By the end of the Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) – Money Market Encounter Online of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 48 young entrepreneurs in Central Visayas expect to garner more insights and tips on how to improve their businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Launched on Friday via the Zoom videoconferencing portal, the KMME mentees are composed of 14 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owners each from Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental, and six from Siquijor.
The mentees are aged between 18 and 35 and are owners, co-owners, and managers of businesses in the food, tourism, manufacturing, and trading industries.
The mentorship and workshop program will have 10 modules of different topics.
It will run from 10 to 15 days, depending on the mentors’ schedules.
Included in the KMME program is the Business Improvement Plan presentation of each participant before a panel of coaches.
They will be asked about their knowledge on the market, revenue streams, unique value proposition, and visions.
Insights
Herblend Wellness Hub proprietor and wellness coach Mitos Tuico ended her six-year employment and started her own business in 2017.
“Doing business is about taking risks. Our first food service business failed, and we utilized our retained assets to start a new one in 2018, but it was also stopped during the pandemic,” Tuico said in an online interview.
Now engaged in plant based-meal replacements and food supplements, Tuico aims to hone her skills in sales, marketing and financial accounting, and management.
“The wellness industry is the ‘in’ thing during the pandemic but the most challenging part is attracting customers, especially the locals and our neighbors. That’s what I want to improve during the KMME,” she added.
Bibi Doll Pono, owner of GRND UP Consumer Goods Trading, also expressed her excitement to improve her skills during the learning program.
“I have always considered myself a work-in-progress. Learning from the experts made me motivated and that fueled my passion to enroll,” Pono said.
Pono started her trading business during the pandemic, selling chorizo (sausage), pastries, cakes, and other bottled products.
In February 2021, she sold 16,000 packs of chorizo alone.
“In three years, with ample knowledge and experience, I want to employ more people and support local farmers. I want to give others the opportunity that was not given to me throughout the years,” Pono shared.
Tuico and Pono are among the 14 mentees from Cebu.
Survival
DTI-7 Director Ma. Elena Arbon said KMME-Online will aid MSMEs to survive and thrive under the so-called new normal.
“The Philippines has a predominantly young population, thus tech savvy. This is your time and your world, young entrepreneurs, so take advantage of it. The country needs modern, current, stable and sustainable businesses for the economy to prosper,” Arbon said in her opening message during the launch of the program also held with the assistance of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo.
Since the KMME Online piloted in the second quarter of 2016, it has been implemented nationwide in 101 provinces and cities.
The program has benefitted more than 32,796 MSMEs, certified 734 mentors, and has improved the lives of 8,787 young entrepreneurs in the countryside.
Source: Philippines News Agency
