The Challenges of Asnaf Entrepreneurs in Forming Entrepreneurial Resilience

Resilience plays an important role in entrepreneurship; however, an in-depth study of the factors that affect the resilience of Asnaf entrepreneurs is unknown. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by delving deeper into the challenges that affect the resilience of asnaf entrepreneurs thus hindering their business expansion. The study also observed the ability of asnaf entrepreneurs to deal with economic shocks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In-depth interviews conducted with 2 executive officers of the entrepreneur development sector and 10 LZS enforcers who supervise 901 asnaf entrepreneurs throughout Selangor present an overview of the impediments that hinder the business progress of asnaf entrepreneurs. From 901 asnaf entrepreneurs, a total of 25 asnaf entrepreneurs were selected based on the criteria that have been outlined, namely those who run food-based businesses and have undergone the LZS micro-entrepreneurship program for more than 6 months. Constraints experienced are analyzed. Three essential themes that enlighten challenges in fostering entrepreneurial resilience emerged, namely; the role of family members, non-tech savvy and fear of failure. These themes are discussed based on the methodology used and the findings of previous studies. The findings provide an insight that is useful for LZS in designing entrepreneur development instruments and organizing periodic entrepreneurship modules.