Herbalife Empowers UiTM Students to Explore Entrepreneurial Opportunities

 Herbalife, a premier health and wellness company, community, and platform, recently hosted an Entrepreneurship Talk at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), bringing together a distinguished gathering of students from diverse programmes, alongside esteemed academicians as part of its long standing and impactful partnership with the university. 

The session, held at UiTM’s Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation (FSR), covered key topics including the realities of starting a business, the direct selling industry, and growing opportunities within Malaysia’s health and wellness sector.

Steven Chin, Senior Director and General Manager, Herbalife Malaysia and Singapore, who delivered the keynote address, encouraged students to rethink the idea that entrepreneurship should only be pursued after graduation. He said, “For many young people, especially Gen Z, entrepreneurship can feel too serious or too distant to consider, but that is exactly what this programme aims to challenge. At Herbalife, we have been empowering individuals to build businesses around health and wellness since 1980, and today, with more than 70,000 distributors in Malaysia, we see how accessible entrepreneurship can be with the right support and low barriers to entry.” 

“Our recent survey also shows that 31% of Malaysian Gen Z are already interested in starting or growing a business, driven largely by personal ambitions and family goals. You do not need to have everything figured out before you start. What matters is learning to see opportunities in challenges and having the courage to take that first step,” Steven further added.

Associate Professor Dr. Hosni Hasan, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation at UiTM, said, “Herbalife’s entrepreneurship programme plays an important role in complementing classroom learning by connecting academic knowledge with real-world industry insights. It reinforces that entrepreneurship is not just a subject, but a mindset and skill set students should begin developing early. Such initiatives help students better understand industry expectations and explore future pathways. We appreciate Herbalife’s collaboration and hope it inspires students to think more proactively about their future.”

The Entrepreneurship Talk also helped students better understand the level of commitment required in entrepreneurship and the importance of making informed decisions when exploring different business pathways. It highlighted the need to distinguish legitimate direct selling models from unethical schemes, equipping students with greater awareness as they consider potential opportunities.

A dedicated segment featured Herbalife Distributors who shared their personal experiences building businesses through the direct selling model. Among them were UiTM alumni Abdul Aziz Hakimi bin Yusoff, 34 and Fatin Syahira Sharif Folidin, 34, a married couple who graduated in Civil Engineering from UiTM in 2014 and have been Herbalife distributors for 14 years, based in Bangi. They said, “When we started, we did not know much and were not sure where to begin. What helped us was learning from mentors, following a system that worked, and showing up consistently even when progress felt slow. Start early, find people willing to guide you, and build step by step rather than waiting until you feel completely ready.”

Another husband and wife team, Tuan Mohd Norhafizuddin Nek We, 38 and Maryam Izzati Mohd Noor, 38, have been Herbalife distributors for 18 years. Coming from different academic backgrounds, they shared that the business model provided them with opportunities beyond a traditional career path early in their journey. They said, “You do not have to wait until after graduation to start. You can begin while still studying by developing your skills, earning, and learning from those already achieving results. The most important thing is to take action and stay consistent.”

Students who attended said the session offered a more practical and grounded perspective on entrepreneurship compared to typical academic learning. Nurul Hasna Ahmad Radzuan, 19, a first-year Diploma in Sports Studies student, said, “The session helped me understand what entrepreneurship really looks like in practice, making it feel more achievable and relatable.”

Nor Amiera Ellyana Hussin, 19, another student from the same programme, said, “I initially thought entrepreneurship was mainly about selling products, but the session showed me it is about identifying opportunities and exploring different ways to build a career. It has made me more open to starting something while I am still a student.”

Herbalife continues to support aspiring entrepreneurs in Malaysia through a flexible and accessible business model. Many distributors begin as product consumers before gradually building their customer base at their own pace, whether as a side income or full-time pursuit. The model reduces common barriers to entry, with low startup costs and no minimum monthly purchase requirements. The model allows individuals, particularly Gen Z, to explore entrepreneurship with lower risk while building according to their own goals.

The Herbalife–UiTM partnership, established in 2022, has evolved into a structured programme integrating business and wellness education for students across the faculty.  Over the past six years, Herbalife Malaysia has reached more than 5,000 students, athletes, and aspiring health professionals through its health and wellness initiatives.

Reflecting Herbalife’s continued focus on nutrition education and youth development, the programme’s next session will have Dr. Susan Bowerman, Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training Chair, Herbalife Dietetic Advisory Board and Outer Nutrition Advisory Board, leading a session titled “Nutrition Approach on Healthy Weight Loss”.