By Maharlika Manalo
The Canadian Executive Services Overseas (CESO), a volunteer organization that gives free mentoring to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), recently conducted training for members of a rural cooperative for women in Batangas City.
The Batangas City Public Information Office said at least 30 members of Batangas City Rural Improvement Club Marketing Cooperative (BCRICMC) were taught for two weeks on strategic planning; business development; accounting and finance; organizational development; community development; governance; and production and operations.
CESO, a registered national and international development charity, started in 1967 with Canadian volunteers who coordinate with public and private sectors. It has since implemented an outreach program of the External Affairs – Foreign Affairs Department of Canada and funded by the Canadian government.
CESO volunteer advisor, Chris Stoate, said the organization aims to help women become successful in business and independent entrepreneurs by finding the areas in their work that need improvements.
Stoate said they are using the Theory of Constraints framework to be able to identify the factors for business profit growth, likewise, with the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the supplier.
He said it is better to understand the personality of a consumer in order to meet his or her needs.
“Everything starts with the customer, so the entrepreneurs need to understand the customer, know what they want, why they buy, where they buy and understand and go find more of them,” Stoate said.
The BCRICMC, under the supervision of the Office of the City Veterinary and Agricultural Services (OCVAS), was chosen as a beneficiary of CESO through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Meanwhile, OCVAS head Dr. Macario Hornilla has vowed to improve the packaging of their products to attract consumers and definitely enhance marketing strategies to introduce their local products.
