KOTA KINABALU: While many young Sabahans continue to seek opportunities outside the State, Borenos Fried Chicken co-founder and chief executive officer Janice Yeo believes success can be built at home through resilience, patience and a purpose beyond profit.
Speaking on the Sabah Matters podcast by Daily Express, Yeo said entrepreneurship should not be measured solely by financial returns, but by the opportunities it creates for others and the communities it helps to build.
“We hope that by doing business here and through business, we can build the people and give them a chance to grow personally,” she said, adding that creating employment and developing local talent have always been central to Borenos mission.
Yeo’s own entrepreneurial journey began long before Borenos became one of Sabah’s most recognised home-grown fast-food brands.
Growing up in Singapore with her siblings, she recalled difficult times when they had to share a single dollar to buy bread, while fried chicken remained a rare treat that brought comfort and happiness.
Those childhood memories eventually inspired a dream of owning a fried chicken restaurant that could bring the same joy to other families.
Despite living in Singapore, Yeo and her brother chose to return to Sabah instead of pursuing careers overseas.
She said every visit home reminded them of Sabah’s natural beauty and the warmth of its people, but also of the limited opportunities available to many young Sabahans.
Rather than seeing those limitations as a reason to leave, they saw them as a reason to build.
That vision led to the establishment of Amazing Borneo in 2009 before the siblings launched Borenos in 2015, with the ambition of creating a Sabah-grown brand capable of competing nationally while remaining rooted in the State.
Today, Borenos has expanded beyond Sabah into Peninsular Malaysia, with additional outlets planned in Imago Shopping Mall and Semporna this year, bringing its total number of outlets to 11. Expansion into Sarawak is also part of the company’s long-term plans.
However, Yeo said business growth has never been solely about opening more restaurants.
She said Borenos expansion has enabled Sabahans, particularly those from rural areas, to gain employment and career exposure, including opportunities to work in Peninsular Malaysia before returning home if they choose.
The company also provides accommodation and support for employees relocating outside Sabah, allowing them to gain new experiences without severing ties with their families.
For Yeo, such initiatives reflect the broader purpose of entrepreneurship.
“We hope that through business, we can bless people,” she said.
Reflecting on Borenos growth, Yeo acknowledged that success did not come overnight. The company spent its early years strengthening operations and maintaining consistent standards before expanding, while the Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly accelerated its growth through online food delivery platforms.
She said those experiences reinforced the importance of perseverance and long-term thinking rather than pursuing rapid expansion.
Offering advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, Yeo encouraged young Sabahans to have the courage to pursue their ambitions despite uncertainty.
“Build your dreams and there’s nothing you can’t do. As long as you believe in what you can do, things will just work out,” she said.
Yeo hopes Borenos journey will inspire more Sabahans to believe that businesses with national ambitions can be built from the State itself, proving that success does not always require leaving home.
