Business Challenges After The Pandemic

By Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Lampung

Who is not familiar with a smartphone with its features? This magical little box can enchant humans wherever they are. Even in the social realm, gadgets are considered to create distance between individuals. However, in this pandemic period, smartphones are showing the benefits precisely and brilliantly as a form of communication tool, socialization, and even as means of moving economic cycles.

Smartphones and other digital tools have become must-have tools for today's businessmen. Being aware of the reality, Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Lampung held a discussion on Saturday (30/10/2021) at Pondok Diakonia. The discussion equipped young people, church youth, and students about the Challenges of Young Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age and supported the implementation of a creative economy village, which they are expected to plunge into, moreover, they will become cadres in the future. There are three objectives to be achieved from the discussion, first, participants map out what challenges are faced by entrepreneurs in the digital era. Second, participants understand ways, techniques, and business strategies in the digital era. Third, participants map business opportunities in the digital era, especially during the pandemic.

Dharma Setyawan, one of the initiators of an economic village called Pasar Yosomulyo Pelangi (Payungi), came to tell the history of a creative market called Payungi in Metro city, Lampung. The market, which now has a turnover of tens of millions of rupiah every week, actually started from the courage to borrow money from the mosque as the initial capital. With a creative concept and spatial design, now Payungi is always visited by around 2000 people every week.

Dharma said that in developing Payungi, it is necessary to initiate business units, business programs, and social media that support business progress. Even the Payungi also form of a forum for women who have the courage and skills to create business opportunities. Interestingly, in Payungi, there is also an Islamic Boarding School that learns not only religion but also entrepreneurship. Payungi's success is achieved not only by large capital but also by human resources who are actively involved in introducing, marketing, and promoting Payungi to their family, friends, community, and environment through social media.

In this digital era, the use of social media has become commonplace. Social media is one of the promising business opportunities to market merchandise. Therefore, it is important for entrepreneurs, especially young businesses, to do marketing through social media. However, it needs to be done wisely, because if the advertisements posted on social media do not match the reality, it will only result in bad judgment from the customers. To avoid that, business people or entrepreneurs must maintain a reputation to gain the customers' trust, through photos, and customers' reviews on each product sold and make strict rules and agreements in conducting safe and reliable transactions. These are solutions offered to young entrepreneurs in the digital era.

The discussion provided interesting questions and answers through many reflections presented, namely, how important ideas, willingness, patience, commitment, consistency, tenacity, cooperation, and fighting spirit are. After the discussion, the participants are expected to develop their entrepreneurship skills by following the curriculum at Payungi and its knowledge. (YYD) ***