Starting her own business at 15
PETALING JAYA: At 15, Ku Myra Madihah Ku Hasmadi already has a business selling herbs that she grows herself.
Since starting her company, JustHerbs, last September, she has sold RM800 worth of the plants in pots and polybags of various sizes.
And she is confident that business will pick up.
“More people are looking at my ads on social media and most of my customers say they are happy with my products and the tips I give them about planting herbs. I believe they will tell people about me,” she said.
Ku Myra Madihah studies at Seven Skies International School in Kota Damansara where the syllabus includes business development.
JustHerbs is her project under an entrepreneurship programme, but she began growing herbs long before she joined the school, coming from a family that loves growing plants.
“I have been growing plants since I was four with help from my mother and grandmother,” said Ku Myra Madihah, who is the elder of two daughters.
Her father, Ku Hasmadi Ku Mamat, 43, is a financial controller with a multinational company while her mother, Marina Abdullah Sani, 44, is a government doctor.
She offers 13 herbs, including turmeric, mint, kaffir lime leaves, Chinese chives and aloe vera, which are grown pesticide-free and can be used for cooking and medicinal purposes. They are sold for prices ranging from RM3 to RM10.
Ku Myra Madihah said that she gives her customers tips on watering techniques and where to place the plants.
She hopes to encourage more people in the Klang Valley, especially Kuala Lumpur, to grow plants because “this will make our environment greener”.
Subjects taught at Seven Skies are the same as in other schools, except for the focus on business development. Learning the Quran is also emphasised in the school whose medium of instruction is English.
Ku Myra Madihah said the programme, launched in 2014, taught her about decision-making and how to market her products.
“I believe I have become more mature in my thinking, but I still have a lot to learn,” she said. She is in Form Three. The programme starts in Form Two.
School principal Dr Tawfique Chawdury said the programme participants were taught “the basics of business - incorporation, branding, marketing, accounting - everything they need to know to operate”.
“Each student is required to set up a business and run it for a minimum of one academic year,” he said.
Asked how Ku Myra Madihah has fared, Dr Tawfique said: “She is one of the high performers. She shows diligence in her studies and business project.”
You can reach Ku Myra Madihah at justh3rbs@gmail.com, Whatsapp at +6012-3220869, or Telegram at JustHerbs. - Bernama