Pendekatan Inovatif dalam Kewirausahaan untuk Meningkatkan Daya Saing Ekonomi Masyarakat Desa

Abstract

This community service activity aimed to enhance the economic competitiveness of rural communities through inventive entrepreneurship methods. The program was implemented in Batu Putih Village, Mallawa District, Maros Regency, involving 25 participants consisting of MSME actors, housewives, and youth organization members. It was designed as a community empowerment program based on local potential and integrated with digital technology. A participatory approach was applied by involving participants in identifying local resources, exploring business opportunities, developing business ideas, and implementing marketing strategies. The activity stages included mapping local economic potentials, providing entrepreneurship training focused on creativity and innovation, assisting business digitalization through social media and online marketplaces, and evaluating participants’ capacity improvement. Participants were also introduced to basic business management, product packaging, and digital marketing strategies to strengthen product competitiveness. The results showed a significant increase in participants’ entrepreneurial understanding and skills, as reflected in the improvement of test scores from 48% in the pre-test to 87% in the post-test. In addition, 70% of participants successfully developed new products based on local potential, while 60% were able to market their products online. Three new businesses were also established by utilizing local resources sustainably. Overall, inventive entrepreneurship methods proved effective in increasing creativity, productivity, and economic independence among rural communities.