Important Tips to Starting a Business in Malaysia?

Plan on starting a business in Malaysia?
Get in touch with us to learn more:

If you are a FOREIGNER read this article instead:
– Guide to help foreigner start a business in Malaysia –

Important Tips to Starting a Business

So you decide to take the plunge, ditch your day job, and become a business owner. Not all business are meant to succeed, but chances of success can be improved significantly if the right foundation is set. Here are some tips when starting a business in Malaysia.

Tip 1: Create a Business Plan

It is important to have a business plan. A business plan is the foundational brick of a business. It will help to clearly set out ideas and how to execute said ideas. This is the best time to thrash out ideas with other business owners or mentors. Do the research, study similar businesses and observe potential competitors.

Here are some important question to ask:
(a) Who will buy this product or services?
(b) How can I make my product or services unique?
(c) Who is my competitor and how can I do better?

Useful content:

Personal Favourite – Blue Ocean Strategy
The Complete Business Plan Course (Includes 50 Templates)
7 Steps to a Perfectly Written Business Plan
How to Write a Business Plan

Important Tips: Always be mindful of personal expenditure. A good place to start is to ask the following question \”How to generate business income to at least cover my monthly expenditure?\”

Tip 2: Register a Business in Malaysia

Useful content: 3 Types of Business Entity in Malaysia – Pros & Cons

Registering a business will allow the owner to set up a separate bank account for the business. For the purpose of TAX FILING, it is important to keep track of personal and business income/expenses. A business that does NOT pay tax is destined to fail.

Having a separate bank account is also important for when you want to apply for bank loans, government grant or accepting investor funds.

We always get clients saying \”I want to build an app for {insert utility}\” to which we always respond \”What if after spending all the money to build said app and no one wants to use it?\”. We are not saying don\’t build an app, we are saying test the business model first and determine if a mobile application is the best way to engage your customer.
Fareez Shah – Managing Partner of Fareez Shah & Partners

Tip 3: Start Selling

Start looking for potential customers:
(1) Join networking event
(2) Join networking group – (Contact us for a recommendation)
(3) Tell family and friends about your target customer. Teach them how to refer a prospective customer to you

Before you know it – you are already selling to 10 customers and then you will have that moment where you can say \”I am actually running a business\”.

Feel Free to drop us your contact information and tell us what you need. We will do our best to help you get your business started.