Why I Choose To Work With SMEs

Sharon Latour
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read
sharonlatour.com

I have the spirit of an underdog. I am an immigrant from the African part of the world with an accent — born & bred in Mauritius. I am a woman in a largely tech based industry and I started with a not-so-fancy-we-do-not-have-an-office-yet model. I’ve never raised capital and I have a type A personality which makes me see all the effort and none of the comfort. I had a very humble beginning but endless motivation and four years on that has not changed.

Just like me — SMEs are often underestimated by the marketplace and neglected by agencies because corporates pay more and have more glam. SME owners are the definition of the entrepreneurial underdog and most of the time; they’ve accomplished something incredible by pure will and sheer hard work. I love and admire this type of mindset and I’ve made it my passion helping them. I love it because I get it.

Many of the businesses I work with are considerable in size but still operate as a family business. I love being a part of that family and making a small impact on their legacy and truly find intrinsic reward in working with them.

In fact, I have turned down work from corporates ( I have also bent that rule a few times) simply because I find more motivation in working with the company’s owner or team as they treat their business like their fourth child. Starting in a lounge room or a backyard, these types of SME owners have transformed their dreams into realities brick by brick, day after day. They’ve made nothing become something and I will always love this pure spirit of ‘making stuff’. My own parents fit in that category and somehow I might be wanting to help ‘mam and pap’ — I am not sure.

I feel my work is meaningful because I can see — tangibly — how my work affects their journey and progress. I cannot wait to see what the next generation of entrepreneurs has in store for us and what their spirit will bring to the world.

This blog was first published on sharonlatour.com.

Mauritian born Australian entrepreneur. QB @ Marketing Bee.

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