Opinion

Why MSMEs should leverage peers and tap the network to solve problems

A fast-evolving business environment and rapidly-changing customer requirements have made on-the-job learning and skill upgradation a necessity for SMEs and MSMEs like never before. When you are stuck in a situation, like a customer site and need an immediate advice – who would you fall bac…

How SMEs can be more nimble and innovative

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) often lack resources and are buffeted by unpredictable events. But their very smallness means they can also be nimble. According to a Nanyang Business School study of more than 350 entrepreneurs in Singapore from Nov 2015 to Dec 2016, this flexibility — both in…

Indian banks misread the Fintech threat

A payment system is to an economy what plumbing is to houses: The only time people talk about it is when it’s not working. That’s been the case in India since the government’s demonetization decision on Nov. 8.  While that shock gutted commerce, it also upended the payment metho…

How SMEs can leverage LinkedIn to grow their business

LinkedIn is one of the world’s largest social network with over 470 million users globally. While most use LinkedIn to manage their professional profile on the web, SMEs have made the most valuable use of the professional network. Today, LinkedIn is considered to be amongst the top platform…

Can India produce global start-ups?

In October 2015, the IT industry body Nasscom proclaimed that India had overtaken Israel to become the third largest ecosystem with 4,200 start-ups, next only to the US and the UK. Some of these start-ups operate globally and are valued at several billion dollars. But we are yet to see a truly gl…

GST: Why TCS on e-tailers doesn’t make sense

Amidst fierce rivalries, lobbying about a “level playing field”, arguments on the dumping of foreign capital, and the Indian versus multinational debate, it was fun to watch the chiefs of India’s top three e-tailing companies come together for another level-playing field talk. A…

Indian SMEs can emulate Germany’s Mittelstand

In Delhi’s Okhla Industrial Area, Sahil, a former tech executive, now runs a medium-size enterprise, manufacturing parts for air-conditioners. Even though his customers include all the well-known Korean and US manufacturers selling in India, life for the tier-1 B-school graduate is never easy giv…