Digital Entrepreneurship: Exploring Business Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs
August 23, 2024
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Enterpreneurs from East Java Province showed their products during a workshop with UNDP's Restore Project, funded by the Government of Japan.
The "Digital Entrepreneurship: Exploring Business Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs" webinar, held on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, was a significant event focusing on empowering women through digital business opportunities. This event was part of the Women's Media Collab initiative organized by UNDP Indonesia and the Indonesian Institute of Journalism, in collaboration with six online women’s media platforms in Indonesia.
The participants of this webinar were women from various communities interested in leveraging digital platforms for financial empowerment. The event featured several speakers, including moderator Siti Latifa, Editor-in-Chief of Kutub.co; Ima Eka Sari from the Youth Digitalisation Employment Entrepreneurship Program at UNDP Indonesia; Defira NC from ICT Watch; and content creator Silvi Sisilya.
This online event aimed to explore the huge business opportunities available to women in the digital world and how they can empower themselves through technology and social media. According to 2023 data from the Indonesian Statistics Agency (BPS), youth aged 16-30 years make up 23.18% of Indonesia's population, making them key to harnessing the demographic bonus towards Indonesia's 2045 vision of becoming a developed country.
Through insightful presentations from the speakers, participants learned about various topics, including digital business opportunities, strategies for leveraging social media, and ways to overcome challenges and obstacles in this field.
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Siti Latifa, Editor-in-Chief of Kutub.co, moderates the webinar, engaging with Ima Eka Sari, a speaker from the Youth Digitalisation Employment Entrepreneurship Program at UNDP Indonesia.
Ima Eka Sari highlighted the significant role women have played globally throughout history and how digital platforms allow them to expand their businesses beyond geographical boundaries and reach global markets. She also discussed UNDP's initiatives in digitalization, focusing on women's empowerment through business and digital skills training.
Defira NC from ICT Watch provided practical advice on effectively utilizing social media. She engaged participants with interactive questions about their social media usage, challenges faced, and solutions to common issues like algorithms, content creation, and analytics. She emphasized the importance of mental preparation to handle the pressure of being active on social media, efficient time and resources management, and understanding of the audience and platform dynamics.
Silvi Sisilya, a content creator, explained the importance of social media for women, especially housewives who wish to earn an income without leaving home. She shared tips on maintaining consistency in content creation and handling hate speech. Silvi discussed her experience in making a living through social media and the importance of engagement.
The Q&A session addressed various participant concerns, including how to start creating content, strategies to boost sales on e-commerce platforms, tips for making content that reaches the For You Page (FYP) on social media, and the value of pursuing business or entrepreneurship studies.
In closing, Ima Eka Sari emphasized that digital entrepreneurship presents a significant opportunity for women. She encouraged them to maximize this opportunity to face future challenges and leverage technology to balance work and social needs. She said, “Women in marginalized communities often face more barriers, such as access to technology. Some privileges that we already have can be a catalyst to empower ourselves and others who are less privileged in many ways.”
Defira NC highlighted the benefits of technology and social media for everyone, especially women, urging participants not to hesitate in exploring and adapting to technology for a brighter future. Devira highlighted, “We need to be agile and adaptable in the unprecedented technology advancement era since it is the only way for us to grow and contribute to communities.” Silvi Sisilya also encouraged women to use social media as a tool to earn income, explaining that housewives can fulfill their responsibilities while also generating revenue through social media activities.
Written by Mohammad Faris, UN University Volunteer in Social Media
Edited by Enggi Dewanti and Wiryawan Nimpuno