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Online Your Business

Guideline Start an Online Business in Malaysia
– Step 1

Create a Basic Business Plan

Why Your Business Needs a Roadmap: The Importance of a Business Plan
  • Thoroughly Evaluating Your Business Idea or Project
  • Provide a detailed evaluation on the viability of the planned and proposed project
  • Systematically and clearly assess the business resource requirements
  • Evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness of the project for investment or financing
  • Provide guidance on possible obstacles that may emerge during business project execution and suggest effective solutions or mitigation strategies to address them
– Step 2

Set Up Your Business Registration

“All online traders who carry out businesses via marketplace or e-commerce companies must register with SSM by end of December 2017. SSM will give a 30-day period for the traders to register after their businesses on the e-commerce platform become profitable. Traders who fail to register their businesses will be dropped from the online platform. Actions will be also taken under the Registration of Businesses Act 1956 on traders who did not register and if convicted, may face a two-year jail term or fine of RM50,000, or both.”

YBhg. Datuk Zahrah Abd
Wahab Fenner
CEO of SSM
29 May 2017

Starting an online business shares many similarities with opening a brick-and-mortar store. The planning and legal processes are much alike. Although you won’t need to secure a physical retail space, it’s crucial to have a strong business plan and a well-designed website in place before you begin selling.

– Step 3

Select Your Strategy for Selling Online

  • Sell on platforms like Lazada, 11Street, and Shopee
  • Sell directly from your own website
  • Sell through social media channels like Instagram and Facebook
fiduciary director
  1. Waiting too long to launch the product/service
  2. Solving an unimportant problem
  3. Not really listening to the customer
  4. Not being different enough
  5. Choosing a topic that you don’t care about
  6. Starting with the wrong expetation
  7. Spending too much thinking and not enough doing
  8. Do it alone
  9. Confusing “blog” with business
  10. Not starting at all

Build Trust in Your Online Business!

Credibility is a crucial factor in building a successful online business. A strong brand reputation helps businesses earn and maintain their customers’ trust, fostering a positive perception that can lead to long-term benefits.

With recent technological advancements and improvements in parcel delivery systems, Malaysia’s online business sector is rapidly expanding. The government, through various Ministries and Agencies, has been actively promoting online businesses through multiple programs aimed at creating more opportunities for growth.

One such initiative is SSM BizTrust, a program designed to strengthen Malaysian online businesses, enabling them to tap into both domestic and global markets. This program offers certification to online business entities that meet the trust principles set by SSM. The criteria for certification include business registration, online security, and information protection.

company act 2016

The BizTrust Seal

The BizTrust Seal of Assurance symbolizes an online trader’s adherence to the principles and criteria set by SSM BizTrust. Once awarded, this seal is showcased on the trader’s website and provides a link to SSM’s report and other pertinent details.

Source: SSM BizTrust

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