KUALA LUMPUR: Youths who ventured into businesses must be prepared to adapt and change in line with the current development if they want to succeed in the business world, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
He said they should be wise in strategising their businesses.
“When we talk about business, we should not accept something as given without seeing how we can do it or tailored it to the present as well as future requirements,” he said when launching the 1Malaysia Young Entrepreneurs- Perbadanan Nasional Berhad franchise programme, here yesterday.
Citing two retailers in Kerdau, Pahang, whom he said had shown remarkable progress after taking part in the retail transformation project known as ‘Tukar’ – a project under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) – Najib said, it showed that if businesses dared to change, they would reap successes.
“Previously, the shop was in unkempt state, brooms were hanging at the front. Imagined if we were the clients who wanted to shop there but the first thing we saw were the brooms, that would be a big turn off,” he said.
“But that was then. After the shop took part in the ‘Tukar’ programme, everything is now arranged neatly.
The shop is now clean and slightly more expensive items are displayed in secure display racks to prevent theft,” he said, adding that the transformation allowed the shop to increase its turnover by 100 per cent.
“This goes to show that if we are willing to adapt and change, there will be success,” he said.
The prime minister also called on the youths to change the motto “Youth is about the future” to “Youth is not only about the future, it is about today” in line with the change taking place in today’s environment.
Najib said the government had implemented numerous programmes which reflected its commitment to fulfil the hopes and aspirations among the youths.
From these programmes, he said, the government hoped to create youths with high leadership capabilities, having the courage to take up challenges, well-mannered, savvy in time management and able to assist in stimulating the country’s economy.
He also said that youths in the country were fortunate because the government provided them with vast opportunities to venture into businesses, including in the franchise sector.
He added that through the franchise programme, the government provided loans ranging from RM50,000 to RM2 million to help them succeed.
“There are risks but if we take calculated risks, and with the help of the government, I believe that our youths can succeed, including those who are just starting out,” said Najib, adding that he hoped to see more Malaysian youths carving a niche for themselves in the business world. — Bernama