NEWS & EVENT

Today, Thursday (4/06), United Nation Development Program (UNDP) Indonesia partnered with the Coordinator Ministry of Economic as National Focal Point Business and Human Rights, Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN), Indonesia Trade Forum (KADIN) and QLUE Smart City to hold webinar series about private sector involvement to response Covid-19. The webminar presents some competent speakers such as Susi Pudjiastuti , Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia 2014-2019 working cabinet and owner of PT ASI Pudjiastuti and PT ASI Pudjiastuti Aviation (Susi Air), Wulan Tilaar, Vice Chairwoman Martha Tilaar Gorup, Nita Yudi, General President of IWAPI, Dr. Jacky Mussry, President of International Council of Small Business (ICSBI), and Irma Sustika, Founder of Womenpreneur Community (WPC). At this digital seminar they gave some good insights and advices for SME entreprenuers, especially women entrepreneur, to survice the Covid-19 pandemic.    

You can see the full version of this webinar on Business Human Rights Indonesia’s YouTube channel, with tittle Seri Webinar Vol. 4 Perempuan Bertahan di Tengah Pandemi Covid-19, but here we share to you some insighful summaries of the speakers:

Business management at this pandemic needs at least three strategies, which are collaboration, digital marketing implementation and business diversification. Collaboration between micro and macro companies will push the business growth and opportunity which important to take in order to survive in this situation. Beside collaboration, digital marketing strategy is also the key to SME to be able to rise and recover. This way is relatable to today’s situation which require people to do physical distancing that will encouraging them to do daily activities including shopping trough online media. Meanwhile, business diversification can be other alternative to run the business in pandemic, just like what Martha Tilaar Group did to make hand sanitizer. Sure thing, it will be better if this diversification still relate to the business core. Another example, some fashion entrepreneur adjusting their production into mask production which now have high demand. Last but not least, self-confidence and networking are two important things that woman should have when they’re running their business.

Covid-19 pandemic hits Martha Tilaar Group too. Seventy percent of our employees are women, therefore the company feel responsible to help them survive towards this difficult time. What we already did? We made a Survival Program that is consists of Reseller Program through WhatApp business, Production Switching, Employee Program –we provide healthy drink at office, hand sanitizer, physical distancing and WFH implementation, Herbal Product sales, and tutorial makeup through digital media. Martha Tilaar Group also hand in hand with partner like Asian Pulp and Paper (APP) doing collaboration. Both of the companies urged women who live around the forest in Lampung to produce Jahe Merah Mekar. The collaboration itself aims to raise women’s living standard. Beside the collaboration, Martha Tilaar Group also gives Spa Therapy Scholarship for young women especially who live in the rural area in order to enhance their skill.    

Related to business adjustment that Martha Tilaar Group did in this pandemic, which is hand sanitizer production, we started it by asking to ourselves first, what we actually need now, we see the problem that arise in the society. This time all we need is hand sanitizer, so we see the needs as the opportunity that we should be taken. Martha Tilaar Group also did the research. We see the trend and adjust it with product that we have. Company also need to update the requirements when we need to process any permits, we want to make sure that we follow the right procedures. 

Corona virus has impacted all marketing sectors, from supply, sales, to distribution. If the SME collapse, the country will fall down too, because SME is one of the biggest contributors to the GDP. This is the first time in the history that SME affected by crisis, therefore the government has already set 5 schemes to protect SME, which are social aid, tax incentive, loan restructuring, loan relaxation, and how the government will be the off taker of the SME.  Beside the government schemes, entrepreneurship and professionalism are two necessary spirits that needed so the SME could survive, including the courage to take any risk and doing collaboration. In essence, women hold crucial role and contribution in our economic, if they could apply both of the spirits, it will increase SME performance and economic growth.

It’s true that SME is the foundation of economic of Indonesia. SME strengthen the nation economic. It’s also true that some entrepreneurs didn’t start her business in correct way. For example some women started their business but the basically didn’t know their market. That is why, since 2013 Womenpreneur Community held trainings and did monitoring to our SME members so they could run a sustainable well-planned business. Basically WPC members never ready to face the pandemic so through this community, they’ve been pushed and encouraged to the do collaborations, one of it called Bergandeng Tangan dalam Aksi program. In this digital era, collaboration will grows hope to SME entrepreneur.  We also formed a marketing team that is consist of women who laid off by their company and women who works in company that suffered form Covid-19, such as tourism company.  Collaboration in the key, and our biggest mission is to make women hand in hand to support each other. This pandemic is hard, but it will make our life harder when we doing nothing.

We need a competitive price to compete with foreign product. Don’t expect we could have big market in international, meanwhile our production cost is higher than them. Also, government should give incentive fund to micro entrepreneurs, not only to the macro. Most of the time, the main problem that often complained is the working capital, that is why capital revitalization given by the government will means a lot to help them. Second, before giving the incentive to the small entrepreneur government should free them from the unnecessary charges. To provide good access of internet and give easy permits will be other way for the government to help the SME to survive this crisis. The point is that the government should help to support the people to run the business. In the other hand, SME should create transparent and good programs, so there will be many parties willing to give support.