to attract capital and grow, the enterprise needed to become more investment-ready with a solid business model.
Through Iqlaa’s support, Healthy Choice strengthened its business model and expanded across Amman, opening new branches and reaching a wider customer base. This success meant they could offer new jobs, serve more neighborhoods, and provide more choices on their menu.
As the business gained momentum, it stood out in competitive bidding processes, securing catering and cafeteria contracts with major corporate and humanitarian organizations. These wins further reinforced Healthy Choice’s position in the market and supported its continued expansion.
“We were creating strong impact and generating good revenue in Amman, but our business model lacked coherence and a solid base to scale up further. Through the training, we were equipped with the needed tools to secure the needed funding to activate our plans,” says Mohammad Homsi.
This intervention by Iqlaa strongly aligns with its objectives to help MSEs achieve sustainable growth and overcome constraints that limit transformation. To date, Iqlaa has already equipped over 1,000 MSEs with the vital financial knowledge needed to stand firm against any future challenge and stay resilient in a changing market.
Iqlaa is committed to helping home-based, micro, and small businesses overcome financial barriers that hold them back and achieve sustainable growth, contributing to a more resilient national economy that helps advance Jordan’s economic modernization vision.