MSME Business Growth Techniques

₹77,080 Crores allocated by the Government of India for startups and manufacturing in 2025. Yet most founders are still chasing VC money. I work with startups daily, and it surprises me how many don't even know these schemes exist. Here's what's available right now The Big Picture: → Deep Tech & Startup Fund: ₹30,000 Cr → MSME Budget Outlay: ₹23,168 Cr → Startup India Fund of Funds: ₹10,000 Cr → PLI Electronics & IT: ₹9,000 Cr → PLI Auto Components: ₹2,819 Cr → PLI Textiles: ₹1,148 Cr → Startup India Seed Fund: ₹945 Cr This is just the major allocations - there's more buried in smaller schemes. Let me break down what you can actually access based on your stage [1] For Early Stage Startups: 👉🏼 Startup India Seed Fund: Up to ₹50L per startup 👉🏼 SAMRIDH Scheme: Up to ₹40L grants 👉🏼 Atal Innovation Mission: Up to ₹15L for prototypes Most founders think these are too small. But remember, this is non-dilutive capital that can get you to revenue stage. [2] For Revenue Stage Companies: 👉🏼 CGTMSE: Up to ₹2 Cr collateral-free loans 👉🏼 Stand-Up India: ₹10L to ₹1 Cr for SC/ST/Women entrepreneurs 👉🏼 Multiplier Grants: Up to ₹10 Cr for R&D projects This is where it gets interesting. Revenue-stage companies have the best shot at accessing larger amounts. [3] For Manufacturing: 👉🏼 PLI schemes across 14+ sectors 👉🏼 Significant incentives for domestic production 👉🏼 Focus on electronics, auto, textiles If you're in manufacturing, you're literally sitting on a goldmine of incentives. The challenge? Most founders don't know how to navigate the application process. Here's where to start: - Startup India Portal [https://lnkd.in/gBdAH52D] - myScheme Portal [myscheme.gov.in] - SIDBI Portal [sidbi.in] - AIM Portal [aim.gov.in] - MeitY Startup Hub [msh.meity.gov.in] What you actually need: ✓ DPIIT registration for startups ✓ Proper documentation ✓ Clear business plan ✓ Compliance records ✓ Incubator partnerships (for some schemes) I've seen founders spend months preparing pitch decks for VCs, but won't spend a week getting their documentation ready for government schemes. The reality is Government funding is often cheaper, comes with less dilution, and has better terms than VC money. But it requires patience and proper documentation. #startupfunding #manufacturing #debtfunding

In 2012, when I joined ZoomInfo as the VP Product, Growth & Strategy, they were stuck at $9M ARR. When I left 5 years later, we were at over $80M ARR. Here’s the 5-step GTM playbook we used to get unstuck and build the foundation to scale: Step 1: Develop contrarian products that satisfy unmet demand - Most companies can't convince themselves to radically innovate - In 2012, data companies were selling CSVs, no one was investing in product - We took massive risk and doubled down on building products to streamline data delivery - We started to "look different" from the space - Sometimes it's better to "look different" than "be better" Step 2: Focus on SMB or lower end of the market - Market disruption always happens at the low end - As a small company, it’s difficult to compete for your competitor’s best customers - Instead aim your efforts at the customers your competitors would give up without a fight - We focused on the SMB and lower mid market with a self-serve product at a low price - Everyone else was fighting for the more lucrative enterprise customers Step 3: Increase Prices, Decrease Churn, Add Features Rapidly - We rapidly developed features that gave GTM teams ammo for upgrades - With new products, we could add a new line item in the invoice and post growth with relative ease - New features also gave us the reason to reach out to customers to talk about upsell - All this was predicated on our ability to develop a sustained product roadmap with a strong understanding of the impact on GTM and our ability to attach growth initiatives to every small feature release Step 4: Intentionally Design Market Expansion for Virality - Nonlinear growth comes from getting the inbound engine started early - At first, we went after the spray and pray approach with some automation, which worked well - However, our revenues exploded when we started getting strategic with TAM and went after market niches, especially the ones that were ignored by other B2B data vendors - This allowed us to dominate multiple small verticals and as we got popular within those verticals it resulted in word of mouth - virality, inbound inquiries and increased retention contributing to the non linear growth Step 5: Cultivate a Leader's Mindset - Startups are often fighting just to stay afloat - this creates chaos, panic & unrest in organizations - By switching the mental model from a survival mindset to a leader's mindset, you can switch from a perpetual struggle for revenue growth to attempting to decimate competitors - You switch from being a price follower to becoming a price setter in the long run - This mindset provides a purpose, a better decision making framework, and results in a much healthier business and work culture TAKEAWAY: Markets are always evolving, and every market can be disrupted. Any business can get unstuck. The specific plays required to disrupt the B2B data market would be different today, but the ZoomInfo playbook's principles are timeless.

The secret to successful ABM? It's not what you think. It starts with thoroughly analyzing your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).  Forget basic demographics.  We need to understand the motivations and behaviors that drive your ideal customer. And how do you find a truly effective ICP? It's about layering.  Firmographics are the foundation, industry, size, and revenue, and they are important. But to really understand your ideal customer, we need to explore their technographic (tech stake within the company) Knowing this reveals a lot about their needs and how sophisticated they are. Psychographics (lifestyle, interests, and values of individuals) hold the real magic because they give us hints about their buying decisions. This helps us understand their values and what motivates and keeps them up at night. I recently worked with a company whose ICP was basically "any business with over 500 employees." Way too broad!  We dug deeper, analyzing their best customers to uncover surprising patterns in their psychographics and technographics.  The result? A well focused ICP and an increase in #ABM performance. Refining your ICP takes time and effort.  But it's worth it because it lets you focus your ABM efforts on accounts likely to convert. It's about working smarter, not harder. #b2bmarketing #marketingstrategy #demandgeneration

ABM will never be dead, but the old-school way of approaching ABM is definitely dead (as a doornail). Most "ABM" programs still look like what I was doing in my late 20s and early 30s (circa 2015-2017) >> Static target lists >> One-size-fits-all nurture tracks >> Months of manual personalization That doesn’t work when buyers self-educate, switch channels mid-cycle, and bring 10+ stakeholders into every deal. Lucky for me, I have a Tofu guide that helps define different plays you can run to pull your ABM out of 2015: Competitive Displacement → Go on offense. Target competitor accounts with comparison content, peer proof, and coordinated blitzes. Customer Lookalike Campaign → Take your best wins and mirror them. Use AI to find accounts that look like your top customers and show them proof they can’t ignore. Tier 1 Omnichannel Blitz → Don’t wait for signals. Surround your most strategic accounts with personalized microsites, direct mail, and peer-led content. Competitive Intent Intercept → When a target account shows interest in a competitor, move fast. Counter-pages, battlecards, and rapid-response ads flip the narrative. Signal-Qualified Web Visitors → Pricing page traffic isn’t noise. De-anonymize, personalize, and act before your competitor gets the next meeting. Customer Expansion Campaign → The highest ROI play isn’t new pipeline. It’s expansion. Use product and CS signals to spot growth opportunities inside your base. The shift is pretty simple, and something we should all remember. You need to move from campaigns you launch and cross your fingers.... to systems that listen and adapt in real time. ABM done right isn't just account-based, it's contact-based AND it orients around signals.

When I started Bleqk Media, I had two things. Big dreams.  Tiny budget. If you’re on the same path, here’s some hard-won advice that might save you a few stumbles. ✅ Don’t just market, educate. It’s tempting to post about your services, but people engage more when you share insights they can apply. Teach potential clients something they can take away today, even if they don’t sign up. ✅ Show your process, not just results. The journey to those impressive metrics is often what connects people. Share your behind-the-scenes. Brainstorming, roadblocks, strategy tweaks. Clients appreciate the transparency and will trust you more for it. ✅ Use data, but don’t ignore stories. Data is great for credibility, but stories build connections. Pair your metrics with real-life examples of how your work made an impact. People want to know why your agency matters, not just what it achieved. ✅ Invest in your personal brand. People buy into people as much as they buy into businesses. Share what you stand for, what you believe, and the unique approach that defines your business. Your personal brand can become one of your business's biggest assets. ✅ Consistency over perfection. Perfect marketing is rare, consistent ones get results. The more people see you, the more they remember you. You don’t have to outspend the competition to succeed.  You just need to outsmart them.  ;) #marketing

4 years ago, my brother and I started a business with £98 to our name. £50 went to setting up on Companies House. £20 went to building a website Finally, we sent the last £18 into the company bank account. On paper, we were destined to fail. But today, that same business, noticed., is a 7-figure agency working with some of the most well-known organisations on the planet. Not because Morgan and I are some “genius” entrepreneurs. But because we learned the most efficient and effective ways to drive client acquisition. Here are 3 lessons we still use today: 1/ Don’t be everywhere We didn’t have enough time or money to attack every channel in the early days, but it was a massive blessing looking back. Because a lot of companies end up doing a lot of very little. They have someone running their: - Facebook page - Instagram page - Twitter page - Meta ads - Google ads - LinkedIn pages - LinkedIn ads - Website SEO You’d think by casting a wide net like this you’d catch more fish. But the reality is you’ve got 10+ small nets that the fish swim right past. Instead, we identified 2 core channels we could reach our ICP through: LinkedIn & email. Then focused 90%+ of our marketing on those 2 channels. The key is to be where your ICP is, not everywhere. —— 2/ Focus on low noise channels, with high signal efforts It’s tough to get seen or heard in today’s marketing landscape (especially when you’re starting a business with 18 quid!). So if we wanted to win clients over our competitors, we had to find ways to stack the odds in our favour somehow. We ended up finding a way by attacking low-noise channels with high signal efforts. Low noise channel = where your audience gets minimal marketing High signal effort = something that clearly shows you’ve done your homework We were never going to outcompete a billion-dollar company at their own game. But we could find a way to sneak by them in places they weren’t looking. —— 3/ Focus on accounts, not mass market When you’re spending £500,000/year on marketing, you’re able to cast a wide net and pump 100,000s into Meta ads. When you’ve got £18 to spend you quickly learn the importance of everything being highly targeted. So here’s what we did: A) Made 2 lists: 1 of dream clients, 1 of 250 ideal clients B) Built out a creative campaign every 6-8 weeks C) Targeted it directly at those prospects This meant we didn’t have to blow millions on massive-scale ad campaigns, but we also were able to drive a stupid amount of new clients. (We still run this system to this day) —— But the biggest lesson of all is that marketing success isn’t dictated by how much money you pump into it. It’s dictated by being strategic, getting creative, and most of all… always focusing it on a very clear ICP. That’s all. P.S. It’s been a hell of a week, I’m looking forward to the weekend. Our next campaign goes live next week so be on the lookout 👀 🫡

There’s nothing more overwhelming than building a high-growth business… Especially when you’re completely uncertain about your finances. I see it all the time- Incredible business owners who are scaling their businesses without financial clarity. Which leads to anxiety about money. And numbers falling behind. If this is you, you’re not alone: → “I’m not sure if I can afford to hire” → “I don’t know where my money is going” → “I’ve been winging it and hoping for the best” Us business owners juggle a million plates. And so many of us were never taught how to manage money. And chances are, no one has ever taught you how to manage money. But here’s the truth: 💛You don’t need a finance degree to feel financially empowered 💛You just need simple systems that help you feel supported 💛You deserve to feel control, clarity and better equipped to grow These 5 simple changes can have a huge impact: 📊Align your budget with your goals: Focus your spend on the offers, systems and support that truly move the needle in your business. Tip: Check in monthly to make sure your money is backing your goals. 💸 Review your pricing regularly: Costs rise, and so does your value! Your pricing should reflect your expertise and support a sustainable business model. Tip: Factor in rising expenses, tax obligations, and the real cost of delivery. 💻 Track cash flow weekly: Know exactly when money’s coming in and when it’s due to go out. Tip: A 10-minute check-in every Friday is a tiny habit that can shift you from panic to peace. 📈 Create a financial buffer: A safety net reduces panic and gives you options when things feel uncertain. Tip: Set aside a % of your revenue for future growth or downturns. Even small amounts build safety over time. 🎯 Set financial KPIs: What gets measured gets managed. Track the numbers that actually matter to your growth! Tip: Focus on a few key metrics - like profit margin, revenue targets or client retention - to keep you on track. Your future self will thank you for taking control of your finances. Because that’s what gives you the mental space to breathe and build with intention. That’s when the real growth begins!  _____________ I help business owners gain the financial insights to build their dream business. If you’re ready to gain total clarity on your finances so you can make confident decisions about your business, I’d love to chat 🤍

34% of SMBs have only a month or less of cash reserves. How do we address this critical issue? Here are 10 essential cash management rules: 1. Understanding Cash Metrics: Focus on operating and free cash flow, not just profits. 2. Building Cash Reserves: Maintain enough cash to cover 3-6 months of payroll, slow months, and unexpected equipment costs. Be cautious in volatile industries. 3. Analyzing Beyond the Bank Balance: Use weekly financial reports instead of just checking the bank balance to better understand cash obligations. 4. Efficient Invoicing: Invoice immediately and manage accounts receivable proactively to ensure quicker payments. 5. Strategic Payment Scheduling: Don’t rush to pay bills; optimize payables for better cash flow and maintain good vendor communication. 6. Inventory Management: Treat inventory as an investment and balance stock levels to avoid cash tie-ups. 7. Growth and Cash Flow: Manage growth carefully by securing credit in advance and understanding the cash conversion cycle to prevent cash shortages. 8. Tax Planning: Treat taxes as a critical expense and work with a knowledgeable CPA to plan for tax implications. 9. Prudent Use of Debt: Use debt strategically to support growth and investment, and maintain diverse banking relationships. 10. Maintaining Flexibility: Develop a flexible business strategy that includes multiple suppliers and cross-trained staff. These strategies can help SMBs manage their cash flow more effectively and safeguard against financial crises. If you want to go deeper, I wrote about this in my newsletter. Please read and subscribe: https://lnkd.in/gP4KXvDU

Why B2B companies lose big clients (and how to fix it) 3 Questions with Shawn Chan 1️⃣ What’s a surprisingly effective strategy you’ve used recently? Account-Based Marketing (ABM). Here’s the playbook: ✅ Deep research – Go beyond the usual LinkedIn stalking. Dive into annual reports, press releases, and earnings calls. Find out what keeps stakeholders up at night. ✅ Multi-stakeholder engagement – Don’t just talk to the decision-maker. The CFO, CIO, CMO, and Head of E-Commerce all have different priorities. You need to understand them all. ✅ Personalized interactions – Use a centralized database (CDP/CRM) to track insights and tailor outreach. No more generic messaging. The results? ✅ Higher engagement rates. ✅ Shorter sales cycles. ✅ Bigger deals closed. ABM works when you stop selling and start solving. 2️⃣ What’s a project that didn’t go as planned, and what did you learn? Losing a key enterprise client in the Philippines. The mistake? ❌ We focused too much on features. The client cared about AI-driven automation, not just a better dashboard. ❌ We ignored the CFO’s influence. Our competitor positioned a lower-cost solution, and we weren’t in the conversation early enough. The fix? ✅ Expand stakeholder engagement – Don’t rely on a single champion. ✅ Build relationships across finance, IT, and operations. ✅ Shift to value-based selling – Highlight business impact, not just features. ✅ Start renewal discussions early – Don’t wait until contracts are up. Stay ahead of procurement. Losing the deal hurt. But it forced us to refine our retention strategy. And that made all the difference. 3️⃣ What key lesson have you learned from a peer or influencer? From Piyush Goel, I learned the power of leading with intent. His approach to leadership? ✅ Understand individual aspirations – Every team member has different motivations. He took the time to figure them out. ✅ Prioritize mentorship and coaching – Regular 1:1s weren’t just status updates. They were opportunities to help people grow. ✅ Follow up relentlessly – He didn’t just offer advice and move on. He made sure you executed. Beyond work, he emphasized personal development. He recommended books like Atomic Habits and advocated continuous improvement. Lesson learned: Great leaders don’t just manage. They invest in people. And that investment always pays off.

Too many Indian MSMEs still operate locally when their potential is truly global. For years MSMEs have been seen as local enablers that is strong in manufacturing, logistics or niche healthcare services but rarely viewed as global collaborators. That mindset is changing fast. With digital platforms, cross-border partnerships, and new-age startups leading the way, MSMEs today can directly plug into global ecosystems. They can develop products, technologies and solutions that reach markets across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. How can MSMEs go global? 1. Collaborate with New Age Startups Startups bring agility, MSMEs bring operational depth. When both come together then innovation becomes scalable and scale becomes smart. We’ve seen this firsthand from a startup analytics firms partnering with midsized pharma manufacturers to digital health startups co-creating solutions with traditional diagnostic chains. 2. Build Global Ready Systems MSMEs that invest in digital infrastructure, AI led process automation and international regulatory readiness can integrate into global supply and innovation chains with ease. 3. Position as Specialized Partners Global enterprises are not just looking for low cost execution, they also want domain partners. MSMEs with niche expertise can play a critical role in clinical data services, nutraceutical innovation, wellness analytics and more. I’ve worked with MSMEs across industries to work on operations, build cross border partnerships and reposition their brands from local operators to global collaborators. We’ve helped founders: Partner with fast growing startups to co create global solutions Adopt scalable technologies for expansion Build credibility that attracts international clients and investors The world no longer rewards size because it rewards speed, innovation and collaboration. If you’re leading an MSME today, your biggest growth opportunity may not be in your city but in the global partnerships waiting to be built. The future belongs to those who can bridge experience with innovation. And that’s exactly where India’s MSMEs can lead the world. #msme #startups #India #tech