Sarawak is steadily experiencing exciting changes as it undergoes socio-economic transformation through the digital economy.
These changes mean that more youths will be participating in reshaping the landscape of many industries by creating more employment opportunities as well as new digital innovations.
The rise of digital technology has also led to the continuous growth of the digital industry, which offers plenty of options for youths to explore.
In fact, youths in the digital era are more empowered than ever to pursue their own interest and work on projects that they are truly passionate about at their own convenience, particularly in digital entrepreneurship.
The use of tools such as the Internet, mobile technologies and apps has enabled them to establish their own start-ups, whether within or away from their home towns.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon nowadays to see millennials or even Gen Zs starting their own business online, even while they are studying or when they have just graduated.
As the local market becomes increasingly competitive and the rate of unemployment among youths is rising year on year, technology has made it easier for digital entrepreneurs to find opportunities and new customer base online.
Having said that, there are some things that young digital entrepreneurs need to consider if they want to kickstart an online business.
For instance, digital skills such as coding and mobile expertise are highly valued. Additionally, most digital entrepreneurs make money directly from home by providing a range of services such as writing, editing and designing.
Aside from that, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are vital in establishing online presence, thus making them excellent marketing and advertising tools for online businesses.
Digital entrepreneurs might also find it useful in taking advantage of the many free productivity tools available when running their online businesses, such as file sharing tools or communication apps.
Still, despite all these technologies at their disposal and with thousands of them around the world launching their start-ups every day, only a handful of entrepreneurs have managed to turn out successful.
This is because, like every other forms of entrepreneurship, digital entrepreneurship has its challenges, and they are are challenges that young entrepreneurs should pay attention in order to thrive in their online businesses.
One of these challenges is cybersecurity; as the number of cyber crimes continues to rise, start-ups that have an active online presence are bound to be vulnerable against online security threats.
Thus, a strong security system is needed to safeguard all important and confidential online data such as customer information, employee records and finances.
In addition, digital entrepreneurs must remember to keep up with new technological know-how constantly and learn the right skill-sets to continuously improve their online business performance.
Photo by Kaushal Moradiya from Pexels.
