BEING a small-time clothing store with five employees, my business and the livelihood of my team took a major hit when we had to close during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Having lost our only stable source of income for months, I was forced to go through the pain of slashing the pay of the people that I consider my friends – long-standing employees who helped build my business from the ground up.

I was out of options and desperate; I had already applied for the Geran Khas Prihatin, which provided some much-needed wiggle room to keep my business afloat for a little while. The loan moratorium certainly helped alleviate my cash flow burdens but I was still in need of a solid, long-term plan.

Well-meaning friends and families often asked me to just take my business online, which at the time sounded much easier said than done. I am not very digitally literate, so I was lost and didn’t know where to even begin.

That was when a fellow struggling merchant, shared the news and his personal experience on the Pintar Niaga stimulus package by Lazada.

The package offered small businesses like mine, an opportunity to bring my business online at zero cost, along with training and onboarding support. So, there was no harm in trying.

The process was simple and not as complicated as I had expected it to be. It took just a few days for my store and products to go live on the platform. To my surprise, in 24 hours, I received my first order and I must say – there was a sense of thrill that came with it.

There were also multiple tools and support for me to choose from. Although a little overwhelming at first, it did not take long before I understood enough to take advantage of it. Soon enough, I was confident to stand on my own two feet.

My store also benefited from the government led incentives from programs like Penjana and Permai. The Penjana SME Financing and the Wage Subsidy Program under Permai was a lifesaver, which provided the much-needed and timely cash-flow support.

Shortly after, my online sales alone matched the pre-movement-control order levels for my offline business. I was even able to go back to providing full wages for my staff.

Even when the MCO was relaxed to conditional MCO last year, I never stopped learning, maintaining, and improving my online store, which helped my business be better equipped to continue operations during MCO 2.0.

I also signed up for several online webinars organised by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation under the #SayaDigital movement initiative. Through the webinars presented by industry titans from the likes of Alibaba and Google, I foresaw the rise of livestreaming in e-commerce.

I was, and still am, extremely camera shy but after watching others do it, I braved myself to also explore this new trend of engaging with customers.

My first livestream was only viewed by fewer than 50 people, half of whom were supportive friends and family members. However, when I streamed during the 11.11 sale, my viewers and followers skyrocketed, and my sales tripled in just that one day.

Although my business was devastated by the pandemic in the beginning, I now have a renewed sense of confidence and assurance after going digital.

I know many out there are still unsure and intimidated by the concept of e-commerce, but I hope my story inspires confidence in others to take that leap towards going online.

If a traditional 56-year-old like myself can do it, anyone can. – April 18, 2021.

* Chee CK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.