How familiar are you with current local businesses?

The economic strength of a country is determined by many indicators, one of which is retail sales. Financial online media SeputarForex explains that economic indicators are important and are closely related to the level of inventories of goods and manufacturing activities that occur in the country. Retail goods are directly related to consumers and greatly impact the inflation rate. In general, increasing retail sales can contribute to an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which can then strengthen the currency exchange rate. GDP and inflation also have their respective roles in supporting the country's economic conditions.

Discussing the retail industry is of course closely related to the buying and selling of products that occur. In Indonesia, quite a few people choose imported products over domestic products. From year to year, Indonesian people tend to think that foreign goods are better and more prestigious. In 2017, Republika also reviewed that there are still many government agencies that tend to choose to use imported products rather than local products.

Ironically, many products sold throughout the world and under global brands are actually produced domestically. Only with different labels, a number of these products have a higher appeal to our society. The nation's children have enormous potential in producing products suitable for buying and selling, ranging from clothing, food and various other products. It is clear that there is a need for more recognition and love for domestic products in order to be proud of local products.

On the other hand, the public's lack of interest and enthusiasm cannot be entirely blamed. Business actors in Indonesia need to increase their competitiveness to be able to survive in the midst of tight market competition. Indeed, not all Indonesian products are said to be inadequate, but quite a few are of questionable quality. With foreign goods as another option, consumers will easily switch to products that are more satisfactory in terms of quality. Business actors can also provide a touch of innovation to products that sell well in the market. When we know the characteristics and interests of our own people, it will of course be easier to use creativity in a targeted manner and realize it in work that is more marketable. Apart from products, business actors also need to pay more attention to end-to-end business processes, for example with more effective branding and promotions to be able to reach a wider market. At first it seems trivial, but packaging and marketing strategies are in fact at the forefront and play a big role in consumer decisions. Showing the quality of the nation is a shared responsibility, starting from MSMEs to big players in industry.

As time goes by, there are more and more calls and invitations to support the work of the nation's children. Local businesses continue to emerge and attract the attention of people from their respective market segments. Campaigns, hashtags and local business stories are widely used to raise this awareness. Technological developments also open up greater opportunities for MSMEs and local entrepreneurs from various backgrounds to advance their businesses, such as more efficient and integrated business systems and e-commerce platforms that are closer to the market. Various events and festivals are also present to provide closer access to the Indonesian people and support more use of local products. In fact, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic which dominated the first quarter of 2020, this enthusiasm was expressed with the Local Brand Shopping Day, the biggest online shopping festival for local brands in Indonesia.

Not only economic growth, consumption of local products also brings a number of other benefits. In a review Bisnis Indonesia, Minister of Trade Agus Suparmanto reminded the public that love for local products is a form of nationalism as an Indonesian nation. Consuming local products can also have a domino effect on strengthening the domestic market, increasing employment opportunities for the community, and guaranteeing the income of local workers.

When we believe in the abilities of the nation's children, we also grow new enthusiasm and hope to continue working together. After all, our ultimate goal is the same, namely increasing the economic strength of our homeland Indonesia. This is also the awareness and longing that drives the work of MSME Jagoan.

Economic Growth and Existence in the Market Through Local Product Business Platforms

At the beginning of August 2016, the Qasir team had the valuable opportunity to meet Dias Satria, the founder of UMKM Jagoan. Some of us may not know MSME Jagoan well, but his vision is huge for the progress of MSMEs throughout Indonesia. UMKM Jagoan is a sociopreneur which aims to support the existence and innovation of local small business products to be able to compete better, and even reach the international stage. Upholding the values ​​of customer service, adaptability, business acceleration, and commitment to do the best, these MSMEs have big dreams for the Indonesian nation to become a great nation with the strength and independence of its local products.

Dias and UMKM Jagoan are aware of the increasingly rapid growth of MSMEs in Indonesia, and can even be said to be the main supporter of Indonesia's economic strength. However, to be able to contribute optimally, the local business ecosystem requires technological support and a broad network to unite all MSMEs. In this way, MSMEs have a greater opportunity to be able to compete with modern markets, even international markets.

Platform which is based in Malang, East Java, already has hundreds of MSME members from all over Indonesia, despite being only a few years old. This is proof that MSMEs increasingly understand the importance of competing in the modern competitive market, especially with the use of the internet as a means of promoting their products. As a platform that aims to encourage local business competitiveness and innovation, UMKM Jagoan also seeks to support Indonesian business actors through several methods, including product promotion via social media, strategies that strengthen brand and product character, training and workshops for business actors, as well as creating MSME profiles equipped with photos and videos to support business. One of the hashtags for MSME Jagoan, #support_locals, proves that MSME Jagoan is fully focused on supporting local-based businesses, both in terms of products and how they sell. These MSMEs believe that in the near future, Indonesian entrepreneurs will be able to go global.

Seeing the same vision as Qasir, Dias agreed to work together to improve the quality of MSMEs in Indonesia. Together with Qasir, this Brawijaya University lecturer is trying to produce the most suitable collaboration strategy between Qasir and MSME Jagoan. The hope is that the various benefits that can result from this collaboration can be a big breakthrough for #support_local. Qasir will also hold a number of events with MSMEs in the near future, so that business actors can expand their business networks, gain new information and knowledge related to the industry, and sharpen their business strategies to be more effective and targeted.

Indonesia's economic strength does not lie in one party alone, but in our joint efforts. MSME Jagoan is one of the agents of business change in the country. Of course, more children of the nation like Dias Satria will take us forward towards increasingly developed economic growth. As world leader Helen Keller said, alone we can only do so little, but together we can do so much.

Come on, BossQ, let's work together to make Indonesian MSMEs more advanced!