Meghalaya gets ready to launch online webinar series for the small businesses and potential entrepreneurs.
The webinar series will be launched by IPE Global, Managed Services Operating Partner (MSOP) for Meghalaya State Skill Development Society (MSSDS), Government of Meghalaya under Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya (SHCDM), supported by the Asian Development Bank.
The first theme ‘Becoming Entrepreneur in the time of COVID-19: Prospects and challenge’ of webinar series will take place on Friday from 3 pm to 4-30 pm.
The startups and entrepreneurs have been encouraged to participate in the webinar series free of charge.
The webinar series will be inaugurated by Meghalaya’s principal secretary to the labour department DP Wahlang.
The webinar is aimed to discuss, identify and plan the action to mitigate the challenges and to support the prospective entrepreneur and small businesses during the time of COVID-19.
Responding to the importance of such kind of webinar Wahlang said: “For business professionals and youth now is the time to be proactive and assess what opportunities and markets are best for and to focus on.”
Wahlang further added: “While we are all working from home, it is important to contribute using technology.”
“COVID-19 presented the small business sector and entrepreneurs with huge challenges. This webinar series is a humble effort to equip them with tools and best practices to meet these challenges,” Wahlang said further.
Amidst such testing times, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, although there have been restrictions on physical mobility, public gathering and closing of the office, the MSOP team has identified alternative strategies to ensure effective implementation of the project.
The project has now become IT-focused to minimize the loss of time and utilize resources efficiently to create value.
Ashwajit Singh, managing director, IPE Global, emphasized the rapid change taking place as a result of the COVID19 pandemic.
“We need to appreciate and understand that ways of working and business would change forever. There will be a need to adapt to these changes and look at new opportunities and enhance skills,” said Singh.
Singh further said, “It requires a tremendous amount of grit, determination, and sincerity. At IPE Global, we have the most competent, sincere and committed team members and I am confident that we will be able to meet the challenges well.”
The MSOP entrepreneurship webinar series has lined up local and global resource persons.
They include Ayesha Naseem, founder & CEO of LiveWire (Dubai); Rahul Tejwani, co-founder – Kredis, and Green Chutney Films (Ahmedabad); Shiela Kharpomtiah, project executive – iLEAD (Shillong), Thembelihle Sithole, business analyst – ThoughtWorks (London) and Kynjai Rupa, MSOP entrepreneur (Shillong).
“Entrepreneurship has never been easy but in the current times, challenges have only compounded,” said Ayesha Naseem, adding, “Those starting out are having to recalibrate their launch strategies.”
“Such a webinar is precisely what entrepreneurs starting out need right now,” added Naseem.
The prospective webinar series is getting an incredible response from Meghalaya entrepreneurs as already 50 plus interested people registered so far.
These entrepreneurs are contacted through the medium of calling, emailing, video calls/ audio recordings and with the aid of social media, to provide the youth of Meghalaya with the opportunity to polish their skills in entrepreneurship, said Zulfiqar Sheth, MSOP entrepreneurship lead, Meghalaya.