Image via Grab

If you go to Pasar Chowrasta in Penang often, you’ll probably recognise Mr Shahjahan. The 62-year-old fishmonger runs a stall in the pasar, selling different types of fish… something he has been doing since he was a little boy.

It all started when he was 10

When he was just 10 years old, Shahjahan began helping his father to sell fish in the market. “He would give me 10 cents if I helped him in the mornings before my classes. Forty years ago, 10 cents was a lot for a boy like me!” he recalled.

While helping out at the stall, he would observe the way his father ran the business—from how to choose the freshest fish and descale them to how to clean the stall at the end of a work day. Slowly, those observations sparked an interest in the fish mongering business.

Image via Grab

As he grew up, a teenage Shahjahan eventually earned a scholarship to study at the Penang Free School. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. He lost the scholarship and was expelled from school—which meant that he now had to find a job.

How a failure brought him back to the right track

To make a living, he worked various jobs across different states and once, even in Singapore. However, all that time away made him realise how much he had been missing Penang food. Plus, returning to Penang meant he could help his father—and learn from him—again; so, he went home and found himself back in the fish business.

Image via Grab

He elaborated, “The market was always packed with people, so everything had to be done fast. I enjoyed all of it—from scraping the fish, packing and delivering them to restaurants on the new bike my father got me. My father was very picky and only wanted to sell the best catches of the day. This is something that I still do till this very day.”

Making the best of a difficult situation

Last year, when the first MCO struck, Shahjahan’s business was badly affected—sales dropped by a shocking 50%. However, there really was no way to avoid the issue so he knew he had to adapt to the situation. An opportunity presented itself when he found out about Grab and taking his business online.

“Not many fishmongers think they will benefit from using apps or technology in their business. Maybe they’re not literate or lack confidence. But if you run a business, you have to keep up with the times or you will lose out,” he explained.

Image via Grab

“Learning how to use the app wasn’t difficult and now we can supply the whole of Penang and make even more people satisfied with good quality fish. That is the secret to a successful business—happy customers.”

This story is a reminder that change isn’t always necessarily a bad thing—it depends on how we look at it. It’s an opportunity to improve our knowledge and in Shahjahan’s case, a great platform to expand his business to everyone in Penang!

As part of their #TechUntukSemua initiative, Grab is sharing stories of small local businesses embracing tech to sustain and grow. To discover more of them, check out Grab’s Facebook and Instagram.

Meanwhile, you can also help out your favourite local sellers like Mr Shahjahan’s by ordering your essentials or food from them via the Grab app. You can download the app from App Store and Google Play.