Perbadanan Nasional aims to develop more franchise entrepreneurs

Source From (Business Times): http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/SME28/Article/index_html

Published: on 28 May 2012
By Cheryl Yvonne Achu

KUALA LUMPUR: Some people are contemplating making it out on their own, whether forced by uncertainty in economy, unpredictable career prospects or constantly being frustrated with the job market.


For some, entrepreneurship is the best option to build wealth and do something that one loves without answering to somebody else.

"There is nothing like having your own business and enjoying the rewards that go along with it," said Perbadanan Nasional Bhd (PNS) managing director Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Zainal Khodki Shahabudin.

He added, "When you think about an entrepreneur, you most likely picture a person who is extremely busy and always on the go."

However, Syed Kamarulzaman said entrepreneurship does not mean one has to be a slave to work. Rather, one has to be a good manager of how to use one's time wisely and efficiently.

"Being an entrepreneur means your actions and efforts dictate the potential outcome of your journey," he said in an interview with Business Times recently.

Entrepreneurs are important for the country's economic growth and according to Syed Kamarulzaman, schools and universities should do more to encourage entrepreneurship among the young people.

"We have people with potential in our own country and I think more needs to be done at an earlier stage to nurture new business talent in the education system.

"We need to help young people to become more employable and develop practical skills that can make a difference between a slide into benefit dependency and a ladder to economic opportunity," he said.

Syed Kamarulzaman said PNS aims to develop more franchise entrepreneurs to drive the growth of the country's franchise industry.

"One of the main objectives of PNS is to develop local products and market them abroad," he said, adding that through franchise, small and medium entrepreneurs will have a wider reach of their products and customer base as well as penetrate international markets.

To propel the local franchise business to a higher level and encourage more SMEs into the business, PNS has introduced a scheme called micro franchise.

"Through micro franchise, SMEs can venture into any kind of franchise business with a minimum capital outlay of about RM50,000 and they need not have a wide business experience," Syed Kamarulzaman said.

Under this scheme, the established franchise players are required to come out with smaller and affordable franchise concepts like the kiosk concept to encourage people to participate in the business. Prospective franchisees can enjoy a low interest rate of three per cent for loans.

"This will also encourage local franchise businesses to expand their wings abroad and benefit the country in terms of inflow of funds from royalties received," he said.

Currently, there are 48 franchise brands under this scheme. Among them are Sugarbun, Nelson's and Marrybrown Fried Chicken.