A 23-year-old Malaysian man, who became a millionaire in Malaysia at the age of 19, said that making his first million was a "process" and urged aspiring entrepreneurs to not give up.

Munashraf Munawar, who owns pet medical company BioVet Medical Malaysia (BioVet), made his fortune by selling cat food and vitamins.

According to the New Straits Times, BioVet is now worth RM26 million (S$7.4 million) and has approximately 200 employees.

Sold sneakers and crackers as a teen

Munashraf had very humble personal and entrepreneurial beginnings.

He did not come from a wealthy family and his parents were both ordinary salaried workers.

At 15, he began selling sneakers to friends and others on social media.

He had imported the sneakers from China and obtained profits ranging from RM10 (S$3) to RM15 (S$4) per pair.

He then took a break from the business at 17 before going for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) qualification, which is a national examination for fifth-form secondary school students in Malaysia.

According to NST, Munashraf later worked as a direct agent selling chocolate jars, kerepek (crackers) and cheese-flavoured chips.

"Whatever there was to be sold, I sold it," he told NST.

He said he had picked up business skills, such as marketing and sales on his own, while actively searching for vacancies in other companies for agent roles.

Set up BioVet after cats' health complications and long vet queues

The millionaire said health issues affecting his cats and his friends' cats became apparent to him at one point.

He also said he saw long queues at veterinarian clinics

Both issues sparked the idea to set up BioVet and he started researching before coming up with his own cat products.

BioVet now produces and sells a variety of cat foods and vitamins.

Prior to establishing BioVet, Munashraf had experienced failed business ventures involving a few of his businesses that could not be expanded.

On making his first million

In its first year, BioVet made RM1 million (S$280,000) worth of sales.

Munashraf made his first million at 19 and was paying more than RM500,000 (S$140,000) in income tax by 21, reported NST.

In an Instagram video questioning the challenges he faced in making his first million, he said that even making the first RM1,000 (S$280) was a challenge.

"It's a different type of 'game', trying to reach the RM1 million mark," Munashraf said.

He credited his BioVet sales team for their hard work, knowledge and skills despite rejection in the early stages of direct selling.

He also attributed the success to his strong digital marketing skills, adding that it would not have been possible for him to earn such profits if he was using conventional methods in business.

"It's a process that will eventually also develop your skills and knowledge, so don't give up," he advised on direct selling.

Apart from challenges in business, his father had also initially deterred him from setting up the business as he had wanted Munashraf to become a government civil servant and was afraid that his business would fail.

Munashraf said if BioVet fails one day, he would consider going into other types of businesses as it is part and parcel of being an entrepreneur.

He is also currently pursuing a law degree.

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