With all this on her plate, one might wonder: how does she juggle everything?

Hemah credits the “Disruptive Womanization” programme, which she joined in 2020, for boosting her self-confidence.

“I developed the outlook that I could overcome any challenge,” she tells FMT. “Once this happened, I had the energy to do more things.”

An annual event organised by Sampurna Malaysia in conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 8, the project aims to help Malaysians develop their business skills and embrace the right mindset for a better socioeconomic future.

Hemah, who hails from Perak but resides in Klang, found out about it from her sister, who is also a participant. Describing herself as a “happy-go-lucky” person, she decided to give the programme a try.

Shvwin Multiple Enterprise – named after her husband Siva, herself, and her five-year-old son Vashwin – was registered in 2019, but it was only after she signed up and underwent training that things began to take off.

“Before, the business was inactive because my husband and I did not have proper experience and knowledge,” she shares.

But “Disruptive Womanization” – which covers topics such as business management and marketing techniques – improved her skills and gave her the conviction and motivation to grow the company.

For instance, “we started printing name cards and stickers so people could identify our business easily”, she says.

Skills in practice

Hemah and her husband collect their supplies of fresh seafood from Setia Alam in Selangor before delivering it directly to their customers, who are made up of grocery stores, markets, and individuals.

The seafood, which includes pomfret, mackerel, prawns, crabs and squid, are sourced from Hutan Melintang in Perak.

When the third movement control order was imposed in May last year, Hemah was further able to apply what she had learnt. By then, sales had increased by 50% alongside a surge in new customers, thanks to an effective social media-marketing initiative.

“Getting our supply became a challenge for us, but we made sure our customers were constantly updated throughout the delay,” she says.

The importance of customer service was something she had learnt through the programme.

‘The ability to overcome’

So, what’s next for this industrious woman? Not one to rest on her laurels, Hemah reveals she would like to expand the business.

To achieve this, she hopes to get a four-wheel-drive to help them transport a larger amount of seafood, and also aims to obtain a bigger storage space for all their supplies.

Hemah encourages all women to recognise their talents and natural abilities in overcoming various challenges.

Furthermore, she believes it is important to have more than one source of income, which is why she also teaches preschool children in the day, and provides tuition classes three nights a week.

“It’s so that, as women, we can support our families and don’t have to depend on others for what we want to do,” she says.

Sampurna Malaysia will be holding ‘Disruptive Womanization 2022’ from March 11-13 in Port Dickson. It is open to all Malaysian women between the ages of 21 and 40, and is free of charge.

For more information, contact Sampurna Malaysia at 012-3775551 or visit its website. To register for the event, click here.

For more information about Shvwin Multiple Enterprise, visit its Facebook profile.