6. Case Study: Transformational Entrepreneurship in Malaysia—Dare to Dream, Dare to Talk, Dare to Act(ion)

This case study challenges readers to examine the role of self-leadership in entrepreneurship. It is based on a real-life case of how an individual self-influences himself to achieve strong self-direction and self-motivation in pursuing his dream. The entrepreneur started his entrepreneurial journey with a big dream and some basic knowledge of what an entrepreneur does. However, the strong self-leadership in him is the psychological trait that has driven him to continuously seek new opportunities and scale greater heights. According to Neck et al. (Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 26(5), 463–480, 2013), an individual who constantly engages in positive self-talk, self-assessment of what he can achieve and visualisation of success, and if this cycle repeats, will influence his way of thinking and self-motivate him to continuously align his cognitions with what he desires. The outcome is more than just being an entrepreneur, but an individual’s entrepreneurial journey in pursuit of an ever-expanding dream. Is this the manifestation of strong self-leadership, an essential personality trait of a transformational entrepreneur?