From homemaker to entrepreneur

THANKS to the Internet opening up opportunities to do business online, homemakers have an avenue to generate additional income, as the majority are already small-scale entrepreneurs with localised businesses.

That said, many lack formal training in sales or business operation management, with some wary of relying on technology and seeing digital transformation as a challenge, rather than a growth opportunity.

As Adara Venture founder Farajannah Othman can attest to, however, the right guidance from a suitable digital partner can make all the difference.

Her business, which sells kerepek – or chips – under the brand AdaraLicious, started off as a fun project to fill her spare time. With RM2,000 in capital, she initially produced and sold the crispy snacks to her neighbours and friends from the comfort of her own home.

“At the time, I was just ‘having fun’ using the skills of producing traditional food. I also wanted to help my husband by bringing in more income for the family, ” she shares.

Within a short span of time, she was able to build a loyal customer base and generate a steady monthly income to support the family. The budding entrepreneur, who founded AdaraLicious earlier this year, then ventured into online business via social platforms and other means to reach out to new customers.

Realising the need for proper guidance and support to digitally transform the business for growth, she took it upon herself to find such workshops and came across Digi’s MY Digital SME full-day hands-on workshop, which helps SMEs establish a digital footprint for their businesses.

She says, “My knowledge in digitalisation and in building an online business empire is limited and I was only aware of the common functions for online marketing. Hence, when I first heard about digitalisation, I felt it would be a costly investment, but I decided to give it a try anyway.”

After opening her business on social media, Farajannah decided to upskill her knowledge. She attended a workshop by Shopee and officially opened a Shopee business account. Her business grew, and she knew that it was important for her to follow digital trends to ensure business sustainability.

“When I heard about Digi’s MY Digital SME programme, I was compelled to join and see what other potentials I could discover. The programme has been insightful, especially for home-makers like me looking to make extra income. Digitalisation doesn’t have to be expensive, we just need to know the right resources as shown at the workshop by industry players such as Digi, Google, Avana Facebook Commerce, Rev Asia and Shopee.”

Farajannah is confident that she can leverage technology to further expand her business beyond the previous 50 to 100 monthly shipments nationwide. The goal is to achieve double-digit growth in revenue and customers by reaching out to the potential markets in neighbouring countries.

“For me, this goal may not be easily accomplished, but it is not impossible. With the knowledge I have gained, coupled with the further research I am conducting independently, I’m looking to explore the Asean market for my business. Who knows, when I’ve achieved this goal, I might even start looking at conquering the Asian continent next, ” she says.

MY Digital SME is a platform spearheaded by Digi, in collaboration with SME Corp, Mahir Digital Bersama Google, Avana Facebook Commerce, Rev Asia and Shopee.

Digi chief business officer Eugene Teh says that the telecommunications giant created MY Digital SME as it recognises the impact of SMEs in developing the country’s economy. In doing so, he believes digitalisation is the best way to achieve maximum impact.

“To stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape, digitalisation is essential as it unlocks a host of opportunities for growth. Digi is dedicated to being the personal, trusted partner for SMEs and we are committed in helping grow businesses, together with them, ” he says.

Each edition in the programme series is designed to be a full-day hands-on digitalisation workshop, where business owners and entrepreneurs can expect to create an online presence for their business upon completion.

About 1,000 local business owners and entrepreneurs have benefited from the workshops held in Ipoh, Perak; Kota Baru, Kelantan; Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and Kuching, Sarawak.

Through the workshops, SMEs are empowered to digitalise their businesses, further fostering SME digital growth by also enabling entry into an ecosystem of digital solutions that are cost efficient and scalable to meet different business needs.

Source: TheStar