SHAH ALAM, May 21 — More women are turning to small businesses to boost household income amid rising living costs, with the group making up about 60 per cent of more than 62,000 borrowers supported by Yayasan Hijrah Selangor since 2015.
Its chief business officer Nilammasri Jaafar said the state microfinancing agency has seen strong female participation in micro enterprises over the past decade, especially in food businesses, online retail, and service-based sectors.
“Since Hijrah Selangor was initiated in 2015, we have supported over 62,000 entrepreneurs, and 60 per cent of them are women,” she said in an interview with Media Selangor at Hijrah Selangor’s headquarters recently.
Many women venture into business not necessarily out of choice, but to help sustain household finances, as a single income is often insufficient to cope with rising living costs.
“For me, women are increasingly looking to increase household income. The husbands may be working, but it is still not enough, and as the cost of living rises, one income earner may not be sufficient,” Nilammasri said.
Lower barriers to entry and low start-up costs through social media and e-commerce platforms like Instagram and TikTok have also encouraged more women to start businesses from home, compared to the past, when operations were primarily physical.
She added that younger women entrepreneurs, particularly Gen Z sellers, are increasingly leveraging TikTok live sessions and online platforms to build profitable businesses without owning physical shops.
“You will be surprised, some of our customers are only 24 or 25 years old and already have hundreds of thousands of ringgit in their bank accounts just by selling (hijab) online.
“They started during university days and used platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They do not even need a physical shop anymore,” Nilammasri said.
She noted that food-related businesses make up the majority of women-led micro-enterprises financed by Hijrah Selangor, followed by online fashion sellers, spas, childcare centres, restaurants, and small retail operations.
“Food businesses are the easiest to start, and they move quickly. I believe about 60 per cent are (involved) in food sales,” Nilammasri said.
Hijrah Selangor is a state government agency created to provide micro-credit financing to small businesses.
Entrepreneurs may apply for business financing of up to RM50,000 through the agency, with the approved amount subject to the scheme type, the applicant’s eligibility, and a business profile assessment.
As of April, Hijrah Selangor has disbursed RM12.5 million in financing to about 700 entrepreneurs for 2026.
Building resilient businesses
She said that women entrepreneurs have also become more resilient and disciplined in loan repayments over the past two years, prompting the agency to expand its women-focused financing initiatives.
Among others, Hijrah Selangor has introduced SURI PLUS, a financing scheme tailored for women entrepreneurs in rural areas to provide them with opportunities and access to financing and capacity-building, to boost their business skills.
Nilammasri said the SURI PLUS programme encourages repayment discipline and peer support among borrowers while giving women with limited financial records access to financing opportunities.
Apart from financing, micro-entrepreneurs generally require ongoing training and exposure to scale their businesses sustainably.
“They need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge, such as packaging, branding, digital marketing, and financial record-keeping,” she said.
Nilammasri added that many micro-entrepreneurs today still lack basic financial literacy, including maintaining bank statements, tracking transactions, and keeping proper business records, which are critical for business expansion and future access to larger financing platforms.
“Some do not even have a credit history, which makes it difficult for them to access financing from banks,” she said.
The agency’s role goes beyond providing loans; it also aims to help entrepreneurs scale up through training, exposure, and strategic partnerships with financial institutions and development agencies.
Hijrah Selangor currently conducts regular entrepreneurship and digitalisation training, including TikTok live selling, online marketing strategies, and financial literacy programmes, in collaboration with agencies like the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, Telekom Malaysia, and the Credit Guarantee Corporation.
