Fifteen years ago, Nasi Lemak Saleha was just a small roadside business operating under a large umbrella by the roadside. There was no restaurant, no central kitchen, and no big team behind it.
What existed back then was simply homemade nasi lemak, a foldable table, and the determination of Kak Saleha to keep going despite the challenges that came with running a small roadside business.
Today, the story of Nasi Lemak Saleha has become one of the most inspiring food business journeys in Malaysia, growing from a humble roadside setup into a large operation that now sells around 15,000 packs of nasi lemak every single day.
How Nasi Lemak Saleha Started With a RM3,000 Loan
According to Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister YB Steven Sim Chee Keong, Kak Saleha first took a small RM3,000 financing from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) to grow her roadside nasi lemak business.
At the time, the operation was still extremely small. Kak Saleha cooked the nasi lemak herself at home before bringing it to the roadside stall to sell.
There were difficult moments too. Sometimes, local authorities would confiscate the stall equipment. Yet despite the struggles, customers kept returning because they genuinely loved the nasi lemak she prepared.
Instead of remaining at a small scale, Kak Saleha slowly expanded the business over the years through consistency, reinvestment, and patience.
What began with only hundreds of packs daily gradually grew into thousands.
From Roadside Stall to Central Kitchen
After 15 years of hard work, the business transformed completely.
Today, Nasi Lemak Saleha is no longer operating from a roadside umbrella setup. The business now has its own restaurant operation complete with a central kitchen, larger production facilities, and dozens of employees helping manage the growing demand.
The scale of the business today is something many Malaysians would never expect from a roadside nasi lemak seller.
From selling only a small number of packets daily, the company now reportedly sells around 15,000 packs every day.
That growth did not happen overnight.
It happened through years of building customer trust, maintaining food quality, and slowly expanding operations step by step.
Nasi Lemak Saleha Now Sells 15,000 Packs Daily
The success of Nasi Lemak Saleha also highlights something interesting about Malaysia’s F&B industry.
Many successful Malaysian food brands did not begin with luxury cafés or massive investments. Some started from roadside stalls, pasar malam setups, or simple family-run operations before eventually scaling into much larger businesses.
In this case, the nasi lemak itself became the strongest marketing tool.
Customers kept coming back. Word-of-mouth continued spreading. Over time, the brand became increasingly recognised among Malaysians.
Today, many people instantly recognise the name Nasi Lemak Saleha, showing how a small roadside business can eventually grow into a household brand with enough consistency and perseverance.
The Next Target for Nasi Lemak Saleha
Another interesting part of the story is Kak Saleha’s son, Dr Rizal. Although he worked as a medical doctor, he eventually joined the family business and became the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company.
Besides financing from AIM, the company also reportedly received support from SME Corp Malaysia as well as financing from TEKUN Nasional.
Today, Kak Saleha is also known among AIM entrepreneurs as a mentor figure and inspiration for many smaller business owners trying to expand their own businesses.
Despite already achieving impressive growth, the family business is still aiming even higher.
When Steven Sim asked Dr Rizal about the company’s next goal, he reportedly shared that they hope to grow their production capacity in the future.
To achieve that target, the company would require easier financing access to further expand its facilities and operations.
Following the discussion, Steven Sim said he had instructed agencies under KUSKOP to discuss how they could assist the business in scaling even further.
A Reminder That Big Businesses Often Start Small
As YB Steven Sim said, “Stories like this remind us that many great entrepreneurs begin with small steps. My mission at KUSKOP is to ensure that small businesses grow bigger, and big businesses grow even bigger.”
The journey of Kak Saleha is proof of that.
Before selling 15,000 packs of nasi lemak a day, there were years of hard work, roadside selling, uncertainty, and slow growth.
But perhaps that is what makes the story so inspiring. Many successful businesses do not start with huge capital or fancy offices.
Sometimes, they begin with something simple, a roadside table, a large umbrella, and someone who refuses to give up.
Sources: 1| 2| 3
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