DITMAWALUMNI USU – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), through the Directorate of Student Affairs and Alumni (Ditmawalumni), held the Entrepreneurship and Business Skill Development Course on Wednesday (August 5, 2026), featuring the theme Entrepreneurship Soft Skill, Creative Economy, Digital-Based Business, and Business Networking.
The online event, conducted via Zoom Meeting, was attended by 150 USU students and alumni. It featured four speakers from professional and academic backgrounds: Reny Wulansari, SKM., M.Kes., Owner of Donita Food; Amrullah Angga Syahputra, Owner of Juragan Dimsum Indonesia; Dany Perdana Sitompul, a USU entrepreneurship lecturer; and Farouq Moehammad, Owner of Baraka Coffee. The session was moderated by Arif Qaedi Hutagalung, S.Si.
The activity was part of USU’s efforts to enhance the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of students and alumni through experience-based learning delivered by business practitioners. The topics covered entrepreneurship soft skills, creative economy development, digital-based business, and the importance of building business networks.
In his opening remarks, the Director of the Directorate of Student Affairs and Alumni emphasized the importance of building an entrepreneurial ecosystem within higher education institutions. Students and alumni are expected not only to seek employment but also to develop the ability to create business opportunities and employment for others.
The first session featured Reny Wulansari, who presented on Entrepreneurship Soft Skill. Reny shared her experience of establishing and developing Donita Food from a small-scale business. She emphasized that starting a business does not always require substantial capital; instead, entrepreneurs can begin by utilizing available resources and gradually expanding their businesses.
According to Reny, mindset and character are important factors in entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneurs must be able to face failure, evaluate their shortcomings, make improvements, and remain consistent in their efforts.
She also highlighted the importance of discipline and responsibility in running a business, including providing good customer service, responding to messages, recording income and expenses, and maintaining customer trust. Consistency, she said, is one of the key factors in sustaining business growth.
The next session was delivered by Amrullah Angga Syahputra, who shared his experience of building Juragan Dimsum Indonesia. He explained that one of the challenges faced by aspiring entrepreneurs is determining what product to sell.
Amrullah encouraged participants to start a business based on their interests, hobbies, or needs within their surrounding communities. Businesses do not have to begin on a large scale. Products can first be tested in small quantities among friends, family members, neighbors, or other nearby communities before being developed further.
Based on his experience, failure is part of the entrepreneurial journey. Entrepreneurs therefore need the courage to try, evaluate their efforts, and continuously improve their business strategies.
The following session featured Dany Perdana Sitompul, who presented on Creative Economy and Digital-Based Business. He encouraged students to develop their creativity, expand their literacy, and utilize technological developments in building and growing businesses.
Dany also emphasized the importance of improving Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy. According to him, AI can be used not only to complete academic assignments but also to develop skills and creativity and support various entrepreneurial activities.
In addition to utilizing technology, communication skills and the ability to build networks are also important in developing an entrepreneurial mindset.
The next presentation was delivered by Farouq Moehammad, Owner of Baraka Coffee, who discussed his experience in building a business and the importance of business networking. Through his practical experience, participants gained insights into how networking and digital tools can support business development.
The four speakers provided complementary perspectives on entrepreneurship, ranging from the importance of developing character and mindset, having the courage to start small, and learning from failure to utilizing technology and AI and building networks that can create business opportunities.
After all the presentations, the activity continued with a discussion and question-and-answer session. Participants had the opportunity to interact directly with the speakers, ask questions, and share their experiences regarding businesses or business ideas they were developing.
Moderator Arif Qaedi Hutagalung, S.Si., expressed his appreciation to all speakers for sharing their experiences and insights with the participants. He hoped the materials presented would motivate students and alumni to begin building and developing their entrepreneurial skills.
At the end of the event, the committee expressed its appreciation to all participants who attended the program to completion. Participants were also instructed to complete the attendance process as well as the pre-test and post-test as part of the requirements for certificate issuance.
Through the Entrepreneurship and Business Skill Development Course, USU continues to demonstrate its commitment to encouraging students and alumni to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, have the courage to start businesses, utilize technology, foster creativity, and build networks as part of their preparation for the workforce and future opportunities.