KUALA LUMPUR: INNOVATIVE and creative Malaysians once employed in corporations have turned to upskilling to make ends meet amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO).
The pandemic struck a blow to businesses and industries when the MCO took effect in March. Many small businesses were forced to shut down and some large companies had to lay off employees to stay sustainable.
Malik Ridhwan Zaihan, a former corporate communications senior executive at AirAsia Group Communications, was retrenched in June in the company's bid to downsize operations.
"I was initially disappointed, but I had plenty of support from family and friends. This motivated me to get back on my feet."
He said he ventured into the food and beverage industry, offering takeaway lunch box catering — selling butter chicken rice, tom yam chicken rice and chicken curry rice — with no prior experience with his housemates.
He said he was applying for jobs and attending interviews to get jobs that offer stability and security, such as in the field of technology, information technology or artificial intelligence.
"It (catering) is something new I just thought of trying.
"My parents were surprised since I would not usually be seen in an apron cooking up a meal in the kitchen. I'm usually the one doing the dishes.
"But thanks to my housemates, who are excellent cooks, and after watching many YouTube cooking videos and getting feedback on how to improvise recipes from my family and friends, I decided it was time to market the food."
He said many of his friends who were retrenched or had their salary reduced because of shorter working hours (like cabin crewmembers and pilots) got into home-based businesses, such as selling food and desserts, even at pasar malam, or became delivery riders to support their family.
"I thought why not I do the same? It is a competitive business, but everyone has different tastes and styles of cooking.
"I started with six orders and on the second day, I received more than 30 orders.
"It is an exciting time to do this. It's unexpected, but I'm happy and proud to do this.
"We must be brave to try new things, not be afraid of receiving criticism. It is not the time to be choosy to make ends meet."
Photographer Mohamad Hafiz Johari, 35, who lost his job after 14 years in the industry, turned to his hobby of craftsmanship, which developed into a successful business just two months after it was established on May 29.
Hafiz founded Kawood with Nooradzrene Mohd Noor, 40, and Abdul Razak Latif, 35.
Kawood produces pinewood products, from racks to plant pots.
Hafiz, a father of two, said Kawood started when his wife wanted a customised rack to display their house plants. A picture of the rack uploaded on Facebook garnered a lot of responses.
"We lost our jobs suddenly and we applied to various places while working as e-hailing drivers and runners. Never once did it cross my mind to become a carpenter when I had a full-time job.
"I enjoy working with wood, but I do not have professional training or certification.
"It is something I picked up along the way.
"Business boomed and I had to get help from former colleagues who were looking for jobs.
"From 10 orders, we now receive more than 400 orders per month.
"We opened a small workshop in Pantai Dalam and registered the business.
"We employed three people and are looking forward to employing more Malaysians as the business grows."
Hafiz said he aimed to own a factory to expand his business nationwide and was looking to enhance the company's carpentry skills.
Traditional dessert seller Noor Aziah Abdul Rakeb, 39, from Bandar Baru Sentul, became the sole breadwinner of the family when her husband was forced to return his taxi as they could not afford to pay rent when the MCO began.
The mother of five said she had to dig into her savings during the MCO as customers cancelled large orders.
"I could no longer run my business and we were eating into our savings.
"I started a WhatsApp group with regular customers and business has been picking up since then.
"My husband is helping me out, but also looking for a stable income.
"Before this, making kuih was only a hobby and passion, but now it is our only source of income."
