Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner
StableBusiness
Starts and runs their own business, from online shops and food stalls to services and small workshops, usually registered with SSM. Government bodies such as TEKUN, MARA, SME Corp and PUNB offer financing and training, but income depends entirely on how the business performs.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workAn office
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. Real workplaces vary.
In Malaysia
- How people get into it here
- Register a sole proprietorship online through SSM's EzBiz: RM30 a year under your own name or RM60 with a trade name. Full-time students and B40 applicants can register free under SSM's SPPP scheme. TEKUN offers micro-financing of RM1,000 to RM100,000 for registered businesses. A diploma in business or entrepreneurship, or MARA and SME Corp programmes, can build skills first.
Pay in the private market
Monthly pay from fresh grad to mid-career, from the salary guide cited on this page.
No official pay figure is published for this job, so we show none.
Government pay isn't shown: we haven't yet sourced the SSPA civil-service salary tables, and we won't estimate them.
Job demand outlook
Steady, reliable demand: a consistent number of openings.
Your readiness
How your current SPM subjects line up with this career.
Add your SPM grades to see how ready you are for this career.
Add my gradesHow to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
TVET
Hands-on trades with strong employability: ILP, ADTEC, kolej vokasional, GiatMARA.
Matriculation
One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.
Asasi / Foundation
One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.
Diploma
Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become an Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner in Malaysia?
Register a sole proprietorship online through SSM's EzBiz: RM30 a year under your own name or RM60 with a trade name. Full-time students and B40 applicants can register free under SSM's SPPP scheme. TEKUN offers micro-financing of RM1,000 to RM100,000 for registered businesses. A diploma in business or entrepreneurship, or MARA and SME Corp programmes, can build skills first. Registration with Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM) business registration; local council (PBT) premises licence where applicable is required to practise.
Can I become an Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner straight after SPM?
Yes. This career can be started with a certificate, diploma or TVET training straight after SPM, without a degree.
What should I study to become an Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner?
Related fields of study: Business, Accounting, Marketing and Finance. SPM subjects that help most: Mathematics, English, Economics / Business and Principles of Accounting.
How much does an Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner earn in Malaysia?
We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner pay, so we show no figure.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
Skills to build
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 24 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
23 of 24 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM1,000 – RM1,453
9 of 24 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM1,000 and RM1,453 a month. Many print none.
Minimum CGPA asked
3.00 to 3.50
Stated in 4 adverts. Others did not state one.
SPM results asked
up to 5 As
1 advert asked for A grades at SPM, so some doors are partly decided before university.
Languages named
Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org