Don't be afraid to become entrepreneurs - Ahmad Maslan

Malaysians must not be afraid to become entrepreneurs and apply for grants provided by the government via SME Bank.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Datuk Ahmad Maslan, said according to a study on developed countries, it was found that most of their people comprised entrepreneurs.

"Starting next year, MITI will sponsor more courses on online business.

"For those holding permanent jobs but keen to participate in the courses, it's not a problem if the courses are held at night or on weekends as they would not affect their jobs," he told a media briefing during his site visit at Systematic Aviation Services Sdn Bhd's (SAS) base here today.

He said on top of a full-time job, the people could consider doing an online business given its huge potential, with increasing range of goods and services such as selling clothes and shoes as well as food delivery.

Ahmad said in the developed countries, it was not unusual for a person to have more than one job.

He said SAS Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Ismail Asha'ari, a successful entrepreneur, should be commanded for his persistence in business.

"SAS' first office was renovated from a toilet at the Department of Civil Aviation's office in the early 90s, and now they already have three hangars and almost 100 workers," he said.

SAS is one of the many companies featured in SME Bank's "Your Success Our Story" campaign, whereby it first approached SME Bank in 2007 and to-date, its loan from the bank amounted to RM30 million.

The SME Bank funds include the Young Entrepreneur Fund with approval value of RM38.9 million as at Oct 2015, Tabung Usahawan Siswazah (RM214.4 million) and SME-Go (RM21 million).