Author: Zikri

Written by Nurul Fadhilah

 

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In these pandemic times, due to limited incomes that businesses are getting, we have learnt new skills out of necessity. Whether you are a new business or an existing one, you probably want to know what tools are best and free to use for your business.

A small medium enterprise needs tools and resources to grow its business in the new normal of doing business. But some of the good business tools are a bit too expensive for a new small business to afford.

So MyRehat has listed tools that we use which are free! Below are some of the free tools that are great to use for your business :

 

1. Canva

Canva is a graphic design platform, used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. If you are looking for a visually appealing and professional, Canva is the answer. There are ready-made templates for you to use and you can create social media profile headers, flyers, banners, logos, infographics, marketing ads, blog graphics, and so much more. The drag-and-drop functionality makes the software easy to use. You can use the free version and still get your design to stand-out in the sea full of competitors.

The free version is adequate to use to create communication materials for your business  So you don’t have to hire a graphic designer, you can create designs on your own.

 

2. Trello

Trello is a project management software that is free and easy-to-use. With Trello, you can communicate and do collaboration with your team, fast and easy. You can track how far your team has gone and your team can see what others are doing to ensure that everyone is on the right track and to prevent miscommunication from happening.

All of us are remote working more now than before, so this software allows work to be tracked and measured. In the past we reduced physical meetings with each other saving time and meeting costs.

 

3. Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing software and has over 300 million+ users all around the world. You can communicate with your customers or clients through Zoom. Video calls or conferencing can get you to interact with your customers or just as if you’re there in person. The free plan for Zoom allows you to host up to 100 participants. You also receive access to unlimited one-on-one meetings lasting up to 40 minutes and you can get an unlimited number of regular non-video meetings, as well.

MyRehat has done hundreds of meetings via Zoom. All free!

 

4. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a marketing automation platform and email marketing service. Email marketing is an important part of running a business, so it is important to find the right email service provider. Mailchimp is easy to use, and it’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails. You can create sign-up forms and campaigns, and automate emails to your subscribers.

The features of Mailchimp include beautiful templates, easy personalization, advanced analytics, retargeting, built-in photo editing, and so much more. Give it a shot.

 

5. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is an online survey site that simplifies the survey process considerably. SurveyMonkey is a good choice for you if you want to give your customers a survey to gain insights to their journey on our business. Users can include 10 questions in their survey, view 100 responses per survey, track email responses, optimize surveys for mobile, and gather responses from social media. All of this is for free. We have used surveys to find out how our customers feel about us.

 

6. Google Suite

Google Suite (now is Google Workspace) is a cloud collaboration tool that Google has offered. There are a variety to use from it : email, spreadsheet, documents and slides. Every file you have will automatically be stored in your Google Drive. By using the Google Suite, you can easily share your files and you can edit your work  together with your team real-time. Every time you edit your work, it will be saved regularly so you don’t have to worry about losing your work.

Google Data Suite is an analytical software that MyRehat uses to track our customers, how much they are paying us and who are actually staying in our unit. These data help plan our strategies. Try it out and it will benefit your business.

 

7. Nikon

Nikon has started to make online courses, so you can send one of your team or join the course yourself. This is so you can learn how to take pictures or videos for your product marketing professionally without hiring a professional photographer. You can save your budget there plus you get to gain knowledge. You have to pay for the online course before this, but now it is free to help creators stay inspired, engaged and grow despite the uncertain circumstances during this pandemic. See how much money you have saved so far. We certainly did!

 

8. Facebook Blueprint

Facebook marketing is an important tool for marketing digitally now. You can hire a company to do this marketing for you but why don’t you learn and do it yourself. Their online courses are free if you want to learn about how to start marketing your business on Facebook. These free courses come with a recognized Facebook certificate too! The courses can help you build ads for your social media, how to engage with your audience and how to use the platform effectively.

The courses are technical and require patience to learn but hey all we got is time right now.

 

Running or starting a business is not easy now. So by trying all these tools, you manage your business effectively and save money to spend elsewhere. Once your business starts to expand, you can pay for the pricing plans for these tools to get more features.

Good luck and may our business survive 2021!

Written by Nasuha Aiedn

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Our country has been struggling in this Covid-19 pandemic for more than a year. We are now in MCO 3.0 and 2021 is all about how to protect your health mentally and physically and as well as survive financially. Salaries have been reduced or we have lost our jobs and seen significant reduction in our business.  The number of unemployed fresh graduates has risen significantly this year, as most businesses have attempted to decrease personnel as a result of the slowing economy and cash flow. I am glad to still have a job 😊

We are living in an emergency and lockdowns affecting every aspect of our lives. Without a doubt, these MCOS, EMCOs, CMCOs and RMCOs have had an impact on our economy, from informal businesses being unable to trade, to many companies being forced to provide lower employee pays, temporary or unpaid leave, merely to keep the business going.

The environment is bleak, and things are not within our control and in order to weather this pandemic we have to manage our money, grow it and pay it forward! Here are my tips on how I did this.

Manage Your Money

Before the pandemic I didn’t really manage my money, but Covid-19 has taught me to be Mrs. Stingy.  You need to manage your salary or business income by listing it all out. Use a spreadsheet or even just a notebook to write down your fixed monthly commitments (car loan, house rent/loan, phone bills, insurances or other loans etc), and also other expenses such as groceries, fuel & toll, utilities, etc. 

Alternatively, to pay everything you can use Debit Card Apps and E-Wallets. For example, Big Pay is a debit card App with analytics that covers all your expenses in a trackable manner. It’s easy to sign up, click here.

Using the E-wallets are also a good way to manage your money as everything is trackable. Knowing what you are spending on is an important aspect of managing your money.

Saving money is an important aspect and due to this we have all become MasterChef out of necessity. Eating out like before is no longer an option, not only to save money but to protect your health! Though I really miss eating out :’(

If you are not a fan of apps then at least write down in a simple format what you are spending every month. My example below. If you don’t know what you are using your money for, you cannot ever hope to manage it properly.

Monthly Income	RM2,500
Fixed Monthly Commitments:
Car loan	RM500
Apartment Rent	RM500
Phone Bill	RM80
Insurance	RM150
PTPTN loan	RM250
Total	RM1,480
Other expenses:
Toll	RM70
Fuel	RM120
Groceries	RM350
Utilities	RM50
Other expenses	RM50
Total	RM640
Saving  (Balance)	RM380

Saving and Emergency Funds

After you’ve paid off all of your fixed monthly commitments and other expenses, the rest of your income will be your savings. Savings are important as you aren’t sure what the future would look like now. Maybe today I am still working and getting paid on time. But tomorrow my salary could be deducted or worse, I could lose my job!

Make it a habit to save aside an amount and put it in an emergency savings account. Even a little amount of money may add up to a huge sum if left untouched and can come in handy on a rainy day.

If you are financially literate aside from putting your savings in ASB or fixed deposits. You can try your hand at stock investments, crypto trading and unit trust investing. These are some sites to check out; Rakuten Trade, Luno and Stash Away. 

Only do investments after you gain knowledge on investing. You don’t need big amounts to start investing through these platforms

Advance Budgeting & Expense Tracking

If you want to plan your expenses better in a disciplined manner, start with a long-term budget plan, monthly and eventually daily budgets. I recommend you use money and expenses tracking apps such as Spendee, Monefy, Money Lover and there are many more you can find. Just simply install it on your phone. Or you can use the traditional way; Buku 555 as your journal. 

Control Your Wants and Needs by Helping Others

While you may be able to manage your money and keep your needs and wants in check. Others in our society are not so fortunate. If you have a bit of extra help those in need like those flying the “bendera putih” or give more to Lembaga Zakat or establish organisations, such as Mercy Malaysia, Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia, and many more. There’s some individual or influencers that are also helping people out there, such as Arwind Kumar who started #QuaranTEAM and #FromAMother food aid projects.

Terato Tech, a local web developer, has launched Kita Jaga Malaysia (KitaJaga.Co), a website that allows those in need to raise a white flag digitally. Users may also search for and record the locations of food banks on this site. Whether you want to signal for help, provide information about food banks in your neighbourhood, or contribute to be a donator. All you need to do is just pin the location on the map and fill in the required details. 

How is this related to managing my money? By not getting that new phone or shoes, giving it to others so their families may eat. We have emotional needs and wants, by channelling it productively we are showing maturity in managing our money. 

Allah SWT will multiply the good deeds of His righteous servants up to seven hundred times as much or even more. Like a single seed from which springs forth hundreds of grains, Allah will cause the good deeds of His righteous servants to grow and multiply in a similar manner.

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّائَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed which grows seven spikes, in each spike is a hundred grains. Allah multiplies His reward for whom He wills, for Allah is vast and knowing.

Surat Al-Baqarah 2:261

Starting Your Own Business

If you lose your job due to this pandemic and why not start a business. You can start with a small amount of money or none at all. You can sell things or services that have high demands or the things that most people would buy such as foods or other essentials. Since lockdown and people can’t go out easily, you may do your business online. 

There are businesses you do without putting any money down like drop shipping. Drop shipping definition “ a form of retail business wherein the seller accepts customer orders but does not keep goods sold in stock”.  Let me explain in this way – Makcik Kiah sells good nasi lemak and kuih but she is not good in online business, so you set up a store online or post these foods on Social media using her foods. Either mark up the selling price or agree beforehand with Makcik Kiah the commission for the sales of her food. This way you hold no stock and you have not paid anything for the cost of the goods.

If you don’t know what business to start with there are many portals that teach you how to start a business or find the business that suits your passions. Sites such as  Eventbrite,  have many online talks and ideas on business. Institut Keusahawanan Negara (INSKEN) has a lot of marketing and business training at a very affordable price or just go to social media to look for business ideas, plenty there.

This easiest business to start with is one you already have a skill in. If you are an engineer, accountant, gym instructor and a cook, there are many freelance jobs out there. Last time you were working for someone, now use the same skills for your own business. 

Here are some websites to look at if you’re looking for a freelancing job – Upwork, Guru and Goget. 

Upwork and Guru are worldwide freelancing platforms that engage businesses and people to conduct business. It has clients all around the world. Clients may use Upwork’s platform to interview, employ, and collaborate with freelancers and freelancing agencies.

The next platform is GoGet, which is founded in Malaysia. Goget is an on-demand job platform that connects companies and customers with certified gig workers for jobs such as delivery, catering, and administrative support. You can find the right job for you in the ‘GoGetters’ section on the website. This is a platform where you may find job that you enjoy doing and set your own hours. They provide flexibility, a diverse range of work options across sectors, and large fluctuations.

Who could have imagined that this pandemic would still last till now since last year? All of us are affected financially and emotionally. All we can do is adapt and prepare for any worst-case scenarios. I hope that this pandemic will teach us the importance of planning for life’s uncertainties. We need to know how to safeguard our well-being and finances  and grow our wealth in the new norm. I hope that this article will give you ideas on how to create and preserve your wealth. Be safe and do follow the SOP until I don’t know when :’(

Written by Zainal Zikri & Nasuha Aiedn

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In the second part of our homestay business series, we will explore our selection process. Selecting where to operate your homestay can make or break your business. Some people pick a kampung house, near the beach, in the city or even within their taman! This is usually in mid-size towns where the dewan is the centre of many activities. A rented house in a mid-sized town is usually below RM700 a month. You can charge a few  hundred a night hence you only need to rent it out for 4 nights to turn a profit already, pick those houses near a dewan with lots of kenduri kahwin!

For the purpose of this article, we will share only how we select units based in condos. For houses we are not the expert but the strategies we use should be applicable for houses as well.

New vs Existing Condo in a Popular Location

We always pick an existing condo that is popular as there is already a sizable ready market for it. Our definition of an existing condo is any condo more than a year old. There are operators who will pick a newly built condo in a popular location because it has less competition from other operators though you would need to do heavy marketing and more manpower to promote the new condo. 

For new hosts, it is always better to pick a popular condo in a good location in MyRehat’s view as you would spend less time explaining to people where your homestay is. 

Once you have identified a condo, you have to do due diligence:

1. 1. Does the management of the condo allow for homestay business? If not, then you better pick another place as the majority will always win and you will be fighting needless battles to operate. Of course, they are people who operate anyway in a place that is not favourable to homestay businesses.
   2. How can guests enter the condo? In the beginning, MyRehat would check in all our guests. But as the number of our units grew that was no longer possible. So, it is important to see if the condo has easy access to the mailbox for guests to take the key and friendly management allowing taking of key from the mailbox.
   3. Utilities are a big expense of any homestay operator, especially TNB. So, it’s important to see if the condo utilities are commercial or residential rate. The difference between commercial and residential rates is 30%. Example if the residential rate TNB let’s say RM200 a month while commercial is RM260. That’s a 30% difference! 
   4. The amenities. One of the reasons people come to stay at a homestay condo are the amenities. There are many amenities but for MyRehat the swimming pool and rooftop is key. People will pay extra if they know your condo has a great swimming pool and a spectacular view.

• Fully Furnished. MyRehat only takes fully furnished units. What we mean by this: TV, beds in all rooms, water heater, aircons, fans, lights, kitchen, and stove. Of course, our preference is always units that were previously managed by other homestay operators.

If you have a condo in Kuala Lumpur that you do not want to manage that fits our criteria do contact us, we would love to manage it for you.  Happy reading everyone!