The local start-up community has risen throughout the years led by seasoned pioneers followed by an increase in youth founders as young as 14 years old.
Speaking to MediaStar, Golden Equator’s Senior Training Associate and ecosystem builder, Angie Ang equates this to the current youth being more creative and sensible.
“(They) are creative in the sense of how they want to get things done within the start-up and entrepreneurship system.”
“They are visionary in ways on how they implement (their business); they want to raise funds, start their own small business and they want to partake in the thrift culture,” she explained.
Ang praises the youth for wanting to pave their own way while wanting to protect the environment.
“Everything nowadays is about thrifting and sustainability; upcycling and recycling, which I believe (they are doing) a good job at, compared to our generation that wants everything brand new that we forget about protecting the earth and being sustainable.”
“I think it is remarkable and great to see this movement; wanting to be more conscious and aware of the environment, (simultaneously) tying it to their businesses.”
Ang shared that many of these entrepreneurs are as young as 14 years old and started thrifting on Instagram, creating separate accounts and making applications such as Thryffy Brunei that allow anyone to sign up and sell their preloved items.
“It is a good move and low waste, reselling or recycling items so other people can then afford to wear these items. I (personally) did not have that and still have the mindset of donating, instead of selling,” she said.
According to her, these start-ups are run by the youths themselves with some either still in high school, working with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) or Non-Profit Organisations.
“They are definitely putting their talents to good use, volunteering for good causes that they believe in such as Green Brunei or organising beach clean-ups during their free time, instead of the generation back then who only participated through school.”
“The proactiveness of this generation is better, they have extra money, know how to save the environment while giving back to the community, helping their neighbours and doing beneficial activities,” Ang added.
She links this generation’s admirable traits to the exposure they get to the world’s issues and their desire to fix the world.
“The youths are also more empathetic, mindful and independent, with a positive woke culture proving that age does not equal maturity.”
“Because right now the youth are and will be shaping the new generation — (I believe), we need to give them the space to think outside their box and not limit them.”
Ang, who regularly runs masterclasses for prospective and seasoned entrepreneurs alike, said many opportunities await those keen to learn.
“We want to diversify the economy of Brunei, away from the oil and gas industry. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there and a lot of young people have already started a business and promoting them through social media platforms such as Instagram.”
“I think it is great that people have the opportunity to turn their ideas into a business because that is how a lot of big businesses start anyway — from humble beginnings.”
Ang, who has been in the industry professionally for two years, particularly concentrates on the creative industry and the youth, tying it back to the country’s Vision 2035; to raise independent youths with world-class standards.
“If we cannot rely on the youth, then who can we rely on to lead the nation?”
She urges youths to continue to tap into the resources that are available.
“(This includes) boot camps and courses that are running all year round by Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), LiveWire and even my own company, Golden Equator.”
“We run masterclasses at Lifelong Learning Centre, Ministry of Education (MOE) which individuals may choose to self-fund, or if their company is registered with Job Centre for upskilling and reskilling courses, they can get some funding too.”
Ang added that the youth should not shy away from networking sessions.
“Be proactive in reaching out to industry experts and mentors via LinkedIn, Brunei Mentors for Entrepreneurs Network (BMEN), Young Professionals Network Brunei (YPN), and Young Entrepreneur Association Brunei (YEAB).”
Rafidah Hamit
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
MEDIASTAR
