An initiative to support entrepreneurs in the regions is being launched in Kazakhstan: businesses will be able to receive free individual advice from an expert on marketing, sales, service, partnerships, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Today, technologies are changing faster than businesses can adapt to them. New artificial intelligence tools, digital services, data protection requirements and new ways of working with customers are emerging. For an entrepreneur juggling sales, employees, finances, and operations, keeping up with all the changes is nearly impossible. And this is a normal situation. “Digital transformation should be understandable and accessible not only to large companies, but also to entrepreneurs in the regions. The state is consistently developing digital infrastructure and tools, but the effectiveness of these changes largely depends on how actively citizens and businesses can use them. Therefore, it is important to create opportunities for obtaining knowledge, consultations and practical support locally,” said Bakhtiyar Mukhametkaliev, Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Initiative times
is evolving against the backdrop of updating state policy in the field of digital transformation of regions. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan has approved a new edition of the Methodology for building a Smart City / Smart Region. The document provides unified approaches to the digital development of territories based on artificial intelligence, data and modern digital technologies. Among the directions of the Methodology is the development of regional IT hubs and regional IT centers, as well as the implementation of intelligent solutions in various spheres of life in the regions. “Entrepreneurs today are expected to simultaneously understand marketing, sales, digital products, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. But it is impossible to be an expert in everything. And it seems absolutely normal to me in such a situation to ask: what should I do, where to start and what technologies my business really needs. It is important that such questions can be answered in a clear way without using complex terms or trying to sell something. Because a strong business is the basis of a strong economy, and supporting entrepreneurs in digital transformation today is becoming a common task,” Evgeniy Pitolin, founder
Heartland. Help - not only in technology. You can get advice in six areas: marketing and promotion - attracting customers and developing digital channels; sales and business development - increasing sales efficiency, working with conversion and scaling; service - improving customer experience and automating processes; partnerships - search for business partners and development of joint projects; cybersecurity - protecting business from digital threats and basic information security measures; artificial intelligence - application of AI in business processes, selection of suitable tools and safe use of technologies. The format involves one hour of work with an expert on a specific issue for an entrepreneur. This can be either a task to implement AI or data protection, or a broader question - for example, why sales are not growing, how to improve service, or where to start digitalizing processes. The main principle of the initiative is not to give the entrepreneur another set of general recommendations, but to help understand his specific situation and determine further steps. This is especially important for the regional economy: it is entrepreneurs who create jobs, create demand for goods and services, and
develop local markets and provide a significant portion of economic activity. Participation in the consultation is free. You can submit your application using the link.
