However, instead of breaking him down, it ignited his entrepreneurial spirit to start a small phone repair business from home in Kampung Chawas, Tanah Merah in Kelantan. When he lost his job at a smartphone repair shop in Johor Baru, Ismail found himself worrying about his future. With other job opportunities limited, he started offering phone repair services to family members and close acquaintances. A lack of a phone repair shop in the area gave Ismail the opportunity to leverage his expertise and today he repairs up to four smart devices per day. “I started small, but I have big dreams,” said Ismail.

Source: The Star January 27, 2026 11:34 UTC