As we mark Malaysia Day on September 16, we look at how businesses are growing across East Malaysia. Malaysian SMEs are often discussed as one broad group, but what does it actually take to build and scale a business in Sabah and Sarawak, and how different is that experience from Peninsular Malaysia?

Theophilus Wong, Sarawak State Chairman and National Deputy Treasurer of SAMENTA, describes the SME landscape in East Malaysia. We get into the challenges preventing East Malaysian SMEs from scaling, and where their next growth opportunities lie.