Soft-skills training—specifically Personal Initiative (PI) Training—has shown promising effects on business outcomes for entrepreneurs. Yet, results vary by context and gender, and implementation could significantly shape effectiveness, so a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the intervention could help implementers deploy it more successfully. Similarly, as efforts to scale these programs grow, so do the challenges: selecting and retaining the right trainers, adapting content for digital formats, and sustaining participant engagement across diverse settings.

This review discusses some practical elements that might require special attention when implementing soft skills and PI training: curriculum design, participant targeting, alignment with constraints, training dosage, reinforcement mechanisms, and trainer selection. Each of these factors could affect both cost and impact—but to what degree remains an open question. Moving from isolated successes to broad, lasting impact will require models that function within real-world constraints, such as limited or uncertain funding, staff turnover, and uneven digital access. Tackling these issues will demand more evidence and creative solutions—like AI-supported delivery, new engagement strategies to reduce attrition in asynchronous formats, and funding structures that allow capable local partners to retain skilled staff.