Jakarta. Financing firm PNM recently shared another success story of a woman-owned small business that it helped mentor. This time, it is coming from Surabaya local Elly Ermawati.

Every day, Elly would sell pecel -- a Javanese salad served with peanut sauce. This dish usually uses the soft-boiled clover leaf --locally known as daun semanggi-- in Surabaya. Elly said the leaves were extremely vulnerable, especially if not immediately consumed. She then tried to think of ways to completely use up the clover leaves to make sure nothing went to waste. 

Elly then made nastar (pineapple cookies) with these clover leaves. At first, her customers complained that the cookies were too bitter, but that did not stop Elly. After a series of trials and errors, Elly can now make delicious nastar semanggi.

“Of course, selling them [these cookies] is hard. But I’m proud that I can make something different. It is up to us to preserve Surabaya cuisine,” Elly said. 

Elly said that her Nastar Semanggi or Nasgi business had grown significantly since joining PNM Mekaar. Elly would take part in PNM’s free business development training, and she also got to meet new people. She added: “I also attended the micro customer program, and it helped me sell. Praise be to God. I am now in the process of getting the free halal certification.”

PNM also helped Elly come up with more attractive packaging, thus boosting her confidence when selling her goods.

PNM’s president director Arief Mulyadi commented on Elly’s creative business ideas, especially since she became a winner at the company’s 25th anniversary competition. Arief said that he was proud to see ultra-micro customers actively take part in PNM's programs.

“Mekaar customers need to follow Mrs. Elly’s footsteps. She is creative and solutive. Our task here is only to provide programs that help ultra-micro businesses to level up. But the business growth depends on the respective [entrepreneurs’] efforts,” Arief said.

PNM vows to provide three business capitals: financial capital, non-financial capital (training and mentoring), and social capital (network-building).