In 2012, a banker took over a struggling songket workshop in Kuching that was about to close. Fourteen years later, Tanoti works with more than 800 artisans across 25 rural and remote communities in Sarawak, weaving songket, pua kumbu ikat and rattan into fashion, accessories and homeware.

This year, the Sarawakian social enterprise made its biggest move yet: a pop-up at Isetan KLCC, its first solo runway show at KL Fashion Week, and now its first Kuala Lumpur flagship at 118 Mall, in the shadow of Merdeka 118.

Dato’ Jacqueline Fong returns to Open For Business to talk about shifting from hotels and corporate clients to individual shoppers, putting weavers on stage in a musical, bringing the world’s textile makers to a longhouse, and what it takes to make heritage craft a business that lasts.

In 2012, a banker took over a struggling songket workshop in Kuching that was about to close. Fourteen years later, Tanoti works with more than 800 artisans across 25 rural and remote communities in Sarawak, weaving songket, pua kumbu ikat and rattan into fashion, accessories and homeware.This year, the Sarawakian social enterprise made its biggest move yet: a pop-up at Isetan KLCC, its first solo runway show at KL Fashion Week, and now its first Kuala Lumpur flagship at 118 Mall, in the shadow of Merdeka 118.Dato’ Jacqueline Fong returns to Open For Business to talk about shifting from hotels and corporate clients to individual shoppers, putting weavers on stage in a musical, bringing the world’s textile makers to a longhouse, and what it takes to make heritage craft a business that lasts.

The flagship entrepreneurship show on BFM, featuring personal business stories from early stage start-ups, all the way to billionaire octogenarians in Malaysia and abroad. Notable guests include Martin Cooper (father of the mobile phone), Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), Ralph Henry Baer (father of video games), Tony Buzan (Mindmap Guru), Isaac Tigrett (Hard Rock Cafe founder), Robert Kiyosaki (Financial Guru), Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker) and more. Tap into this valuable resource of shared experiences for the SME industry, which also touches on news, issues and trends affecting the business community and beyond.

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From Longhouse to Landmark: Tanoti Weaves Its Way to Kuala Lumpur

In 2022, former news presenter Amanda Andrea Koh asked a dog hotel what would happen if her dog boarded for 30 days without paying extra for walks. The answer: she would stay in her playpen for 30 days straight.

That conversation became Doggy School Bus, a dog daycare, boarding and enrichment business in Petaling Jaya and Hartamas. A bright orange “school bus” takes dogs to off-leash parks for regular adventure sessions, and the business also offers swimming, grooming and doggy events. It turned profitable within six months, has grown into a seven-figure business, and is still fully bootstrapped.

Amanda joins us to talk about why pet care is a serious business, the operations behind looking after living beings, rising costs and a near-threefold jump in rent, and how to scale without losing the heart.

In 2022, former news presenter Amanda Andrea Koh asked a dog hotel what would happen if her dog boarded for 30 days without paying extra for walks. The answer: she would stay in her playpen for 30 days straight.That conversation became Doggy School Bus, a dog daycare, boarding and enrichment business in Petaling Jaya and Hartamas. A bright orange “school bus” takes dogs to off-leash parks for regular adventure sessions, and the business also offers swimming, grooming and doggy events. It turned profitable within six months, has grown into a seven-figure business, and is still fully bootstrapped.Amanda joins us to talk about why pet care is a serious business, the operations behind looking after living beings, rising costs and a near-threefold jump in rent, and how to scale without losing the heart.

All Aboard the Doggy School Bus!

A neurodivergent child might see a therapist once a week, spend five days in a classroom and every evening at home. But the therapist, the teacher and the parent are rarely on the same page.

Sejolly, a Malaysian social enterprise founded in 2022, builds tools to close that gap. Its app, Rootin, lets therapists, educators and parents share session plans, progress data, individual education plans and more than 160 short video models that parents can follow at home. The company also runs training, assessments and home-based therapy, and in 2025 it completed a programme with Yayasan PETRONAS and JPN Selangor across 30 public schools.

It made about RM295,000 in revenue last year, up 88 per cent, and has been profitable for two years running, while giving one free Rootin account to an underserved family for every ten that are paid for.

Co-founders Khadijah Yunos and Aishah Md Nor join us to talk about building a business around a problem they lived with for years, and balancing impact with commercial sustainability.

A neurodivergent child might see a therapist once a week, spend five days in a classroom and every evening at home. But the therapist, the teacher and the parent are rarely on the same page.Sejolly, a Malaysian social enterprise founded in 2022, builds tools to close that gap. Its app, Rootin, lets therapists, educators and parents share session plans, progress data, individual education plans and more than 160 short video models that parents can follow at home. The company also runs training, assessments and home-based therapy, and in 2025 it completed a programme with Yayasan PETRONAS and JPN Selangor across 30 public schools.It made about RM295,000 in revenue last year, up 88 per cent, and has been profitable for two years running, while giving one free Rootin account to an underserved family for every ten that are paid for.Co-founders Khadijah Yunos and Aishah Md Nor join us to talk about building a business around a problem they lived with for years, and balancing impact with commercial sustainability.

Rooting for Every Child: Sejolly and the System Around Neurodivergent Kids

Malaysians love biryani, but husband-and-wife Jatinder Singh Badwal and Kishpreet Bakshi, both from Punjab, felt something was missing here in KL: true dum biryani, sealed with dough and slow-cooked in a clay pot the way it’s made in Lucknow.

So in July 2025 they started The Biryani Company: biryani cooked to order in clay handis brought in from India, sealed, and delivered across KL in the pot it was cooked in. They still hold full-time jobs, and cook and deliver only at weekends. In their first year they made around RM55,000 in revenue, are already profitable, and have sent out more than 1,000 clay pots with a 4.9-star Google rating.

They join us to talk about the dum method, growing a weekend business, and their plans to go big with tourism and corporate clients.

Malaysians love biryani, but husband-and-wife Jatinder Singh Badwal and Kishpreet Bakshi, both from Punjab, felt something was missing here in KL: true dum biryani, sealed with dough and slow-cooked in a clay pot the way it’s made in Lucknow.So in July 2025 they started The Biryani Company: biryani cooked to order in clay handis brought in from India, sealed, and delivered across KL in the pot it was cooked in. They still hold full-time jobs, and cook and deliver only at weekends. In their first year they made around RM55,000 in revenue, are already profitable, and have sent out more than 1,000 clay pots with a 4.9-star Google rating.They join us to talk about the dum method, growing a weekend business, and their plans to go big with tourism and corporate clients.

From Longhouse to Landmark: Tanoti Weaves Its Way to Kuala Lumpur

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