As an extrovert, one of the biggest issues Farhah Hasnol faced in running her own business was the sense of loneliness. As any entrepreneur might know, running a business tends to be wholly consuming.
While running her previous cake business independently wasn’t a problem, the lack of social interaction left her feeling isolated. Community is everything, and with the pandemic restricting public movement, even Farhah’s part-time job which was done remotely couldn’t help her sense of alienation.
The 25-year old Business Management graduate joined the Me.reka Digital Entrepreneurship programme and in 4-weeks not only addressed the problem but also discovered new things.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 weeks. It was more intensive than I thought but that's not a negative thing, I learned SO much and it felt like I had a close bond with the group even though we were over 100 people. Everything was delivered amazingly content and speaker-wise, the assignments and quizzes were just enough to make us put what we learned into action and of course, the networking opportunity is crazy amazing.”
Farhah didn't expect much before joining the course and simply wanted to dip her toes into the gig economy. While the programme was overwhelming at times due to juggling a part-time job and family affairs, it became something she looked forward to every weekend: “I remember being mind-blown as the modules unrolled,” she admits.
The module by Mathura about finance was particularly life-changing for this budding entrepreneur who laments that such a useful topic wasn’t taught at school. “The first thing I did was to assess my financial situation and reevaluate goals after the personal finance module,” Farhah shared. Which is how she has earmarked her short term goal as wealth building in the hopes of establishing her own venture eventually.
Currently doing an internship in content operations, Farhah is grateful that the programme opened up doors for her future. Not only did she get a chance to meet someone she looked up to, Suzanne Ling, from PichaEats, but the modules helped her strategise her plans and getting to know her fellow scholars in the programme will help pave the way for her future business plans.
“The access to the sea of networks is definitely a bonus as it’s something I can benefit from if I need to ask for help, or vice versa, regarding a specific field another peer or trainer is an expert in. I’ve also made friends and really appreciate the 2 year mentorship that is gifted to every graduate,” says Farhah.
Follow Farhah’s personal journey to her future business empire, on LinkedIn and Instagram!
