Experts offer tips on how business owners can move ahead

Singapore

AS the economy shows signs of languidly picking up amid prevailing challenges and uncertainties, what can business owners do to move ahead? That's what a panel of experts will be discussing at the upcoming seminar organised by The Business Times entitled Mitigating Business Uncertainties. Offering their views from the perspectives of research and experience will be speakers from academia and the marketplace.

Prof Boh Wai Fong, a Fellow of the Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Asian Consumer Insights, will share how businesses can make keen observations in the market to identify and leverage new opportunities, make use of existing resources and engage in active experimentation to generate future options. The design thinking stalwart said: "Technological and industry disruptions are creating an environment where companies need to adopt several key strategies to continuously adapt and grow."

Small and medium-sized businesses will be in focus at this seminar, where they can learn how to help themselves and how they can fight the bigger boys. Addressing this will be two entrepreneurs, Inderjit Singh and Eric Lam, who have grown their respective businesses through different paths.

Said Mr Singh: "Smaller companies find it difficult to find financing and if they do, they pay a higher cost, they cannot attract workers and cannot easily get approval to hire foreign workers." But there is a way up, assured the former Member of Parliament, who is also the co-president of the World Entrepreneurship Forum. His fellow speaker, Mr Lam, CEO of Amdon Consulting, will also share how SMEs can structure their companies in ways that will enable them to capture talent and "generate world class products, while at the same time establish a reach to larger markets to sell them".

Touching on the bottom line and its inferences is Prof Tan Khee Giap, the co-director of the Asia Competitiveness Institute at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS).

The four talks will culminate in a panel discussion, which is open to the floor, on the topic of "Separating fake news from the real deal in business intelligence". It will be moderated by brand strategist and business author Jackie Tai.

One business owner who is looking forward to the seminar is Sam Tan, deputy general manager of Lam Kee Fisheries, importers of premium seafood products. Mr Tan, who employs 30 staff and is concerned with rising interest rates, said: "I'll be keen to learn from successful entrepreneurs, how they did it, challenges notwithstanding."

Supported by Canon Singapore, the seminar is part of the annual Think Big Business Leadership series.

Event: Mitigating Business Uncertainties Date: May 17, 9am to 12.30pm Venue: Marina Mandarin Hotel Cost: S$20 Book (limited seats): http://thinkbig1.sphevents.com.sg