First Sabah “Sembang Sembang” Session

Panelists and moderator for the first Sembang Sembang in Sabah.

On March 26, 60 businesswomen and others interested in starting a business participated in the first “Sembang Sembang” session to take place in the East Malaysian state of Sabah.  Celebrating its second year, Sembang Sembang has expanded to East Malaysia for the first time.  Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (SWEPA) partnered with the U.S. Embassy and Warisan Global to organize this session.  Hanaa Wong, Vice President of SWEPA moderated the program which featured a panel of four distinguished businesswomen and entrepreneurs: Datuk Nancy Ho, owner of Grace Healthcare, Joy Pharmacy; Datin Rahimah Quadra, owner of Sunshine Kindergarten; Ms. Beh Soo Lang, General Manager at IFCA Consulting; and Ms. Natasha Brand Palencia of Jen’s Homekitchen and Brabons Entertainment.  The event was updated live on GEW Malaysia Twitter, GEW Malaysia Facebook, and Sembang-Sembang Facebook.

The panelists offered advice from personal experience to the crowd of enthusiastic entrepreneurs stressing that entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, however understanding the risks and challenges can help one to get past them and to learn from them.  Human capital is the biggest and most important asset of an entrepreneur.  Sunshine Kindergarten was born out of Datin Quadra’s passion for teaching young children.  She started from scratch and was able to turn her passion into a successful business.  She advised the group, “Don’t dwell on difficulties, they are what you signed up for.  Buckle-up and beat the odds.” Ms. Beh stressed understanding the customer’s needs and hiring the best people because they will be the ambassadors for your products or services.  Ms. Palencia, a Sabah native, challenged the participants to always be prepared and alert for opportunities because an entrepreneur must never be complacent about her business. 

The group engaged in a lively question and answer session and some enthusiastic networking before the workshop came to a reluctant end.  The next Sembang Sembang will be in Penang on April 30.