"The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow" is a famous quote by Nelson Mandela. It is no doubt that youngsters are the future of tomorrow. We have seen and heard many stories of young achievers from all over the world. While most youngsters are caught up with engaging in social media almost all the time, some choose to achieve greater heights while they are young. Our nation's pride, Nehsan Selvaraj, is among one of them. From being born into a struggling family, he has made beautiful achievements being an entrepreneur, artist, singer and student at the same time.
On 21st August 2022, Nehsan Selvaraj was awarded the "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" under the Worldwide Group Company & Investment Management by Media One and the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative. The event was held in Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur. YB Datuk Seri Muhammad Redzuan Bin Md Yusof, former Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative attended as the honorary guest of the day.
When interviewed by the media, Nehsan mentioned that "It is an honour for me to be receiving an award from YB Datuk Seri Muhammad Redzuan and Malaysia Best Business Award Chairman, Shahir Adnan.” Born into a financially struggling family, Nehsan has faced a lot of hard times in his life. There were times when the family had to go to sleep without dinner. The hardships he went through during his young age significantly impacted him to be a successful entrepreneur in the future.
After graduating from secondary school, our young champ started actively involved in social activities and politics. Some of his closest people stopped believing in him and told him he would never make a good living in life, but nothing stopped Nehsan from trying harder. Soon he became the fresh face of Bernama News Channel as the youngest news presenter in Malaysia.
Nehsan Selvaraj then founded Nehsan Group in the year 2019, which now holds multiple businesses and companies. His businesses include fashion and retail, manufacturing, sustainable water bottles, agriculture, lifestyle accessories, tourism and media production.
When asked who is Nehsan's biggest role model, he said it is his parents. His parents taught him since he was young that "We may be born as poor, but we should never die as one."
Smart work or hard work?
Nehsan believes that it is essential for an entrepreneur to be both hardworking and smart working. Hardworking shows our dedication, and smart work shows our skills; when it is combined together, we will be successful, said Nehsan. He also said that it was never easy to be a young entrepreneur as the senior entrepreneurs think that the young entrepreneurs lack experience and exposure in the industry. They will always have doubts about the youngsters. It was one of the most challenging processes he had to go through until now, but he successfully managed to prove them wrong.
For those who did not know, Nehsan is also a student who is pursuing his Bachelor's Degree in Media Law at one of the top 5 in the United Arab Emirates. An entrepreneur, artist, singer and student, how is it possible? "Time management, willpower and the burning desire is the way," answered Nehsan.
Most of his followers have always asked Nehsan why he does not post anything about his business on social media. Answering the question, Nehsan said that he only shares his business ventures with his closest circle of friends because of the negative comments he receives on social media. His social media is constantly ambushed with words like "show off" and "bragging" whenever he posts and shares his lifestyle. Although his intention of posting the photos is to inspire the youngsters, some people feel bad and discourage Nehsan from his successes at a very young age. Besides, he also prefers not just to share his business ventures but also his lifestyle, achievements and his heart-warming voice.
Finally, when asked about how he felt to receive this award, Nehsan said that the award he received felt like a reward for the hard work of his lifetime. Even though he has received awards like "International Digital Leader" from BRICS and "Lifetime Achiever Award" from ASTRO Malaysia, and many more outstanding awards, it is the first time he is receiving an award as an entrepreneur. "Being awarded as a young entrepreneur of the year by the Malaysian government will motivate me to achieve greater heights in entrepreneurship; hence I would like to say my heartfelt thanks to Media One and the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative of Malaysia." ended Nehsan.