SOMETIMES, a business can look like it is going backward when in reality it is simply trying to find a new way forward.
I saw this in a business I worked with in Pampanga. The company had previously been involved in waste management and landfill operations. When that part of the business ended, it had to shift its focus and find opportunities in hauling services.
From the outside, that kind of change could easily look like a setback. A business was ending one line of operations and moving into something different. But, after speaking with the people behind the company, I saw something else: an owner trying to adapt, keep the business moving and find another direction.
That experience made me think about the many business owners I meet through my work.
Across Metro Manila and nearby provinces, I have encountered small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in construction, travel, education, training, health care, waste management and other service-based industries. Their businesses may be very different, but many of their experiences are surprisingly similar. They are constantly adjusting to circumstances they did not necessarily expect or plan for.
A construction company may have to deal with changing project requirements or delayed payments. A school may need to respond to changes in enrollment and operating costs. A travel agency has to keep up with changing customer preferences and market conditions. A dental clinic may eventually face the decision of whether it is time to invest in new equipment, expand its services or take the next step toward growth.
These may sound like ordinary business decisions. But for an SME owner, those decisions can carry significant weight. They can affect employees, suppliers, customers and, in many cases, the owner’s family.
What I have also noticed is that SME owners wear more hats than we sometimes realize.
They can be meeting a client in the morning, checking on employees in the afternoon and dealing with an unexpected problem before the day ends. They may be involved in sales, operations, hiring, customer service and finances — all while trying to figure out what the business needs next.
There is often no large team behind every decision. Sometimes, the owner is the person who has to make the call, solve the problem and deal with the consequences.
When we see a successful business, we often see the result. We see the office, the employees, the projects or the finished product. What we rarely see is everything that happened before that point.
We do not see the opportunity that was missed, the client that was lost, or the plan that had to be abandoned. We do not always see the difficult conversation with an employee, the uncertainty behind a major investment, or the decision to change direction after years of doing things one way.
We do not always see the courage it takes to start again.
This is what I find most interesting about SMEs. They are not static.
A business may begin with one idea and eventually become something completely different. An owner may discover a new market, add another service, or change the way the business operates simply because circumstances demanded it. What initially looks like a temporary adjustment may eventually become the company’s next opportunity.
The Pampanga business reminded me of this. The end of one part of its operations did not necessarily mean the end of the business itself. It meant finding another way to continue.
That kind of adaptability can be easy to overlook when we only see the finished product or service. Behind a business that appears stable today may be years of adjustments, difficult decisions and moments when the future was uncertain.
Working closely with business owners has also changed the questions I ask when I look at a company.
Instead of only asking what the business does, I find myself wondering: Why did the owner start it? What challenges have they faced? What made them continue when things become difficult?
What are they hoping to build next? Every owner has a different answer.
Some businesses grow quickly. Others take years to find their direction. Some change completely along the way. Others remain small but become an important and reliable source of livelihood for their employees and families.
There is no single picture of what a successful SME looks like.
Perhaps that is why the stories of small businesses deserve more attention. They are not simply businesses operating in different industries. They are stories of people making decisions, taking risks, responding to change and trying to build something that will last.
We often talk about SMEs in terms of their contribution to the economy, employment or growth. Those things are important. But behind every business is also a person who decided to take a chance on an idea and then continued making decisions long after that first step.
Sometimes that idea works exactly as planned. Sometimes it takes a completely different path. Sometimes, the most important achievement is simply finding a way to keep going.
Yvee Kristine Biscarra is a business consultant at First Circle.
