Presentation by Brendon Yeo, Assistant Honorary Treasurer, Association of Small & Medium Enterprises at IFAC SMP Forum, March 2012

1. Association of
Small and Medium Enterprises

2. About us
• ASME - Association of Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Foremost champion of pro-enterprise in Singapore.
• Founded in 1986 by a group of like-minded entrepreneurs to
form an association for the small business owners.
• Not-for-profit and non-government organisation with
membership of more than 6,500 active corporate members
with connection to over 10,000 business individuals, business
owners, key management representatives from all sectors of
the economy.
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3. About us
• Serves as a voice for local SMEs.
• ASME is a bridge between SMEs and the government statutory
boards.
• Besides representing the SME interest, ASME is an important
component in the policy making machinery when formulating
government policies that affect businesses.
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4. What is a SME?
• SME - small and medium-sized enterprises
• Defined as businesses with annual sales turnover of not more
than $100 million or employing no more than 200 staff (1).
• More than 99% of enterprises in Singapore are SMEs
• More than 60% of our country’s population work in SMEs
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(1) Definition extracted from Spring Singapore.

5. What we do
• Networking & Business Matching
- held exclusively for ASME members on a monthly basis to
provide a regular platform for members and business owners
with similar ambitions to interact, share ideas, exchange
strategies and explore business opportunities.
• Training
- regular seminars and workshops are run on a regular basis so
that our members and other business owners have an avenue
to enhance their capabilities and core competencies via
constant training and re-training. 5

6. What we do
• Public-Private Collaboration
- as the leading pro-enterprise association in Singapore, ASME
is frequently sought after to participate in dialogues or
discussion with various agencies within the Singapore
Government on SME initiatives. ASME Members are invited to
these sessions to stimulate a positive flow of feedback and
information exchange between our government and the
private sector.
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7. What we do
• International Trade Fairs & Business Missions
- through participating in trade fairs and missions organised by
ASME at subsidised rates, members can seek and connect
with business partners from all over the world.
- this translates to direct savings for the company, while
maximising the value of the trip when venturing overseas by
tapping into ASME’s wide foreign business network across the
region.
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8. What we do
• The Entrepreneur of the Year ~ A Rotary-ASME Award
- as a showcase and platform to recognise and acknowledge
outstanding local businesses.
- organised with Rotary Club of Singapore, this Award is the
oldest, most established and most prestigious business
accolade that honours outstanding entrepreneurs since 1989.
- established at a national level as a credible yardstick of
success for local enterprises.
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9. What we do
• Singapore Prestige Brand Award
- jointly organised with Lianhe Zaobao in 2002, the Award
recognises and honours Singapore brands that are developed
and managed effectively through various branding initiatives.
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10. Enterprise Development Centre
• EDC@ASME
 establised in 2005
 one-stop integrated centre as part of SPRING’s EnterpriseOne
network to address the varied needs of both local and foreign
businesses SMEs operating in Singapore, as well as aspiring
entrepreneurs.
 Business Advisory at NO charge
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11. Enterprise Development Centre
Services
 Information Access
 Government Assistance
 Infocomm Adoption
 Workshops and Training
 National Initiatives on Re-employment of Older Workers
 Clinics (Legal, branding and finance)
 Biz Plus (Branding, design and company registration)
 Productivity Innovation Credits (PIC)
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 Human Resources Welfare