How many of ‘The BIG Ten’ can your business tick off? A 2012 report, ‘The BIG Ten: the Ten Characteristics of Successful SMEs’ (Gilman, Raby & Turpin, Kent Business School), explores the ten factors that the majority of thriving SMEs possess. I think it is a fascinating report that all SMEs can take great advice from. Can you think of any other elements that make a SME successful? Share your cowith me my tweet @SafarazAli Thanks to the University of Kent for sharing this research. You can watch a video explaining the findings further here. https://youtu.be/vsSjsnny8JQ

2. A 2012 report, ‘The BIG
Ten: the Ten
Characteristics of
Successful SMEs’
(Gilman, Raby & Turpin,
Kent Business School),
explores the ten factors
that the majority of
thriving SMEs possess.
What is ‘The BIG Ten’?

3. 1. The Enthusiast
Being overtly
passionate about
your business and
the products and
services you sell
makes you ‘The
Enthusiast’.

4. 1. The Enthusiast
A love for what you do provides
positivity all round:
- It’s contagious for colleagues
who are more likely to get on
board with the business’ vision.
- It’s felt by customers, who can
see you have real faith in what
you do.
A lack of passion and enthusiasm can lead to less
innovation in business and low levels of employee
engagement.

5. 2. The Transformer
• The ability to adapt quickly
to change is key for SME
owners.
• Allowing more time to
work on business
development and strategic
planning makes SME
owners better positioned
to respond to change, and
deal well with periods of
crisis and transition.

6. 2. The Transformer
Transformers also understand that
they have to evolve within
business, changing their
approaches to adapt to the ever-
changing climate.

7. 3. The Strategist
I recommend setting a 5-
year-vision and a 90-day
strategic plan.
The report backs this up,
stating that the SMEs that
thrived were the ones that
recognised a strategic plan
should be:
• Emergent
• Dynamic
• Reflected upon and
reviewed regularly

8. 4. The Delegator
Delegation is a key
skill for SME owners,
as it frees up for time
for them to
strategically plan
business matters
rather than be pulled
into day-to-day
operations.

9. 4. The Delegator
• It also encourages a
culture of growth and
empowerment,
encouraging employees
to develop further and
therefore work harder
for the business.
• It’s important for all
SMEs to set up the
structures for effective
delegation.

10. 5. The Innovator
Innovators recognise the
need to develop not only
new products and
services in response
extensive research of
their customers, but also
new internal processes to
increase efficiency within
the business

11. 5. The Innovator
I believe constant innovation is all part of learning, and a
very important factor of this is innovation within the
business, such as introducing new business practices to
employees through dedicated training time in order to help
them improve how they work.

12. 6. The Integrator
SMEs with integrators are more
likely to develop competitive advantage
over their counterparts.
They recognise the
need to communicate
and develop trust
with suppliers and
customers, through
openly sharing
information so that
the products and
services supplied
meet customer needs.

13. 7. The Calculator
• Numbers are the
backbone of any
business, but the
most successful SMEs
go deeper.
• I always recommend
a business dashboard
- an information
management tool
that is used to track
key data points
relevant to your
business.

14. 7. The Calculator
• A business dashboard will simplify complex data sets to
provide users with at-a-glance awareness of current
performance.
• Using a dashboard helps provide business leaders with
the intelligence at a glance to make adjustments to the
strategic plan at any given time.

15. 8. The Systemiser
The report found that
systemisers develop processes
that support…
• Innovation
• Performance
• Measurement
• Management
…recognising their importance
in increasing levels of
productivity and efficiency.

16. 9. The Engager
Engaged employees
equals better
business, and it’s
senior
management’s job to
get the most out of
employees through
engaging them.

17. 9. The Engager
• Trusting employees to have
ownership over their role
empowers them and
encourages them to deliver
more and believe in the
company vision.
• Managers need to clearly
communicate all elements of
the business with employees
in order to ensure they
remain engaged.

18. 10. The Sponge
• The ‘Sponge’ in a SME
shares new knowledge
with other employees,
and trains team
members in problem-
solving and teamwork
skills.
• I believe this is a
massively important
element for a successful
SME.

19. Can you think of any other
elements that make a SME
successful? Tweet @SafarazAli
Thanks to the University of Kent
for sharing this research. You can
watch a video explaining the
findings further here.
Twitter: @pathwaygroup LinkedIn: The Pathway Group (Workforce Solutions)
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