The Manila Times

Influencer joins mentoring program

- BY CATHERINE VALENTE

SHOPPING giant Lazada’s Group top executive will join social media influencer­s on Saturday to encourage the country’s micro, small and medium enterprise­s (MSMEs) to be influencer­s on their own to promote their products and services on the internet.

James Dong, Lazada’s chief executive officer, will address aspiring and active entreprene­urs during Go Negosyo’s mentoring roadshow 3M on Wheels at Ayala Fairview Terraces in Quezon City.

Dong will join Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd in an exclusive chat to discuss the shopping giant’s efforts to help Filipino MSMEs and the Philippine­s’ prospects for growth in the region.

“We believe that MSMEs will benefit the most from digitaliza­tion. Platforms like Lazada have proven to be a natural fit for these small entreprene­urs because they eliminate so many barriers for them in business,” Concepcion said in a statement.

Social media has even made it possible for entreprene­urs to become their own influencer­s and promote their brands online, he added.

Over a thousand active and aspiring entreprene­urs are expected to attend the event.

Seasoned content creators and veteran entreprene­urs, alongside small-business lending companies and financial and marketing solutions, will be on site for the attendees.

Social media influencer­s and digital content creators Edelyn Gonzalvo, Stefanie Lois Garcia, Namy Ulenka and Ayna Cristobal will share their experience­s as well as impart tips about marketing products on social media.

Television host and The Famous Simply Foods CEO Michael Angelo Lobrin will be hosting the event.

Quezon City Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” Belmonte will also be gracing the event, while Pampanga Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be sending her message of support to the MSMEs.

3M on Wheels is Go Negosyo’s highly successful on-ground, nationwide program for active and aspiring entreprene­urs.

3M stands for Mentorship, Money and Market, and reflects the wider scope of entreprene­urship assistance it now offers entreprene­urs.

As of 2021, around 99.58 percent or 1,076,279 of the 1,090,810 total business establishm­ents operating in the Philippine­s are MSMEs, according to statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The MSMEs generated a total of 5,461,731jobs or 64.67 percent of the country’s total workforce, the PSA data showed.

During the event, finance service providers will introduce entreprene­urs to facilities for small-business lending, while specialist­s in different marketing channels will be present to introduce solutions to small entreprene­urs, covering everything from establishi­ng physical stores, digital platforms, logistics solutions and digital payment platforms.

The 3M on Wheels affair this Saturday is one of two Go Negosyo events within the month that are aimed at growing the country’s MSME base.

On Dec. 3, 2022, Go Negosyo will hold Kabayan, a special entreprene­urship event specially for overseas Filipino workers and their families.

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