Incubation centres important in growing SMEs, Maru says

Business

YANGORU-SAUSSIA MP Richard Maru says incubation centres are a great way to grow the billion kina small-to-medium enterprise (SME) sector, and the next step is to operate as a franchise.
“How do we take market mamas (mothers) from informal micro SMEs to the formal economy?” Maru said.
“Many of our mothers sitting here are very talented, they are good at sewing and cooking but where do they go after that?
“They need a SME incubation space but not something that costs K5,000 a month in rent which they can’t afford.
“It is the Government’s responsibility including the city government to build and provide an incubation centre, affordable business space for our own business SMEs to go in and operate.
“The location must not be in a bad location from the public, it must be visible, attractive and the services and products are next to none.
“In other countries such as New Zealand and Australia and England, they have a legislation of what we call a franchise act, where businesses, if you own a restaurant, you can only operate under what we call a franchise, which has standards, must be as good operating standards. PNG needs to transition into the franchise culture now, especially in the Unity mall.
“Minimum service standards, if we want PNG to come into a unity mall, they must know that the services that they get here is just as good as when they go to a hotel.”
Maru also advised the SMEs to be diverse and fill in a variety of needs for customers.
“You can’t all be selling meri blouses,” he said.
“Sell something that is affordable, cheap and up to world class standard, so we can attract everybody into the Unity Mall and it becomes a brand of its own.”
“Come up with something that fills a niche, that is profitable and viable, the demand will always be there and our people will always benefit.”
He said what caught the eye of most PNG customers was the high standard but at an affordable price.