Who knew making nasi lemak can earn you this much moolah!
Taking charge of her own destiny, the idea of earning up to RM400,000 a month did not occur to Saleha Abdullah as she began her Nasi Lemak business 10 years ago. Featured in FMT, Saleha spoke of how the idea of opening up a small stall was triggered by her husband at the time.
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“The idea came from my husband, at the time I was working with my late mother at a small stall. From then on, my husband wanted me to expand the business by selling Nasi Lemak in Kampung Pandan. I began with just a kilo of rice.
“It was sold out and I had to add more in the days to come.”
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It was from this moment on, Saleha grew serious about her business.
“It began in 2009 with a modal of RM3,000. I started to become consistent and frugal with the money I’ve spent. In the end I opened a roadside stall with 20 employees.”
As business grew, she began purchasing trucks to help with logistics and sought the help of Food Panda later on to help boost her business.
Now a famous feature in Klang Valley, her Nasi Lemak Saleha garnered the attention of local and international media.
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When asked as to what her secret was, she simply said, “There is nothing unique about my Nasi Lemak, it is just that the cooking method needs to be correct, you must be sincere in what you are doing.”
She added, “I have never changed anything in my recipe, as I am afraid that people will run away if I change anything.”
It was not all sunshine and rainbows though as Saleha reveals that she, too, faced trials and tribulations of her own on her journey.
She recalled of how other business owners that were jealous of her success reported her stall to the authorities.
“It saddens me to see other business owners who were envious of my stall use MPAJ to confiscate my tables and chairs, stopping us from operating.”
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But not weathered by the storm, Saleha soldiered on and because of that, was able to purchase a premise at Sri Rampai, Wangsa Maju at the cost of RM3.8 million!
Truly a tale of rags to riches, Saleha’s journey serves as proof that with due diligence anything is possible.
We sincerely hope that the story of Saleha will spur many more entrepreneurs to begin their own journey and ultimately succeed in their endeavour.
