By Jie Min & Marlina, Community Workers
We were in conversation with 9 mothers who dreamed of having their own home-based business to alleviate their financial challenges. 3 of them had already started baking, cooking and catering from home for small events while the rest were just very interested in exploring how they could get started. Hence, we thought that inviting them to manage a booth at Parking Day, an upcoming community event on Saturday, 14 September 2024, would be a good hands-on learning experience especially for those who have never hawked their wares.
There was much excitement and enthusiasm as these mothers suggested the various items they could peddle at their booth. But to prepare them for the task, we asked how they would go about organizing themselves, “Would you appoint a leader who decides or are you comfortable with making decisions together?” They responded by saying that it was a one-off event, and they should just work like a family and support each other as best as they can.
To elaborate on their preference, one of them recounted that as the leader of an event previously, she had to clean up on her own because there was no ownership for the endeavour from others in her team. Hence, she strongly believed that shared decision making is necessary for encouraging ownership and firmly declared, “Better to plan together, get tired together, and clean up together!”
That declaration resonated with everyone, and to assess the quality of cooperation among them., we asked, “What would you do if your neighbour’s booth wasn’t selling well?”
Following a short thoughtful pause, Juria a self-declared extrovert who enjoys making a sale exclaimed, “I will help to promote her items!” Then Hafizah, who had set up food booths previously chimed in, “I will use a mic to draw customers and advise herto lower her prices.” Both offers of help were infectiously energizing and Anna, who is usually quiet, said that she will speak caringly to her neighbour to lift her spirits so that she will not give up because she is discouraged. At that point, Mandy proudly concluded, “This is gotong royong!”
Gotong royong is Malay for mutual help or cooperation. Nonetheless, we put forth another possible scenario. “What would you do if the person at the booth next to you had to run home suddenly to attend to a family matter?” The answer was prompt as several said that they will help man the stall and hold the earnings safely. It was just the most natural thing to do, and they wondered why we asked such a question.
We then challenged them with the question: “What is the difference between this community market and selling at any bazaar outside?” The mothers shared, “For a bazaar, it’s just for business and competition is fierce. But for us, it’s about people from different backgrounds coming together to bond and support each other. Here, we start small, but we can give each other honest feedback and grow together!”
Finally, one who had the experience of managing a booth shared, “Your legs will be very tired from standing even for four hours but don’t get too stressed, it’s fun and just enjoy the process.”
When the session was over, we could not help thinking of the Malay saying “Kecil rezeki, besar kawan” which means “Small fortune, big friends”.
