From its humble beginnings in 2005, Go Negosyo has grown into a dynamic, enabling organization that empowers our country’s micro and small entrepreneurs.

As Go Negosyo marks its 15th anniversary this November, we will launch our Pandagdag Puhunan Program which will give a total of P5 million to more than 300 MSMEs in the next coming weeks. Since early this year, we’ve distributed P1 million in capital augmentation each month, which were raffled off during our daily Mentor ME Online (MMO) sessions. To date, we have distributed an estimated P4.5 million.

MMO is held three times a day on the Go Negosyo Facebook page, which now has almost 1.7 million followers. Through this channel, mentors and industry veterans share opportunities and practical tips on how entrepreneurs can navigate the crisis and bounce back successfully from the pandemic. The Puhunan Pang-Negosyo raffle promo is held at the end of our daily programs. From April to October, there have been over 679 winners.

We understand that small businesses are struggling right now, so we hope that this initiative can help ease the burden in a small, yet impactful way. Allow me to share the testimonies of some of our winners.

Emelyn Bananian is a piggery owner from Legazpi, Albay who had no other source of income besides her hog business. She used the P25,000 in puhunan from Go Negosyo to buy pig feed instead of resorting to high-interest lending schemes. “Nagkataon pong wala kaming trabaho mag asawa. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoon at meron ganitong grupo na maraming natutulungan. Thank you & God Bless Go Negosyo!”

Eli Bryner Enriquez, owner of Malunggay Tiger Milk Tea, expressed his gratitude to Go Negosyo for the guidance and capital assistance in his newly launched business. “Salamat Go Negosyo sa very timely ninyong online platform nitong panahon. Madaming kabataan ang pwedeng maka-access at matuto ng maaga para makaisip ng mas bago at more creative ideas na pwedeng maka-generate ng employment sa hinaharap.”

Albert Barias, who operates a mineral water shop in Cavite, used his won capital to increase the number of his water containers from 10 to 20, and used the remaining money to start an ice cream business. “Lubos akong nagpapasalamat sa Diyos at sa lahat ng bumubuo ng Go Negosyo. Malaking tulong ang inyong programa para sa ikalalago ng aming negosyo. Natutunan ko ang tamang pakikisama sa aking mga customer at aking dealer. At sa panahon ngayon, hindi dapat mangamba bagkos manalig at magpasalamat sa Diyos dahil maraming oportunidad ang nagbukas para sa atin na mga negosyante,” he said.

Using the P20,000 in capital that he received from Go Negosyo, Francisco Yoro was able to grow his bakery business in Ilocos Norte. The bakery was entrusted to him by a friend on the condition that he would pay once the business turns a profit. “Mabait ang Panginoon dahil ako’y pinalad na manalo ng P20,0000 sa inyong programang Puhunan Pang Negosyo, at tunay pong ako’y nasagip sa kahirapan,” he said. Today, Francisco’s small bakery produces one to three bags of flour a day, which he delivers to nearby sari-sari stores.

“Dahil sa Go Negosyo, madami pong kagaya ko ang natulungan at nakapagpundar ng konting negosyo para sa aming pang araw-araw. Maliban sa mga desserts at kakanin (pre-order) po na tinitinda at binibenta ko online, ang sobrang pera ay nakatulong din sa aking mga magulang. Dagdag puhunan sa aming maliit na tindahan at putohan,” said Kristine Vasquez, a sari-sari store owner from Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Likewise, Mylene Reyes, a fishball vendor from Occidental Mindoro, used the capital to restart her small business. “Nakatulong po yung napanalunan ko na makapag-simula ulit sa pag-titinda dahil matagal na nahinto ang aking business dala ng pandemya na nararanasan natin ngayon,” she said. “Nawa po ay mas marami pa na katulad ko ang mabigyan ng chance na manalo at matulungan ninyo. May natutunan na, nanalo pa ng prize. Maraming salamat, Go Negosyo!”

In addition to the financial assistance, some viewers expressed their appreciation for the free mentorship and business strategies they learn through MMO.

“Nagpapasalamat po talaga ako sa Go Negosyo. Napakalaki po talaga tulong. Magagaling po sila lalo po yung mga mentor,” said Marializa Versoza, a tinapa vendor from Cainta, Rizal. “Malaki po tulong, natustusan ko yong kailangan ng anak ko sa pag online school.”

“Marami po akong natutunan sa programa ng Go Negosyo. Kung gusto may paraan, kung ayaw may dahilan. Mas nagpursige at tyaga ako kahit munti man ang negosyo. Inspirasyon ko po ang aking pamilya na ipagpatuloy lang ang negosyo ko. At sa tulong ng mga aral sa Go Negosyo, mas nadadagdagan ang kaalaman ko sa pagnenegosyo,” said Emie Ponciano, a sari-sari store owner from Bulacan.

These are just some of the lives that Go Negosyo has touched over the past months. Hearing their stories firsthand reaffirms our commitment to the prosperity and growth of our MSMEs, especially in this time of crisis. As our small entrepreneurs face the biggest challenge of their lifetime, Go Negosyo commits to exhaust all means to help our MSMEs emerge stronger from this crisis and achieve success in both business and life.