Women at the helm of successful businesses honored at Globe’s “Pinaypreneurs Rise to the Digital Challenge” webinar: (clockwise from top left) Webinar Host Sonjia Calit, Cagayan De Oro Trade and Investment Promotion Center Local Economic and Investment Promotion Officer Eileen San Juan, Tagbilaran TIDU OIC City Administrator Cathelyn Torremocha,, trip and Browhaus Managing Director Roberta Abad-Estacion, Masuki Restaurant CEO and President Willen Ma, and City Economic Management and Cooperative Development office GenSan CEMCDO Project Dev Officer Adelyn Yucamco
From a woman who pivoted her small business online to keep it afloat during the pandemic, to a woman who trained another to go digital and take advantage of emerging global opportunities, Globe myBusiness features these inspiring Filipina entrepreneurs and business trailblazers in celebration of International Women’s Month.
Globe’s micro, small and medium enterprise arm kicked off the month-long occasion with back-to-back Pinaypreneurs Rise to the Digital Challenge webinar and the #PinaypreneurPassionforDigital Facebook promo. These campaigns were in honor of women in business who made tough decisions, endured the changing tides and embraced digital solutions to thrive during the pandemic.
“Filipina entrepreneurs who continue to shatter stereotypes, push boundaries and empower other women to succeed are critical to our country’s economic growth and recovery from the pandemic. More than the honor and recognition, they deserve our support and encouragement beyond International Women’s Month,” said Maridol Ylanan, Globe myBusiness Strategy and Marketing Head.
On March 12, Globe myBusiness brought together women entrepreneurs and exporters in a joint webinar and fireside chat-style learning session with USAID’s “Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth and Equity (Surge)”. This became a venue for them to share their wisdom and experiences on successfully leading small businesses into the digital economy.
Surge, a five-year economic development project of USAID, continues to implement Woman Global Development and Prosperity initiatives in nine cities in the country. This is made possible through partnerships across Globe myBusiness, local government units and the private sector, in order to support women entrepreneurs.
So far, this US government initiative has trained over 2,000 women in MSMEs in Batangas, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Tagbilaran, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Zamboanga, through a series of webinars during the pandemic.
At Globe myBusiness’ online event, five remarkable women talked about how their respective groups and organizations have assisted Filipina entrepreneurs and small businesses to shift to online and survive the pandemic.
For instance, Eileen San Juan of the Trade and Investment Promotion Center in Cagayan De Oro shared their experience in launching the Ginama Entrepreneurial Center for Women to train and mentor women on social media marketing, customer engagement and the use of online payment tools like GCash.
Adelyn Yucamo of General Santos City’s Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office recounted how the GenSan Kaya Natin portal provided small businesses in the city a local digital channel to efficiently market their products online.
Meanwhile, Cathelyn Torremocha, the acting administrator of Tagbilaran City, described how Tagbo sa Tagbi, then an actual night market, was revitalized into an online food bazaar to provide a safe avenue for local entrepreneurs in the food business to sell their products and sustain their ventures without face-to-face transactions.
Willen Ma of the storied Masuki Mami Restaurant, the popular place for delicious dim sum and mami soup in Binondo, also emphasized the importance of the phone and computer as basic technology tools in pivoting to digital economy.
For Tab Abad of Harem Inc. (Strip and Browhaus), it’s the software and digital tools—such as apps, social media platforms, websites, and cashless e-payment systems, that play a crucial role in making small businesses sustainable in a pandemic.
Apart from the month-long webinars, to further enrich this year’s celebration of International Women’s Month under the slogan “Choose to Challenge,” Globe myBusiness also launched a social media campaign, the #PinaypreneursPassionforDigital Facebook promo, which is aimed at recognizing the feats and innovations of Filipina-led MSMEs that helped contribute to the country’s growth and development despite a difficult economic climate.
In partnership with GCash, the promo enjoined Filipina entrepreneurs to update their Facebook profile photos using the #GlobeMyBusiness Facebook Frame “International Women’s Month” and tag fellow Pinay entrepreneurs who inspired them to reinvent their success. Twelve lucky winners were picked to receive Php1,000 GCash credits.
“As part of our solid commitment to advance gender equality and inclusivity, we continue to provide support to Pinaypreneurs in many ways. We give them easy access to technology and digital solutions that help them rise up to social challenges and ultimately become a pillar in the country’s economic growth and success,” added Ylanan.
For more information about Globe myBusiness, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/business/sme.html#gref.
