SMEs unlock long-term business growth with help of skilled mentors

Savvy business leaders know that getting advice from the right mentors at critical stages of the business can make a world of difference.

This is why Enterprise Singapore (ESG) has partnered institutions like the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to create a programme customised for growth-minded enterprise leaders. The 10-month SUSS Enterprise Leadership for Transformation (ELT) programme, now into its fourth cohort of recruitment since starting this January, not just connects enterprise leaders with qualified mentors, but also equips them with the knowledge and networks for sustained business growth.

Mr Esmund Tan, the subsidiaries executive director of Natural Cool, benefited greatly from the programme. He had signed up for the ELT programme with one goal in mind - to prepare the business units under his care for the new economy through digitalisation.

Since its humble beginnings as a single shop selling air-conditioning systems in 1989, Natural Cool has moved up the value chain to design, distribute and install cooling systems for a broad base of customers across different industries. With annual revenues exceeding $100 million, the company was doing well, but its leaders knew more needed to be done for Natural Cool to scale to the next level.

"Having been with Natural Cool for 20 years, I have grown with the company and realised the importance of transformation for sustainable growth in the new economy. We needed to up our ante and harnessing digital technologies became a key strategy. I joined the ELT programme to learn from industry practitioners and experienced mentors, and I also wanted to know how I can inspire all employees to be part of our company's growth journey," says Mr Tan.

Since embarking on the ELT programme in May, Mr Tan has taken actions to realise his company's vision to transform through digitalisation and taken steps to enhance the customer experience with the use of technology. One of these projects was to support the group CEO, Mr Tsng Joo Peng, in the development of a mobile app named "Coolfix" to provide on-demand maintenance and repair services to its enterprise and retail customers. Users can soon access services with a simple click, offering them convenient and easy access to Natural Cool's range of solutions.

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Mr Jeffrey Lim, too, had big plans for his company when he signed up for the ELT programme. His company Pave System supplies audio and visual systems for performing venues and corporate spaces and has expanded rapidly beyond Singapore, with offices in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Mr Lim, its founder and managing director, wants to open more regional branches, and understands that the way forward would be to invest and develop its people.

He says, "I wanted our middle management team to take on greater roles and responsibilities as we expand into South-east Asia as a market leader in the technology-enabled, audio-visual solutions space. We need to build our leaders' capabilities so they can drive Pave Systems' long-term growth."

To tackle this challenge, Mr Lim and his mentor, Dr Brian Heng, focused on building the right foundation for the company's next stage of growth. With two decades of corporate experience under his belt, Dr Heng, the director for ELT programme and the Centre for Continuing and Professional Education (CCPE) at SUSS, guided Mr Lim on making adjustments to the organisational structure to support its regional offices. They also drew up a framework to promote employee engagement and talent development for an increasingly diverse team.

For Mr Larry Teo and his brother Mr Kelvin Teo, the second-generation business owners of Tiong Lian, a meat supplier, their time spent with the programme gave them confidence to implement some of their ideas to grow the business.

Also being mentored by Dr Brian Heng, the Teos wanted to capture new markets, especially millennials, and to pivot their business from mainly serving enterprises to retail customers. While Tiong Lian started out as a supplier of fresh and frozen meat products, the company has grown into an importer and distributor of other products including sausages, ham and bacon today.

Mr Larry Teo explains, "With new investors on board, we wanted to accelerate our plans to launch new Ready-to-Eat and Ready-to-Cook product lines, and also establish an e-commerce store as part of our plans to focus on the B2C market.

"Our mentor was the sounding board we needed. We found his input very useful in making sure we're moving in the right direction," he adds.

Since joining the programme in May, the young towkays are working on building their own kitchen facility to manufacture these new product lines, and initiating discussions with potential partners that will make up the supply chain.

Back to the classroom to learn strategy, marketing and more

Mr Sivanessan Kitnasamy, a director at GATES PCM Integrated Services (GPIS) Pte Ltd, has been with the company for eight years. When tasked with leading the company's strategic move from a provider of physical security to one that provides technology-integrated security services, he knew he needed more than a solid grasp of technical expertise.

Signing up for the ELT programme gave him the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge that would support the transformation of the business.

Through boardroom-style classes, experienced faculty and industry speakers covered topics spanning strategy, marketing, and human capital development. Each topic is carefully designed with the needs of business leaders such as Mr Sivanessan in mind, with a focus on hands-on learning and practical application.

Mr Sivanessan says, "It was an enjoyable back-to-school experience with the fortnightly classes, as every session was on a business-critical topic. One of my favourite topics was human capital development. One of my goals is to improve GPIS from being a great employer to becoming the best employer in my industry, and having a framework to attract and retain talent is foundational."

"As we pivot into the security technology space, we need to think about how to brand and market GPIS through and post-transformation. The digital marketing session provided really good takeaways. I've found that I was able to incorporate what was taught into my overall business strategy," he adds.

Even after the conclusion of the 10-month programme, business leaders will continue to have access to their mentors and engage with the network of alumni, which includes companies like Gong Cha, a bubble tea chain with numerous outlets in Singapore, and SKP Pte Ltd, a disposable food packaging supplier. Recognising that mentoring benefits not just the participants but the businesses they represent, Gong Cha's mentor Professor Wee Chow Hou, who also serves as adjunct professor at SUSS, had gone above and beyond his scope as a mentor to engage the company's entire management team in his own time.

Through the programme, these SME leaders have created a road map to sustain and grow their business despite a challenging business environment. Surrounded by like-minded peers and trusted mentors, ELT by SUSS has helped these enterprise leaders to broaden their knowledge, grow their networks and strengthen their capabilities as leaders.