THE RATIONALITY OF FINANCIAL EDUCATION APPLIED TO INDIVIDUAL MICROBUSINESSES: A LOOK AT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Résumé fourni par la source

This study analyzes how financial rationalities and daily limitations influence the decision-making processes and management practices of Individual Microentrepreneurs (MEIs) in an inland municipality of Maranhão. The applied research, with a quantitative approach, was based on a sample of 90 microentrepreneurs and investigated the financial behavior of this group in the face of their main challenges and opportunities. The results reveal a strong predominance of practical and intuitive rationality in the management of their businesses, a behavior often driven by operational overload and the accumulation of functions by the owners. It was identified that the mere transmission of technical and theoretical content in traditional capacity-building programs has a low transfer rate to daily administrative routines. In contrast, there is a high potential for interventions based on simplicity, contextualization, and continuous support. The adoption of accessible tools such as simple spreadsheets and management applications, combined with periodic monitoring and the strengthening of mutual support networks (such as mentoring and peer groups), proved decisive in increasing the regularity of financial controls and promoting sustainable habits. It is concluded that the strengthening and sustainability of small businesses in the local context depend on integrated public policies and educational actions that articulate practical knowledge, streamlined access to credit, and constant human support, overcoming purely instrumental approaches in favor of the development of autonomy and economic well-being of entrepreneurs.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.