Jakarta, 25 April 2022. PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) affirms its support for MSMEs owned and managed by women. In accordance with the expectations of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, so that the G20 continues to encourage the strengthening of the role of MSMEs and women through a number of concrete actions, XL Axiata has appointed the Sispreneur Program to the Women20 (W20) event. Sispreneur, which is part of the Sisternet program, organizes business management incubation classes through the use of digital facilities for women micro-enterprises with a turnover of Rp. 500 thousand – Rp. 5 million/month. For this reason, the Sispreneur and Sisternet programs were introduced as Concrete Action at the W20 event.
President Director and CEO of XL Axiata Dian Siswarini said, "In accordance with the direction of the President of the Republic of Indonesia during a speech at the side event of the G20 Summit which discussed MSMEs and women-owned businesses, that the G20's alignment must be real for the digitization of MSMEs and women. XL Axiata's support includes the development of digital infrastructure and technology cooperation, inclusive expansion of digital connectivity, and increased digital literacy of MSME players. Currently, Sispreneur has proven to be successful in assisting more than 1,000 women micro-enterprises in various regions in Indonesia. Furthermore, up to 79 percent of Sispreneur program participants have succeeded in going digital."
Dian, who is also the Co-Chair of W20 Indonesia, expects that introducing the Sispreneur program at an international level, especially to W20 delegates, can show how private companies such as XL Axiata help women SMEs face problems and transform them into opportunities for growth and development. According to her, the Sispreneur program can be implemented in other nations, and its benefits can help women's welfare.
Sispreneur is a business management incubation class program through digital use so that it opens women's access to various knowledge including gender perspective, business planning, marketing and branding, financial literacy, and digital marketing to reach a larger market. All these aspects are important to support women's micro-enterprises to advance their business, improve their family's economy, and contribute to national economic progress.
Since its launch in 2020, the implementation of the Sispreneur program is in the form of Business Management Incubation Classes through the use of digitization and access to capital. This class seeks to enhance the business scale of women's MSMEs so that they are ready to go worldwide by employing digital technology, among other things. The five core modules taught in the Incubation Class are Entrepreneurship with a Gender Perspective, Product and Market Segment Innovation, Finance, Business Roadmap, and Digital and Branding. There are also Whatsapp Group Mentoring Classes, as well as Mentoring Classes for those who want to implement the techniques offered in the future when running their business.
XL Axiata also organized an Incubation Class to promote micro-entrepreneurs to be able to go worldwide, as part of the Sispreneur program's to an international level. The program we call "W20 Sispreneur" will be conducted online; registration for this class has been open since April 1, 2022, and 1,000 female microbusiness entrepreneurs from various locations are expected to participate. There are five modules that will be taught, namely Entrepreneurship with Gender Perspective, Product and Market Segment Innovation, Finance, Business Roadmap, and Digital Marketing and Branding.
Participants will be asked to submit a business plan proposal at the end of the study period. The best proposal will get a prize in the form of a business capital prize of a total of Rp. 300,000,000 and also assistance Towards the Global Market by international level MSME experts. The finalists will also be invited to attend the W20 meeting in Lake Toba, North Sumatra, in July 2022. Women MSMEs who want to join can submit a Scale Up Business Roadmap article using the Sisternet website or application, or go to https://bit.ly/InfoW20Sispreneur for more information.
Digitizing Women's MSMEs
Last December 2021, through the Sisternet program, XL Axiata provided support for a number of MSME Women in Tanjung Pakis Village, Bekasi Regency. Taking advantage of the village's location on the coast, they built a business in the production of beach clothing, grocery stalls, pulse shops, herbal drinks, and processed fish food. The support provided includes guidance and education regarding financial literacy, product innovation, branding and packaging, introduction to digital marketing, and assistance via WhatsApp groups.
“Our support is given to them considering the tough challenges they face in running their business. These include the lack of access related to digitalization and knowledge in entrepreneurship, many businesses that are not developing, the difficulty of accessing capital, and the lack of confidence in women in doing business. We give them advice in the hopes that they can grow their business, at least they can survive in the midst of a pandemic and difficult times, "explained Dian.
Smart Capital Competition prize presentation
XL Axiata presented rewards to the winners of the 2022 Smart Capital Competition, which is still focused on assisting women-owned businesses. This competition is a follow-up to the Sisternet Smart Webinar Festival, which took place in December 2021 and attracted over 1,500 participants. MSME performers who participate in the Sisternet program are eligible to compete.
Yuria Ekalitani, a businessman from Semarang who processed marinated beef sticks known as Bosteak, took first place out of the 11 contestants. The Rp 45 million in business capital prize will be used to revitalize industrial equipment in order to meet production capacity and market demand, finance research and development of new products in order to expand business scale, and purchase raw materials for operations in order to reach a larger target market.
Second place was won by Ade Sri Ishak, a flourless cake entrepreneur with the business name Goodiebake from Jakarta. The business capital prize of Rp 35 million will be used for kitchen renovations aimed at increasing production capacity.
Third place was won by Divanda Gitadesiani, the owner of the Klei & Clay business from Jakarta. The capital prize of Rp 30 million will be used for the production of the latest natural skincare products so that the percentage of customer retention increases and also reaches a wider target market coverage.
Fourth place was won by Theresia Laras Wigunani, the owner of the Namu Coffee House business from Surabaya. The capital prize of Rp 25 million will be used for marketing costs for collaboration with Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) to launch new products so that they can increase brand awareness and sales, as well as for short barista course costs with the aim of deepening knowledge and preparation for research & development of new products.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Fifth Place from Sidoarjo was won by Fathiya Multazam, the owner of the Pathi's Chocolade business. The prize capital of Rp 15 million will be used to renovate the production kitchen and build a store so that it can increase production capacity, branding and trust from customers.