Business Registration Made Easy, Thanks to Promoting Constructive Dialogue
Pach Sophal, 32 years old, runs a small, unregistered pizza and bakery shop in Battambang, Cambodia. Like most business owners, she wants to grow her business and gain more income to support her family. That’s why she decided to take advantage of support from a local nonprofit, Village Support Group.
With support from USAID through Pact’s WE Act project, Village Support Group has been implementing a project called Young Entrepreneurs Support to directly support 110 young entrepreneurs like Sophal, throughout all 10 Sangkat in Battambang.
Sophal attended events and training sessions regularly through VSG, gradually improving her business by designing an attractive leaflet, advertising her products, starting a delivery service and asking for feedback to improve customer service. Her satisfied customers praised her shop for its quality pizza, fair prices and good service.
Sophal and her pizza doughs at her shop.
But she soon ran into a problem. She noticed that her business trademark was illegally copied by others, and she did not know what to do. “I was worried about my business trademark, which was copied, and my customers did not know which product was the original one. In addition, I thought that to register my business would cost me a lot and be complicated with filing documents, and I did not know how to processes the registration,” said Sophal.
She participated in the VSG’s Socio-Economic Rights meeting with various stakeholders including the One Window Service office, one-stop location for administrative tasks to promote public services, in Battambang. This meeting enabled her and other women entrepreneurs to interact and raise their collective issues to the solution holders.
During the meeting, Sophal was very happy to hear clear guidance from the director of the One Window Service office. “Responding to my issue about the business registration process and illegal copy of my business trademark and other required documents from the director of One Window Service office, I was very happy and clearly understood,” Sophal said.
After the meeting, Sophal sought more information and got her business registered at the One Window Service office. Now, her business including her trademark is protected by the law.
“I was warmly welcomed and got clear instructions about all required documents. Finally, I got my business registered with simple documentation, and paid less money for the service than I expected, and I felt safe to run my business. And I will share this business registration process with other women entrepreneurs too,” she said.
Sophal raises her business-related issue to solution holders during the quarterly coordination meeting.
