BSF awarded IFRC Project on Entrepreneur Development.

BSF has recently been awarded with Entrepreneur Development Training Project by International Federation of Red Cross. Under this project, BSF, in consortium with two of its registered Service Providers namely M/s CMACED and M/s AAP will provide entrepreneurship training in District Kohistan and Shangla to over 1200 beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will then provide with financial assistance by the IFRC to start their own businesses.

SMEs must be supported: President ICCI

SMEs have been playing a key role in providing impetus to economic development said by President ICCI Mahfooz Elahi. ICCI President said that SME sector should be given priority to make it an effective tool for economic development and banks should not show reluctance in lending to SMEs and small industries. He said that banks should also ease out on their strict conditions for providing finance; to support industrial sector and small scale enterprises. He said that the future of banking industry in Pakistan was critically dependent on the strength and performance of the economy in which the SME sector has attained a crucial role in terms of its growth potential and greater employment opportunities. He cited the example of Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, China and South American countries, who have been concentrating their efforts in developing the SME sector.

Training Programme on Business Start up: Establishment and Compliance of a Private Limited Company

Centre for Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CEL) a joint initiative of SME Business Support Fund (BSF), Ministry of Finance and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) is pleased to offer a half day training session on Business Start up: Establishment and Compliance of a Private Limited Company in collaboration with Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The objective of this training program is to equip students and professionals with skills and knowledge for establishment of a Private Limited Company and ensure sustainability in terms of its compliance with the Companies Ordinance 1984.

METHODOLOGY:  Presentation, Case studies & exercises.  

DESIGNED FOR:  Students, Fresh Graduates, CEOs, Management Consultants, Management Professionals and Corporate Lawyers.

COURSE CONTENTS:

•  Forms of Business Registration
•  Benefits of corporatization
• Private limited Company registration
• On-line registration
•  Companies Ordinance 1984
•  Compliance requirements
•  Facilitation measures taken by the Commission

RESOURCE PERSON:  Mr. Akram Qureshi, Deputy Registrar of companies, Company Registration Office, SECP, Islamabad.

TIME: 2:00pm-6:30pm (followed by Iftar)

DATE & DAY: 18th August 2011, Thursday

VENUE:  SZABIST Islamabad, Street # 09, Plot # 67 Sector H-8/4, Islamabad, Pakistan. (Adjacent to Bait-ul-Mal Office/F. G. Commerce College for Men)

FEE:  Rs 500/- per participant.  Fee includes training material, certificate, Iftar.

MODE OF PAYMENT:  Cash / Cheque /  Bank Draft in favour SME Business Support Fund.

FOR REGISTRATION:

Limited seats are available. For registration contact Ms. Shazia Nadir before August 16, 2011 through an email at cel@bsf.org.pk or at 051-4863363-65. Kindly mention following details:

• Name
• Fathers Name
• CNIC No:
• Date of Birth
• Qualification
• Organization Name
• Designation
• Scope of Work
• Address
• Contact Number
• Mode of Payment

*Certificate will be issued after clearance of cheques/Bank Draft

BSF launches Franchising Pakistan programme www.franchisingpakistan.com

SME Business Support Fund launches Franchising Pakistan programme. For further details please visit www.franchisingpakistan.com

Franchising Portal www.franchisingpakistan.com

www.franchisingpakistan.com

BSF has established a Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership at SZABIST Islamabad

SME Business Support Fund has established a Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and technology (SZABIST Islamabad). The inauguration ceremony was attended by a wide gathering of media, donor agencies, government representatives, policy institutions, students and general public with an aim to develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills among the youth. President Khushali Bank, Muhammad Ghalib Nishtar was the chief guest on the occasion.

Euro wind power tipped to treble by 2020

Energy producers expect European wind power generation to triple by 2020, with tens of thousands of new, ever-bigger wind turbines springing up, an industry body says.

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), which groups energy giants with wind interests and also many involved in nuclear or gas-fired electricity generation, on Tuesday released its figures in a new report aiming to influence EU energy policy after 2020.

By the end of last year, the Pure Power report said, wind power produced about 5.3 per cent of demand across the EU's 27 states, some 182 Terawatt hours (TWh). Its share is tipped to reach 15.7 per cent by 2020, or 581 TWh.

By the end of 2010, there were more than 70,000 turbines in operation, and the EWEA says 60,000 more of the same size would be needed to meet 2020 targets, although installing bigger machines could reduce the number to half or less depending on technology developments.

Investment is tipped to rise from 12.7 billion euros ($A16.59 billion) of annual investment in 2010 to 26.6 billion euros in 2020, 40 per cent of that investment going into offshore wind farms.

Justin Wilkes of the EWEA said companies would invest 194 billion euros in onshore and, increasingly, offshore wind farms by then, "mainly driven by a strong EU regulatory framework to 2020, which we need also after 2020."

His grouping wants binding European Union targets for renewable energy production, part of wider climate-action commitment, to be extended from the present 19 per cent to 34 per cent for the decade after 2020.

EU states have been increasingly reluctant since the deep recession of the recent years to set binding European-level targets affecting domestic investment needs.

Germany and Spain alone account for well over half of all EU wind power, but Britain, France, Italy and Portugal are also emerging alongside small, but market-leading Denmark, despite strong Paris adherence to its giant nuclear industry, which delivers 80 per cent of France's electricity needs.

Scotland, whose independence-seeking government in Edinburgh is already committed to producing 100 per cent of its energy needs from renewables, exporting its traditional oil and gas output, alone claims one quarter of the EU's coastline.

Germany has turned its back on nuclear after an earthquake and tsunami caused an accident at a nuclear plant in Japan in March, and the EWEA says Berlin could fill the 20-per cent gap in its generating capacity with wind within a decade.

Saudi tycoon to build world's tallest tower

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal launched Tuesday a project to build the world's tallest tower at more than 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The project to built a tower topping Dubai's world's highest building, Burj Khalifa, "will soon see the light after the signing of a $1.2 billion agreement" between Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding Co and construction giant Bin Laden Group, the Saudi tycoon told reporters.

It will take 36 months to build the tower, said the Saudi businessman, a nephew of King Abdullah and one of the kingdom's wealthiest men. He did not say when construction will begin.

Alwaleed said the tower was intended to "send a message of strength" reflecting the OPEC kingpin's economic and political stability.

"Our message is political," he said.

Saudi Arabia has been spared a wave of protests that has rocked the region, leading to the downfall of autocratic rulers in Tunisia and Egypt despite sporadic small protests staged by Shiites in the Eastern Province.

The tower, which will be part of a $20 billion project north of Jeddah, would top Dubai's 828-meter Burj Khalifa (2,717 feet), which was opened last year.

It will include a hotel, apartments and offices occupying an area of 500,000 square meters.

SMEs need separate exchange

Pakistan needs a separate stock exchange where small and medium enterprises (SME) could be listed for public trade, but such a platform requires lean regulations, a top official of the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) said on Tuesday.

“There are thousands of potential SMEs, which could be listed,” said Nadeem Naqvi, the Managing Director of KSE. “But we would need to relax some of the corporate governance and capitalisation regimes guiding existing exchanges to achieve this goal.”

Naqvi along with his counterparts from Islamabad and Lahore stock exchanges meets Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) officials on Thursday in the capital for finding ways to increase depth of the capital markets.

The meeting is also a preparation for the country’s participation in South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE) conference to be held in September.

Low participation is haunting exchanges these days with many brokerage houses struggling to remain afloat.

Naqvi said that a SME Exchange will help bolster the confidence of family businesses. “We need to educate these people. Going public means liquidation of just 25 percent of stake, but when Rs10 share appreciates to Rs25, the family wealth grows as well.”

Empirical and historical analyses have shown that taking a company public helps in bolstering profits in the long run, he said.

“The second generation of family entrepreneurs is taking over the reins."

"The hard-working-racks-to-riches father is no more. We have seen in case of Dewan Group what happens when siblings end up fighting over the business ownership.”

He said that companies were not taking interest in raising funds through listing at the KSE because of depressed economic climate. “Hardly any business is expanding these days.”

Nevertheless, he said, KSE will push the government again to offload its holdings in some large public sector entities like Pak Arab Refinery and Pakistan Steel Mills.

“We will not remain at the bottom forever."

"There will be an economic upsurge and when that happens, KSE will ensure that there is an alternative to banks available for the companies to raise funds.”

Since Naqvi took over in May, he has been able to relax the terms of borrowing for trading in futures contracts.

He is also trying to make Margin Trading System (MTS) attractive for traders who have been sidelined for over a year because of capital gains tax.

The turnover of shares dropped 50.69 percent to Rs21.2 billion in July-March 2010/11 from Rs43 billion in the last fiscal year,according to Economic Survey of Pakistan. Around 50,000 companies are registered with SECP, but only 648 are listed at the KSE.

Q & A with the first generation IT guru

Shakir Husain, a first-generation entrepreneur, is involved in several national and international ventures. His software company, Creative Chaos, has an extensive local and international clientele, and has been in business for a decade.  Creative Chaos’ customers range from software startups to international banks and global telecom companies. Husain graduated from Whittier College, US, in 1998 in international economics and political science.

Q: How was the process of launching a new business?

A: Somewhere between easy and difficult.

Q: How did your family react to the idea?

A: I was working in the private equity business in Abu Dhabi. That’s when I decided that I wanted to start my own business in Pakistan. Most family members, except my mother, thought it wasn’t a good idea. They thought I had lost my mind.

Q: Did you get a loan?

A: I didn’t take a loan. I put in my own money. Young entrepreneurs in this country have no access to any kind of help.

Q: What qualities do you look for in a potential employee?

A: Three things: they should be fast learners and have lateral thinking and good communication skills.

Q: What’s your favourite social networking website?

A: Twitter. I like it because you can control the kind of information that’s coming your way. You can choose to interact with people you want to. At times, it’s better than Google. Rather than algorithms throwing answers at you, real people are pointing you towards information.

Q: Which search software and engine you prefer?

A: Chrome and Google.

Q: Desktop or laptop? Mac or PC?

A: Laptop and Mac.

Q: What’s your homepage?

A: All my Google pages. My news, my calendar, my email, everything!

Q: Do you think the next Mark Zuckerberg can be from Pakistan?

A: Sure. There are brilliant engineers. All we need to do is provide young entrepreneurs with an enabling environment.

Q: Have you ever bribed anyone?

A: Never.

Q: What’s the most frustrating part of doing business in Pakistan?

A: Banking laws are not supportive of 21st century businesses. Say you’re a textile company and you get an order. You can take that contract and get a loan from the bank. But if you’re a software company and you get a large contract, you can’t get a loan against that, even if you have been banking with that bank for 10 years. State Bank laws are structured to be supportive of traditional businesses like textiles, cement, etc.

Q: Is entrepreneurship rewarding?

A: Yes, it’s rewarding. Most entrepreneurs would like to continue their ventures in Pakistan. But businesses need continuity and stability. There are countries which lack political stability, like India, but their economic policies are consistent.

Q: Who has influenced your life and thoughts the most?

A: My maternal grandfather, Brig. Qayum Sher. From the business perspective, Richard Branson. He didn’t come from money. He’s a great success story.

Q: Who are your favourite writers and what do you read?
A: There are many. Iain Banks, P J O’Rourke and Marquez. History, politics and science fiction, I pretty much read everything.

Q: Your biggest achievement?

A: My family is my biggest achievement. I have a lovely wife and two wonderful boys.

Q: What makes your software company different from others?

A: We make an effort to hire the best people in the market and retain them. We have an education programme policy. Anyone who wants to do a master’s in software engineering, we give half of the fee as a grant and the rest as a loan. We also offer them flexible working hours.

Q: Who is the greatest man or woman Pakistan has ever produced?

A: Dr Abdul Salam.

Q: Who do you look up to in the Pakistani business community?

A: There are so many of them. Babar Ali, Hussain Dawood, etc.

Q: Any advice for young entrepreneurs?

A: I tell all the young kids who come to work here that if they can read only one thing in a week, they should read The Economist.

Ethiopian Business Development Service Providers Network

Continental Micro and Small Enterprises Consultant

1. Establishment

The foundation of Micro and Small enterprises has a great value, in this process of socio economic development of a given society.

On the basis of this ground the continental MSE Business Development Services consultant & Facilitator Institution has been established in August 2001.

2. Vision

We aspire to see an institution which provides efficient and Quality counselling service.

3. Mission

The missions of the institution are:

*Assisting and building the capacity of existing Micro and Small enterprises by giving managerial and Technical consultancy.

*Reducing a socio-economic constraint which hinders the development of micro and small enterprises.

    *Keep our services in line with the policy and strategy of the country

4. Values

The following are our values:

Efficient net-working and co-operation

Share common vision with stakeholders and collaborators

Efficient institutional capacity

Transparency and accountability

Avoid corruption

Create efficient and conducive working atmosphere

5. Objectives of Continental

Continental aims to enhance self-employment opportunities and success of business enterprises and other development activities in Ethiopia through the various services it renders to its clients. The following are few of the services through which it attempts to achieve its objectives.

     
• Micro and Small Enterprise Development Studies and counselling
• Business feasibility studies
     
• Business plan preparation
• Entrepreneurial training
  
• Grassroots Management Training (GMT)
• Basic Business Skill Training
   
• Community Empowerment Training
    
• Agro economics research and studies
   
• Community health research and studies
    
• Nutritional study and Education
   
• Introduction of Food Processing Technologies
   
• Impact assessment studies
   
• Training of Trainers (TOT)
   
• Machinery erecting and commissioning
   
• Quality management training

6. Organizational & Staff of Continental

Continental is a profit making institution, managed by a Director and has a core staff of profound qualification, experience and extensive exposure in the Universities, governmental, non-governmental, and international organizations which serve as an asset for the operation of continental in fulfilling its objectives.

To undertake the activities of research and studies, continental also uses competent and qualified researchers.

7. Major Achievements

Continental has obtained several clients basically international and local development organizations that give financial and capacity building assistance to the Ethiopian MSEs. Few of them are Harare Regional Women Affairs Office, Harare Trade and Industry Bureau, Harare Women Initiative Development Fund, Menchscen for menschen foundation, Save the Children UK, etc. Through these development organisations a lot of MSE operators have been addressed through our Basic Business Skill Training and business counseling. All our past trainees witness that they have benefited a great deal from the training, which brings behavioral change and enables them to manage Micro and Small businesses of their own. Thus, we have a very good reputation with them and their sponsors who like to always work with us and recommend us for others in similar endeavours.

Being an Entrepreneur and Being a Leader

Different skills and talents are needed to take your company from a start up to a thriving enterprise. There is a real difference between entrepreneurs who start companies and leaders who grow companies. You have to know which you are in order to hire the right people to take your company to the next level. Start by honestly comparing your talents to the following:

• Entrepreneurs tend to have high energy while leaders have moderate to high levels of energy.
• Entrepreneurs generally have fair to poor listening skills. Leaders are good listeners.
• Entrepreneurs are average to fair teachers. Leaders are fair to good teachers.
• Entrepreneurs have average to fair emotional intelligence. Leaders have average to good emotional intelligence.
• Entrepreneurs are always willing to take risks and are reasonably good at dealing with crises. Leaders are moderately willing to take risks in ‘normal’ times but are great with crises.
• Delegating. Entrepreneurs have very high control needs and can’t delegate. Leaders have only moderate control needs and can delegate.
• Entrepreneurs have a wide range of networking skills, from poor to great. Leaders generally have great networking skills.

Pakistan to Approve $1 Billion Boost for Wind Energy Production

Pakistan is ready to approve a Norwegian company’s request to build a 150-megawatt wind farm, the first part of a $1 billion plan that could boost by a third the announced capacity for clean-energy power plants.

Pakistan is seeking to diversify its energy supplies away from oil and gas and boost electricity production. The nation has a power deficit of 3.6 gigawatts a day, or more than the output of two nuclear reactors, triggering 12-hour blackouts that cause riots and close factories in cities nationwide.

The Alternative Energy Development Board is willing to allow a project proposed by NBT AS, a Lysaker-based clean energy company that plans to build the facility in the Sindh province “wind corridor” north of Karachi, according to Said Arif Alauddin, chief executive of the government agency.

“They came to us saying they have got the money and relationship with the Chinese and they want to invest,” Alauddin said from the port city of Karachi. “As soon as they pay the fee, we will issue that letter to them. We will be able to give them the land if we can see they can deliver.”

Pakistan has almost 1 gigawatt of projects under construction or with financing agreed and 498.5 megawatts more of wind programs announced, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data. Only 6 megawatts of wind energy facilities are operating in the nation. It’s the ninth-poorest in the Asia- Pacific region with a 2009 gross domestic product per capita of $2,609, according to Bloomberg data.

Chinese Financing

NBT Chief Executive Officer Joar Viken said he plans to tap financing for his project from one of three Chinese turbine makers that his company is talking with about supplying machinery for the facilities.

“We think Pakistan is a very good environment and has a very good framework,” Viken said in a phone interview from New York. “Because we get everything in U.S. dollars, we don’t have a huge currency risk.”

Viken said NBT would issue a tender to Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Sinovel Wind Group Co. and China Energine International Holdings Ltd. (1185) to supply the turbines. Each of the companies have credit lines with the China Development Bank Corp., a state-owned lender.

“Goldwind now is actively seeking more cooperation opportunities with domestic as well as foreign wind farm developers to expand Goldwind’s presence in overseas markets,” Thomas Yao, a spokesman for the company, said in an e-mail. “Norway’s NBT AS is among the international opportunities we are currently considering.”

A spokesman for China Energine, who asked not to be named in line with company policy, said he doesn’t know about the talks and can’t comment. Officials at Sinovel couldn’t be reached.

Financing ‘Feasible’

The financing arrangements are “feasible” because the Chinese turbine makers would not develop the projects themselves, said Eduardo Tabbush, an industry analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London.

“This is something we’ve seen happening more and more,” Tabbush said.

NBT envisions developing as much as 650 megawatts of wind power in Pakistan over the next few years. It already has purchased land suitable for 50 megawatts in Sindh province and is seeking a partnership with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, a university in Karachi, for land for the other 100 megawatts, Alauddin said.

Support Mechanism

Alauddin said NBT has proposed to install as much as 250 megawatts of capacity over the next two years. He said the government board is working “very hard” to provide the Norwegian company with an “upfront tariff” that would help guarantee a price for power sold from the wind farms.

The last tariff it approved was worth about 13 U.S. cents a kilowatt-hour, he said.

The board could approve an additional 500-megawatt project if NBT is able to line up funding from a Chinese partner where it has existing wind developments.

NBT already has two wind power projects working in China with AEI China Power Ltd. and China Datang Corp. Renewable Power Co., Viken said. Another is under construction, and further developments are planned.

Pakistan is seeking to derive at least 5 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, the development board said in March. Last year, 53 percent came from natural gas, 30 percent from oil and the rest from coal, nuclear and hydropower, according to data from BP Plc. The London-based oil company didn’t measure any sources of renewable energy there.

The country’s electricity shortfall reaches as much as 3,628 megawatts per day, according to demand-supply data available on the ministry of power and water.

Unleashing The Growth Potential Of SMEs In Pakistan Through Productivity Enhancement

This Paper begins with an overview of the SME sector.It argues why SMEs growth Potential for employment, income generation, and poverty reduction remains largely untapped. It also highlights Government of Pakistan’s policies for SME growth and their effectiveness with specific reference to constraints faced by firms influencing their productivity and competitiveness. A snapshot of present strategies, adopted for SME growth is also a part of this article along with a detailed commentary on the possible avenues for intervention in order to achieve common vision of SME development
accruing benefits to the National economy.

An overview of SME Sector in Pakistan

What constitutes the complexion of Pakistan’s economy is the direct reflection of its Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. The Economic Census of Pakistan-2005 lists

3.2 million business enterprises nation-wide and SMEs constitute over 99 percent of all. Their share in industrial employment according to an estimate is 78 percent and in value

addition approximately 35 percent. Nearly 53 percent of all SME activity is in retail trade, wholesale, restaurants and the hotel business whereas the contribution of industrial establishments and those involved in service provision is 20 percent and 22 percent respectively. Among the SMEs involved in retail, wholesale etc. 98 percent employ less than 5 persons and 99 percent less than 10 persons. Even within the manufacturing sector the trend is not different and nearly 87 percent employ less than 5 persons and 98 percent less than

10 persons. Similar pattern of employment distribution can be traced among other sectors except for mining where SMEs tend to employ more people. In the mining sector,

it averages around 56 percent employing between 6 to 50 persons. On the whole, the percentage of large firms is very small.

How To Start Your Own Business Few Tips

Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur:

Guts: Guts means you must have an entrepreneurial instinct, which is an overwhelming desire to start your own business. You must have the guts and dedication to be completely devoted to your goal. Incidentally, devotion to your goal is much more likely if you have a love for your intended business.

Brains: To become a successful entrepreneur, you must have a working knowledge about the business you plan to start before you start it. Common sense combined with appropriate experience is the necessary brainpower. Prudence, follow through and attention to detail are very important.

Capital: To start your own business you will need seed money of your own plus sufficient cash to maintain a positive cash flow for at least the first year. In a future session you will learn how to forecast future cash requirements through cash flow control. Many businesses can be started on a very small scale with a small investment. Then, as the business grows and you gain experience, cash flow from your business can be used for growth.

Decide if you really want to be in business:

You will be putting some (not all, hopefully) of your net worth at risk when you take the plunge and start your own business. You will run the risk of becoming eccentric, meaning creating a life that is out of balance, with working hours taking away from other family or pleasurable activities. There may be levels of stress you have not experienced as an employee.

Decide what business and where:

Once you have decided you have the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur and that you definitely want to be in business, then you must decide which business is best for you and where to locate that business. Selection strategy is covered later on in this Session.

Selection Strategy

Selecting the wrong business is the most frequent mistake that start-up entrepreneurs make. Here is a checklist to help you select a successful one:

• Take your time and wait for the business that is just right for you. You will not be penalized for missing opportunities. The selection process takes a lot of planning and your experience and complete knowledge is vital for your success when learning how to start your own business.
• Don't tackle businesses that may be too challenging. It is better to identify a one-foot hurdle than try to jump a seven-footer.
• Try to identify a business that has long-term economic potential. Follow Wayne Gretzky's advice, "Go to where the puck is going, not to where it is."
• A big mistake can be an error of omission. This means you may fail to see an opportunity that is right in front of you.
• Look for a business that will grow in today's and tomorrow's markets. Many small retail stores are no longer in business because huge stores such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot provide more choices to the customer and often at a cheaper price.
• Follow the advice of Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire-Hathaway Inc. and the most successful business picker in American history: Mr. Buffett looks for businesses that focus on a "consumer monopoly" with pricing power and long-term predictable growth prospects. Examples include: See's Candy's, Coca-Cola and Gillette Razors. Can you copycat this philosophy in a small way?
• Businesses to avoid are "commodity" businesses where you must compete entirely on price and in which you must have the lowest cost to survive. As Mr. Buffett has said, "In a commodity type business you're only as smart as your dumbest competitor."

SMEs look to buy eco-friendly products

SME's are increasing their demand for green products which indicates that more and more SMEs are looking to reduce their carbon emissions and environmental impacts.

SMEs account for around 60 per cent of the workforce and are responsible for about 45 per cent of energy used by business, yet according to the Government only 22 per cent said that they are investing in more environmentally friendly products or services. The new statistics indicate, however, that many SMEs are investing in green products.Alibaba.com recorded a 224 per cent increase in searches for eco-friendly bags by small businesses last year.

According to Alibaba.com, solar refrigerators saw the greatest increase in searches at 258 per cent, and solar heaters increased by 45 per cent. Businesses were not only searching for sustainable major appliances, but other necessities, such as bags, stationery and cleaning products, which had a 224 per cent increase in searches last year.

Lighting was another major source of interest for SMEs. Searches for solar street lamps went up 58 per cent, and energy efficient lighting almost doubled. The increasing search for sustainable products could mean SMEs are making greater contributions to carbon dioxide reductions despite the struggling economy.

"Though many small and medium businesses may feel that the green economy adds additional pressure to an already challenging struggle to survive - it's important to look to the future and recognize that those failing to embrace sustainability will struggle to attract both investors and customers," said Maggie Choo, General Manager EMEA. "Penalties for not complying with carbon legislation and demand from customers for green products will rise, so being environmentally sustainable makes increasingly good business sense."

Advantages of BDSPs Registration

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS:

In order to ensure the availability of business development services to SMEs, BSF plans to register BDSPs in various areas. These BDSPs would, then, be utilized for the completion of various BSF programs for SME development. These programs are planned to be funded by the BSF as 100% grant or on a cost sharing basis with the SME. The registration would allow ready availability of the BDSPs along with an in depth details about the types and level of business development services that can be utilized by the SMEs on case to case basis. BSF’s registered BDSPs provide a ready resource for business match making with the SMEs as and when required. This would also allow BSF to analyze the demand and supply forces of the market for business development services.

BDSPs providing following services are required:

• Marketing, Advertising and Research.
• IT Services (e.g. Web Designing, Software Development and Implementation)
• Local Staff Trainings (e.g. Quality Management & CAD/CAM Designing)
• Financial and Cost Management
• Export Development
• New Product Development
• Installations
• Certifications
• General Management & HR consultancy
• Logistics

How To Turn Your Small Business Into A Franchise

If all the passion, hard work, time and energy you've thrust into starting a business is starting to pay off, then perhaps you've begun to think about taking that lone thriving business and adding another location. How do you know you're ready? How do you go about making that next location open successfully?

"There are lots of uncertainties within business and you can't let people's feelings and emotions, their negativity psyche you out. Fight it," says Marcus Antebi, owner of The Juice Press, a wildly popular organic, unpasteurized, fresh-pressed juice shop located in New York City. "If I listened to everyone who told me not to do something, I'd never have done anything. I'm always willing to lose it all to make it materialize."

After recently opening his second Juice Press, Antebi is working on a third in the city and is in talks about two other locations. Although busy, he managed to slow down a second to share some tips on how to prove the naysayers wrong and get bigger without compromising the quality or integrity of the product or service.?? Here's what he had to say:

1. Don't micro-manage your businesses' destiny

"A lot of people have a vision, an idea of how they want to grow," says Antebi, who previously ran a successful skydiving business. "They say: 'One day I’ll be 100 stores!' Because I've already owned a successful first business, I was comfortable waiting a little and letting this one define itself. I wanted to be guided by it vs. guide it. I didn't want to totally control every part of it. I'm someone who needs to open and then see what it is I've opened."

2. Avoid being seduced by the hype or the "help"

The Juice Press has enjoyed a lot of media and Internet buzz early on. In turn that attracted many people eager to collaborate and suggest joining forces with Antebi and his company.?? "People with money wanted to work with me because they believed in it and used the product," says Antebi. "They wanted me to put a juice bar in everything. But it was really people pitching me ideas to make them money, and leave me with too much work. These potential partners wanted me to do the heavy lifting while they make money. I look to partner with people who could contribute beyond money. That's what I need contribution wise, not money but real presence labor and coverage. So I’ve kindly declined on a lot of people."

3. Check out the local competition

See what they're doing wrong, and do it better.? Last month Antebi opened his second Juice Press, located just 12 blocks away. Before he opened either shop though he studied already-existing models of the juice business to find the flaws in the competitors.?? The Juice Press has a page on its site called why we are the best, highlighting where they feel they outdo their competitors, in terms of price and machinery to organic and freshness.

4. If you want to be the best, you have to spend money on the best

Avoid hiring low-cost labor, and take time to get comfortable with a first shop before going full throttle to open the second, third and fourth. ??"If I have $20K that I spend in labor that I can do for $14K, I’m going to spend the $20K because I want to grow and be better than my competitors. I'm not looking to make money by cutting those kinds of costs. I don't borrow or leverage. I'm not trying to figure out scalability. I spend money on the best produce and the best products. I have a working model. I have protocol. I have recipes that work. I understand all these problems and know how to work through them to keep my life manageable."

The Juice Press also invested in expensive machinery—and the knowledge required to operate the machines.?? "We understand our juice machines better than the company who manufactures them," says Antebi. "We train everyone to know how to take them apart, fix them and manipulate them."

5. Be aware of larger trends

"Retail trends change every ten years," says Antebi. " Giant corporations like Whole Foods and Starbucks had their moment to come into the neighborhood. Now people are starting to see what they’ve lost, that people want cachet and niche. Now it’s what I call the 'me pop shop' like me moving it. This is someone who is smart enough to run a big corporation, but chooses to run a small corporation.”

6. Reassess your partnerships throughout the growing process

Work with people you trust. Especially with people you trust with your money.? "The key to having a partner is to pick one that is suitable for where you are at that precise time," says Antebi. "You want the guy that you know will help you actually open the store vs. stick by you forever. The guys with the most to lose won't be greedy. I'm not beholden to investors so I’m not required to have it all make sense for them on paper."

7. Stick to your life philosophy not your business plan

"My philosophy has always been to work until it's done," says Antebi. "To me a business plan is a flight simulator. Nothing reflects the reality. Writing a business plan was good for the discipline, for committing, but the plan wasn't right. I thought I needed $75K but it was $280K to open this first store. It’s all fiction until you do it. Now I’d say a 10-page summary of your philosophy is a much better guideline."

8. Be savvy about where you open up your second shop

For Antebi that meant another Juice Press close to his first. His rationale was that he wanted a shop close enough to where he could manage logistics reasonably and quickly, but still far enough that it wouldn't cannibalize sales from the first store.

Cutlery Industry is mainly located in Gujranwala and Wazirabad

As a part of the Cutlery initiative, a monitoring and evaluation team has already been formulated with members from BSF, EDB and the Cutlery Association of Wazirabad. Considering the fact that the Cutlery Industry is mainly located in Gujranwala and Wazirabad, the team met on 28th of June 2011 to discuss the current and impending challenges being faced by the Cutlery Industry in Wazirabad and a future line of action was determined in this regard. 

12 Practical Tips To Jump Start Your Small Business In 2011

Here are 12 practical tips to help you do just that:

1. Dust off the old business plan (shame on you if you don’t have one) and try to figure out what your revenue target will be for 2011. Plug this in and rerun the numbers.

2. Take a long look at your product or services portfolio and decide which product/services to retain and which to discontinue. Try to bundle services into market baskets so that they are more attractive to customers.

3. See whether there are parts of your business that you can outsource for less than it is costing you in-house. There are many out of work professionals who have become freelancers and are selling their services below market.

4. Review your customer base and make a list of your most favorite customers and thank them for their business with a personal phone call or handwritten note. Do the same for your least productive customers and see which of them you can stop doing business with, especially the slow paying ones.

5. Develop a public relations strategy and look for community activities that you can involve the business in. This can be a very cost effective way of getting your business some free positive publicity.

6. Review your advertising strategies and stop any underperforming advertising efforts. Now that you know who your favorite customers are (from #4), you should definitely understand what they need and craft a suitable marketing message before developing your next advertising plan.

7. Review your vendor database and list those who are your best vendors. Personally thanks them for doing business with you. List those whom you’d like to stop doing business with and try to end the relationship as amicably as possible.

8. Times are slow so now may be the best time to get educated on those parts of your business that you are not proficient in. There are relatively inexpensive seminars and courses at SCORE or the local SBDC. Also take the time to also study your competitors and what they are doing that is successful.

9. Try to renegotiate your property leases and see whether you can get better terms. At the same time look at your utility usage and see where you can cut expenses.

10. Personally thank your best employees for their good service to the business. See if any of them can work from home to lessen the cost of housing them in the office. Remember to add in the cost of communications and remote equipment needs.

11. Take a look at your overall communications costs and see whether you can eliminate any phone lines or carriers. Consider changing web hosting vendors and ISPs as the cost of these services has become very competitive. Review the use of company cell phone by employees to ensure that it isn’t being abused.

12. Review your travel and entertainment spending for the year and eliminate all unnecessary expenditures.

If you put in place as many of these steps as makes sense in your case, you’ll be well on your way to a fast start in 2011.

Richard Branson on Thinking Big,

Richard Branson regularly shares his business experience and advice with readers. What follows is the latest edited response. Ask him a question and your query might be the inspiration for a future column.

Q: How can a small-business owner go about laying the foundation for a corporate culture like Virgin's?

A: Whether you're launching a new business or preparing to expand your existing one, laying a solid foundation for the future is critically important – bringing in investors, getting your contracts right, hiring your core team members, choosing the right suppliers.

When my friends and I started the first Virgin business 40 years ago, we had no master plan – especially not one for a group of companies that by 2011 would number more than 400 businesses around the world and employ 50,000 people. Had we tried to plan for such a future, we would certainly have messed it up.

If there is a "right" way to develop your company's culture, our experience shows that it should evolve organically. In 1970, my friends and I weren't planning to do anything other than make some money and have a good time while doing something we loved. We loved listening to music, so we tried to sell records to other kids who wanted a fun place to hang out while deciding which ones to buy. We had no marketing plan or budget – our goals were simply to make enough money to pay the rent and our suppliers, and to have some cash left over at the end of the month. Our launch was really no different from that of most small companies, since few entrepreneurs start thinking about their business's culture until it is already well established.

SBP, IFC to help increase lending to SMEs

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will conduct a series of workshops to help domestic banking sector expand access to finance for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In this regard, the two institutions have also launched a series of publications for the bankers, said SBP in a statement on Monday.

SBP and IFC have produced a series of booklets about the ways banks can increase lending to Small and Medium Enterprises. These booklets, which cover ten sectors including agriculture, education and logistics, are aimed at helping the banks in creating better and low-cost product programs that will enable small businesses to obtain more financing and expand their operations.

These booklets follow a study conducted by SBP and IFC in Pakistan that included the participation of top 16 commercial banks and over 300 interviews of small businesses in 10 sectors.

Each booklet includes an industry overview and chapters on market assessment, risk assessment, financial bench marking, proposed banking products for the sector, and guidance on how these products could be channeled and distributed. At the completion of the survey, SBP and IFC held a dissemination workshop for banks at Karachi wherein the surveying consultants shared key features and findings of the Project with the participating banks.

The Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, Yaseen Anwar, who presided over the workshop, while stressing the importance and significance of the exercise emphasized upon the banks to make maximum use of the findings of the survey.

He also stressed upon the banks that while defining their competitive positioning and designing profitable SME strategies, they should provide better and improved services to the SMEs. Kaiser Naseem, IFC’s Head of Bank Advisory Services for Middle East & North America (MENA), said IFC works to help small businesses obtain financing to grow and create jobs. Our work in Pakistan will encourage banks to lend money to new markets, encouraging economic growth, he pointed out.

Such workshops will also be held in other important SME centers of the country, in order to disseminate the Study’s findings to a larger group of stakeholders, especially the finance providers.

SME Business Support Fund and SME Leasing Limited sign a MOU

SME Business Support Fund and SME Leasing Limited sign a MOU to promote energy efficiency and conservation in Pakistan.

SME Leasing Limited, a subsidiary of SME Bank Limited, and SME Business Support Fund signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 27, 2011, to facilitate cooperation between the parties for encouraging and promoting energy efficiency and conservation programs in Pakistan. Both the parties have agreed to cooperate and facilitate each other for the development of SMEs in Pakistan by creating awareness and encouraging use of fuel efficient devices and equipment through agreed means. The agreement was signed by Syed Saquib Mohyuddin –Chief Executive Officer – SME Business Support Fund and by Mrs. Arjumand A. Qazi - Chief Executive Officer - SME Leasing Limited in a meeting held at the Main Office of SME Leasing Limited in Karachi.

BSF Smart Energy Services:

In order to address the issue pertaining to Energy Efficiency, BSF has initiated the  project ‘BSF Smart Energy Services’ with the agenda of energy usage efficiency, creating additional energy supply at source, and to reduce the total cost of production to make SMEs globally competitive through innovation and efficiency.

BSF Smart Energy Services team is conducting preliminary survey of 150 SMEs of Kot Lakhpat Industrial Estate in the pilot phase, which will be followed by the detailed energy audits of 10 selected SMEs. The results will then be utilized in developing detailed engineering services for sustainable energy solutions so that the set objectives of reducing the total cost of production and to make SMEs globally competitive can be successfully achieved.

Pakistan Afghanistan Summit at HYATT Regency Dubai 24th & 25th May, 2011

Entico Corporation recently arranged a two day inaugural Pakistan Afghanistan Summit at HYATT Regency Dubai. This Summit was to focus on moderating and rebuilding the infrastructure of Pakistan and Afghanistan for their economic stability.CEO BSF Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin was a key note speaker on the subject of Public Private Partnership. In his speech he highlighted that Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SME owners, stakeholders and experts have been used by BSF to select sectors based on the following criteria:  Contribution to GDP, Employment Generation, Share of Exports (current and potential), Entry into new markets and SME concentration in a sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saquib gave a detailed overview on the current, upcoming, collaborations and special initiative porgrammes of BSF. The current programmes he mentioned were:  

• HR-Plus Program:  he mentioned that in the pilot phase of HR Plus program, 25 SMEs on a country wide basis have been selected where they need analysis to identify the GAPS is under process. Unfortunately, most SMEs today take hiring of a professional workforce as a major cost and burden. This thinking mainly outweighs all benefits of having effective, qualified, professional and highly skilled human resources.
• Pakistan Entrepreneurs and Leaders Program (PELP): he focused on PELP and highlighted the role of entrepreneurship in economic development and to enable entrepreneurs to generate income, employment and profitability through innovation and efficiency.
• Franchising Pakistan: Mr. Saquib briefly spoke about this programme where a parent company allows entrepreneurs to use the company's strategies and trademarks; in exchange, the franchisee pays an initial fee and royalties based on revenues. He also mentioned, in this regard BSF has also developed a portal by the name of “FranchisingPakistan”.

Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin spoke about the role of BSF collaborating with Smart Systems (Smc-Pvt) limited, which is a private sector consulting firm. Smart ES (BSF-SES) is a joint venture of BSF and Smart Systems, to offer energy services to the SME sector in Pakistan.

International finance Corporation (IFC) is one of the collaboraters with BSF. He told that IFC is a member of World Bank Group and recently appointed SME BSF to support them in the certification of IFC’s Business Edge trainers in Pakistan.

CEO, Saquib Mohyuddin explained about special initiative programme of BSF. One of the most successful programmes was Peach,

Peach & Prosperity Project Swat. He also talked about future initiatives programs of BSF which was For Flood Affected Areas in which BSF wanted to support the Women Empowerment Program for South Punjab.

The upcoming programmes he mentioned are:

• Outsourcing to Pakistan (O2P)
• Cutlery Development Program
• Gems and Jewelry Development Program

While concluding his speech Mr. Saquib said that BSF is the only donor funded programme of Pakistan that has been replicated into local ownership. To ensure achievement of the program objectives, BSF seeks support from national and international donors, NGOs and other support organizations with an aim to revive and strengthen the business environment in Pakistan.

Launching of Pakistan Entrepreneurs and Leaders Programme - PELP 2011 at UMT

SME Business Support Fund launched a two day event by the name of Pakistan Entrepreneurs and Leaders Programme (PELP) beginning at University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore from 28th to 29th April 2011. The Chief Guest of this event was Rehmat Ullah Javed, Chairman Skill Development Council.

The programme is in line with BSF mandate of “Creating new Enterprises”. CEO BSF Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin aimed this programme to connect a young mass of current and potential entrepreneurs to leading industry experts, donors, financiers and government entities at an interactive workshop based and activity oriented event. Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin seeks to bring the forefront through PELP 2011. Mr. Saquib wants to highlight the role of entrepreneurship in the economic development and to enable entrepreneurs to generate income, employment and profitability through innovation, competitiveness.

Guest speakers mostly young and successful entrepreneurs from all walks of life gave their views about the programme. Mr. Omer Saeed Khan, Mohammad Farhan, Ahmed Umair, Sajjad Ahmad Saddiqui motivated the students of UMT and encouraged them to come forward and start business.

The two-day programme included 25 project presentations by UMT business school students. The presentations were based on innovative business ideas. Students were assigned mentors to help them to take their projects to the next level.

Interactive Session in UCP

Syed Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO SME Business Support Fund along with two success stories Mr. Ahmad Umair and Mr. Mohd Farhan Riaz had an interactive session with the students from UCP as part of the PELP initiative started by BSF. Mr. Saquib started the session by introducing the students to the core functions and objectives of BSF and highlighted the significance of SMEs and Entrepreneurship for the growth of the local economy. Mr. Ahmad and Mr. Farhan shared their success stories with the students and highlighted hard work and determination as important components of a successful entrepreneur. The three presenters then had a Q&A session with the students in which interesting queries were raised by the students.

Meeting with PRGTTI

Syed Saquib Mohyuddin CEO BSF had a meeting with a delegation of twenty students from Pakistan Readymade Garments Technical Training Institute ( PRGTTI ).  Mr. Saquib highlighted that BSF is in process of developing numerous programmes to support entrepreneurship with a special focus towards branding, marketing, packaging as per the international standards. He further said that the textile industry constituted more than 70 % of the total exports of Pakistan but needed some innovative ideas to overcome the hurdles being faced by the industry. CEO SME BSF also advised the participants to actively take part in its franchising programme for their business development. Later the CEO had an intriguing Q&A session with the students.

Meeting with Gold Art Promotion Council (GAPC)

Syed Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO SME Business Support Fund and his senior management had a meeting with GAPC at BSF head office on Thursday, 7th April 2011. During the meeting various issues were discussed and the focal point was on how to promote the gems and jewellery sector in Pakistan which is hardly making any significant difference in the international market despite having the resources and human capital in abundance. Mr. Saquib assured his full support to promote the gems and jewellery sector.

SME conference in Karachi

Syed Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO BSF attended a recently concluded conference in Karachi on "SME banking in Pakistan: Global / Local Trends and Role of Value Added Services" jointly organised by IFC and SBP. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saquib gave a detailed overview on the current and upcoming porgrammes of BSF. He said that BSF is the only donor funded programme of Pakistan that has been replicated into local ownership.

Meeting with the press, Lahore Economic Journalists Association

Syed Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO BSF had a meeting with Lahore Economic Journalists ( LEJA ) in Lahore at BSF head office on Monday, 7th March 2011.

SME Business Support Fund signed a MOU with SZABIST

BSF and Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology ( SZABIST ) signed a MOU to foster entrepreneurship and Leadership culture in Pakistan and help unemployment that has posed serious issues creating economic challenges, hindering economic growth and prosperity in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, CEO BSF Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin believed that CEL will contribute significantly in economic growth, documentation of economy, job creation and development of future business leaders.

SME Business Support Fund signed a MOU with University Of Central Punjab

BSF signed a MOU with University Of Central Punjab ( UCP ) with regards to PELP at a ceremony held at UCP on 21st March, 2011.

SME Business Support Fund and Smart Systems signed a MOU to reduce energy crisis

BSF and Smart Systems signed an MOU to help reduce the energy crisis being faced by the SME sector through its energy conservation programme. The Majority of the industry in Pakistan is facing challenges due to day to day rising cost of energy. It is the need of the hour to minimize energy cost in order to enhance the productivity of our industry and make it more profitable.

SME Business Support Fund inked a MOU with Engineering Development Board

BSF signed an MOU with EDB to promote engineering industries falling in SME sector. Both agreed to join hands in order to develop and promote the engineering industry to make it more productive and competitive.

SME Business Support Fund signed a MOU with University of Management and Technology ( UMT )

BSF and UMT signed an MOU on Thursday, 11th February 2011 as collaborating partners for Pakistan Entrepreneurs and Leaders Programme ( PELP ) - 2011 with an aim to connect a young mass of current and potential entrepreneurs to leading industry experts, donors, financiers and government entities at an interactive workshop based and activity oriented weekend using UMT as its potential platform.

First inaugural Pakistan & Afghanistan Summit ( PAS ) in Dubai on May 24th & 25th

 

 

Visit Website: http://entico.com/events/pas/

PAS Media Kit: http://www.box.net/shared/zoe4i3s4bm

The point of contact from entico is given below:

 

Mr. Andy Dowell

Senior Manager

Entico Corporation

Pakistan & Afghanistan Summit

19 Heddon Street

London W1B 4BG

Tel:   +44 (0) 20 7340 2860

Fax:  +44 (0) 20 7340 2868

Email Address: ad@entico.com

SME Conference 2010: SMEs are the new face of Pakistan

The CEO, Mr Syed Saquib Mohyuddin attended the 4th SME Conference in Karachi jointly organized by the Ministry of Finance, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and SMEDA on 1st October, 2010. The theme of the conference was ‘Rebuilding and Rehabilitation – the task, responsibility and opportunity for SMEs. As a keynote speaker, Mr Mohyuddin noted the unprecedented damage caused by the recent floods to people’s lives and livelihoods and called for a policy of boosting community development and reviving small and medium-sized enterprises through activities in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. He stated that the recovery, rebuilding and rehabilitation of enterprises were the need of the hour for SMEs are the basic pillars of the country’s economy. SMEs he said, ought not only to be the ‘saving grace’ for Pakistan but the ‘new face’ of Pakistan.

The CEO, SME Business Support Fund pointed out that obstacles facing SMEs included limited access to working capital and long-term credit, legal and regulatory restrictions, inadequate infrastructure, high transaction costs and limited managerial and technical expertise. He stressed the need for bringing about structural reforms to ensure necessary solutions for SMEs in terms of accessing finance at different stages of their growth.

Javed Iqbal, Project Manager, Business Edge of IFC (World Bank), Zubair Motiwala, Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister, Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna, Member IBA Visiting Faculty, Ali Rahim, President Income Tax Bar Association and Zulfiqar Thaver, President Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) also spoke on the occasion.

BSF launches HR-Plus Programme for SMEs in Pakistan

 

SME Business Support Fund, Ministry of Finance has recently launched its HR Plus programme for SME development in Pakistan. Syed Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO BSF while talking to the media here mentioned that this programme has been started to introduce professional management in the SMEs. He mentioned that BSF has decided to take a sector based approach for SME development and the sector selection has been based purely on the contribution of that sector to the country’s GDP, exports and employment generation capability for which a detailed value chain analysis has been conducted. In the pilot phase of HR Plus program, 25 SMEs on a country wide basis have been selected where the need analysis to identify the GAPS is under process. Saquib Mohyuddin mentioned that unfortunately, most SMEs today take hiring of a professional workforce as a major cost and burden. This thinking mainly outweighs all benefits of having effective, qualified, professional and highly skilled human resources. Even if an SME decides to hire such professional human resources, they lack basic capabilities, financial strength and structural ability to go through the hiring and retention process. In this respect, the HR Plus program’s core focus is to deal with strategic and operational issues facing SMEs with regard to a lack of professional management.

While highlighting the details of the HR Plus Programme, Mr. Mohyuddin that the interested SMEs would apply to BSF for participation in this program after which a customized “Need Analysis and Capacity Building Program” for the SME will be designed. The assessment would allow identifying the areas that need to be addressed and where exactly the SME needs to place some professional human resource. This assessment shall be followed by the departmental capacity building program which would help in improving and developing the required skills of the present team who have to work under the potential professional hired under HR plus programme for the selected SME. Once the team is trained, BSF with that SME will jointly hire the required professional. BSF shall bear the 100% salary of that employee for the first year, performance of appointed employee will be evaluated frequently and final evaluation at the end of the year will also be done, if the required output would be obtained at the end of the year. In the second year 50% of the salary of that particular employee would also be shared by the SME. In order to ensure that the SMEs are able to benefit from this program, it will be mandatory for them to utilize the competitiveness models developed by the BSF to effectively gain from the professional management placed with them.

Visit to different Chambers of Commerce and Industry

In order to reposition itself and to introduce the upcoming programs BSF decided to have the Top Management Sessions on "Strengthening SMEs for a Better Tomorrow" all over Pakistan in different chambers and associations. In these sessions Syed Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO BSF, Mr. Hassan Haider, consultant BSF, Ms. Aaminah Zaman Malik, Regional Manager North and Mr. Usman Arshad, Regional Manager South represented BSF. As per the plan the sessions started from 2nd August and ended on 17th August covering the North and South Zones, detail of which is given below:

NORTH ZONE:

1. Lahore Chamber of Commerce.

   2. Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce.

   3. Gujrat Chamber of Commerce.

   4. Sialkot Chamber of Commerce.

   5. Gloves Association Sialkot.

   6. Surgical Association, Sialkot.

   7. Punjab Women Chamber of Commerce.

   8. FPCCI Lahore.

   9. Hattar Industrial Association.

  10. Peshawar Industrial Association.

  11. KPK Chamber of Commerce.

  12. Islamabad Chamber of Commerce.

  13. Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce

SOUTH ZONE:

   1. Multan Chamber of Commerce.

   2. Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce.

   3. SP Women Chamber Multan

(Visits to Karachi and Sukkhar were also planned but due to the sudden law and order situation and violence these visits were postponed.)

In all the sessions Syed Saquib Mohyuddin highlighted the role of SME in national economy. His presentation mainly focused on the restructuring of BSF, completion of previous management's pending tasks and most importantly the introduction of BSF's upcoming programs that include HR Plus Program, MISCO and EDC. Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin also emphasized that now BSF is following the sectoral approach rather than being focused on individual SMEs so that the sectors can be developed and grow. The CEO also announced that the pilot project of the HR Plus including the HR Need Assessment Phase and Capacity Development Project would be started in the month of August for which all SMEs showed great interest requesting for their selection in the pilot project. Consultant BSF, Mr. Hasan Haider, further highlighted the role of productivity enhancement and cost reduction for revenue enhancement.

After the presentations, the house was open for questions and in all the sessions number of questions were asked by the SMEs concerning different areas of operations and sectors which were answered by the CEO. Different universities including the University of Gujrat and NUST also showed the interest to collaboratively work with BSF.

In short all these sessions proved to be very useful in repositioning the image of BSF and to develop a rapport with the SMEs as through these sessions BSF developed a platform to listen the voice of SMEs.