When it comes to growth for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a robust business strategy can be the difference between success and failure. Business strategies are critical for SMEs that want to survive the ups and downs of the business world. Most SMEs will develop their own strategies. However, there is a platform purposefully built to ensure SMEs create comprehensive business strategies, Flowcode.
At the 2025 SME Funding Summit, Flowcode spoke on the importance of providing SMEs with a platform that enables them to build their companies from the ground up while leveraging digital platforms.
“We are here to help SMEs and entrepreneurs alike develop their business strategies. We give them a business coach and software that they can use to actually build their strategy, develop their strategy and help scale their business,” said Johnathan Ducie, Sales Lead at Flowcode.
What is a Business Strategy?
A business strategy is a roadmap that guides an organisation’s decisions, actions, and resource allocation to achieve its vision and mission. Key elements of a business strategy are:
- Mission: A concise statement that defines the company’s purpose and core values.
- Vision: A forward-looking statement outlining the company’s aspirations and desired future state.
- Values: Principles that define how the company operates and interacts with its stakeholders and form the foundation of the company’s culture.
- Goals: Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that the company aims to achieve within a certain time period.
- Competitive Advantage: Unique qualities or capabilities that distinguish your company from competitors.
What is Flowcode?
The Flowcode platform enables SMEs to create comprehensive business strategies. The platform uses a combination of advanced strategy tools with effective execution management to enable scaling with ease.
Some key features of the platform include:
- Develop Business Strategies: Flowcode’s modular platform empowers SMEs to create business strategies effortlessly.
- Team Collaboration: Flowcode enables a connected workforce by integrating external calendars, file sharing, and engagement tracking.
- Real-time Insights: Monitor progress with analytics and reports for better decision-making.
- Tailored Support: Flowcode offers each customer a trained business coach/consultant to help SMEs build and execute their business strategy.
How Flowcode Helps SMEs Unlock Funding
For many SMEs in South Africa, access to funding is a challenge. Some SMEs do not have the ‘data’ to highlight business growth and financial status, which can make demonstrating business viability an issue for them and their potential funders.
By leveraging Flowcode, SMEs have the opportunity to show growth through a digital platform. Because Flowcode monitors business growth and performance, funders can use this data to monitor how the business is performing and develop more tailored funding vehicles for SMEs.
“Where Flowcode can step in is to actually show you how to build a business, to actually grow your business, to make your business scalable. Then you can take that whole model and show somebody who’s a funder to go look at what you’ve built and look at what I’m doing from one source,” Ducie said.
For SMEs, a platform like Flowcode is not only there as an ‘ideas machine’, but also a comprehensive business development platform aimed at helping founders become more strategic thinkers, scale their businesses and navigate the tricky parts of owning a business.
“SMEs need to know that Flowcode is there to calm the chaos. We calm all the chaos for entrepreneurship, and we are for the entrepreneur,” Ducie explained.
Businesses Suited for Flowcode
The types of businesses that need a platform like Flowcode include:
1. Ready to Scale
Flowcode is ideal for businesses on the verge of growth that are looking for a platform that provides a clear roadmap to effectively and sustainably scale.
2. High-growth Companies
The platform is ideal for SMEs that are navigating a period of rapid growth. Flowcode ensures that strategic alignment and efficiency in execution are managed to maintain momentum.
3. Businesses in Turbulence
Flowcode not only helps businesses experiencing growth and success, but also those facing challenges. The platform provides proven strategies to help organisations break free from the ‘growth-collapse’ cycle and ensure they stabilise and thrive.
“We are looking to help the businesses that have an idea, and they’ve been running their business, but still need structure. Also, we want to help those struggling with operational challenges. We provide a business coach who can help them navigate any tough times,” Ducie concluded.
