Photo with Arum Tempe Chips(FEB UNAIR - News Student Agency) Monday, February 10, 2025, students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga (FEB Unair), namely group 5 consisting of Hendri Fuat Alfian, Ellena Sasmita Prananta, and Delia Eca Fitria again showed their commitment in supporting local economic empowerment Through the Ponorogo UMK Care Community Service Program. The program which took place on January 3-26, 2025 was a collaboration of FEB Airlangga University with the Regional Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) of Regional Office IV which aims to increase the competitiveness of micro and small businesses (UMK) in Ponorogo to be more professional and developed in competitive markets.

The challenges of the Ponorogo UMK and the urgency of assistance
based on observations made on January 554 in the field, students found various challenges that were still faced by Ponorogo UMK in developing their business. Some of the main obstacles include:
• Business legality that is unclear - Many UMK perpetrators who do not have a TRYING IMPLEMENTATION NUMBER (NIB), which causes limited access to capital and a wider market.
• Branding and less attractive packaging - Quality products are often less attractive to the market because the design of packaging is still simple.
• Lack of digital marketing use and marketing partners - Most UMK still depend on conventional marketing in small scope and not optimal in utilizing digital platforms such as social media and marketplaces.
• The instability of the supply of raw materials - Some business actors experience obstacles in obtaining quality raw materials and are stable, so that they have an impact on the continuity of their production.
Concrete assistance for MSEs
in an effort to provide real solutions for UMK in Ponorogo, FEB UNAIR students run various mentoring programs, including:
• Helping to make business legality, including NIB registration and socialization of the importance of business licenses.
• Re -design logos and packaging stickers to increase the attractiveness of products in the market.
• Providing digital marketing training, especially optimizing the use of WhatsApp Business to increase sales.
• Establish partnerships with suppliers of raw materials and marketing networks so that UMK can access quality raw materials and expand their market reach.

Photo with Arum Tempe Chips The real impact for UMK
one of the UMKs who feel the benefits of this program is Harapan Mulya's house, which produces batik ciprat and doormats of patchwork created by people with disabilities. Before getting assistance, this business only operates based on orders without permanent marketing partners. Through this program, students succeeded in connecting Rumah Harapan Mulya with Soemowarso Batik House, which now provides a special gallery space for Batik Ciprat Karangpatihan. In addition, students also help find suppliers of more stable raw materials to support the sustainability of their production.
Other UMKs, such as Arum Tempe Chips, Azka Thoreng, and Mekar Sari Banana Ciriping, also felt the positive impact of this mentoring. The digital marketing training they receive has increased their understanding in optimizing WhatsApp Business as a marketing tool. Meanwhile, Azka Thoreng managed to get cassava suppliers, which allowed them to increase production capacity significantly.
In order to expand the UMK market, FEB UNAIR students also initiated the marketing partner search program. As a result, four new partners were successfully coupled to market UMK products, namely Surya Mart Slahung, Surya Mart Nailan, Surya Mart Banggel, and Banggel Supermarkets.
The sustainability of this assistance program
does not stop in the program phase alone. FEB UNAIR students ensure that the initiatives that have been applied can continue with the principle of sustainability. This effort is expected to help Ponorogo UMK continue to explore its potential and contribute greater to the local economy, as well as creating a healthy and sustainable business competition.
Through this program, FEB UNAIR students not only gained real experience in economic empowerment, but also play an active role in creating broader social impacts. In the future, collaboration with various parties is expected to continue to be strengthened so that more MSMEs can feel the benefits of the Serup program