Gwangju Buk-gu Takes Initiative to Support Improvement of Small Business Management Environment

Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City has taken steps to improve the business environment for small business owners who are struggling due to the prolonged domestic economic downturn following COVID-19.

According to Buk-gu on the 12th, the 'Small Business Companion Program,' part of the policy to strengthen the self-reliance of small business owners, is gaining momentum in its support projects after the selection of participating companies.

The Small Business Companion Program was planned in 2021 to promote coexistence among small business owners facing livelihood crises due to COVID-19. It is a project aimed at comprehensive growth such as business innovation by providing on-site consulting in management fields by professional consultants and supporting environmental improvements in vulnerable areas for each company.

To promote this year’s project, Buk-gu previously signed a business agreement with the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency in June to form a professional consulting support team. Afterward, through a recruitment announcement, companies were selected as support targets in July based on their willingness to improve management and on-site evaluations.

The selected companies have been receiving close on-site consulting from expert groups since August. Upon completion of a total of five consulting sessions scheduled until next month, each company will receive additional support worth up to 2.5 million KRW for business environment improvements such as ▲replacement of indoor and outdoor signs ▲production of promotional materials ▲interior improvements ▲installation of safety equipment.

Furthermore, Buk-gu plans to continuously enhance participant satisfaction by conducting follow-up management and surveys after the support project ends, including analyzing sales fluctuations and collecting suggestions regarding small business support policies.

A Buk-gu official said, "We hope this project will be a small spark of hope for small business owners who are still going through difficult times due to various domestic and international economic uncertainties. We will continue to listen to the opinions of small business owners, who are the core foundation of the local economy, and do our best to prepare practical measures that truly help."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.