Concepcion, top ASEAN businessmen lead mentoring event

MANILA, Philippines — Successful businessmen from several countries volunteered as entrepreneurship mentors at Go Negosyo’s free entrepreneurship mentoring roadshow 3M on Wheels yesterday at the Robinsons Galleria mall in the Ortigas Business District in Quezon City.

They included the chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s M. Arsjad Rasjid P.M.

He joined Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion along with ASEAN-BAC’s Bernardino Vega and Pandu Siahrir, Lionheart Farms’ Christian Moeller and women mentors from the Filipino Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The ASEAN-BAC delegation joined Concepcion for a panel discussion that opened the event. Concepcion is the ASEAN-BAC chair for the Philippines.

He shared that the mentoring that originated in the Philippines is now going regional through the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network, which is set to be implemented in all 10 ASEAN member-states.

“We will help, and the big companies will continue, to create prosperity not just for Philippines but also for the ASEAN,” said Concepcion.

For his part, Rasjid, who leads Indika, Indonesia’s leading integrated energy company, said Indonesia and the Philippines share many aspects in their culture, and that there is much that both can learn from each other.

“MSMEs are the engines of our economies and of our beloved ASEAN,” he said

Concepcion noted that MSMEs are the backbone of the region’s economy, accounting for more than 90 percent of all businesses and providing employment to more than 85 percent of the region’s workforce. MSMEs contribute significantly to the GDP of each of the ASEAN member-countries, and their growth is critical to the region’s economic development.

MSMEs play a crucial role in propping up local economies, providing employment and livelihood opportunities to many residents. The integration of the region’s economies has been the goal of the ten ASEAN member-states, necessitating the strengthening of local sectors of the economy in order to withstand the looming competition.

Each country has implemented policies to provide MSMEs with greater access to financing, training and technology, and to create a favorable business environment that supports their sustainability and competitiveness in the regional market.

Concepcion noted the participation of local government units in the success of entrepreneurship.

In Quezon City, for example, which hosted for the third time 3M on Wheels, has several programs that aid the ease of doing business and promote local entrepreneurs.

3M on Wheels promotes the three M’s for successful entrepreneurship, namely Mentorship, Money and Market. All three form the foundation of Go Negosyo’s mission to promote entrepreneurship among Filipinos.

3M on Wheels’ predecessor, Mentor ME on Wheels, was started in 2018 and was inspired by the growing number of Filipinos turning to entrepreneurship.

The initiative filled the learning gap in the entrepreneurial journey, and turned mentorship into a solution that addressed the capacity-building needs of a Filipino entrepreneur.

3M on Wheels is a program of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (Go Negosyo). In addition to free one-on-one coaching for active and aspiring entrepreneurs, financing and market solutions are also made available to them during the monthly, mall-based events.

3M on Wheels is expected to roll out to more urban areas across the Philippines this year.