The Get’em In Business (GIB) Helping Hands campaign is an initiative in Malaysia to give back to the community by helping small business owners not only in Malaysia but also on a global scale. Catering to the needs of small business owners and the community, GIB has employees around the globe that help make opportunities accessible to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The purpose of this campaign is to build small scale businesses from the ground up by educating them on how to improve their businesses, offering access to capital and market strategies and advice, as well as improving networking among small businesses as a whole which also aids in their growth.
GIB Founder and CEO Dr Joel McMurphy explained why this campaign is important: “We strongly believe and have a need to improve the small business market in Malaysia as well as give back to the community at large. We train the small business communities on how to succeed, grow and elevate the community and others around them. We also believe in spreading and sharing knowledge for the improvement of everyone and the easiest way to create such opportunities is by giving back, serving and investing our efforts into the community.”
HOW GIB’S HELPING HANDS CAMPAIGN GIVES MALAYSIAN SMES A BOOST
The aim of GIB’s Helping Hands programme is to build small business owners in Malaysia by providing them with the knowledge and skills fit to better run their businesses. We train the small business community and assist them in the management of their businesses as well as their leadership roles as business owners.
This year, we chose to run the programme in January by holding a seminar each and every weekend of the month. These seminars were designed to be highly interactive with the business owners in order to have a one-on-one relationship and understand their businesses. The seminars were held in Kuala Lumpur with a group of 50 businesses from all over Malaysia. Each of these seminars had our representatives from GIB’s Singapore and Malaysia offices interact with the small business owners to learn more about their businesses to learn how they could improve their businesses in order to grow and thrive in the future.
Aside from sessions by GIB Review analysts and experts, other facilitators from the local business world dialled in for remote sessions. The programme consisted of skills training in business operations, getting access to capital, sales and marketing, digital integration, and business development for the businesses in question. Throughout the month-long programme, we were able to get feedback after a week of the business owners using our strategies and implementing our advice.
MALAYSIAN GIB BUSINESS SEMINARS GENERATES POSITIVE FEEDBACK
The seminars began with GIB Malaysia Review trainers sitting with the small business owners and gathering information about their individual business goals. Then, GIB staff would consult other GIB Singapore teams who would then help develop plans and strategies that would be sent back to the business owners. The aim of this was to target the issues these businesses faced, propose solutions and get feedback from the business owners on the effectiveness of those proposed solutions. Plans and strategies would therefore be implemented by the owners during the week and on the weekends when the seminar was held they would give us feedback on how the strategy changed the small business community for the better.
The response to our programme was overwhelmingly positive. We decided to let you hear from the participants themselves:
Rajesh Ganesan, online grocery shop owner:
“The digital technology used and the one-on-one sessions and strategy development plans have made my business thrive in so many ways.
On the last day of the seminar, we presented a progressive report to show how these strategies have improved and contributed to the growth of our businesses and investments. The technology made it easier for people to know about my business, access it easily and therefore bring more income and consumers my way. The seminars were very informative and we not only learnt a lot about how to grow our businesses but also learnt to support and build each other through team building activities and games that were set up. The activities made it easier to see different points of view and was healthy to accommodate growth and improvement.I am completely happy and excited for the next seminars to come. Life has been made so much easier and for that, I will forever be grateful and indebted to GIB lah!”
Chan Wai Ling, online delivery service:
“Initially when I started my delivery business, it was not easy because I had to walk to every shop and ask them if they could partner with me. GIB’s campaign really changed my life. By the click of a finger now, I’m able to partner up with other small businesses and deliver products and goods to their specified consumers. This would definitely not have been possible without GIB. Changed everything very much for the better. Now, I have so many partnerships, money is flowing and I can also invest it and grow myself and my family not only the business. Before the programme I never thought about opening branches of my business and making delivery easier in different locations. In just four weeks my whole business and mindset completely changed and now I have the capital to expand my business and invest in myself. This new digital technology is very good. I would tell everyone with a small business to use it because it is very beneficial for the business. I am a living proof. Quite happy I can also connect with other small businesses in our community and build each other.”
Chun Li Yao, online launderette services:
“I am extremely happy that GIB’s seminars have now been introduced in Malaysia. This campaign has definitely helped in the growth of my business and myself as an individual. Before the GIB campaign, I was unable to get as much clientele as I am getting now.
In just four weeks we have been taught new development plans that can aid the growth of our businesses, how to partner up within the digital platform and share clientele as well as how to invest the money into our businesses and ourselves. Right now, my launderette is able to access anyone with laundry needs in Kuala Lumpur by just the click of a button. They are also able to send their clothes using the delivery services we have partnered up with making it both easier and convenient for not only the consumers but for my business as well. Our current business is located in Kuala Lumpur however I’m looking forward to learning a lot more through the GIB seminars and opening up other branches around Malaysia.”
Fatimah Koothra, online boutique business owner:
“Overwhelmed with joy and excitement for the new and coming experiences with the GIB Helping Hands campaign. When I moved from Australia, my physical business was terrible and I had to move back to my hometown in Sabah. The programme’s sessions and the guidance in digital technology has not only made my business thrive, but I am now able to run a physical and online shop in my hometown in Sabah. The growth of my business has enabled me to invest in opportunities that serve me, my business and my family. I definitely am looking forward to gaining more access and business development strategies from the future seminars that are to be held. The only downside is that I have to travel to Kuala Lumpur to attend these seminars but that is not really a downside because I get to network and grow my business. I sent a request on the last day of the seminar and asked them to make the seminars available everywhere in Malaysia and not only KL. I know that GIB will take it into consideration because they actually care about the small business community and our well-being.”
GIB Review is proud of the campaign’s success in Malaysia. “We are forever grateful and appreciative towards the small business community in Malaysia for taking a leap of faith and believing in our campaign and strategies that have been a learning experience and level of growth for their businesses. We continue to admire the commitment and hardworking spirit of the community,” said GIB CEO Joel McMurphy.
Due to overwhelming response and positive feedback, the GIB Malaysia team has decided to hold more programmes in other locations in the country. With the progress made so far, the GIB Singapore team is also confident of holding similar programmes and expanding access to their expertise and knowledge to others in the region. We know that there is a definite need we can serve among small business communities and are committed to continue providing more and doing better. Stay tuned for the next one!
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