Around 200 micro entrepreneurs in Ilocos Norte continue to make waves as they have built up their competencies and resilience and scale up their business.

Thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Kapatid Mentor Me Program (KMME), a 10-week online program aimed at boosting small businesses through mentoring sessions and modules on marketing, financial management, human resource management, and operations management. This started in the province in 2017.

Through the program, top caliber mentors share their time, knowledge, skills, expertise and tips to boost small business owners’ entrepreneurial journey.

This year alone, DTI-Ilocos Norte welcomed additional 13 KMME graduates (Batch 1).

Since its launching, DTI recorded about 200 graduates in the province, mostly composed of women who are all passionate to improve their craft, senior trade industry development specialist and trade promotions officer Maricor Racela told Philippine News Agency on Wednesday.

Mentoring graduate Eliza Gayle Cafirma, in an interview Wednesday, said “Each lesson, each mentor, and every chat with my fellow business owners has truly been a gift.”

“With every step I take in my business, I carry with me the lessons of resilience, determination, and growth that KMME taught me,” she said.

As the owner of Thin and Thick Cafe, a doughnut shop in Barangay Sta. Rita, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Cafirma said she and her two younger siblings, Elize and Edel, decided to plunge into business in 2016 knowing well that it would be a tough ride.

But having each other’s back and with the help of various government agencies like DTI, their business continues to thrive, focusing on millennials as their target market. They also have a selection of healthy bread and pastries which they can customize upon request.

Another KMME graduate, Angelie Banaag, owner of Artritos and Istariray fashion accessories and clothing from Albano, Dingras, Ilocos Norte, said the program helped her improve her entrepreneurial skills.

“The strategies, financial aspect, business plans, and meticulous attention to details have propelled us to new heights. I am proud to have learned from coaches and mentors who prioritize personal growth and development above all else. The focus on honing our skills and nurturing our talents has been invaluable. I get to enjoy my creativity getting along with my business journey,” she said.

The artistic works of Banaag have already been a byword within the Ilocos women’s fashion and art circles for her innovative craftsmanship in painting fashionable earrings and homestyle industries.

With the help of the DTI and other government-organized trade fairs and exhibits that she participated in, her art works have reached wider audience, with growing interest from the international market.

Dra. Bielmaju Waley-Bawingan, owner of Inuwayan Winery, Nursery and Farms, underscored the importance of mentoring in honing one’s craft and remain unique.

“Never be afraid to share and be a mentor to everyone who is interested to learn the craft because a queen will always be a queen of her own craft in all seasons when you have a solid, unique business proposition. My creative self keeps innovating lots of products but KMME taught me to focus building and strengthening my trademark products,” she told the Philippine News Agency.

During her free time, Bawingan devotes herself in the farm while working on her passion to create locally-made chocolate products from various species of cacao that she planted years back. She is also a wine-maker, teaching villagers this skill.

To date, Bawingan’s winery and mini-chocolate factory in Adams town is one of the famous tourist destinations in the province.

Ermelyn Tariga, general manager of San Jose Multi-purpose Cooperative, also narrated how the KMME program transformed her business leadership and style.

“I am so blessed to be one of the KMME graduates because it has hugely benefited me as an entrepreneur who did not study business. Through the KMME program, I learned more on how to manage and operate a business,” she said.

The DTI and the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE)–Go Negosyo conceptualized the KMME program in 2016 to serve as entrepreneurs’ guide to become a globally competitive enterprise.

This is among the government’s strategies to provide jobs to Filipinos and boost economic growth focusing on the micro, small and medium enterprises. (PNA)