Entrepreneurship Development

Various initiatives have been set in place to develop entrepreneurship in the country. One recent initiative is the Learning Management System (LMS), introduced by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) and Shell LiveWIRE Brunei for the Energy Business Academy and Entrepreneurship programmes.

The launch is part of BSP and Shell LiveWIRE Brunei’s efforts to support digitalisation for both organisations and maximise the programme’s reach within the country, especially for young and tech-savvy entrepreneurs. With the online platform, business owners have greater flexibility to go through the available content at their own pace and convenience.

Shell LiveWIRE Brunei, BSP’s entrepreneurship arm and Social Investment Flagship programme, has also been running courses and workshops for potential business owners in pursuing entrepreneurship. The Business Plan Series and Bright Ideas workshops are the most well-received by the public.

During the launch of LMS, a Mentor Open Day segment was also held to promote mentorship with the use of Shell LiveWIRE Brunei’s Mentor With Us (MWU) mobile app. It was held in collaboration with the Shell LiveWIRE Brunei alumni and Brunei Mentors for Entrepreneurs Network (BMEN), a business mentorship initiative conducted by Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) in collaboration with Brunei’s ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC). BMEN gathers leading business people, professionals, and subject matter experts in Brunei to provide guidance and insight to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on the different aspects of running a business. BMEN is implemented by DARe in collaboration with Brunei’s ABAC and is the local arm of the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network.

While youth entrepreneurship plays a vital role in creating jobs for economic growth, setting up a new business is not a first career option for many young graduates. One of the initiatives to help tackle this was the ‘Become a Successful Owner Manager (BSOM)’ workshop recently held by Shell LiveWIRE Brunei and supported by Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) as a strategic partner through the Enterprise Office.

The workshop aimed to encourage the participants to have a deeper understanding of the local entrepreneurship ecosystem and to equip them with tips and tricks to become successful owners and managers. Participating universities included UTB, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Politeknik Brunei and the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE).

Meanwhile, various agencies and departments also lend a helping hand in aiding the growth of entrepreneurship in the nation. The ‘Guide on How to Open A Business 101’ workshop was recently held by the Brunei-USA Association (BUSA) in collaboration with DARe to promote youth entrepreneurship. The workshop aimed to help aspiring entrepreneurs decide if their idea is worth pursuing, as well as to figure out how to move from ideation to implementation.

The workshop also detailed how to register a business locally and the documents required for most businesses to operate as well as looking at a business structure, working on an organisational chart and identifying gaps.

BUSA President Salimah binti Haji Saim said she hoped that by the end of the workshop, participants would be able to identify target customers and gaps to minimise risks when starting a business, as well as understand the different types of documents needed to register a business in Brunei Darussalam.

Other examples of initiatives to promote entrepreneurship include the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Shell LiveWIRE Brunei and the Federation of Brunei Malay Entrepreneurs (PPPMB), where both have made a joint commitment to enhance, advance and strengthen collaboration between both parties, with regards to training and development programmes, organisational development and business development. Both parties are keen on developing entrepreneurs through skills training and workshops.

The newly signed MoU serves as a general framework to encourage collaborations in various areas of mutual interest, specifically in the discipline areas, between Shell LiveWIRE Brunei and PPPMB.