IN an earlier article, customs broker and business consultant Jesse Aaron Felicitas spelled out the idea of successfully doing business through promoting what he calls the ‘5Gs of business: Goal, Go, Grind, Grow and Glow.
He says entrepreneurs often overcomplicate growth when the real issue is execution discipline and the framework is focused on movement—how businesses start, sustain effort and scale.
However, he cautions that movement alone is no longer enough because today’s environment in the small and medium enterprise sector is faster, less predictable and more compressed even as decisions that once took months now take only weeks and trends that lasted years now shift in quarters.
“In this setting, execution must be matched with responsiveness. And so, this is where a second layer of thinking becomes necessary,” Felicitas cited.
“If the 5Gs describe the energy of growth, the next challenge is how businesses survive constant change. This is where I introduce the 4As of SME Growth: Adaptability, Accessibility, Automation and Accountability,” he added.
Accordingly, the well-known business consultant claims that this builds on the same foundation in business and at the same time responds to a more volatile environment.
“This is not a replacement of the 5Gs but its extension in practice. The first A is adaptability the second accessibility, the third automation and lastly, accountability,” he disclosed.
Regarding adaptability, Felicitas notes that most SMEs do not fail because of lack of effort, but because they remain tied to models that no longer fit the market.
“What once worked becomes a weakness when conditions shift. Large firms often struggle due to structure while SMEs have the advantage of proximity. They sense change earlier and can respond faster. However, this advantage is not automatic. Many still prioritize consistency over adjustment, and in today’s environment, delay in adaptation is no longer caution but misalignment. Adaptability is no longer an advantage; it is a requirement for survival,” he pointed out.
In the second A, Felicitas stressed that access to capital remains important but is no longer the main constraint: “SMEs today also need access to markets, technology, data and digital systems that now shape competition. The digital economy has removed many traditional barriers, allowing small businesses to reach national customers without physical expansion and to use tools once limited to large firms.”
To add, he stressed that the issue today is no longer about access but use because in many cases, SMEs are not excluded from opportunity but they simply underutilize what is already available to them.
“Economic freedom, in practical terms, depends not just on access but on participation.”
In automation, while this is often seen as a corporate tool, it has now become an essential for SMEs as simple systems reduce time spent on billing, inventory management, customer handling and reporting, with the goal not of complexity but clarity.
“When repetitive work is reduced, decision-making improves, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on customers, strategy and direction rather than daily execution. But automation does not guarantee efficiency. It exposes systems. Weak processes become more visible, not less, and technology ultimately amplifies structure rather than replacing discipline,” the veteran customs broker explained.
Finally, the fourth A of accountability refers to where mist businesses begin to weaken as they grow. Accountability, Felicitas reminds, iis not just compliance or reporting but is the discipline of making decisions based on real data rather than assumption.
“Cash flow clarity, performance tracking and consistent review are essential for survival. In earlier work on borrowing, I emphasized that debt is not inherently negative but becomes risky when financial discipline is absent. The same principle applies here: growth without accountability creates fragility. Beyond finance, SMEs are also accountable to customers, employees, suppliers and communitiesand as businesses grow, so does this responsibility,” he highlighted.
In ending, Felicitas underscored that taken together, the 4As provide a practical lens for understanding SME performance today.
