AROUND 500 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and aspiring business starters in Davao City were able to avail of the free mentorship of Go Negosyo Center Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at the Annex Event Center of SM City, Ecoland.
The event, which was dubbed as Mentor Me on Wheels Program, is the second after its launching last year, but this time it is in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
During the event, DTI-Davao region director Maria Belenda Ambi said in her speech that this will further help MSMEs level up their businesses and encourage business starters through personal experiences of mentors like Villa Margarita Hotel chief executive officer Baby Montemayor, Malagos Farmhouse Cheese founder Olive Puentespina, Go Negosyo adviser for MSME development programs Merly Cruz, and ECHOstore director Sarah Claudio.
She said the presence of these local mentors is showing dynamics to the community and entrepreneurs in the region.
"This is one key para mag-evolve ang ating mga MSMEs to higher level of development. I hope this one-day activity will be able to address your concerns regarding your business. [And] for those start-ups, you open your minds further on proceeding to go into business," Ambi said.
She mentioned that some of the advantages in attending the event are gathering information about businesses, learning strategies in starting a business, and lessons directly from the mentors.
Aside from the free mentorship, there will be a 10-week intensive session for Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) Program consultation for walk-in businessmen at the DTI office and Go Negosyo Center.
Trainings for MSMEs on skills, entrepreneurial and marketing seminars, and product development are also conducted regularly by agencies like the DTI, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). (Cristita L. Canoy/MSU-Intern)