ANYONE can have all the requisite tools to start a business, but without the courage to take that first proverbial step, all these counts for nothing.

This was highlighted by the Fiji Development Bank (FDB) chairman Bob Lyon at the FDB Small and Medium Awards night at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva last night.

“Starting a business takes courage! Courage is often defined as the ability to confront uncertainty,” Mr Lyon said in his opening address.

“When I first learnt of the theme for this year’s Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Awards “Courage, the sure step to success”, I realised how true this was and how often we forget that courage is an important tool for any entrepreneur.”

Since the inception of the Small Business Awards in 2004 and later relaunched as the SME awards in 2014, it has been about rewarding courageous entrepreneurs who thrived against insurmountable odds.

“SMEs are a powerful force for lifting people out of poverty, making them more self-sufficient and giving them a sense of purpose and fulfilment,” Mr Lyon said.

“In Fiji, micro, small and medium sector contributes $800million to our economy which is around 12 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product.”

Mr Lyon said there were more than 4200 registered micro, small and medium enterprises in Fiji.

As a development financier, he said, they understood the difficulty SMEs face with limited working capital and lack of collateral to secure loans.

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Awards in the Tourism Category.