Perseverance pays off for youths
Pasar malam traders in JB lean on support and hard work to overcome challenges

NIGHT markets are becoming increasingly popular with youths seeking an opportunity to venture into business and be the boss.

It was a change of environment for 27-year-old Yow Kai Ren, who went from working in the information and technology sector to selling sugarcane juice at night markets.

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“Four years ago, I met a pasar malam trader who wanted to let go of his sugarcane drink business,” he said.

“At that time, I had been working in Singapore for four years. It was also during the Covid-19 pandemic and I was working from home in Johor Baru.

“I decided to take a chance to run my own business.”

Muhammad Yusof (left) assisting his older brother Muhammad Faizal Ali Baba as he fries a fresh batch of vadai at their pasar malam stall in Setia Tropika, Johor Baru.

Stepping into the shoes of a businessman took some getting used to as Yow faced many challenges including stock procurement and resource management.

“Thankfully, I met many helpful people along the way, who guided, advised and helped me pull through the challenges.

“I also got to know some sugarcane smallholders, and through my dealings with them, I am able to save 15% of my operational costs,” he said.

It took Yow about two years to familiarise and stabilise his business operations to a comfortable level.

Currently, he has five workers to help operate stalls at 10 pasar malam locations, each week.

“We are at two pasar malam locations daily and sell up to 300kg of sugarcane juice.

A packet of fried rice or fried noodles is priced at RM4 at Muhammad Rieza’s stall.

“The drink is sold at RM5 for a small bottle and RM14 for a big bottle,” Yow said, adding that he was hands-on with setting up of the stalls as well as operating the sugarcane juice extractor.

He said he felt awkward when he first stepped into the night market as a trader, as it was a total change of environment compared to his previous job.

“I used to commute daily from Johor Baru to Singapore for work and would reach home late at night.

“Now I can spend quality time with my loved ones after work,” he said, adding that his family had been supportive of his decision to become a trader.

Yow is hoping to expand his business and go into distribution including supplying sugarcane juice to Singapore.

Another young pasar malam entrepreneur is Muhammad Rieza Farhan, who also took a leap of faith to sell fried noodles at a pasar malam more than seven years ago, after his contract at a local council in Kuala Lumpur ended.

“I used to work in the council’s landscaping department.

Muhammad Rieza’s workers loading a van with equipment as they get ready to go to the pasar malam.

“When my contract ended, I returned to Johor Baru to be with my family,” said the 30-year-old.

After discussing with his father-in-law, a retired police officer, they agreed to join forces and sell fried noodles and fried rice at a pasar malam, he said.

“I learned and developed the recipes and portions with the help of my mother and family members, who were my food tasters.

“At first I operated at one pasar malam. Now, my team covers up to six pasar malam in Johor Baru and Pasir Gudang every day,” he said, adding that he was assisted by 15 workers, most of whom were youths.

Their daily operations start with washing vegetables, chopping onions and blending chilli paste, at 8.30am at a central kitchen in Taman Dahlia in Johor Baru.

Items for trade are then loaded into a van at 2.30pm before the team moves out to their respective locations for set up.

“We fry kuey teow, noodles and rice in large woks at each pasar malam.

Yow (left) setting up his stall at a pasar malam in Permas Jaya, Johor Baru.

“We get good sales at the Thursday pasar malam in Setia Tropika as we sell more than 70kg kuey teow, 40kg yellow noodles and 12kg rice, depending on the weather,” he said.

Muhammad Rieza said fried noodles and fried rice were initially sold at RM3 per packet but the price went up to RM4 due to rising operational costs following the Covid-19 movement restrictions.

“We want to maintain low prices so our customers can enjoy tasty and affordable food,” added the father of two.

“Many of our customers are regulars who have been supporting us for years.

“They have also come to us for catering services for weddings and other events.”

He advised young entrepreneurs to persevere despite the challenges they might face along the way.

“I have never been embarrassed to sell food at night markets because it is an honest living and we work hard.

“When Covid-19 happened, it was quite tough because the pasar malam could not operate.

“We resorted to alternative ways to survive.

A worker cutting green chillies at Muhammad Rieza’s central kitchen in Taman Dahlia, Johor Baru.

“We opted for online orders and hired runners to deliver the food.

“Thankfully, we were able to pull through while keeping our workers,” he added.

As for the future, Muhammad Rieza wants to open a restaurant selling breakfast and lunch meals next year, while maintaining his pasar malam business.

For 23-year-old Muhammad Yusof Ali Baba, selling traditional Indian snacks comes naturally to him as business runs in his blood.

“My late grandfather started our family business decades ago and it passed down to my father before my mother took over.

“Now my two brothers and I handle the operations of selling two different types of vadai and cendol using our family recipe,” he said, adding that they set up shop at eight pasar malam locations each week.

Muhammad Yusof said he learned the recipes from his mother after finishing secondary school as he was interested in doing business.

“I have tried working at a factory prior to this and it is totally different from running a pasar malam business which requires us to react to different scenarios each day,” he added.

“I also enjoy meeting new people and chatting with customers.”

He said the stalls were open all week except for Mondays, which was reserved for stocking up on ingredients.

“Our ingredients are prepared at home, including grinding the lentils for vadai.

“The vadai mixture is brought to the pasar malam location and we fry the snack on site to maintain freshness and crispiness,” he said.

The biggest challenge for pasar malam traders, he said, was the weather, which determined their income for the day.

“On a good day, we sell about 18kg of vadai mixture but when it rains, we are prepared for poor sales.

“The pasar malam crowd also drops during school holidays and after festive seasons.

“But this does not stop us from setting up our stall, come rain or shine,” said the youngest of three siblings.

Muhammad Yusof added that his siblings and he take the uncertain moments as a challenge to persevere despite the odds.

“Maybe it is because I grew up in that environment, seeing how hard my parents worked to raise us.

“It has inspired my brothers and I to continue their legacy and keep the family business alive,” he said.

Meanwhile, roadside trader N. Megala, 32, is hoping to get a pasar malam licence soon so that she can sell more dishes and reach a wider customer base.

“My husband R. Jayavarman and I sell cendol and shaved ice by the road in Taman Tampoi Indah.

“This area is not very conducive and some of our equipment was stolen recently.

“If we get a spot in a pasar malam, it will give us an opportunity to serve our homemade Indian dishes, that I learned from my mother, to more people,” said the trader of five years.

Besides cendol, Megala also learned to make mee rebus and fried noodles from her mother.

She has submitted an application to the local council for a pasar malam licence in April but has yet to receive any news.

“Our next option is to look for an affordable used food truck.

“We are still looking for a suitable one as those in the market are expensive,” she said.

“We will continue selling food from our stall which consists of a foldable tent and table.”

Despite the challenges, Megala said they were not planning to give up on their business because they have two young children aged five years old and seven months to care for.
Pasar Malam,Night Market,Traders,Youths,Business,Entrepreneur
NIGHT markets are becoming increasingly popular with youths seeking an opportunity to venture into business and be the boss.