Looking for Free Business Advice for SMEs?

Are you looking for free business advice for SMEs, an aspiring Entrepreneur and new to Singapore company formation? Free business advice is now available for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) at Central Development Councils (CDCs) across Singapore. The advice ranges from the availability of government schemes to knowing the ropes for overseas business expansion.

To be managed by consultants from the various trade associations with funding from Spring Singapore, these centres were the result of an agreement to set up SME centres within the five CDCs by five local trade associations, with the objective of offering advice for SMEs.

These five trade associations include:

• Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME)
• the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI)
• the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICC)
• the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI)
  
• the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF)

Termed a ‘satellite centre’, the first such centre launched in 2012 at the Northeast CDC in Tampines with the aim of giving business advice for SMEs. The SME help centre, run by consultants of the ASME, managed to benefit about 1000 SMEs. Leveraging on the success of the first centre, a second centre was launched in July 2013 at Southwest CDC in Jurong East and it will be managed by consultants from the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF).

Complementing the SME help centres already available at various different locations over Singapore, the scheme has given business advice for more than 70,000 SMEs. This is since the launch of the programme in 2005. Spring Singapore anticipates that the collaboration of these satellite centres and the participating trade associations’ help centre can assist another 60,000 businesses in the following three years.

If you are keen to contact a business advisor from an SME-help centre, or simply wish to know more information about the five trade associations and the SME help-centres under them, click here.