Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to frame the guidelines for brand building for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and evaluate the role of the entrepreneur in the brand management process.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study comprising in-depth interviews of 20 Indian MSME entrepreneurs who had experience with brand-building was conducted. The entrepreneurs were probed regarding the brand management process and their role in the brand-building efforts in their organization. The guidelines that emerged from the study were compared and contrasted with those proposed in Krake’s model, and a new model for brand-building is proposed.

Findings

The improvised new model highlights the importance of “name of the brand”, “managing finance simultaneously” and “exit strategy” as important factors for the creation of a successful brand, amongst other factors revealed in extant literature. The interviews also reveal that an MSME headed by a passionate entrepreneur who accommodates professional expertise witnesses a greater chance of success.

Originality/value

In spite of the growing importance of SMEs, scant attention has been paid to the issue of branding in SMEs. This study contributes to the literature on branding and small business research by examining and advancing the brand-building guidelines developed by Krake. It further looks at the role of the entrepreneur in the entire process of brand building in the increasingly evolving Indian market.

中文翻译：

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品牌发展和企业家在小企业中的作用

目的

本文的目的是为微型、中小型企业 (MSME) 制定品牌建设指南，并评估企业家在品牌管理过程中的作用。

设计/方法/方法

一项定性研究包括对 20 位具有品牌建设经验的印度 MSME 企业家的深入访谈。企业家们接受了有关品牌管理过程及其在组织中品牌建设工作中的作用的调查。从研究中得出的指导方针与 Krake 模型中提出的指导方针进行了比较和对比，并提出了一种新的品牌建设模型。

发现

即兴的新模式强调了“品牌名称”、“同时管理财务”和“退出策略”作为创建成功品牌的重要因素的重要性，以及现有文献中揭示的其他因素。采访还显示，由具有专业知识的热情企业家领导的中小微企业成功的机会更大。

原创性/价值

尽管中小企业的重要性日益增加，但中小企业的品牌问题却很少受到关注。本研究通过检查和推进由 Krake 制定的品牌建设指南，为有关品牌建设和小企业研究的文献做出贡献。它进一步着眼于企业家在不断发展的印度市场中品牌建设的整个过程中的作用。