Top 20+ Best Business Opportunities in Malaysia

Whether you’re looking for a new source of income or supplement with a side gig, online or offline, here are some business ideas to help you get started:

Top 20+ Best Business Opportunities in Malaysia

Working for Self (Own Business)

1. Blogging For Self / Write An Ebook
2. Rent Out Your Rooms or Houses
3. Selling Pre-loved Goods / Clothes Online
4. YouTuber / Influencer / TikToker / Content Creator
5. Selling Online (E-commerce) & Dropshipping
6. Affiliate Marketing
7. Virtual Events And Workshops
8. Health And Beauty Products Agent
9. Create And Sell Handmade Products
10. Online Food Business
11. Online Coaching/ Consulting
12. Stock Investment
13. Podcasts

Working for Others (Freelancing)

1. Food Delivery & Driver
2. Content Writing
3. Graphic Design
4. Photography Services
5. Video Editing
6. Personal Shopper
7. Virtual Assistant
8. Babysitting
9. Pet Sitting
10. Assignment Helper
11. Mystery Shopper
12. Tuition Teacher
13. Virtual Experiences
14. Answering Surveys
15. Website Building Services
16. Online Marketing Services

Blogging for Self / Write an EBook

Some might treat blogging as an online diary but businesses are now treating blogging as a solution to a problem.

For example, in our Yellow Bees blog you’ll find many informative articles that can help you generate business ideas and solve technical problems that you and other people may face.

Plus, you can create a blog for free when you use online platforms such as Google’s Blogger, WordPress, Medium and many more websites. All you have to do is create an account and write away! Choose a topic that you know very well of and provide in-depth articles so that your blog appears when people search on Google.

Once you have gained a substantial amount of readers, you’ll be able to monetize your traffic. If you’re using Blogger, you can also use Google’s Adsense to earn every time someone clicks on ads placed on your website.

In the same vein, writing for a blog isn’t that much different from writing a book or ebook. You can write interesting stories and publish them via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, or locally  through MPH Group Publishing and the like.

You can also sell other products and services, or even other people’s products and services via affiliate marketing. This is the perfect gig for those who are great at writing.

Rent Out Your Rooms or Houses

If you have a spare room, why not rent it out and earn some extra income from it? There are always students looking to stay near their university and office workers looking for a shorter commute. You can easily put list rooms for rent on iBilik, Mudah, or Speedhome and more.

Some people have made careers out of purchasing and renting houses. Affordable and personal staying experiences such as those that you may find on Airbnb can help to pay down a mortgage or supplement a side income.

It doesn’t even need to be someone staying over, you can just rent out storage space. While it’s not a big thing here in Malaysia yet, in the United States there are already companies that allow you to rent out storage rooms such as Neighbor and Djeepo.

Selling Pre-loved Goods / Clothes Online

As some might say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so consider selling the things that you don’t need anymore.

Who knows you might just find someone to buy your handphone, Pokémon cards or jackets that can fetch a good price.

You can also go through Mudah, Carousell and eBay to look at some of the things that people are selling online. You might also find something valuable and flip it for a higher price!

YouTuber / Influencer / TikToker / Content Creator

Love making people laugh? Know some slick dance moves? Good with a musical instrument? Consider putting it on video and broadcast it on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.

The more viewers you have, the better chance you have at making money. The way these content creators make money is usually from advertising, sponsorships, and endorsements.

Using YouTube ads as an example, since Google owns YouTube you’ll have to use Google’s Adsense. Create your free YouTube channel, upload some videos and once you have enough subscribers and views you’ll be able to start making money.

Some creators also have partnerships with brands, where they shout out about a certain product or service that’s being offered by a brand on video. Sometimes those brands might even pay the creators to create content around the product or service.

Selling Online (E-commerce) & Dropshipping

Retail shopping has adopted the internet and now you can buy anything from groceries to even a car online.

If you have a special product or service to offer, be it a homemade chilli sauce or personalized flower pots, consider selling it on Lazada or Shopee. It’s also for those that own a retail outlet, such as phone accessories, and even places such as hotels or F&B outlets can sell coupons to entice people to visit.

There are also niche sites to sell at such as Etsy that caters to handmade products, and Fiverr where you can sell your services. You can also create your own online store with Shopify or other service providers.

Sometimes you can even get by with dropshipping, saving you the cost of storing the product by having the manufacturer ship the product directly to your customer. For example, you could source for a product on AliExpress and enter your customer’s details for the shipping.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is just a fancy way of saying sales referrals. You earn a cut of a sale by referring someone through a unique link or code that can track the sale back to you.

For example, ShopBack earns a portion of the sale whenever someone clicks a link on their website or app and buys something on Shopee. In this case, ShopBack will also give the purchaser some money back as a form of profit sharing.

You can sign up for an affiliate program directly with companies such as Shopee, or through an intermediary such as Involve.

Virtual Events And Workshops

Events and workshops have also moved online, even high-touch products such as cars and houses that require people to be in-person for the look and feel have also moved online. Not only that it’s convenient, it allows more people from all over the world to have access.

For smaller and intimate events, you may consider using free software such as Zoom and for larger events you may consider using Whova, vFairs and more.

Whether you’re a fitness instructor or a luxury fashion brand, you can set up your own event or workshop to promote and sell your own products and services. You can even provide a platform where other people can buy, sell, and even socialize.

Health and Beauty Products Agent

By being a product agent, you can enjoy flexible working hours and have control over your workflow. If you’re a university student or even a full time working adult looking to explore something outside of your field, here’s your chance!

Many overseas brands are looking for agents to carry their products in Malaysia. Keep a lookout and opportunities are sure to present themselves! If you’re urgently looking to start your side career, here are some brands we found to be actively recruiting agents:

1. Susenji MOFA Global – Facebook Page
2. BeauteMori – Facebook Page
3. Wonder Skin – Facebook Page
4. Cavilla Official – Facebook Page 

Being your own boss can sound exciting, but there are downsides to it as well. Be sure to keep yourself motivated and going even during tough times!

Create And Sell Handmade Products

Are you both passionate and talented at making handmade crafts and products? Earn from your skills by moving operations online and start your own craft store. There’s nothing more satisfying than having people admiring and paying for your work, trust us, we know. 😉

Selling online has never been easier and there are so many ways to do it. All you need to do is take a few photos of your products, have a catchy name and description for it, fix a price and there you go! Here are some suggestions on how you can sell your handmade products:

1. Setting up a dedicated Instagram Account/ Facebook Page

Having a platform that solely focuses on promoting your products can remarkably increase your store’s online presence and customer base. Take compelling and attractive photos that focus, not just on your product features, but also demonstrate its functions and how it looks like when used in real life. You can even list your products on Instagram Shopping and Facebook Shop to increase exposure.

2. Setting up a Shopee/ Lazada Store

Having your products on a Marketplace can be helpful for new and small businesses such as yourself. Simply follow through the instructions on Shopee Seller Centre and Lazada Seller Centre to start!

3. Building your own website

Take the ultimate leap of faith and build yourself a platform you own to kick-start your business. Building websites is as easy as drag and drop nowadays with website builders such as WordPress, Wix.com and Squarespace. You might even get the chance to learn about SEO to optimize your website search and ranking. Two birds with one stone!

Online Food Business

Cooking and baking has always been a great and productive hobby to have! Online food business such as cakes, cookies, bread and even meal boxes has been an all time high! So why not hop on this roller coaster and reap its benefits?

Compared to other business opportunities, setting up an online food business might require a higher capital due to perfecting the recipe, packing and planning the order and workflow. Of course, this might not be an obstacle for those who have been in the industry for some time.

Besides the usual online business tools (see Create and sell handmade products), there are platforms mainly boosting local small businesses such as Maybank Sama-Sama Lokal.

Here’s how you get listed there as a small business:

1. Register your business here
2. A sales personnel will contact you
3. Download Qrpaybiz App
4. Set up your online business in the app
5. Wait for approval and begin selling

Online Coaching / Consulting

Regardless if you’re an individual or a business, coaching and consulting is prominent when you’re feeling stuck on an obstacle or having difficulty overcoming something you’re not familiar with. Being able to recognize what abilities and skills you bring to the table and curate a structure to deliver your skills through conversation is a huge first step.

There are many ways to get the word of your services out there:

1. Register yourself on Fiverr.com 
2. Join a Facebook group that focuses on coaching and consulting related opportunities
3. Create a page on social media to promote your services
4. Depending on referrals, starting with your personal network
5. Send cold emails to potential clients

Despite having relevant skills to consulting and coaching, being able to market yourself in this concentrated market can be a challenge too. Similarly, having the right mindset and motivation is what you’ll need most to get through tough times and rise to your potential!

Stock Investment

If you have extra money sitting in your bank account after reducing your rainy-day fund, you should totally make them work for you! Having a passive income can help you build wealth in the long run and create additional savings, on top of what you already have!

Not to worry if you have low initial capital as investments nowadays are more accessible and accommodating to everyone. If you’re looking to skip the commissions of hiring a broker, here are some platforms where you can be more hands on!

1. Etoro https://www.etoro.com/

– Suitable for beginners as you’ll be able to copy an array of portfolios from advanced traders

– Multi-asset platform, includes stocks, cryptos, indices and more

– Free of commissions

2. Rakuten Trade https://www.rakutentrade.my/

– Trading in the local stock market

– Lowest Brokerage fee compared to hiring a broker yourself

– Includes resources to learn about investments

3. Stashaway https://www.stashaway.my/

– Using Ai technology in helping you make better investment decisions

– A completely hands-off experience

– Be able to set goals and build wealth for any occasions

Podcasts

Podcasts are on the rise in Malaysia with a lot of growth potential. Think of it as listening to the radio but with a specific, niche topic of discussion. To have a successful podcast, choosing the right topic to focus on is ultimately crucial. Be it an interview, a monolog or even a conversation with your co-host, without an attractive topic, it’s difficult to grab your audience’s attention.

For inspiration, here are a few successful podcast from Malaysia:

1. BFM 89.9: The Business Station
2. Go Digital with Jason Low
3. eFM Podcast
4. Table Talk
5. Mamak Sessions

After settling on your topic and niche, having the right equipment and environment for audio recording is salient as well. You’ll want your listeners to be able to listen clearly and understand everything you’re delivering. Then, it’s the advertising stage. Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcast and Apple Podcasts are free for upload and building your listener base.

Food Delivery & Driver

Be it finding ways to earn yourself some extra income or just satisfying your love for driving, working as a e-Hailing Driver or Delivery Partner might be what you’re looking for! With the growing trend in food delivery and carpooling, you’ll never have to worry about customer flow.

1. Grab

Sign up by filling out the form here and wait patiently for a sales representative to get in touch with you. Be sure you meet the requirements before signing up! If you’re planning on becoming a driver, be sure to get yourself a PSV License for only RM80 as well to complete your registration!

2. Foodpanda

To start, sign yourself up on their PandaRiders website and wait for their sales personnel to contact you. Be sure to crosscheck on the requirements needed for your vehicle conditions before signing up!

3. Goget

Sign up as a rider with GoGet by downloading their app on either AppStore or Google Play Store and be able to try a new job everyday!

Content Writing

In today’s digital world, content writing is a sought-after skill in all industries, especially in the process of planning, writing and editing web content.

Businesses often need good content writers for a variety of content formats, such as video scripts, email newsletters, keynote speeches, social media posts, podcast titles, white papers, web page copy, landing pages and YouTube video descriptions.

However, to be a successful content writer, you’ll need to equip yourself with these skills:

• A solid command of grammar and style
• Excellent research skills
• The ability to write quickly and perform under tight deadlines
• Versatility
• The creative ability to generate content ideas on your own

When you’re ready, you can build up your own portfolio and put yourself out there to network with potential clients. You can start by offering your services on various platforms including Fiverr, ContentFly, ContentWriter, Upwork and more!

Graphic Design

If you’ve always had a passion for art, illustrations, and other forms of graphic design, then why not become a freelance graphic designer?

Whether you’re looking to make a side gig or turn it into a full-time career, there are so many businesses out there in need of talented creative minds to design logos, advertisements, brochures, banners, and other graphics.

But before diving into the world of graphic design, you’ll need to gear up with the right softwares and skill sets. We’d highly recommend you to take up courses on Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator either through formal education or self-learning on Treehouse, Lynda.com, SkillShare, Kelby One, and Creative Live.

Don’t forget to display your best work on your own website or online portfolio to attract potential clients! If you’re looking for a larger pool of clients, you can also offer your services on various platforms including DesignCrowd, Fiverr, 99designs, Upwork, and more.

Photography Services

Transform your photography pastime or hobby into a growing, profitable business! Not only will you be your own boss, you’ll get to develop your own artistic style and express yourself creatively, all while getting paid.

The first thing you need is a decent camera, above anything else. If possible, invest in a photo-editing software and pick up new photography/editing skills on Udemy or YouTube.

Then to start off small, you can choose to sell your personal photography as stock photos under platforms like Shutterstock, 123RF, iStock and Alamy for a tiny fee you can take home. You can even offer your freelance photography services on platforms like Upwork, Creativepool, Kaodim, and more.

And if you’re up for a bigger challenge, set up a photography website to display your work – having a website is crucial if you want your potential clients to take you seriously!

Video Editing

Many companies are now getting savvy with social media, posting videos such as tutorials and how-tos, and they’ll need help on video editing.

To become a successful video editor, you’ll need to continuously develop your video editing skills. You can do so by trying out some experimental projects on your own time or taking up online courses or tutorials on Lynda.com, Vimeo Video School and even YouTube that’ll help you learn how to do certain editing tasks.

Besides that, you’ll also need the right editing software to suit your work needs. Here are some industry standard softwares for you to consider:

• Final Cut Pro X is a pretty expensive editing program, but it’s one of the industry standards, and perfect for those on Mac computers.
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC is another solid option that’s heavily used by industry professionals. With the recent introduction of the monthly pricing option, it has become more accessible to those just getting started.
• Lightworks is another professional editing program that’s commonly used to edit feature films. There’s even a free version that can help you learn the ins and outs before you get started.

Once you’re ready, you can start to look for prospective clients by offering your services on platforms like Freelancer, Fiverr, Upwork, Creativepool and more!

Personal Shopper

Shopping is always fun, even if it’s for someone else. Personal shopping essentially requires you to do some retail therapy but for other people.

There are times where people need you to do some shopping for them; sometimes locally, sometimes internationally, usually for convenience but also when a specific product that’s sold at a specific location.

You’ll find a big pool of customers through platforms like Jetspree, Airfrov, ShopandBox, and more!

Virtual Assistant

No idea what being a virtual assistant is all about? From coordinating meetings to data entry tasks, a virtual assistant typically assists businesses by performing various administrative tasks or even more specialized tasks that require a specific expertise.

The best part? Being a virtual assistant allows you to support your clients from a remote location so you can work from anywhere around the world – even in the comfort of your home!

However, there are some qualities that a virtual assistant will need to possess to be considered as a valuable asset to the company:

• Reliability
• Accuracy
• Great communication skills and a friendly personality
• High level of focus and ability to work under pressure
• Excellent time management skills
• Willingness to take initiative

If you think you possess these qualities and you have a certain expertise to offer, try putting yourself up on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and more!

Babysitting

In today’s modern society, there are tons of Malaysian parents who are in dire need of babysitters. You could also tweak your pricing structure according to each kid and their specific needs. For example, cooking and cleaning up after the kids, or even transportation to and from school.

If you need help gaining solid experience – consider signing up on online platforms that would set you up with everything you need. This includes adequate training, background checks, psychological checks and other tests that would allow you to prove your worth. One notable platform is Kiddocare which connects parents with qualified babysitters.

Once that’s done, you can consider starting small by reaching out to your family friends and acquaintances. You could also join a WhatsApp community group, a Facebook page with a large family community, or even start up your own business page on social media!

Pet Sitting

If you love pets, there’s no better job than being paid to hang out with pets! With more pet owners becoming more willing to spend on their pets, there are many ways for you to get into the pet economy!

For example, you can offer dog-walking services, becoming a pet sitter to keep pets well fed and clean while their owners are away, offer your home as a pet hotel, or even offer a pet taxi service.

However, do make sure that you are genuine and sincere in caring for these pets and have a strong understanding of animals before diving into this career.

To get started, you can sign up for an account on PetBacker or JomPaw!

Assignment Helper

Students today are plagued with the distress of fulfilling their parents’ expectations and tackling a heavy load of assignments each semester.

If you are a talented graduate writer who wants to earn some side income online, why not offer your assignment writing skills to struggling students out there?

From brainstorming the paper’s outline to perfecting its grammar, you can provide customized original papers to students for a certain fee through platforms like A4U, Captain Assignment, My Assignment Help, and more!

Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping can be done by anyone and it’s a common method done by marketing research companies to evaluate the customer experience of any branch or outlet.

As a mystery shopper, you need to monitor the customer services, how the staff handles feedback, how the store is organised and more. You’ll receive a checklist of errands and complete it with your opinions according to the guidelines provided.

Some companies provide mystery shopping programs directly such as Popular Bookstore or through an agent such as SGS and Opinion Hero.

Tuition Teacher

Malaysians put emphasis on extra classes and tuition on top of regular studies. It’s a chance for you to start exploring options as a tuition teacher if you have a decent result in your academics.

Becoming an online tutor would present an upper hand as you can arrange your timetable, subject category and work anywhere of your convenience.

If you’re only just starting out as a tuition teacher, you can choose to offer your services on various platforms including TeachMe, Champion Tutor, My Private Tutor and more. Register an account, arrange your timetable and subjects, set your desired rate – and wait for your students to pour in!

However, there are some basic requirements such as SPM results, a recognized degree certification, etc. What’s the best part – You could even charge a little extra hourly if you’ve got post-graduate or higher education experience!

Virtual Experience

One of the best ways to satisfy those travel enthusiasts is virtual experiences. If you own a skill, why not make some money by sharing it with others?

Virtual experiences are about teaching a skill, talking about things that are unique to your country, or even giving your guests a virtual tour of a place!

You can offer virtual experiences through Airbnb Online Experiences by submitting your application to Airbnb. Take your viewers on a trip via an animal sanctuary virtual experience, or have fun cooking at home with someone on the other end like cooking pasta with grandma.

Answering Surveys

Companies are willing to pay money just for looking public to do research and hear opinions from you!

Companies usually ask for feedback before making a decision to launch a new product or service. They will also ask if there are any ways to improve to better serve their customers. Who better to ask than you as a customer?

To make money by answering surveys, you can sign up for platforms including Valued Opinions, Triaba, Surveryspy, Mobrog! You can get paid from RM1 to RM100 for each survey and it takes just a few minutes depending on the complexity.

Website Building Services

Website building services involve creating a site and web pages, website development, a direct transaction of value with your clients and customers and more! If you are an expert on all these, a freelance website builder job allows you to make more money on your own!

To get started, you can offer your website building services on various platforms including Fiverr, Workana, Upwork, and more.

Online Marketing Services

Demand for online marketing services is growing rapidly as more conventionally offline businesses are seeing themselves catapulted into a new digital world.

Many companies want to get a piece of the pie but have no time nor expertise to manage their own social media profile properly. There are many social media platforms which need to be handled including business Facebook Page, Instagram account, Twitter and more.

If you’re familiar with online marketing or digital marketing, you can build up your portfolio and offer your services on various platforms including Fiverr, Upwork and more! Aside from that, you can promote yourself on some digital marketing related Facebook page – Digital Marketing Malaysia.

This is the perfect gig for those who are familiar with the online marketing world.

Bottom Line

There you have it, over 20 business opportunities whether you’re looking to work for yourself or others. Apply your own skills, solve someone’s issues, use the latest technologies available and you’ll be making a living before you know it.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature your business in this article by contacting us here.