Johary Mustapha discusses pathways for SMEs to go global with MATRADE and MDEC.
KUALA LUMPUR – Forest Interactive’s CEO, Johary Mustapha, recently moderated a CEO Forum panel session at SME Solutions Expo 2020 to discuss the key of internationalization and how local small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) can grow beyond our borders to achieve success internationally.
The expo was organized by Business Media International and was held virtually this year from October 19 – 23, 2020.
Joined by Amran Yem, Senior Director of Transformation & Digital Trade at MATRADE, and Muhundhan Kamarapullai, Director of Business Digital Adoption at MDEC, during a CEO Forum panel session on October 22, Johary opened with his experience as an entrepreneur, sharing that entrepreneurs planning to go global should think big picture and expand their mindset.
“Instead of only attending business-to-business (B2B) conferences and meeting potential partners, we can also bring partners to the exhibition. Entrepreneurs should use MDEC and MATRADE to arrange for potential business outreach with international partners,” said Johary. “MATRADE can also open doors for businesses. It just takes that first step on our side to initiate direct contact. Opportunities can come now or through future exhibitions.”
“Mentorship is another essential factor for all entrepreneurs. Experience and sharing of expertise help,” concurred Muhundhan. “Today, entrepreneurs who want to take risks must be equipped with sufficient reliable data. To be in the global market, product validation should come first. Next is to look at your market potential. Staying relevant and marketing positioning is crucial when it comes to establishing global businesses. MATRADE also spends time to coach founders in articulating their product when bringing them to the global market.”
Amran encouraged the CEO Forum audience to register as MATRADE members. “MATRADE is a good resource hub as they offer track advisory, the dos and don’ts of marketing, and export opportunities to facilitate your company in the market you want to enter. Grants are also available,” explained Amran.
“Apart from direct exporting for internationalization, MATRADE is also assisting our members for reverse investment. If you want to invest in the host country of a target market, MATRADE can assist in the joint venture partnering and franchising with the target countries’ companies,” continued Amran. “There have also been instances where MATRADE assisted members in situations where members’ goods are detained at customs. The export market should not be underestimated. We always have that issue that it’s not the lack of demand but we have lack of supply in Malaysia to export.”
MATRADE has also been offering advisory services to the telecommunications industry in today’s business dynamics. An example is MATRADE’s latest virtual #MyAPEC2020 Exhibition. elfo, a Malaysia-based digital solutions provider, is also an active participant, in a bid to gain more recognition.
“Our virtual booth looks as exciting as the whole exhibition itself — high-tech and modern,” expressed Sri Yosephin, Product Manager at elfo, who also participated in the CEO Forum at SME Solutions Expo 2020. “Having the #MyAPEC2020 Exhibition so accessible for start-ups like us this year has been a real blessing during this pandemic.”
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About Forest Interactive (as of October 2020)
Forest Interactive develops scalable mobile platforms that enable mobile operators and content providers to build enriched customer experiences with highly-customizable and easy-to-use platforms. With over a decade of industry experience, Forest Interactive has expanded to include a workforce of 27 nationalities in 17 regional offices and 39 operating countries, providing innovative and comprehensive solutions to over 90 mobile operators and over 120 content partners with the capacity to reach 1.3 billion subscribers worldwide.
For more information, please visit forest-interactive.com and follow Forest Interactive on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Media Contacts:
Forest Interactive Press Bureau
C-7-2, Megan Avenue 2, No. 12 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kuala Lumpur, 50450, Malaysia.
+603 2162 2728
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