Empowering Selangor’s SMEs One Step At A Time
Welcome back to an all-new Head’s Up. In collaboration with SIDEC’s Selangor SME Digitalisation Grant initiative, Wilstech is looking to empower SMEs in the state to provide a more seamless customer experience and better operations.
We speak to Chief Executive Officer, Wilson Low who shares his take on the concerns SMEs have and how taking the digital leap may not be as easy as it seems. However, with the right guidance, he believes they have the potential to truly elevate themselves to higher grounds.
But just before you go off to read our conversation with him, here are some news and announcements.
News & Announcements
Tegas Partners With Shell For Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE Programme
Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS) through its TEGAS Digital Innovation Hub has once again partnered with Shell to organize the Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE programme for Sarawakian entrepreneurs and innovators. This programme will run virtually from 6 November - 5 December 2021.
The Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE seeks to unveil potential Sarawakian entrepreneurs to grow their businesses potentially and possibly, be a part of the Shell Malaysia value chain, in the future. The programme aims to inspire startups and social enterprises to innovate and produce real business solutions that meet today’s socio-economic needs.
The Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE programme welcomes all aspiring and budding Sarawakian entrepreneurs above the age of 18 who wish to take their idea to the next level. For more information and to apply, visit https://bit.ly/sarawaklivewire2021 or email TEGAS at accelerate@tegas.org.my
The Shell LiveWIRE programme for Sarawakian entrepreneurs is now open for registration.
Are you a Sarawakian innovator or social entrepreneur aspiring to positively impact the community and environment?
Join us for a series of 10 Shell LiveWIRE Webinars from 6 November 2021 to 5 December 2021 to take your idea to the next level.
This year’s five selected winners will receive a business grant of RM15,000 and one year of coaching and mentoring.*
Register today at https://bit.ly/sarawaklivewire2021
The Shell LiveWIRE programme for Sarawakian is organised in collaboration with Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS).
* Terms and conditions apply
TOP 10 FINALISTS OF ALPHA STARTUPS DIGITAL ACCELERATOR COHORT 38
1337 Ventures has announced the Top 10 promising early-stage startups that are selected out of 71 startups who participated & 94 who registered. 🚀
In no particular order, the Top 10 teams of the Alpha Startups™ Digital Accelerator (ASDA) Cohort 38 are:
1. Cikguu
2. Artmeet - Graphic Designer Community
3. Qarbotech
4. MyFitTech
5. Snapped
6. YesHello
7. Wasave
8. Tumpang Malaysia
9. OpenTunes
10. CabVision
1337 Ventures would also like to invite the general public and would-be investors to their ASDA Virtual Demo Day on the 15th of October (Friday) from 2 to 5 pm. Registration is required and free. Register online at https://bit.ly/demoday38
Empowering Selangor’s SMEs One Step At A Time
The digital economy spurred into growth by the pandemic has proven that digitalisation of businesses are a necessity.
In the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), the digital economy is anticipated to contribute 25.5 percent to Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025. However, to achieve this, small to medium-sized businesses need to jump on the digital bandwagon.
Quoting Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corp (SIDEC) Chief Executive Officer, Yong Kai Ping in The Malaysian Reserve, “The digital economy has grown by leaps and bounds to contribute about 20% to the country’s GDP, which almost matches the GDP contribution by Selangor. It is also a known fact that a major part of the digital economy is centered in Selangor.”
Unfortunately, only around one-third of local businesses have adopted digital transformation strategies. Those who have a committed digital strategy team are estimated to be only less than every four businesses.
As part of their Selangor SME Digitalisation Grant initiative, SIDEC has appointed Wilstech, a business digitalisation service provider to aid the digital transformation of SMEs.
Through the collaboration with SIDEC on the Grant, SMEs that engage Wilstech’s services will be entitled up to RM5,000 or 50% off.
Key Concerns
According to Wilson Low, CEO of Wilstech, one of the key concerns that many SMEs face when looking to implement digitalisation strategies is a lack of budget. This has been made even more of a challenge due to the pandemic which has naturally made all SMEs tighten their purse strings further.
Another critical issue, he points out, is that SMEs face the lack of knowledge or firm understanding on how to digitalise their business. As there are so many aspects to digitalisation and compounded further with so many service providers, this has made the undertaking any digitalisation endeavour a very daunting one.
“These two factors have led to many SMEs to not begin their digitalisation journey despite knowing how important it is for their business longevity, especially in the post-pandemic world,” he shares.
In the long run, the CEO says digital tools and IT applications have become more important for businesses despite having proven to have given businesses a leg up in the competition in the past.
“Today, digitalisation is no longer just a luxury but a serious business necessity. Digitalisation is now one of the key factors that could determine the success and even survivability of a business.
“Digitalisation can benefit businesses in a variety of ways but in essence it simplifies and streamlines operations whether in terms of automation or simply ease of accessibility. Digitalisation efforts also allow businesses to have greater control over resource allocation and manpower distribution as well as providing increased insights into business processes and operations,” Wilson tells Head’s Up.
Digital tools also have the capability to build databases and amplify analytical capabilities, allowing for more targeted and refined strategic that more precisely reach out to and connect with a specific customer base.
“We personally are looking to empower around 200 SMEs with the necessary tools to go digital with their business,” says Wilson.
How Will The Grant Help Businesses
SMEs that engage Wilstech’s services will be entitled up to RM5,000 or 50% off through this programme.
As long as SMEs are registered or have an operating address in Selangor, has 51 percent Malaysian ownership and with a yearly turnover between RM300,000 to RM3 million, they will be entitled to the programme.
To apply, a qualified business simply needs to engage with Wilstech on any of the relevant services. From there, we will help you submit the application to SIDEC with the necessary documents, once it is approved, then government will then subsidise 50 percent of the cost of the chosen digitalisation initiative.
On that note, the five relevant areas that are focused on by SIDEC are EPOS, payment gateway, cloud accounting, e-commerce, HR & Payroll System. SMEs would also have the support from the talks and seminars on digitalisation organised by SIDEC.
Wilson also shares that startups and SMEs will have several grants available to them. “As an SME ourselves we understand the difficulties they face and as a company involved in digitalisation we know first-hand how important digitalisation can be to a business and its performance,” he says.
Budget 2022
“The upcoming Budget is an interesting one as there is an opportunity for the new government to crystalise their convictions and areas of focus. Personally, I believe more emphasis must be placed on enabling business digitalisation especially amongst SMEs.,” Wilson says.
Sharing his concern on how SMEs have been badly affected by the pandemic, he adds, “It is undeniable that digitalisation is the future and the key factor to securing long-term business security and success.”
As such it is clear that there is a collective responsible to make aid more accessible and affordable for SMEs to digitalise their business.
To find out more about how Wilstech can digitalise your business visit: https://wilstech.com/ . To apply for the Selangor SME Digitalisation Matching Grant visit: https://www.sidec.com.my/selangorgrant2021/.
Whether it’s a feedback or if you’d like to share your story with us, reach out to us via headsupnewsletter@gmail.com