Young entrepreneurs in Fiji are brainstorming solutions to the challenges they face in running their businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Young Entrepreneurs Council says it has provided a safe space for its members to adapt to the global health crisis.
Young Fijian entrepreneurs take their business on a roadshow in 2019. Photo: Supplied/FYEC
The council's chair, Watesoni Nata Jr, said unemployment and the fear of not being able to afford their services or their products were some of issues faced by young business owners.
Nata said everybody was trying to re-strategise and adapt their businesses to take on these challenges.
"If you look at the tourism industry, that was one of the major contributors to the GDP and that was the main driving force of our economy," he said.
"Now everything is reduced to nothing so there's huge unemployment."
Nata said he had to re-strategize his own retail shop The Merch, to address the impact of Covid, one of which included launching an online shop.
During most of last year, he said he was getting onto the M-PAiSA platform because it was cashless.
There was that whole fear of transacting and exchanging money and that fear transference of Covid-19, he said. "So, we signed onto the M-PAiSA platform."
Nata said The Merch also had a partnership with companies such as Fiji Chemicals as they used to supply their cleaning chemical products to hotels.
"So, because Covid hit and all the hotels closed down, they had nowhere else to supply their chemicals so now they are into retail," he said.
"This way it helps them with Covid and by retailing their product they can get rid of the stuff that is in their warehouses and we get to increase the range of my products in my shop by adding cleaning chemicals and the likes of it as well."
Nata said a council member had to 'shut down her hair and beauty businesses because she used to do make-up in a lot of weddings' in the tourism industry.
But he said the young entrepreneur had redone and re-strategized her business by selling make-up products now.
There are 30 council members and Nata said he is expecting an increase in membership because there was a lot of interest received through their Facebook platform.
Young Fijian entrepreneurs have seen a rise in micro and small business start-ups amid Covid-19. Photo: Supplied
