Top 10 Successful Muslimah Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

There are many women nowadays who are paving the way to a better life and climbing up that metaphorical career ladder. It is no surprise though that when we think of successful women or women who are making millions we think of people like Oprah Winfrey, Kylie Jenner, Joy Mangano and other Western or European femme fatales.

But what about someone who is more relatable to you? A hijab-clad, Muslimah who is also trying to make it in this business minded world?

Let us now take a stroll down the lanes of the top 10 Muslimah Entrepreneurs in Malaysia that we hope can inspire you.

1. Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza

One of the obvious pick of a successful business woman would obviously be Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza.  She may be arguably the number one best singer of all in Malaysia but aside from her musical prowess, Dato’ Siti is now also very well known for her cosmetics line. Since Simply Siti products have hit the shelves of nearly every single drug store available in Malaysia, her business has sky rocketed into the hearts of many a woman.

With beauty items such as the SimplySiti C Bright, SimplySiti New Age dan SimplySiti Acne Solution as well as the makeup line which includes matte lipsticks, blusher, pressed cake powders and many more; there is practically everything for a girl who wants to look good. Simply Siti is not only certified Halal by Jakim, it is also quite affordable.

With her Simply Elegant Lipstick Matte clocking in at only RM32.90 and La Collection D’Or Two Way Cake powders at only RM62.90, it is most definitely a lot cheaper than the high end products you want to get at Sephora. Dato’ Siti’s Simply Siti is obviously more than just a catchy name, it is a product that sells faster than you can say “Bukan Cinta Biasa” because indeed this ain’t no ordinary love. It has made Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza and even wealthier woman.

2. Rozita Ibrahim

The next one on our list is none other than Rozita Ibrahim, whose life’s journey has been one hell of a roller coaster ride of emotions. Starting out from humble beginnings, Rozita is truly one woman who has really made a name for herself. Prior to becoming a successful and rich businesswoman, Rozita used to work as a rubber tapper and had to struggle to feed her own infant child.

Her hard work and determination to succeed is what propelled her to start her business Sendayu Tinggi. In 1997, she began her company Sendayu Tinggi by experimenting her product on herself to see if it would work. After some trial and errors, she developed the Slimming Set and her business took off like a whirlwind of triumph.

At last, Rozita had become the success story she had always dreamed of being. With over two thousand distributors all over the Asian continent, Sendayu Tinggi has truly become a sensation for the nation and beyond.

3. Dato’ Dr. Hajjah Hasmizah Othman

Furthermore, Dato’ Dr. Hajjah Hasmizah Othman or better known of her glamour name Dato’ Seri Vida is another Muslimah who has made herself a renowned businesswoman and the face of her product the (in)famous Pamoga Qu Puteh. With her ever popular tagline “Qu Puteh, Qu Puteh, Barulah Puteh”, her products sell over a 100, 000 bottles a month propelling her to become one of the wealthiest women in Malaysia.

Even when she was working as a mere school teacher at SJK (C) Poi Lam in Ipoh, she had already possessed that passionate fire to start up a business in her heart. She began by starting up a grooming and beauty course and then build her empire from there. Now, she is the owner of Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd and a true wealthy businesswoman to admire.

4. Neelofa

Neelofa is also a name that has got every tongue wagging since she made her career as an actress and model. This Kelantanese fair skinned beauty is what you get when you combine beauty and brains. Known for her role in Suirhati Mr Pilot, she has also gotten a lot of attention for her busness; the Neelofar hijab.

 The Neelofar scarves that she sells come in a multitude of colours, all vibrant and sweet, and ranging from a plethora of designs. There is the Duchess collection, the Eva, the Glam Women, Lady Warda, Miss Charm and many more.

 In contrast to the also famous Duckscarves, the Neelofar is slightly more affordable to those who want a bit of glam but are shopping with a limited budget. Her Lady Warda collection only retails for RM73 and her Miss Charm coming in at only RM60. Her business has since taken off with tremendous success, catapulting her to become and even more wealthy woman with a line of to-die-for hijab.

5. Azizah Omar

The next one on our list of successful businesswomen is Azizah Omar who is a true case of a lady born into the legacy of her family business and successfully continuing said legacy. Her father, allahyarham Omar Ali, started up his business selling traditional clothing at a bazaar in Jalan Masjid India. Now, the business has been going strong what with coming into the hands of the second generation.

They take every opportunity they can when it comes to anything fashion; from tailoring to ready-made clothes there really isn’t a stone left unturned for this family business. This 70-year-old business has made its recipe of success through maintaining top notch quality and spreading their reaches far and wide.

Omar Ali Holdings now employs over thirty skilled tailors and dressmakers and has even spread its wings to countries outside of Malaysia.

6. Faiza Bawumi Sayed Ahmad

Who hasn’t heard of the truly admirable Faiza Bawumi Sayed Ahmad? Despite the fact that Faiza isn’t a born Malaysian, she has definitely become one through her absolute loyalty to her business which has become a popular household item here in Malaysia.

 Faiza moved with her husband to Malaysia in 1964 and ill content with simply sitting around in the kitchen, she strived to get up and about by creating the famous curry powder mixture known as the Bunga Raya. She began distributing it to stores and has never looked back since. Aside from curry powder which she mixes and cooks herself, Faiza has even dipped her toes in the rice business too. Now she sells all kinds of rice types including basmathi, ponni, Siamese and even ‘beras wangi’. Truly an entrepreneur to admire and emulate.

7. Dato’ Dr. Maznah Binti Hamid

She is another Muslimah entrepreneur who is a remarkable case of accomplishment. Born in Ayer Hitam, Kedah, this lady is the founder of Malaysia’s security service Securiforce. She is also the owner of sub-companies in Danau Lumayan, Syarikat Pembangunan Hartanah which is placed in Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras.

Aside from that, her security services, Securiforce Logistics, has even reached the shores of Singapore, Bangkok, China, Korea, Turkey and Germany. Her achievements are a testament to her hardwork and strong work ethics as she truly believes that in order to achieve all that one wants, one must put in more work than one is paid for.

8. Farizah Zakaria

The next in line is Faridah Zakaria known for her business Tudung Fareeda. This is another lady who has made the selling of headscarves her livelihood and her source of wealth.

Some of her products that are considered bestsellers include Fareeda Sabreena, Fareeda Suraiya, Fareeda Suzana, Fareeda Aisya, Fareeda Mariya, Fareeda Nour Sara, and Fareeda Nour Sofea. Another housewife turned entrepreneur, Farida began by starting out small, selling curtains and clothes to help ease the financial burden on her husband. When she couldn’t find a ‘tudung’ she liked, she decided to make one.

 From the positive response of her relatives, she then decided to create her own business.

Purchasing two sewing machines, Faridah began to make and sell ‘tudungs’ like nobody’s business.

Her first born Mawar Abd Karim, who is the face and model of Fareeda, was also her source of help during those early days. Now, most anyone in Malaysia has heard of Fareeda proving that she is indeed a rags-to-riches story.

9. Vivy Yusof

This next lady on our list is the winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award from The Queen of Malaysia. We are talking about none other than Vivy Yusof. This fair skinned beauty who hails from Selangor has made a name for herself as the founder of dUck, the headscarves that has taken Malaysia by storm.

Duckscarves have become all the rage these days and they’re so incredibly popular that many young ladies out there have claimed of their willingness to spend over RM1K on her products alone. With vibrant and lively colours named after delicious food like Raspberry Cheesecake, Lemon Sorbet and Dark Cherry, her scarves have indeed becoming a booming business.

10. Yasmin Rasyid

Finally, we have Yasmin Rasyid, a marine biologist by profession who single handedly founded the not-for-profit EcoKnights. EcoKnights is an organisation that aims to help people gain awareness of environmental issues, empowering communities and increase environmental communication.

Her company was created in the hopes that youths could become educated enough on the environmental issues to want to preserve our beautiful world so that the future has a chance to witness the beauty for themselves. She is one woman who juggles her work with family whilst simultaneously inspiring women out there to achieve success themselves.

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By: 

Nur Jalilah Binti Abdul Aziz, freelance writer of this blog at Zaahara. Interests include blog writing, academic writing and creative writing.

-Photos are taken from google images

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