SME Day 2022: Piercings, nut tarts and SME policy

Once again, host Tobi Wolf had the pleasure of opening a well-attended Swiss SME Day on October 28, 2022. Whereas in recent years the focus has been on entrepreneurial qualities in dealing with crises, this year a "soft" factor was chosen as the conference theme: relationships. "Relationships are what have given us new stability in recent years," said Tobi Wolf in his opening keynote. In doing so, he also pointed to the results of a survey among long-time participants of the SME Day. These showed that trust, reliability and honesty are among the most important factors in doing business. And the responses of the survey participants also showed that relationships will become more digital and hybrid in the future. There is a shift from cooperation to collaboration, where proximity to competitors is also increasing, explained Tobi Wolf.

Topic Inflation at SME Day 2022: Who feels it more and who feels it less

A special relationship is also that with money. This is currently being strained by increasing inflation. Reto Föllmi, a professor at the University of St. Gallen, suggested that we had long lost sight of the phenomenon of inflation. "The volatility of prices is not new, but the current extent is," Föllmi said. What has fueled the current development, he said, is the absence of the globalization dividend as well as price-driving stimulus programs, such as in the U.S., because they were not implemented during a recession phase. Short-term measures such as gas station discounts or 9-euro tickets would also fuel inflation rather than mitigate it. Switzerland, on the other hand, would have the advantage of being able to fight inflation to some extent with the strong franc exchange rate. Reto Föllmi, however, gave little hope that the situation would change quickly: "Inflation could stay longer than we'd like." But he also reminded the audience that inflation need not have only disadvantages: As a company, he said, it is now necessary to take the opportunity to analyze one's position in the market structure, as well as to protect liquidity and increase resilience in the event of supply chain disruptions. And last but not least, the forces of growth remain unbroken despite the uncertainty.

Giada Ilardo feels little of inflation and restraint in consumer spending, as she explained in conversation with moderator Franz Fischlin. Earlier, the self-made entrepreneur told how she realized her vision of bringing the piercing industry into the luxury segment. What she founded at the tender age of 16 has since become a respected brand with its own flagship store on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse. Today, she can confidently say that success has only come about because she has always sought it with full passion. She has always learned her lessons from mistakes. "The relationship with me has changed in 23 years," says the now 39-year-old about her career. She urged the entrepreneurs in the room to never forget the "joy of doing." The path to a goal is often more beautiful than the goal itself, she said. "There is no arrival in life," says Giada Ilardo.

Conquer the world with mini nut tarts

Reto Schmid, a trained baker and confectioner, took a similar approach. When he took over his parents' village bakery, he was faced with the question of "to be or not to be. His answer was "I am an entrepreneur, not an underachiever." He drove the development of a product that was in demand all year round: the Bündner Nusstorte. It is now also available as a snack and will now be launched as a coffee cake in a size of 8 grams. "The world's smallest Bündner Nusstorte," says Reto Schmid, not without pride. But in his "witches' kitchen," as he called it, other ideas are still maturing: An organic line and chocolate are to be added as further mainstays. Despite all the reservations of so-called industry experts, he is not deterred and is now also able to convince retailers of the merits of his products. "There are also people behind the orange giants with whom you can have good discussions," says Reto Schmid on the subject of "business relationships". Thanks to specialization in niches - "what we want, the corporations don't want, and what we can do, the very small ones can't" - he has been able to establish a modern business in the mountain village of Sedrun that fully meets today's standards.

Trust as an anti-bureaucracy measure

The feisty Zurich SP National Councilor Jacqueline Badran is an entrepreneur herself and may well have scored a few sympathy points with some (bourgeois) company representatives at SME Day 2022. As a parliamentarian, she is still pursuing the vision of launching an SME policy worthy of the name. Because she experiences it differently again and again: "SME interests do not appear in Federal Bern", at most in "Sunday speeches". With a great deal of detailed knowledge, she illustrated this fact with a number of examples, such as the fact that company owners have to pay full unemployment insurance contributions, but now, in the course of the lockdown measures during the Corona pandemic, suddenly receive no benefits. Again and again, she pointed to purely politically motivated intrigues in parliament and commissions. According to Jacqueline Badran, the culture of trust in the state is "going to the dogs". Yet trust is "the best anti-bureaucratic measure", and a culture of trust is a quality-assuring institution. Against this background, a paradigm shift in SME policy was necessary and she demanded that listed companies and SMEs should not simply be lumped together when it came to legislation.

Inspiring young companies at SME Day 2022

Young entrepreneur Stefanie Lopar showed how relationships can be elevated to a business model in the "Inspiration Session". Her dating platform "Meet&Match" aims to bring dating for singles with relationship intentions to a new level of quality. Her startup was one of three that pitched together for the audience's favor. Next to her, "Carvolution" presented itself with CEO Olivier Kofler, which is currently causing a sensation with its car subscription. And Anybotics, represented by Fredrik Isler, explained how robots, as "employees of the future", can ensure quality assurance and control in industrial plants. It was this ETH spinoff that came out on top in the live voting.

What will stick after the SME Day 2022? Certainly once again this: Such conferences continue to be an important part of cultivating relationships between companies. Best practice examples shown by seasoned entrepreneurs serve as inspiration, and young companies can certainly take away that courage and passion for an idea can pay off. And comedian Claudio Zuccholini proved that a pinch of humor does not hurt either with his sideswipes at new and old trends in private and business life.

The next Swiss SME Day will take place on October 27, 2023. Further information: www.kmu-tag.ch