AT LEAST 25 Cebu-based entrepreneurs will form part of the next batch of the Kapatid Mentor Me (KMM) program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The KMM seventh batch will be launched on Sept. 5, 2019, as efforts continue to boost the entrepreneurial culture in Cebu.
DTI Cebu Provincial Director Esperanza Melgar said the program has already produced around 160 entrepreneur-graduates from Cebu since it started in 2016.
According to Melgar, the mentoring program has been crucial to some entrepreneurs who have scaled up after learning more about business.
She cited previous mentees namely A.T.E Clothier, Silly Boy, Lemon & Co. and Audrey’s Confectioneries as among those who have seen their businesses improved after undergoing the program’s mentoring sessions.
The DTI is pushing for more entrepreneurs to learn more about managing and growing their businesses, she said.
The new potential mentees will undergo an orientation for the program on Friday, Aug. 30.
The DTI targeted entrepreneurs who are engaged in its priority sectors such as processed food, wearables and homestyle, tourism, cacao, coffee, construction and creative industry.
In partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo and chambers of commerce, the KMM sets out to produce confident entrepreneurs.
KMM is a 12-module mentoring session for small entrepreneurs to help them scale up their business through weekly coaching and mentoring by business owners and practitioners on the different areas of entrepreneurship.
The goal of the program is to produce confident entrepreneurs with the right mindset and business know-how that will enable them to sustain and scale up their business.
The mentoring program also aims to make the idea of entrepreneurship less intimidating to people and provide them with the confidence to surmount the obstacles.
The idea is to pass on business knowledge to starting entrepreneurs and provide them with concrete guidance on specific entrepreneurial and business concepts. (CSL)