By virtue of having been in business and having sailed through teething troubles, an existing entrepreneur exhibits a considerable degree of confidence in his/her approach to business planning and management. As the enterprise grows, the complexities increase calling for a change in the business process. It is then that the entrepreneur finds it difficult to change, having been accustomed to a particular management style. Thus, it is not uncommon to notice well-performing enterprises getting into trouble once they are on the growth path. Apart from pursuing enterprise growth in a planned manner, the process of performance improvement calls for:

• An objective look into the enterprise to understand the current performance.

• Examination of the potential for growth/ change, keeping in view the structural strength of the enterprise, the need for change and the impact of internal factors on pursuing change in business processes.

• Based on the above, formulate plans for growth or change keeping in view the impact of external factors on such plans.

Given that the above process calls for a dispassionate and holistic analysis of the enterprise, external help is required – firstly to understand the growth process and then to formulate and implement growth plans. This could be accomplished through a well-designed training-cum-counselling intervention i.e. a Growth Programme.

» Objectives

• To help existing entrepreneurs redefine the business processes by analysing current performance of their enterprises in the light of intense global competition.

• To facilitate the entrepreneurs in opportunity mapping for growth in relation to the inherent potential of the enterprise.

• Ultimately, to help the entrepreneurs develop core competencies and strategic awareness leading to performance improvement and enterprise growth.

» Who Can Participate?

The program is targeted at entrepreneurs who:

• Own and manage ventures in the SME sector.

• Have been in business for about 5 years or more.

• Have gone through teething troubles and have stabilised their business operations.

• Have some growth plans, however tentative they may be.

The group size is limited to 20 entrepreneurs. Employees – though at senior level in an enterprise – may not find the program suitable since the inputs are oriented towards owner-managers that take key business decisions. While there is no limitation on the level of formal education, the participating entrepreneurs are required to possess language and numerical skills.  

» Course Outline

The training-cum-counselling intervention is spread over three phases:

Phase I

3 days

Classroom interactions covering the following:

01. Understanding the concept of enterprise growth.

02. Growth through product/market development.

03. Performance Audit of an enterprise.

04. Planning for performance improvement.

05. Understanding the growth potential of an enterprise.

06. Process of formulation and evaluation of growth plans.

07. Exposure to entrepreneurial competencies that contribute to superior performance.

08. Systematic planning as a soft skill.

 

Phase II

This involves individual counselling to facilitate business profiling and formulation of growth plans. There will not be any classroom inputs during this phase. The Business Counsellors will offer one-to-one counselling support to the entrepreneurs. The counselling support involves about 10 to 15 hours of interaction between the counsellor and the entrepreneur spread over a period of about a week. On conclusion of the counselling exercise, there will be a written report prepared jointly by the counsellor and the entrepreneur indicating the performance base and growth potential of the enterprise as also a pragmatic growth plan superimposed on a time frame.

Phase III

4 days

Subsequent to counselling exercise and after a gap of about 6 to 8 weeks of conclusion of the first phase, the entrepreneurs will go through the second round of classroom inputs. The inputs will be designed to reflect the needs of the entrepreneurs as evident from the counselling exercise. By and large, the inputs cover the following:

• Hard skills covering key areas of enterprise management.

• Soft skills such as delegation, leadership, employee motivation and certain entrepreneurial competencies including efficiency orientation, persuasion and use of influence strategies.
 

» Who Can Participate?

Once the entrepreneurs formulate their growth plans, the entrepreneurs need to be provided with follow-up services for implementation. Such services could include preparation of feasibility studies, technology upgrades, partnerships with entrepreneurs abroad and the like. Such services could be provided at cost on a need-based manner.