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About LokalGig

A digital launchpad for Malaysia’s first-time earners.

LokalGig is where a makcik selling nasi lemak from her kitchen, a student taking on first tuition clients, or a retrenched uncle starting aircon service posts their first gig online — without paying commission, without mandatory verification, without learning a new chat app. Just paste rough notes, our AI polishes them into a listing, and orders come in on WhatsApp.

Why we exist

Malaysia has thousands of skilled people who’ve never sold a service online — not because they lack talent, but because every existing platform was built for someone else. Fiverr takes 20%. Upwork assumes English fluency and a laptop. Shopee is built for physical goods. Facebook Marketplace has no trust layer.

Meanwhile, the makcik who makes the best kuih in Taman Melati already runs her business on WhatsApp — she just doesn’t have a way to be found outside her kampung network.

LokalGig is the bridge. We’re not trying to replace WhatsApp or disrupt the gig economy. We’re trying to get first-time Malaysian earners online and earning — with as little friction as possible.

What makes us different

Zero commission, forever

We never touch the money. Customers pay you directly — cash, DuitNow, online transfer, whatever works. We earn trust instead of commission.

WhatsApp-first, always

No in-app chat to learn. When a customer finds your gig, they message you on WhatsApp. That's it. The app you already live in becomes your storefront.

BM-first, EN-welcome

Tulis dalam BM, English, or rojak — our AI helper writes your listing in both languages. Your voice, your platform.

No IC verification cliff

No upfront verification gauntlet. You earn trust through tenure, testimonials, and WhatsApp-active signals — not by handing over your IC on day one.

Who we serve

We built LokalGig for Malaysians who have skill and time but no digital storefront yet. If any of these sound like you or someone you know, LokalGig is for you:

  • Home-based F&B sellers — kuih, catering, lauk-pauk, tempahan kek
  • Craft makers — bouquets, handmade goods, accessories, sewing
  • Tuition teachers taking on first students after school or KPM hours
  • Freelancers with skills but no portfolio website yet
  • Retrenched workers starting over with a service they already know
  • Students earning a first RM before graduation
  • Stay-at-home parents (suri rumah) ready to monetise their time
  • Anyone with a WhatsApp-ready service in Selangor, KL, JB, and beyond

What we believe

Dignity first

Our users are independent professionals, not platform inventory. We never condescend, never gamify self-worth, never build leaderboards that rank humans.

The first ringgit matters most

The hardest sale is the first one. Every design decision we make is judged by the same question: does this make a first-time earner more or less likely to get their first booking?

Belonging over features

A user who feels “saya sebahagian daripada LokalGig” is worth more than any funnel optimisation. Community is the product.

Radical simplicity

If a makcik who only uses WhatsApp can't understand it in 10 seconds, we rewrite it. Plain language, one clear action, no jargon.

Trust is a ramp, not a cliff

Instead of mandatory IC checks on day one, we show buyers progressive trust signals — tenure, testimonials, WhatsApp-active status. Trust is earned, not extracted.

Built in Malaysia, by a Malaysian

I’m Syed, a Malaysian engineer who spent the last few years watching my friends, neighbours, and aunties run real businesses on WhatsApp — taking kuih raya tempahan, selling craft, tutoring neighbourhood kids — while every “freelance platform” online ignored them.

LokalGig is my attempt to build something they’d actually use. No commission, no steep learning curve, no pretending they’re Upwork freelancers. Just a way to be found, with the language they already speak, on the app they already use.

— Syed, founder of LokalGig

Ready to post your first gig?

Paste rough notes in BM or EN — our AI helper writes your polished listing in ~10 seconds. Free forever.

Post a gig — free forever

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