Mentor Me program produces first batch of 26 entrepreneurs

CEBU, Philippines - At least 26 Cebuano entrepreneurs graduated yesterday in the Mentor Me program and the second batch of the entrepreneurial mentoring program is eyed early February next year.

Virgilio Espeleta, vice president for business development of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the 26 mentees have built confidence as entrepreneurs after the 12 weeks of mentoring sessions with established local businessmen and mentors.

"Before there was fear among the mentees, they don't know how to proceed with their business and lack confidence on what to do," Espeleta said in an interview with reporters yesterday.

"The mentoring sessions have helped them build the confidence," he added.

Maria Elena Arbon, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry, said the 12-week mentoring program has also widened the knowledge of the entrepreneurs on the "ecosystem of business".

She said these small entrepreneurs are now more aware of business environment.

Espeleta said it is the goal of the program to help these entrepreneurs grow even more and professionalize their businesses.

"This is a journey. This is the first step," the CCCI official said. "We're leading to that."

During the program yesterday,  Marvin Viagedor, owner of Silly Boy Hot Sauce and one of the 26 mentees, shared he had recently resigned from his sales job to focus on growing his business.

He said he was thankful of the mentoring program as it allowed him to realize to become an entrepreneurial mindset individual from being an employee mindset person.

The 26 mentee entrepreneurs are into various industries such as food, handicraft, fashion retail, manufacturing,  meat processing, and footwear, among others. 

Espeleta said the entrepreneur-graduates are expected to apply the things they've learned from the mentoring sessions.

For the second batch of the mentoring program, Espeleta said they target to start it by February next year.

They hope to encourage local government units in Cebu province to endorse small entrepreneurs in their respective localities to be part of the program.

The mentoring program is led by Go Negosyo, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Department of Trade and Industry.

The program aims to help micro and small entrepreneurs scale up their businesses through the coaching and mentoring of business owners, practitioners, and experts on different areas of entrepreneurship.

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 ideas.

In one of the Go Negosyo talks, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his support for SME development in the country.

"We have to create an environment that will develop products that can compete in the global market, especially in the ASEAN region. Infrastructures that will enable businesses must be in place.  This is why I will invest billions for SMEs," Duterte said.

The MSME sector accounts for around 99 percent of registered businesses in the Philippines.

MSMEs are considered to be an important economic growth driver, as they stimulate domestic demand through job creation, innovation and competition.

With that, prioritizing MSME development is critical in achieving inclusive growth.

Go Negosyo is the advocacy of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates for a change in mindset and attitude. (FREEMAN)