IF YOU’RE a carnivore like a cat, your life depends on opening your mouth wide. Water or food is pulled into a cat’s mouth by the physics of adhesion and inertia, stuck to the cat’s under-tongue as the length of the tongue is drawn into a curl. The top column of the food or drink intake is then cut off by the cat’s jaw, before gravity sends the rest splashing or tumbling back into the serving bowl.
The feeding, upkeep and health of cats is a serious business, as Idaman Cattery boss Allysa Afryna Norhisham knows all too well.
Still in her final year in the Bachelor in International Business (Hons) programme at Management and Science University’s (MSU) Faculty of Business Management and Professional Studies (FBMP), Allysa breeds some 13 cat varieties for sale.
Starting with her first British Shorthair pair – which she bought with profits from a previous pre-order business of European Purebreeds – Allysa also raises British Longhair, Scottish Fold, Maine Coon, American Curl, Bengal, Abyssinian, Persian, Sphinx, Shorthair, and Domestic Shorthair varieties at Idaman Cattery.
“I started with almost zero cost. Now I make between RM1,000 to RM6,000 per cat sold,” she says.
Allysa joins scores of other MSUpreneurs who are receiving guidance and support in developing an entrepreneurial business. An ecosystem of entrepreneurship is embedded across all three faculties and four schools offering undergraduate programmes at MSU, aimed at nurturing a job-creator mindset among MSUrians.
Be it in making strategic decisions or enhancing communication skills, the entrepreneurial mindset is sharpened with help from
MSU’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship Advancement and Development (LEAD) Institute.
“The networking and brainstorming sessions with other successful entrepreneurs motivates and inspires me to achieve more in future. I really enjoy myself and feel connected with them every time we have a session,” said Allysa.
Her mother, a successful businesswoman with over 20 years of experience in running kindergarten branches, is also her inspiration in taking the entrepreneurial path.
Cats can display individual personalities, just like humans; which is why Idaman Cattery is kitted out like a kitten garden, and is currently run with two assistants.
Some of the business challenges 22-year-old Allysa is learning to manage at Idaman Cattery include arranging veterinary services, stocking up supplies, and offering grooming services.
“Balancing work and study is not that easy. Business will always be my passion, but academic success is still my priority.
“Every month I take one fixed amount as a monthly salary, and keep the rest as savings. I’m glad this venture serves my passion while letting me be a job creator and be less dependent on my parents.”
As a top university in Malaysia, MSU prioritises student development to enhance graduate employability.
With 98.7% of its
graduates successfully securing employment within six months of their graduation, MSU has earned its ranking by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) as Malaysia’s #1 for graduate employability.
Blending technical vocational education and training (TVET) with traditional academic curricula, MSU enhances competencies with industry internship, community and creative entrepreneurship, as well as global exposure; empowering MSU graduates with the well-roundedness desired and sought after by employers.
Extensive collaborations with institutions in over 40
countries worldwide provide comprehensive mobility opportunities for all MSU students, enhancing their graduate employability through global exposure by studies and internships abroad.
In all, as an applied, enterprise, holistic and international university, MSU offers foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate and flexible programmes through an entry system that facilitates admission of students from all walks of life, where it aims to Transform Lives and Enrich Futures.
For more information on programmes, call 03-5521 6868, email enquiry@msu.edu.my, or visit www.msu.edu.my.
