Mekar, Sampoerna’s Mission To Develop Small Businesses

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia are still experiencing problems in getting capital. To improve access to capital, PT Sampoerna Wirausaha released MEKAR since 2010. It is an initiative from Putra Sampoerna to develop small businesses.

MEKAR focuses to directly provide capital assistance and to bridge the direct interaction between the financiers to the SMEs. The company also helped in the planning and development of their business and have helped the government expand the creation of new jobs.

Until now, MEKAR has been developing and providing capital to 766 SMEs located throughout the Greater Jakarta area. Since late December 2015 until August 2016, the number of loans disbursed is Rp 39 billion.

“MEKAR is using 2 methods, online marketing and offline marketing. For offline, Mekar directly recruit and educate individual to become a MEKAR Agent to be assigned directly to the field, “said Director of MEKAR, Arya Indrajana.

According to him, the most obvious increase in SMEs performance is in the use of technology and banking services. There are 20 Agents who had been recruited and trained directly by MEKAR whom also play an active role to foster small businesses.

Once received the capital support program and coaching from Mekar, SMEs entrepreneurs routinely utilize banking technologies such as mobile banking, ATM, Internet Banking and Virtual Account in paying a return on capital and transactions with their suppliers and customers.

“Indirectly, MEKAR helped the banking industry, in promoting and stimulating electronic banking transactions,” Arya said.

To get funding from Mekar, the business has been running for over a year and have an income of at least 70 million per month. Enterprises also need to promote the development of the role of women, environmental, labor-intensive and is not a business that is prohibited by the government and not the businesses that damage the environment.

Communities, institutions, and legal entities could also be investors if it has a high concern for the development of SMEs in Indonesia. The investors also have to put forward a social mission than commercial. Commercial advantage is a bonus of kindness are stocked through the social missions financiers.

Originally Published at SWA