To increase their incomes, entrepreneurs must acquire key management and business skills to allow them to build their businesses and identify the most profitable markets. The bottom line is ensuring our beneficiaries get the information they need to keep accurate records, manage their businesses effectively and plan for the future. CNFA's training modules include financial recordkeeping, business planning, accessing and qualifying for credit, cash flow management, market research and analysis and marketing, sales and negotiation

In addition to directly providing training to individuals and groups, CNFA supports the development of local businesses that can provide these services for a fee in the longer term. Training to these providers includes developing and adapting training materials, helping commercial providers identify and serve a market at a rate that is affordable to the entrepreneur and sufficiently profitable to motivate the provider and linking entrepreneurs to other providers for specialized learning, e.g., evening courses offered by registered academic institutions.

CNFA designs and executes economic development projects using participatory methods that involve both the people and the enterprises in the market, often finding creative ways to commercialize business development training. In Moldova, CNFA worked with the national farmer association to include business development training among its member services. In Africa, CNFA is working with farm input supply companies to encourage rural shopkeepers to buy business development training as a step toward establishing supply relationships with the companies and obtaining inventory credit or price discounts. In Ukraine, CNFA is encouraging the national union of credit unions to offer business training to their members as part of a strategy to maximize repayment of loans.