In the central business districts of Accra, Tamale, Takoradi, Kumasi and other regional capitals of Ghana, start-ups as well as established Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are springing up rapidly to serve the needs of the market.

This will result in strong competition among businesses, and only those who are committed to making a difference in a customer’s life, and are willing to put in what is required, will have a big shot at achieving success.

It is a fact that SMEs play a major role in spurring economic development in any economy. Right here in Ghana, SMEs contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This makes them the backbone of the country’s economic and social development.

For the value SMEs bring to the economy, it is important to create an enabling environment to help them thrive.

While the government makes the necessary efforts to help start-ups and established SME’s to succeed, it is the responsibility of these businesses to position themselves strategically so that their offerings (products/services) can be accessed easily by customers.

This will help attract and retain customers, drive business growth and ultimately sustain profitability.

This is where the resourcefulness of the internet as a communication channel comes in handy. The internet presents SMEs invaluable opportunities to transform their businesses, remain competitive and become profitable.

Let’s look at why the internet is such a powerful tool and the value it brings to start-ups and SMEs to meet customers’ needs. In a data-driven world, businesses need to have a strong sense of their customers’ online behaviours to understand their needs and devise ways of satisfying them.

Owing to the availability of the internet, a customer could be exposed to many brands with just a simple click or touch of a button. Today’s customer has become used to convenience and immediacy - they want to skip the queue by ordering their favourite meal or pizza online, have their batakari delivered to them overnight and be able to pay for them in a simple and a safe manner without wahala (hassle).

The Internet offers start-ups and SMEs a valuable opportunity to showcase their offerings. Whether it’s a portfolio or testimonials from clients on a website or a photo album of your latest product on Facebook or Instagram, it has never been easier to let the world know what any business can offer.

However, the cost of internet services can be high for start-ups and SMEs with limited financial resources. Once upon a time, only the big businesses with deep pockets could afford the latest technology to drive the growth of their businesses.

Thankfully, it is now easier for start-ups and SMEs to introduce technology into their operations with ‘Flexi Business’ from AirtelTigo Business. ‘Flexi Business’ is a tailor-made mobile solution for start-ups and SMEs to meet their specific telecommunication need to grow and be profitable.

With a tight budget, start-ups and SMEs can get 40% more data than anywhere in the market. In addition to this, the data volume on the ‘Flexi Business’ packages does not expire.

What does this mean? It means, if an SME purchases a Flexi Business Package, they can consume their data volume at their own convenience without it being restricted to a daily, weekly or monthly time limit.

Data on AirtelTigo simply does not expire – you do not lose it if you do not use it. Also, the great thing about ‘Flexi Business’ is that start-ups and SMEs can customize their package based on their needs.

As a start-up or SME, you need a reliable solutions partner at every stage of your business to meet your specific needs to grow and be profitable. That reliable solutions partner is AirtelTigo Business.

With growing digitisation, AirtelTigo is aiding the development of start-ups and SMEs to stay competitive, more agile, efficient, innovative and evolve with the changing times, thanks to connectivity solutions that are available and activated in quick time and are highly reliable per business requirements.