There are three million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand. Small and medium basically means that enterprises employ under 200 people and generate under 200 million baht per year. Citylife (or to be correct, our company, Trisila) is an SME.
Last year, we heard about the national SMEs award, a highly prestigious and coveted award which the government had been handing out for two years, and on a whim, we decided to apply.
In total there were over 1000 applicants whom successfully filled in the required – and hugely demanding – form. We also wrote a 200 page book on our company’s procedures, business plan, marketing plan, structure, as well as including a full accounting of our finances. A few months later, we were contacted and told that we had, along with around 160 other businesses, passed the first test and that we were required to go to Bangkok for a videoed interview. Four selected leaders of industries as well as government officials invited by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP), a government office registered as a juristic entity, proceeded to interview (read, grill) one of our directors, Pim Kemasingki, for just over four hours, using the International Standards of Organisation (ISO) to evaluate our business.
Remarkably, we passed through this level, along with 69 other businesses from all over Thailand and were informed that we were to receive a site visit from another team of investigators. The team flew up from Bangkok and spent one full day talking to our staff, going into our computers to see our filing systems, our documents, our server and programmes, our accounts, and generally looking into every minutiae of the company.
In February of this year we were informed that we were amongst the top 44 companies in Thailand being considered for the award and were one of six companies selected to compete for the top prize in the Creative and Design Enterprise section of the competition. Basically if your company receives a score higher than 600, you are in the top 44. In order to win the top prize, you had to reach 800 points. In late May the company’s directors flew down to Bangkok for the awards ceremony, presided over by the Minister of Industry. During the nail biting awards dinner it transpired that no company in our section won the first prize, though we were all awarded a certificate of recognition as being one of the top 44 SMEs in Thailand. It turns out we scored 721, so not too far off the top and far above the required 600 points to receive an award. Top award or not, the entire process has been hugely beneficial to the company, as we now have a 200 page manual on our business, we have had to be very introspective which has led to some improvements and changes and the experts have compiled a detailed report giving us solid and useful advice to use to improve our business and perhaps have a chance to aim for the top prize again next year.
Not quite number one, but we are very very proud to have made it to the top few dozen competent, strong, creative businesses in this country. We are already starting the process of applying for next year’s award…wish us luck!