The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) is a non-profit organization devoted to continuing management education for entrepreneurs and small business.  

The Council was founded in 1955 on the belief that enlightened small business management is necessary for successful and profitable small business; that successful small business is essential to our national economies; and that entrepreneurship needs to be fostered to stimulate a dynamic and growing economic system.

The original name given to the Council by the Ford Foundation Grantees was the National Council for Small Business Management Development (NCSBMD). The name was subsequently changed in 1977 when the organization decided to incorporate the international community. Over the next decade, membership of ICSB doubled and the Council began to play a key role in the globalization of business during this period. The Council serves as an umbrella organization that integrates the activities of diverse organizations and professionals who deal directly with small business. ICSB creates and distributes new information on small business management and entrepreneurial development through global knowledge drawn from government, education and commerce.

Council members representing education, industry, financial institutions and government, provide a worldwide network of ideas and experience exchange on management assistance for small business.

By filling the role of an umbrella organization, as an integrator of new knowledge, the Council reinforces rather than duplicates the work of other organizations involved in small business development. For this reason, we encourage the development of national and associate affiliates of the Council so we can continue to build the information-exchange network in many countries.