SBM ITB Guides 150 MSMEs Through Business Challenges
The Bandung Institute of Technology’s School of Business and Management (SBM ITB) has once again opened its Coaching Clinic MSMEs 2026 Batch 16 to mentor around 150 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The programme, run in collaboration with YGKT48 and Akseleraksi, provides business mentoring for three to six months.
Dina Dellyana, Director of The Greater Hub at SBM ITB, said the programme is designed to help MSMEs address the business problems they face daily, from operations and market changes to pressure on profit margins.
“MSMEs play a strategic role in the national economy. That is why, to support Indonesia’s future growth, SBM launched the Coaching Clinic for MSMEs, which has now run for eight consecutive years,” Dina said on Tuesday (15/9).
According to her, the Coaching Clinic offers not only training but also personal mentoring and the building of networks between business owners. Participants are guided to identify the business problems occurring on the ground, then formulate concrete and measurable goals together with their mentors.
Mentoring is conducted both online and offline, taking into account participants’ flexibility in keeping pace with technological developments. Unlike conventional classroom-centred training, the programme places participants in a direct relationship with a mentor.
“Participants are required to actively discuss, evaluate problems, and apply the results of the mentoring in their day-to-day business activities,” she said.
Dina explained that within a five-week period, participants are expected to determine one main goal they wish to achieve. They then discuss business challenges and build routine communication with their mentor through weekly training sessions of at least 30 minutes.
Wawan Dhewanto, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Management Research Group at SBM ITB, said the mentoring pattern is made flexible according to participants’ needs. Face-to-face meetings take place from Monday to Wednesday, while online sessions are held on Thursdays and Fridays.
“This scheme allows participants to receive consistent mentoring without disrupting their business activities. The training is designed to focus on practical business problems, not merely providing a space to share frustrations,” Wawan said.
In Coaching Clinic MSMEs Batch 16, participants are also introduced to the GROW method — Goals, Reality, Options and Will. The method is used to help participants simplify business problems into clearer objectives.
Participants are then invited to map their actual circumstances, consider solution options, and determine actions that can be implemented immediately. Success of the programme therefore depends not only on the quality of the mentor’s advice, but also on the participant’s ability to apply the results of the mentoring.
“The basic principle of the Coaching Clinic is that advice only matters if someone acts on it. The value participants gain from this programme lies not merely in the quality of the guidance, but in whether that guidance is translated into action,” Wawan said.
The programme is expected to help MSMEs respond to rising operational costs, changing consumer behaviour, and pressure on profits. In addition to individual mentoring, participants gain the opportunity to expand their networks and exchange experiences with other business owners.