An Entrepreneurial Transformation of Malaysian Craftmakers into Craftpreneurs: A Conceptual Study

Abstract: As the Malaysia craft industry grows and becoming more complex in business industry, entrepreneurship draw more attention to the need for emphasizing on craftmakers, especially for those who are involved in small and medium enterprise. Craftmakers should think in a context of entrepreneurship to shift their paradigm on operations management and strategies their business in facing the challenges of competitive market. A good craftpreneurs are not totally depends on the product philosophy and esthetic value of their producing, however, it is emphasizes on how to utilize the minimum resources to fulfill the maximum requirement of consumer towards the product demand in a market. Hence, this conceptual study reveals that the transformation process becomes essential to translate the activity of craftmakers in craft traditions into higher personality in craftpreneursas well as in craft industry. Additionally, this study also attempts to recognize the combination of previous models which are support the transformation process, there are; AIDA concept (attention, interest, desire, action) and ASK model (attitude, skill, knowledge). As a solution, these models were given a clear picture to describe the transformation process of craftmakers into craftpreneurs, in term of independent, motivation, creative, innovative, and business appreciation. Key words: Craftmaker; Craftpreneur; Entrepreneurship; Craft industry; Transformation process; Conceptual stud