Asia Pacific MSME Trade Coalition - AMTC

Yesterday, the mentees of the AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters’ Programme were joined by Nellie Wartoft, CEO of Tigerhall for a session on investor management and how to find the right investor for your business.

Through this session, mentees were able to learn more about the different types of investors (VC, angel investors, strategic investors, etc.) and identify investors types that could be suitable for their current business.

In a pandemic-induced environment, how could small businesses manoeuvre some of the challenges of remote work and identify opportunities in this arrangement?

What does this entail from the perspective of an employer and from an employee?

Hear from our panel of SME owners across multiple ASEAN countries JC Sekar, Stephanie Caragos and Anthony Gunawan on 24 September at 3pm SGT.

Register 👉🏻: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4216300437484/WN_r52uCmDJQOGojZeW61KjkQ

The pandemic has been a key reason for organizations to move towards new ways of working. “Remote Work” is one of the here-to-stay features of this transformation.

How could small businesses manoeuvre some of the challenges and identify opportunities in this arrangement? What does this entail from the perspective of an employer and from an employee?

Hear from our panel of SME owners across multiple ASEAN countries JC Sekar, Stephanie Caragos and Anthony Gunawan who have “been there” and “done that” to find answers to these questions.

Register 👉: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4216300437484/WN_r52uCmDJQOGojZeW61KjkQ

Are you finding ways to streamline your supply chain and reduce cost of goods sold?

Join Amrinder Singh, a highly experienced supply chain management and procurement professional this Friday, 10 September, to learn the tips and tricks to assess your supply chain maturity and identify areas to minimize delivery time, improve delivery reliability, reduce inventory and costs, and improve your overall business performance.

Register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9616300429182/WN_Iw11o2u6SNGXKSV5ZIBl0Q

Join Amrinder Singh a highly experienced supply chain management and procurement professional in a webinar on 10 September 2021, to learn the tips and tricks to assess your supply chain maturity and identify areas to minimize delivery time, improve delivery reliability, reduce inventory and costs, and improve overall business performance.

Register Now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4516300429250/WN_Iw11o2u6SNGXKSV5ZIBl0Q

Yesterday, the mentees of the AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters’ Programme were joined by Courtney Lutterman, Director of Customs and Trade Compliance at UPS Asia-Pacific for a session on international trade 101.

Through this session, mentees were able to learn more about key shipping documentation, gain a better understanding of goods that are generally highly regulated or prohibited, the entry types of goods, and knowing the importance of compliance.

Earlier this week, Ms. Simarna Singh joined the AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters' Mentees to help them understand more about creating a website and online presence for their business. Ms. Singh is the Founder and CEO of Coco Veda Singapore Pte Ltd and is passionate about socially sustainable entrepreneurship.

Mentees were able to learn more about designing an appealing homepage, ensuring security for website users, the importance of having a blog, and how to set up an e-commerce portal, among many other tips and tricks to run a successful website for a company.

How has COVID-19 disrupted supply chains and what lies ahead? How can small businesses leverage trade agreements in Asia, like CPTPP and RCEP?

Join Dr Deborah Elms, Executive Director of the Asian Trade Centre on 13th August 2021, as she discusses how MSMEs can better understand international trade and the benefits of regional trade agreements like RCEP.

Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1316275252531/WN_qeOPMKQITKGWhH7Di2nfRQ

ABTA/AMTC Newsletter July 2021

https://mailchi.mp/amtctrade/newsletter-july2021-5705914

ABTA/AMTC July Newsletter

Yesterday, Ms. Mandira Kumar joined the AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters' Mentees to speak about cultivating a growth mindset as a business owner. Ms. Kumar is the Senior Director (Business Operations) for the Asia-Pacific region at Microsoft.

Mentees were able to learn more about what exactly adopting a growth mindset means, how one can enact it in daily life using learning portals like Linkedin Learning, and how it differs from a fixed mindset. Through personal anecdotes, interactive activities, and moments to reflect, the session was inspiring and served as a reminder to challenge oneself frequently.

How can businesses practice sustainability that is more than just about the environment? How can small businesses play a role in implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities?

Join AMTC this Friday, 23 July for a panel discussion moderated by Annie Fong with speakers Pamela Mar and Simarna Singh to hear what different visions of sustainability look like and the different approaches that businesses can take to perform CSR activities in the future.

Register Now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6116249372446/WN_soLAzP7xSKmGTU0opKvunQ

Recently, the AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters' Mentees were joined by Ms. Minty Sein, a social enterprise consultant and experienced business management trainer, to learn more about how to apply the Pareto Principle or the 80-20 rule to their daily lives. The 80-20 rule states that roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes for many outcomes.

The workshop helped Programme mentees learn about how to use Pareto as a decision-making tool to better address consumer complaints, solve supply bottlenecks, and identify the root causes for successes and failures in their business.

How can businesses practice sustainability? How can small businesses enact and execute corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities?

In the next Empowering Fridays webinar, join AMTC for a panel discussion moderated by Annie Fong with speakers Pamela Mar and Simarna Singh to hear what different visions of sustainability look like, how businesses can incorporate sustainable practices that are more than just environmental in nature, and the different approaches that businesses can take to perform CSR activities in the future.

Register Now for the Panel Discussion "Sustainability in Business", https://zoom.us/webinar/register/6116249372446/WN_soLAzP7xSKmGTU0opKvunQ

Why do Harmonized System (HS) codes matter for cross-border trade? How do traders classify products using the HS? How can businesses learn whether their products are eligible for tariff savings in a free trade agreement?

Join AMTC in answering these questions on 9th July, 4 pm SGT in our next Empowering Fridays webinar on "Demystifying HS Codes". Kathryn Lundquist, an Economic Affairs Officer, and Statistician at the World Trade Organisation will help participants learn more about the development, structure, use, and application of HS Codes in actual trade activities.

Register Now: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/4016238994618/WN_aTaOGi7URKKCZSniT4vH1A

Yesterday, the AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters' mentees were joined by Ms. Akari Myo, an experienced development and social enterprise consultant, researcher, and trainer to learn more about financing for SMEs.

Through workshops like this, the AMTC-UPS Mentorship Programme helps mentees learn about sources of funding for small businesses, benefits and processes involved in applying for business loans, and how to finance SMEs that have been impacted by COVID-19.

Find out what is the harmonized system (HS) and how HS codes matter to traders and businesses engaging in cross-border trade in the next AMTC’s Empowering Fridays webinar on “Demystifying HS Codes”.

Join Kathryn Lundquist an Economic Affairs Officer and Statistician at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to find out how to identify HS codes and to understand whether your products are eligible for tariff savings in a free trade agreement (FTA).

Register Now: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/4016238994618/WN_aTaOGi7URKKCZSniT4vH1A

Are you thinking of selling your products or services using e-commerce and not knowing how to get started? Should you build your own e-commerce platform?

Understanding the different models and options and what is best suited for your business needs at present is essential.

Join our session on 25 June to hear from a practical point of view on how you could get started on e-commerce and what are the risks and considerations that one should be aware of to be able to effectively leverage the competitive advantages that e-commerce could bring to your business growth.

Register for the free webinar now at: https://zoom.us/.../3616236472125/WN_f_esrnogRIGpjjxxF-XZ-Q

The AMTC-UPS Foundation Asia Women Exporters' Mentorship Programme continues to be informative and insightful, with Kathryn Lundquist, an Economic Affairs Officer and Statistician at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), joining our mentees to teach them more about eCommerce marketplaces.

Ms. Lundquist provided mentees with valuable insights on the importance of choosing the right marketplace, benefits and barriers to digital trade, and helped mentees learn how to use market research tools like the Global Trade Helpdesk.

Are you thinking of selling your products or services using e-commerce and not knowing how to get started? Should you build your own e-commerce platform?

Understanding the different models and options and what is best suited for your business needs at present is essential.

Join our panel discussion consisting Jerry He (Lead Business Innovator in International Education at The University of Auckland), Pattana Lee (Co-Founder and CEO at Blue Oak) and moderated by Divyan Gupta (Founder and CEO of Keshiha Services) to hear from a practical point of view on how MSMEs could get started on e-commerce and what are the risks and considerations that one should be aware of to be able to effectively leverage the competitive advantages that e-commerce could bring to your business growth.

This is one session you do not want to miss! Register for the webinar now at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/3616236472125/WN_f_esrnogRIGpjjxxF-XZ-Q

Calling for MSME participation in the Survey of Climate Change Capacity Building for MSMEs/SMEs in Southeast Asia (UNFCC/IDRC/RCC)

Your inputs will contribute to help identify key capacity building gaps and opportunities on Climate Change for MSMEs and translate into more targeted events and initiatives aimed at the needs of the MSMEs.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/EjwcKhAfyu2AMP6Y6
The survey will only take 10 minutes of your time.

For more information on this initiative, contact RCC Bangkok at [email protected]

Having trouble managing client’s satisfaction and business performance or are you seeking changes in the process of doing so?

Do not miss out AMTC’s Friday Business Empowerment happening tomorrow as Amrinder Singh brings you through an approach to drive process improvement and even institutional changes in multiple business areas.

Register for the free online webinar “Operational Excellence – Key Considerations and Potential Approach” happening tomorrow at 4pm SGT. https://bit.ly/3uXzkD7

The first of our 2021 Empowering Friday Sessions features a workshop on Operational Excellence, conducted by Amrinder Singh (Associate Director at KPMG Australia) on 11th June, 2021 at 4pm, SGT.

Empowering Fridays is designed to provide business insights and equip small and medium-sized businesses with the knowledge, resources and guidance to build sustainable and resilient businesses.

As an experienced supply chain management and procurement professional, Amrinder is well versed in the importance of operational excellence, which can bring the methodologies required to achieve mission success and improve overall metrics. Join us in understanding more about key performance indicators (KPIs), customer satisfaction, and analyzing sub-optimized or poorly performing processes.

Register here to learn more: https://bit.ly/3uXzkD7

AMTC Empowering Fridays Webinar: Operational Excellence - https://mailchi.mp/amtctrade/amtc-empowering-fridays-webinar-operational-excellence

Participants of the AMTC / UPS Foundation Mentorship Programme had an insightful session this week on Growing Your Business with Google.

In this era of digital marketing, companies must learn to optimise their online marketing. This session on Google Analytics and Google Advertising covered the pertinent details on understanding web analytics and the habits and patterns of visitors in order for small business especially, to make good decisions and to grow their small business..

Thank you Google for this two-hour training for our mentees on google analytics and google ads.

We invite all Small Businesses to attend the second session of Empowering Friday - eCommerce for SMEs - What you should know on 25 June 2021.

Amazon, Shopify, Netflix, Grab, GoJek, Airbnb. Even Microsoft and Google. And many more! What's common between all of these companies? They are some of the world's biggest companies and they all sell products and services using e-commerce.

Join our panel of experts, Divyan Gupta, Founder and CEO of Keshiha Services, a consumer technology start-up, Pattana Lee, Co-Founder and CEO at Blue Oak which offers a non-wearable, privacy-focused fall detection and fall risk detection system and Jerry He - MInstD, Lead Business Innovator in International Education at The University of Auckland to understand why e-commerce is such a critical channel for any company in today's time. The competitive advantages it yields and how you should embrace it to supercharge your companies growth.

This is one session you do not want to miss! Register for the webinar now - https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_f_esrnogRIGpjjxxF-XZ-Q

We would like to introduce the first of our 2021 Empowering Friday sessions, a workshop on Operational Excellence - Key Considerations and potential approach conducted by Amrinder Singh (Associate Director at KPMG Australia) on 11 June 2021 at 4pm.

As an experienced procurement and supply chain management professional with operations experience across multiple industries and software systems implementations, Amrinder will expound on how a company should always begin with an analysis of sub optimised processes or poorly performing processes in order to improve its metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), customer satisfaction, mission.

Operational excellence can ultimately bring the methodologies required to achieve mission success and improve overall metrics and KPIs.

We invite you to register here to learn more on Operational Excellence - https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sbU4IlecSb2OlIEUEvDVyw

At AMTC, we envision a flourishing community of small businesses empowered with the knowledge, network and ability to engage and influence relevant stakeholders on trade policies, with the goal of building a vibrant trade ecosystem.

We will be running a series of regular workshops/webinar sessions, 2 Fridays each month, to empower MSMEs starting in June 2021.
Called Empowering Fridays, the programme is designed to provide business insights and equip small and medium sized businesses from the region with the knowledge, resources, guidance and networks to build a more sustainable and resilient business.
Hour-long workshop sessions by advisory mentors and industry experts invited by the AMTC Academy will cover topics ranging from Operational Excellence, E-Commerce for SMEs, Demystifying HS Codes, Understanding Trade to Digital Payments, Supply Chain Maturity and more.

Stay tuned for more information on our upcoming sessions starting in June 2021.

If you like to contribute to the series, do reach out to the AMTC at: [email protected]

ABTA/AMTC April Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/amtctrade/newsletter-apr2021

ABTA/AMTC April Newsletter

Innovation is key to staying ahead of competitors and in business.

This week, participants of the AMTC / UPS Foundation were treated to an interesting session on Innovation Management - Finding Profitable White Space by Divyan Gupta, Founder and CEO of Keshiha Services, a consumer technology start-up.

Innovation Management helps many different industries and involves Strategy, Customer Needs, Product Attributes, R&D and Process. For each of these areas, a company may fall under the category of Imitator, Transformer and Pathfinder. While most companies aim to be Pathfinders, achieving this requires a comprehensive approach - thinking wider and deeper, identifying areas for innovation and asking the pertinent question - What am I doing in that space to differentiate myself?

Participants also learnt that to connect to the future, they needed to uncover trends impacting their industry which include Macro, Competition, Customer and Technology and Capability trends, after which Divyan drilled into the actual process of managing innovation.

If you are keen to be an AMTC member, do reach out to us at [email protected]

Participants of the AMTC / UPS Foundation Mentorship Programme had an interesting and insightful session this week on Developing Products and Supply Chains in the New Normal by Pamela Mar, Executive Vice President, The Fung Group.

The interactive session left the small businesses with these key learnings, among others:
In this era of dispersed manufacturing, companies must learn to manufacture efficiently and with as low risk as possible, taking into consideration not only the location of raw materials and production but also pricing, demand, constrains and ease of flow through borders.

Using digital technology to drive efficiencies in product development process is important as it can reduce cost, increase speed and reduce environmental impact. Digital technology is also key to fast, resilient and agile supply chains.

Companies should aim for a perfect balance between a great design which appeals to consumer values and emotions and ease of quality manufacturing and smooth supply chain.

Sustainability and Circular Products are growing in importance in consumer purchase decisions today and therefore story telling is imperative to engage and form an emotional attachment with them.

ABTA/AMTC March Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/amtctrade/newsletter-mar2021

ABTA/AMTC March Newsletter

"Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business" - Steve Forbes

As the Mentorship Programme's series of one hour sessions continues, participants were given a lesson on Intellectual Property this week by lawyer and Founder of Gumpun Muaythai, Dr. Nimnual Piewthongngam. She provided an interesting and valuable insight on what is a Trademark and why is it important to protect a trademark, covering brand value, brand perception, brand infringement and types of trademarks, among others.

The Mentorship Programme, a partnership between AMTC and UPS Foundation moves on to the serious topic of the Law.

Participants are looking forward to the next session on Monday 22 Mar 2021 on the topic of Legal Aspects of International Business by Dr. Nimnual Piewthongngam, who will be covering Overseas Expansion and what this means to small businesses in terms of choosing the right targets and understanding them.

Dr. Nimnual Piewthongngam, who is a Lawyer by training, is also the Founder of Gumpun Muaythai, a social enterprise that was establish in 2017, which helps Muay Thai fighters to build a stable career after retiring from their boxing careers, usually at a young age.

A picture speaks a thousand words, and indeed, it is the case especially with marketing on digital platforms.

This week, participants of The Asia Women Exporters’ Mentorship Programme attended a session on the basics of Mobile Product Photography conducted by content creator and editor at TigerHall, Lily Khin Vivipem. The one hour session covered the main objective of photography, that is, communicating a story of their brand and product. Some of the key considerations that Lily went through included brand values, brand colours, evoking emotions and desire in people, image styling and photo editing.

The participants benefitted from some valuable takeaways from the session and they included; the importance of aiming for precision on colours and details and being consistent with photos is key.

As part of the Mentorship Programme, additional interesting and relevant topics for running a successful business are in store in the months to come.