JULY-AUGUST. 2026 | @ AGROBiz

Moving too quickly into more outlets without being able to replenish them could achieve exactly the opposite of what a young brand needs. An empty shelf does little to build consumer confidence.

For Kak Long, growth therefore cannot simply be about being seen in more places. It has to be about being there consistently.

BUILDING THE NAME

Ultimately, the bigger challenge facing Kak Long is one shared by every newcomer entering an established consumer category. How do you turn a product into a name people remember?

The answer will not come from one campaign, one promotion or even one successful launch. It will be determined in Malaysian kitchens, one purchasing decision at a time.

That is why Nurulhidayah ' s expectations extend beyond simply selling cooking oil. Kak Long must earn familiarity in a market where its competitors already possess it.

It must demonstrate consistency in a category where consumers expect it. And it has to establish trust among households that have little reason to abandon brands they have bought for years.

For an emerging Malaysian brand, that is a formidable test. But it is also the opportunity.

Because if Kak Long can persuade consumers to pick it up once, deliver what they expect and give them a reason to return, Menrez Rimau will have achieved something considerably more valuable than another sale.

It will begin building a brand.

“ It is not enough to get the product on the shelf once. Consumers need to know that when they return, the product will still be available on the shelf.”

– Dato ' Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid

SETTING HER SIGHTS: Nurulhidayah believes women entrepreneurs should be encouraged not only to start businesses, but to build companies that can grow beyond their founders.

A year into her journey with Menrez Rimau Sdn Bhd, Dato ' Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid is beginning to appreciate that difference. For her, entrepreneurship is increasingly less about the excitement of starting something and more about developing the discipline required to sustain it.

" Passion may start a business, but discipline sustains it," she said.

That discipline comes in many forms. Entrepreneurs have to understand their numbers, listen to their customers, trust their teams, and occasionally make decisions they would rather not make.

For women entering unfamiliar or highly competitive industries, Nurulhidayah believes another quality is equally important: the willingness to admit that they do not know everything.

There is no shame in asking. There is no weakness in learning.

And there is certainly no requirement for a founder to be the smartest person in every room. Instead, she believes entrepreneurs should surround themselves with people who possess expertise they themselves may not have.

That thinking has also shaped her view of leadership. The successful entrepreneur, she believes, should not aspire to become indispensable.

Quite the opposite.

Leadership is about developing people, delegating responsibility and giving a capable team enough confidence and authority to grow with the organisation. That is particularly important as a business becomes larger and more complex.

Nurulhidayah therefore believes the conversation surrounding women in entrepreneurship also needs to evolve. Getting more women to start businesses remains important.

But starting cannot be the finish line. The bigger question is how more women-owned businesses can make the transition from small entrepreneurial ventures into professionally managed, sustainable companies.

That requires access to capital, technology, networks and market opportunities.

It also requires entrepreneurs

Leadership is about developing people, delegating responsibility and giving a capable team enough confidence and authority to grow with the organisation. That is particularly important as a business becomes larger and more complex.

to shift from doing everything to building organisations capable of operating without them.

Kak Long Cooking Oil may be the business Nurulhidayah is building today. But perhaps the greater measure of success will come much later- when the business no longer needs her fingerprints on every decision.

That is when an entrepreneur knows she has built more than a business around herself. She has built an organisation.

“ Passion may start a business, but discipline sustains it.”

– Dato ' Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid

MARKET LAUNCH: Nurulhidayah pictured with Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin Managing Director of Mydin during the launch of Kak Long Cooking Oil, highlighting the importance of retail partnerships in the brand ' s growth strategy.