Do you know how many businesses in Malaysia are owned by women? And how many are Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs)? The latest available statistics by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on women in leadership roles in business comes from the Economic Census 2023, which found that in 2022, women owned 20% of all businesses in Malaysia. From the 219,015 women-owned businesses recorded in 2022, 185,582 of these businesses were classified as SMEs, making up 17% of all SMEs in Malaysia. Meanwhile, a more recent report states that a total of 1.37 million informal entrepreneurs were recorded in Malaysia in 2023, according to Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Ewon Benedick. These informal entrepreneurs where either self-employed or employers, with women estimated to operate over 30% of these informal and micro-tier businesses – mostly home-based, allowing mompreneurs to undertake family responsibilities while working, as reported in a 2024 academic research paper by Sharifah Zanierah Syed Marzuki et al.
However, there will come a time when the solopreneur or bootstrapper startup will need to expand operations following business success – or, rather, finally be able to take on more help after some time of doing everything herself from creating the product, to marketing, to administrative work, to handling finances. This is when it is important to build the right team so that new hires become a benefit rather than a hindrance as another hand you have to hold to do their job correctly (as example of one of the fears women in leadership and business face when it comes to delegating work).
To help figure out the best way to recruit new hires, be it a personal assistant, an junior executive or a senior manager, Kathy Wong, Head of Recruitment at INFINITY8 – a full suite corporate solutions provider, shares with us her best practices and recommendations when it comes to how women in leadership can scale their teams for success, especially with the tools and facilities available to SME entrepreneurs nowadays.
MWAH: Thank you for being willing to share with us your insights, Kathy. Firstly, could you explain how INFINITY8 supports companies through recruitment and Employer of Record (EOR) solutions to access wider talent pools and build more flexible teams?
Kathy Wong: For startups and smaller businesses, hiring can be challenging. Many may not yet have a dedicated HR team to manage recruitment, payroll and day-to-day HR operations. At INFINITY8, our recruitment support covers the hiring journey from sourcing and screening candidates to interviews and onboarding. Through our Employer of Record (EOR) services, we can also act as the legal employer for companies hiring in Malaysia, while the company continues to manage the employee’s day-to-day responsibilities. Our support can include employment contracts, payroll, statutory contributions and HR administration. For smaller businesses, this provides access to HR and employment support without having to build every function internally from day one. For regional businesses looking to expand, an EOR model can also provide a practical way to start hiring in Malaysia without immediately setting up a local entity.
“For smaller businesses, Employer of Record (EOR) services provide access to HR and employment support without having to build every function internally from day one. “
This is particularly relevant as Malaysia’s labour market continues to grow. The country’s labour force reached 17.09 million people in 2025, an increase of 1.1% from the previous year. For a smaller or growing business, the question is therefore not always, “How quickly can we build an HR department?” It can be, “What support do we actually need at this stage to start hiring?”
That is where recruitment and EOR can give businesses more flexibility. They can access the talent they need and put the necessary employment structure around that talent without having to build every capability internally from day one.
We have seen this with one of our e-commerce clients. We supported them from the very beginning as they built their pioneering team, helping them secure a coworking office space and recruit the talent they needed. Within just six months, the team grew from three employees to 15.
MWAH: How do you hire the right person for a certain role in your organisation, especially if you have a lean budget or short runway?
KW: When starting or growing a business, there comes a point when you realise you cannot do everything alone and need to build a team. For a small business, every hire matters. When you have five people, one wrong hire can have a significant impact on the whole team.
- Be clear about the role. Instead of focusing only on qualifications or years of experience, identify two or three key outcomes you need the person to deliver over the next six to 12 months.
- With a lean budget, look beyond the CV. Adaptability, ownership, problem-solving and willingness to learn can be just as important as experience.
- During interviews, use practical scenarios to understand how candidates think, make decisions and solve real business problems.
- And remember, not every role needs to be a full-time hire. Depending on your stage of growth, outsourcing or external support may be a smarter option.
The goal is not to hire the cheapest person. It is to make the right hiring decision for where your business is today and where you want it to go next.
MWAH: How do you go about doing that?
KW: At INFINITY8, I have worked with many founders and co-founders to build their pioneering teams when expanding into Malaysia. I always start by understanding the business, its direction and its challenges. I put myself in the hiring manager’s shoes and ask, “What kind of person do we need to help achieve the company’s goals?”
By working closely with our clients and understanding what they are really looking for, we have been able to secure talent that not only fits the role, but also fits the company’s culture and has the potential to grow with the business. For me, successful recruitment is not just about filling a vacancy. It is about finding the right person who can contribute and stay for the long term.
MWAH: Some of us may have had the experience of hiring someone with years of experience, but seems to need hand-holding or be unsure of what to do when facing a new challenge that is related to their job but expands a bit out of their normal scope. How does an employer, especially a busy female business owner, get around that?
KW: Years of experience can tell us what someone has been exposed to, but it does not always tell us how they will respond when faced with something new. This is why I think employers should try to assess qualities such as ownership, problem-solving and independence during the hiring process, rather than relying only on a candidate’s years of experience.
One way to do this is through practical scenarios. Give candidates a situation where there is no obvious answer and ask how they would approach it, what information they would need, what options they would consider and how they would make a decision. Their thought process can tell you a lot about how they may respond when faced with an unfamiliar challenge.
“Employers should try to assess qualities such as ownership, problem-solving and independence during the hiring process, rather than relying only on a candidate’s years of experience.”
At the same time, I would be careful not to immediately assume that someone needing guidance means they are not capable. Sometimes the issue can also be a lack of clarity around expectations, decision-making or how much independence the person actually has.
For a busy business owner, it helps to establish clear boundaries around what an employee can decide independently, when they should ask for input and what outcomes they are responsible for.
Within my own team, I like to partner with them to discuss and brainstorm solutions rather than simply telling them what to do. Through that process, they become more confident in thinking through problems, making decisions and eventually handling similar situations independently.
My goal is not just to solve today’s problem for them, but to help them develop the confidence and judgement to solve the next one themselves.
MWAH: Related to the above question, how do we avoid such a situation next time? Would laying out all your expectations help?
KW: Yes, but expectations need to go beyond a job description.
A job description usually tells someone what they are responsible for. What is equally important is communicating how you expect them to operate. If the role requires someone who can work independently, manage ambiguity or make decisions without constant supervision, those expectations should be discussed during the hiring process and tested through the interview.
This is where scenario-based questions can be very useful. Instead of asking a candidate whether they are “independent”, give them a situation where there is no obvious answer and ask how they would approach it. Their thought process often tells you much more than a yes-or-no response.
MWAH: What else can business owners do to reduce turnover?
KW: Employers can also be clear about what success looks like in the first few months. This could include the priorities they should own, the decisions they should be comfortable making and when they are expected to escalate something. The more clarity both sides have before the person joins, the less room there is for mismatched expectations later.
At the same time, hiring is a continuous learning process. We cannot predict that every hire will be the perfect hire. Sometimes circumstances change, job requirements evolve, the role may no longer be the right fit, or the person may not fit the company culture as expected. What matters is how we respond. If a hire does not work out, we learn from the experience, refine our approach and continue searching for the right talent.
Ultimately, good recruitment is about continuously improving the quality of our decisions and continuing to find the right person for the business.
MWAH: Today’s world can arguably be said to be more challenging for the working woman, especially for mothers or caregivers. Are there more flexible options available to help more women stay in the workforce and progress into leadership positions? And how does this benefit the organisation or corporation she works at?
KW: For women who are mothers or caregivers, flexibility can play an important role in helping them remain in the workforce while continuing to grow professionally. Flexible working can take different forms depending on the role and organisation. This can include flexible hours, hybrid arrangements, part-time positions, phased returns after a career break or measuring certain roles more by outcomes than time spent at a desk. Malaysia’s Employment Act also formally allows employees to apply to vary their hours, days or place of work under a flexible working arrangement.
For employers, this is also about retaining good talent. If an experienced employee becomes a mother or takes on caregiving responsibilities, her experience and capability do not suddenly disappear. Providing appropriate flexibility can help organisations retain that experience instead of unnecessarily losing it.
The important part is ensuring flexibility does not become a career penalty. If someone continues to perform and deliver, working differently should not automatically remove them from consideration for greater responsibilities or leadership.
MWAH: Are there any solutions at INFINITY8 that can help a small business owner optimise their hiring process and hopefully build the right team that fits the company culture?
KW: At INFINITY8, we have many cases where we help clients design and implement HR solutions that best fit their teams and business needs.
EOR is one of the solutions we find particularly effective, as it allows clients to focus on their core business while we take care of talent and employment-related matters, including payroll, contracts, compliance and other HR requirements. This gives companies greater flexibility to build and manage teams across different locations without having to navigate the complexities of local employment regulations themselves.
Ultimately, we believe the right HR solution depends on the organisation’s specific needs, how roles are structured, how people are managed and how performance is measured.
MWAH: Is there anything else that employers can do to create better opportunities for women to progress and lead, from how they hire to how they structure roles and workplaces?
KW: At INFINITY8, we believe that women and men should be treated equally and fairly, with the same opportunities to contribute, progress and lead. Our approach is based on capability, performance and suitability for the role, rather than gender.
Employers also need to look beyond hiring and consider what happens once someone enters the organisation. This includes who is given opportunities to lead projects, who receives mentorship and development, how promotions are decided and whether the criteria for progression are clear.
This does not necessarily require a large diversity programme, particularly for SMEs. It can start with practical steps such as clear performance criteria, regular career conversations, equal access to important assignments and evaluating employees based on their contribution and potential.
The goal is not to create a different standard for women or to give preferential treatment. Instead, we want to ensure that capable individuals are not prevented from progressing because of unnecessary requirements that have little relevance to their ability to perform effectively or take on leadership responsibilities.
Where appropriate, organisations should also review whether requirements such as fixed working hours or physical presence are genuinely necessary for a particular role. By focusing on outcomes, performance and business needs, companies can create a fairer and more effective working environment while ensuring that talent is not unnecessarily overlooked.
MWAH: Finally, “Fire fast, hire slow”. What are your thoughts on that?
KW: I understand what the phrase is trying to say, but I would not take it literally.
“Hire slow” should mean hiring thoughtfully, not making the recruitment process unnecessarily long. Good candidates have options, and if a company takes too long to decide, it can lose strong talent. The important thing is to be disciplined about what you are hiring for, assess candidates consistently and avoid rushing into a hire simply because there is pressure to fill the position.
“For me, a healthier way to think about hiring would be:
“Hire with clarity, manage with honesty, and address problems early.” “
I would be equally careful with the idea of “fire fast”.
When someone is struggling, the first step should be understanding why. Is it a capability issue? Were the expectations unclear? Is there a training gap? Is the person in the wrong role? Have they received clear feedback and a reasonable opportunity to improve?
There will be situations where an employment relationship is not the right fit, but those decisions should still be handled fairly, respectfully and through the appropriate employment process.
For me, a healthier way to think about the phrase would be:
“Hire with clarity, manage with honesty, and address problems early.”
This encourages employers to be clear about expectations from the beginning, manage people fairly and transparently, and address performance or behavioural issues before they become bigger problems. At the same time, good people management is more nuanced than simply hiring slowly and firing quickly. It is about giving people the right support, having honest conversations, setting clear expectations and making fair decisions when issues arise. Ultimately, the goal is to build a team where both the business and its people can perform at their best.
To learn more about INFINITY8 and the services they offer, go to www.infinity8.com.my
Thank you, Kathy Wong for the insights on best HR and hiring practices that would surely be beneficial for small business owners, women in leadership roles and ultimately employees as well when there are fair and balanced expectations for everyone’s role in a business and chances are given for anyone to learn and grow from all sides and perspectives.
