Empowering Small Businesses: Lessons from the Google India SMB Summit

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# Empowering Small Businesses: Lessons from the Google India SMB Summit

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of India's economy. At the Google India SMB Summit 2024, I had the opportunity to see firsthand how technology is transforming the way these businesses operate, grow, and compete.

Demoing our web console at the booth and connecting directly with merchants was one of the most rewarding experiences—hearing their challenges, understanding their needs, and seeing how our solutions can make a real difference.

Why SMBs Matter

India's SMB ecosystem is massive and diverse. From neighborhood stores to growing e-commerce sellers, these businesses employ millions and drive local economies. Yet many still struggle with:

Digital Adoption: Moving from offline to online operations

Payment Infrastructure: Accessing reliable, seamless payment solutions

Visibility: Getting discovered by customers in a crowded digital marketplace Technology has the power to level the playing field, giving small businesses access to tools that were once available only to large enterprises.

Building Products for Real Users

There's something uniquely valuable about stepping out of the office and meeting the people who actually use your product. At the summit, conversations with merchants revealed insights that no amount of data analysis could provide:

Simplicity Wins: Busy business owners need solutions that work without a learning curve

Trust is Everything: Reliability and transparency matter more than flashy features

Local Context Matters: Solutions must adapt to India's unique business landscape

The Road Ahead

Supporting SMBs isn't just good business—it's meaningful work. Every improvement in payments, every feature that saves a merchant time, every tool that helps a small business grow represents real impact in real lives.

The SMB Summit reinforced my belief that the best products come from staying close to users, understanding their world, and building with empathy.

The opportunity to learn, network, and contribute to this vibrant community continues to inspire the work we do every day.

The Power of Lifelong Learning: Connecting Through Culture and Community

Shreya skipped presentations and built real AI products.

Shreya Doreswamy was part of the August 2025 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 15 other talented participants.