KUALA LUMPUR: THE Covid-19 pandemic has been challenging to many people and women entrepreneurs. Those who own micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) are not spared as it and the Movement Control Order (MCO) have impacted their businesses severely.
Nurhidayah Hairom, who is the owner of the Cadbreo Enterprise snack food company, said that since the MCO's implementation on March 18 last year, which prohibited interstate travel during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, her orders and income dropped tremendously.
Her company's sole product is Cadbreo Crunch, cornflakes coated in premium chocolate. It was initially marketed only during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. She had just turned it into a full-time business when the pandemic struck.
"Having been closed for almost two months, I was facing cash flow challenges. It was a tough time, especially during the first four months of the MCO.
"It was understandable that the demand for my product went down due to the decreasing income of my customers as they had to be more prudent with their spending."
She said the one-off Prihatin Special Grant (GKP 1.0) of RM3,000 had kept her business afloat. She used the money to replenish ingredients and purchase equipment to ease the process of making Cadbreo Crunch.
"I'm grateful for the assistance. Otherwise, I might have to rely on my savings heavily to keep my business afloat.
"I hope the government will continue helping small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). Otherwise, many of us will have to shut down for good."
Under GKP 1.0, more than 545,000 MSMEs have received financial assistance totalling RM1.63 billion.
Moving forward, Nurhidayah said she planned to expand her business by coming up with new products, hiring more assistants and buying larger mixing machines.
"I'm thinking of coming up with strawberry-flavoured Cadbreo Crunch using white chocolate. I'm considering buying a larger mixer as the current mixing process is manual, which is time-consuming.
"I'm also looking at targeting more consumers by having more agents," she said, adding that other than the Klang Valley, her product was also available in Melaka and Johor.
Nurhidayah said she was thinking about whether to get the Pemerkasa-Nita Micro Financing Scheme financial aid to help her with her business.
There are several initiatives under Pemerkasa to support women entrepreneurs. Among them is RM50 million under the Pemerkasa-Nita Micro Financing Scheme, provided by Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) to encourage women to venture into business.
Under the scheme, BSN will offer loans of up to RM50,000 at a three per cent interest rate, with a loan tenure of up to 5.5 years, including a moratorium of six months on monthly instalments.
"With the attractive rate, it can help to expand my business," said Nurhidayah, who received an additional RM1,000 under GKP Plus.
Also announced by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government were RM30 million for SMEs, the Micro SME e-Commerce Campaign, and the Shop Malaysia Online programme aimed at providing greater opportunities for women entrepreneurs to access online markets and expand their businesses, along with an allocation of RM10 million through a 70 per cent matching fund for women entrepreneurs and self-employed women to subscribe to the Social Security Organisation's Self-Employed Social Security Scheme.
Meanwhile, cookies and pineapple tart maker Normah Baba said the pandemic had forced her to adopt digitalisation to ensure the survival of her business.
The 60-year-old GKP 1.0 recipient said her business previously relied on kiosks and word of mouth to market the products.
"Due to the MCO, we started promoting on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
"It was hard at first, as I'm not tech-savvy, but with the help of my son, we expanded our business online," she said, adding that to her surprise, she received a good response.
Normah's cookies and tarts, under the brand name Carleed, are also available on Maybank SamaSama Lokal and AirAsia's e-commerce marketspace, Fresh.
During the MCO, Normah had attended online classes and seminars held by agencies under the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry that focused on assisting SMEs to go digital.
She said the recent announcement of the Pemerkasa initiatives by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would encourage more SMEs to adopt digitalisation and encourage online purchasing by the public.
"I believe that small businesses can no longer rely on conventional business models to survive. SMEs must adapt to new measures.
"The only way to survive this testing time is to step out of our comfort zone and be brave."
Normah said although things were not as good as before the pandemic, her business was recovering, albeit slowly.
"Furthermore, we will welcome the month of Ramadan in a few days and then Hari Raya Aidilfitri. So there will be more orders.
"It's a slow start, but I have many things to be grateful for in life. I'm thankful for the assistance extended by the PN government to small businesses so that we can continue to operate during the MCO and beyond."
"The government is aware that entrepreneurs are facing financial problems due to the pandemic. The assistance given so far, be it monetary or through courses, has helped to improve our business and allow us to operate as usual."
Normah said when the pandemic hit, she was into the second year of operating from a rented premises, which turned into a "small factory" to produce cookies and tarts.
The RM3,000 one-off payment under GKP1.0 and an additional RM1,000 under GKP Plus had allowed her to replenish her baking ingredients and generate cash.
"The amount might not be that big compared with the loss of income for many entrepreneurs, but it was a good start, and I'm thankful for it.
"Furthermore, with the ongoing vaccination programme, I believe that InsyaAllah (God willing), the situation will be getting better for SME entrepreneurs. Hopefully, the market will recover fast.
"We (entrepreneurs) need to remain positive, as the ups and downs in business are inevitable, and adapt to life under the new normal."