‘Be a workhorse, not a show horse’
IPOH: There are a lot of entrepreneurship opportunities, even in the simplest of ideas, says MyNews Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Dang Tai Luk.
“People may think that some things are so simple that it has been done … but in actual fact, no one has done it.
“These are all opportunities and with grit, passion and perseverance, we can achieve something,” Dang said when sharing his inspiring business story during SOBA LAB held at M Roof Hotel and Residences here yesterday.
Dang, who quit a high-paying job to venture into the newsstand business in 1996, said entrepreneurship is a long journey and there are no shortcuts to success.
“We need to be workhorses and not show horses. We always need to be hands-on and take action.
“Having the right people in the right seat also keeps a business going,” he said, adding that his billion-ringgit business now has about 480 stores nationwide.
“We also need to be fanatically driven to make progress, even in small steps,” he added.
In her sharing session, RE2 International Corporation Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Catherine Teh said failures are inevitable and one needs to train his mind to see the positives from it.
“Failure is a good teacher. I went into a franchise business and it wasn’t a success, but it was an experience nevertheless.
“It is important to be actively learning and any situation is a good learning curve,” Teh said, adding that one can also learn vicariously from other entrepreneurs.
“We should also expand the mind as it can help grow our business. The more we learn, the more we can do,” she added.
Attendees were also given insights into how to grow businesses through technology, finance and culture by Digi head of corporate and SME Allie Tan, RHB Bank Bhd SME banking head Yip How Nang and PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd chief operating officer P’ng Tean Hau during a discussion panel.
It was moderated by Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers SMI sub-committee member Won Foo Yee.
Attendees also learnt about the means for business expansion from Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd bumiputra development and products senior vice-president Mohamed Azman Mohamed Taufik and a sharing session with Timberdeck Sdn Bhd marketing and operation manager Jimmy Chong on how he started exporting his products overseas.
SOBA LAB is organised by Star Media Group Bhd in conjunction with The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2019.
The next SOBA LAB will be held in Johor Baru (Aug 1) and Penang (Aug 8).
SOBA 2019 is organised by Star Media Group with Digi, PKT Logistics Group and RHB Bank as main sponsors, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia as co-sponsor and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation as official trade promotion partner.
It is endorsed by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, supported by Bursa Malaysia and audited by BDO, with dimsum as the official media partner.
This year’s SOBA is now open for submission, for all locally incorporated enterprises that are not part of a multinational or listed group with foreign equity not exceeding 50%.
Source: TheStar
