SMEs, MSMEs, MSEs and even SMBs or small businesses are the common terms you may have come across in news and articles discussing their challenges and growth opportunities

SMEs, MSMEs, MSEs and even SMBs or small businesses are the common terms you may have come across in news and articles discussing their challenges and growth opportunities

Aug 23, 2023

Girish Khurana

While they all may sound similar, do you think their meanings are also the same?

No, they are not exactly the same. The difference lies in the focus on micro and small enterprises

For instance, SMEs are small and medium enterprises while MSMEs include micro, small and medium enterprises

On the other hand, MSEs are micro and small enterprises while small business is a broader term to define MSMEs

Ideally, only SMBs, which mean small and medium businesses, can be interchangeably used with SMEs

Particularly for MSEs, there are dedicated govt schemes such as Mudra loans and CGTMSE

Micro enterprises are those with investment in plant and machinery or equipment less than Rs 1 crore and turnover under Rs 5 crore

For small enterprises, the limit is up to Rs 10 crore and Rs 50 crore respectively and for medium enterprises, the limit is under Rs 50 crore and Rs 250 crore respectively

Image: Pixabay, Pexels

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