Department of Trade and Industry, Go Negosyo succeed the digital KMME pilot run

DTI, Go Negosyo succeed the digital KMME pilot run. I DTI Photo

Gearing up towards the New Normal, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with Go Negosyo, successfully launched the first-ever graduation of the 45 micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) across the regions, who completed the business courses online as the Department’s Kapatid Mentor Micro-Enterprise (KMME) pivoted to digital.

KMME Online was developed as the practical delivery mechanism for the same mentorship modules to propel MSMEs to survive and to thrive in spite of the unprecedented setbacks that now confront businesses of all types and sizes brought about by the pandemic.

“With the current situation, we are bringing online our business seminars and sharing knowledge about entrepreneurship. Through using the power of technology, tuloy-tuloy po ang collaboration between government and private sector to help the MSMEs even the time of the pandemic,” said Secretary Ramon Lopez during the online KMME graduation held last June 25.

The trade chief underlined the importance of business innovation and digitalization in entrepreneurship as businesses cope with the present crisis, “Part of the seminars being conducted is how we can push for e-commerce. Ito po ay isang paraan para madagdagan ang reach ng mga MSMEs o pag-abot nila sa kanilang merkado under the New Normal.”

The online program aims to provide a platform for existing entrepreneurs to learn from the entrepreneurial journey of the mentors online. It also serves as the channel for capacity building on an online platform using the KMME modules that provides an avenue for business mentorship of waitlisted MSEs across the regions.

Moreover, the digital KMME enables entrepreneurs to be resilient through crises and for their business models to adapt to the challenges during this trying time.

“I believe that through the guidance of our expert mentors and our programs, we can provide hope for our entrepreneurs and that they will be able to navigate this crisis and safely steer their businesses to greater success,” Presidential Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion said.

The program provides 10-module online mentorship wherein mentees are enabled and equipped with knowledge with essential business modules. More than 150 applied to the program, however, only 45 online mentees from different parts of the country were selected to be part of the pilot run. Sessions were done twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday.

The mentee graduates were trained by Go Negosyo mentors whose expertise focuses on: entrepreneurial mindset and values formation; marketing mindset, product development; market growth and expansion; business model canvas; operations management; supply and value chain; human resource management; entrepreneurial accounting and financial management; and business law.

KMME program head and MSME development advocate Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona expressed her congratulations to the first batch of KMME Online graduates, “Nakakataba ng puso ang makita na mas dumarami at mas lumalago ang ating mga maliliit na negosyo sa bansa. Sa kabila ng pandemya, nanatiling matatag ang mga MSMEs at katuwang ng DTI sa pagbibigay ng maraming hanapbuhay para sa mga Pilipino. DTI pledges to continue to provide an enabling environment for MSME development. Isang karangalan ang maging bahagi ng entrepreneurial journey ng ating 45 MSMEs na nagsipagtapos sa ilalim ng KMME Online.”

The 45 mentee graduates who successfully completed the modules and defended their business improvement plans are as follows: