Leader-Preneur: A Key to Successful Independent Character Education for Small and Medium Enterprise Practitioners Within a Village-Owned Enterprise Community in the Malang Regency

This study aimed to reveal how the village head and the management of the Bumdes Village-Owned Enterprises internalize entrepreneurial values and support Small and Medium Enterprises in the community, and the supporting and inhibiting factors. A descriptive qualitative approach was used to study Bumdes Maju Bersama in Malang Regency, and data were collected through case studies, in-depth interviews, observations and review of supporting documents. The data were analyzed using the 6P simultaneous stages, namely approach, extracting, deepening, matching, interpreting and presentation. The results of the study found that entrepreneurship education became meaningful if it was carried out by instructors who, in addition to having a position as the highest formal leader, were also experienced in the field of business and could provide examples and concrete solutions to participants. To succeed, community businesses needed support and assistance from top leaders. The supporting factors needed were individual motivation, intensity of interaction and communication between business units, as well as good expectations for future business development. The main challenge in managing SMEs in the Bumdes community was the mental attitude of wanting to be successful but being too lazy to learn new things. Keywords: Leader-preneurship, entrepreneurial values, the success of village-owned enterprises