October 6, 2021

Go Negosyo, led by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, as well as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), held yesterday the 5th Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) Summit as part of the program’s anniversary, with a theme of “Thriving Together Through Adversity.” Said summit was aimed at sharing key strategies of various companies and entrepreneurs to scale up business across the country amid the current pandemic. A total of P150,000.00 worth of assistance were also shared to various small and micro entrepreneurs who joined the summit.

Concepcion, for his part, welcomed the speakers and participants who have joined the program. “I’d like to welcome everybody to this anniversary of KMME, and this is part of our various initiatives to help our country’s entrepreneurs survive the pandemic,” he said.
Amid trials brought by the pandemic, Concepcion shared that this pandemic is only part of various challenges that entrepreneurs will face but this is also another hardship that they can survive. “Go Negosyo is set to hold its 16th year anniversary next month, and it’s been a long journey for us. We have seen a lot of challenges and headwinds along the way, and we have surpassed them,” he said.

“The last 18 months have been the most challenging moments in the Philippine history. This [pandemic] is a war we cannot see but the things we can see, such as the lives being lost, is actually similar to a war,” Concepcion shared.

Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez shared the goal of the summit of encouraging the country’s entrepreneurs to learn from others. “The summit hopes to inspire the mentee graduates through the stories of successful entrepreneurs and as their stories manifest a common goal and mentorship goal, they have empowered us from the challenges and experiences of others,” he said.

Meanwhile, DTI Usec. For Regional Operations Group Blesila Lantayon welcomed everyone who joined the 5th KMME Summit and expressed her optimism that everyone can learn from the said summit.

Further, Concepcion shared how the pandemic can be an unfortunate event to look at, but one thing also that can help everyone innovate. “Many of our loved ones are affected, more so our MSMEs which are being severely challenged during this very turbulent moment because of the impact of the pandemic. While the pandemic has forced most of the entrepreneurs to shift strategies, it is a good thing to see everyone pivot into adopting better measures to help them cope amid pandemic. There are so many innovations, and we can reach more right now,” he said.

He also shared that the KMME program is a proof of the company’s promise to help entrepreneurs across the country despite changes in administrations.

“The KMME program will continue because I believe that mentorship is something that should never really stop for the benefit of all, like the potential of the power of 3Ms, mentorship, money, and market. Both the Go Negosyo and DTI are source of mentors. This is something that we want to sustain across different periods. Our passion in Go Negosyo is to promote sustainability in ensuring entrepreneurs’ welfare that stretches across various administrations in the country,” he added.

On the importance of vaccines, Concepcion asked the country’s entrepreneurs to encourage their employees to take the vaccines as soon as they can.

“My role as an adviser to the President is to find a way forward for the entrepreneurs during these trying times. Businesses must recognize the importance of vaccines to help businesses recover by offering them with sufficient protection against the virus. Vaccines will soon reach every part of the provinces across the country as NCR is already nearing 80 percent fully-vaccinated population,” Concepcion stressed.

The 5th KMME Summit was divided into two forums, KMME Tagumpay Forum and CEO Forum. Joining the first forum are the KMME Alumni Speakers, namely, Remia Adedoja, Nonato Nelson Noceda, Hannah Dadule, Ryan Candichoy, and Katherine Badua. Meanwhile, CEOs Jose Magsaysay of Potato Corner and Dr. Cecilio Pedro of Lamoiyan Corporation discussed key strategies of their company for success and innovation. Also, celebrity-turned-entrepreneur Dingdong Dantes shared how delivery services have a valuable impact to both the consumers and those seeking jobs survive the pandemic through their services.