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Finally, after working on months of creating and writing for this show, It is finally becoming real. I know that the show has already been aired but really i wanted to my express my experience working on the show. As most of you know, it is just my thing some years ago to create videos on my free time, interviewing entrepreneurs because of my curiosity on why and how some really successful entrepreneurs manage to achieve great heights in their business. What sets them apart from most of us? I mean, aren't we all just humans? What are they doing right in their life? And i am so glad that this curiosity of mine was turned to a TV show that we all can learn and benefit from. So recently, I had chance to do an interview with one of the entrepreneurs which is also a friend of mine, Sara Dalina. We met in 2014 in an entrepreneur event and we just clicked. Sara who was once a school dropout, surprised me that hard work and passion can actually go a longg way. She is an entrepreneur, trainer, NGO activist and also a hard core volunteer.  Sara who is founder of Mesra Alam Sekitar Sdn. Bhd. is truly a nature lover and nature preserver. The interview were held at Tanah Aina Fahad an 8 acres resort located next to Lata Jarum stream and surrounded by natural rainforest is very enchanting and calming. I can see that eventhough she is always busy training corporate group there, she is always energetic, having fun and enjoying herself. What inspire me the most is that knowing that her past as a school drop out, she didn’t give up, she stand for herself and became the backbone of the family. I am very sure that her mother is very proud of her! She turns all hardships into opportunities, believes in herself and her dreams. She shuts all criticisms and let her success speaks. One of things that i agree with Sara is that she mentioned that Sales Is About Relationship. Human factor is the biggest aspect in entrepreneurship. Maintaining relationship, building networks and engage with community is the best way to grow and improve the business. I also believe customer service, communication skill and soft skill are also important in dealing with people. 
 I really hope that some of you readers can learned one or things from this episode. Turn our passion into profit. Who knows what future will hold? Grab all opportunities that come and focus to achieve our goals. If you fail once, stand twice. May we all achieve our dreams! Update: Oh and also, Sara and her partner, Kerstin Merguire just started daun.com.my more than 2 years ago, you can check it out! Their plants is oh.. so beautiful! My whole house is full of them! Watch the video here. Happy Watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs. 
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If you know me, Boat Noodle is one of my favourite makan place. I used to eat there almost every day when I was staying at Empire Damansara, I met Tony a couple of months ago when i was having my lunch at (yes, you've guessed it, right) Boat Noodle with my neighbour Jason, who introduced me to Tony. I've always been a fan of Boat Noodle, and to actually meet the man behind this awesomeness is just amazing. Tony Lim who is super friendly by the way, shares his story of his entrepreneurship journey, and his how's and why's. He told me that he has a background in Automotive Engineering, but he took a big step by venturing into a totally different field- Food & Beverages. Can you believe it?? I mean who would have guessed! Having 9 outlets of Boat Noodles in Malaysia and 23 Chatimes outlet in Cambodia, (and this was back in 2016 you guys, omg, i just went to their website, there are more than 40 outlets now!!) Tony says that it took him into rocky roads to manage the outlets at first. However, it doesn’t let this stops him. He said that we need to prioritise things that we need to achieve for short target and set bigger goals to achieve in the long run.  Frankly speaking, I feel like it is a big decision when we feel like doing something entirely new and very different from our knowledge and background. Not many would be brave enough to take this leap. Tony says, even when you are willing to take the leap, we need to find a creative idea that everyone can accept. Just like when he decides to ventures in F&B after he sees opportunity in that field while travelling between ASEAN countries. I feel like I have clearer perspective that we should never be afraid to try something new. So, challenge our self, gain thousands of experience, learn as we grow, and never give up before we try. 
 Watch the video here . Happy Watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  Sure you know the hashtag @ootd, i mean who does it better that Vivy Yusof? She needs absolutely no introduction. I felt so proud and honored to be able to have a chat with this AMAZING woman. Despite of her busy and full schedule, Vivy actually allocate some of her time to be featured in one of episodes in YES. She is so beautiful, passionate and very inspiring, all of the beautiful words i can think of describes her.  Vivy, a 27 years old also a mother of 2, is the founder of Fashion Valet. Fashion Valet is an online fashion website. Vivy told me that the idea of online store began when she was studying in UK in 2006. Back than Vivy who was also a fashion blogger, finds that there is no online clothing website in Malaysia. So, that is the main kick-start of how she and her hubby founded Fashion Valet. Being one of the leading online store owner, Vivy shares her challenge is nowadays there are a lot of online fashion store. To keep Fashion Valet competitive she uses social media as part of her platform of advertising and expanding her business beside to connect with her customers. Now Vivy has achieved one of her dream which is opening her first outlet in Bangsar. (update: and just recently in KLCC.. say what!!) She is now working towards her goal to grow Fashion Valet into a Fashion Hub in south Asian region.  What I really admire about her is her time management of being an entrepreneur, a fashion model and a mother. Vivy said that while working, her focus and mind is totally on the job and when at home, she really treasures the time with her kids without any interruption from work. And besides, she also allocate time for herself at night for blogging as she says writing is her hobby and passion. Personally, I guess Vivy is a truly entrepreneur who is strong hearted and have a good vision. She is a great example of a successful entrepreneur with her positive attributes. She also proves that everyone has the capability to become successful and family-oriented at the same time. I hope every one of us could learn positive practices from Vivy’s sharing. We should look and try every possible ways to enhance our life. One thing that is most important, family should come first in everything that we do because family is our most valuable possession in life.  Watch the video here. Happy Watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  If you’re going to take a risk, you might as well do it while you’re young. Adam Azriff is the perfect example of this. He is young, go-getter, you know the kind of kind of guy that you really want to hang out with AND he is the owner of Wood & Steel Cafe Gallery. When i sat for the interview with Adam, beyond his coolness and carefree style, i can tell that Adam is someone who really pushes himself very hard to achieve his dream and also create the opportunity around him. He started his career by becoming part time barista during his semester and fell in love in what he is doing. Not only that, he boost up his coffee-making skill and received a lot of good feedback from his customers. Adam says that he struggles so hard in the beginning and had even mocked by his friend because he declines to further his study in a collage. To Adam, he feels that he has vision of his future and wanted to pursue and achieve the goal that he already set. By having experience being a barista for 9 months, he flew to Melbourne to see the culture of cafes there. Once he came back to Malaysia, he was offered to become a manager of a café, and that is when he learns about business management. After awhile Adam was offered to became a partner and a business joint venture which he manage to set up his own cafe.  Adam said that his passion of being barista is not really enough to maintain the business. That is why he and his brother collaborate their café with a unique concept of furniture to accessorize the café and at the same time they begin to sell their own custom-made furniture. He says that the nature of his business which is café+furniture business made him realize that he needs different approach for potential client to establish new network. So far, Adam is aiming to open more outlet in every states in Malaysia.  Adam is a very inspiring young man who know how and when to grab his opportunity. His envision is not only for the time being but he plans ahead for his future. His confidence and strategy is very creative and unique. Eventhough he realise the competitive is high in F&B industry, Adam has already know what to do and the solution to overcome it. I hope we can learn something from Adam who has a positive vibes and high vision of future. And if you feel like tasting and smells an aromatic cup of coffee, do drop by Wood and Steel Café!
 What an inspiration. Makes you wonder, what were you up to when you were 21? Watch the video here. Happy watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  Sitting on a luscious, soft chair with a warm cup of strong brew nestled in the cusp of one hand whilst flipping the latest edition of Vogue magazine is perhaps one of my favorite past times. But, this past time has been turned into a lucrative business by brother-sister duo, Dilla Karim and Captain Kamarul Karim. I met one half of the brilliant duo in one of their many coffee establishments, Zawara. And boy was I not disappointed. Not only was I treated to a velvety, smooth cup of java but I was greeted by a lady with an impeccable sense of fashion. Seeing Dilla decked in a satin blue tudung dotted with glimmering crystals and a bold red lip, you instantaneously get a sense that you are meeting someone who is confident and knows what she is doing.  Such fortitude, I would soon find out, stemmed from her voracious appetite for knowledge. Dilla advises that an entrepreneur should arm herself with a battery of knowledge, from attending business seminars to reading books, as it is integral to business success. In fact, Dilla reads at least one book a week! Now, I have no excuse to not finish the book which has been left sitting on my desk collecting dust. The proverb slow and steady wins the race perfectly describes Dilla’s business. It might not look like it at first; she did meteorically expand nineteen Zawara fashion outlets in just one year! My eyes watered with awe as Dilla began musing about how this was just the beginning of the birth of a multi-billion- ringgit empire! But, this future empire had humble beginnings. Dilla started her business by manning her own kiosk. In a span of two years, she was able to employ others to run 30 kiosks.  Furthermore, having a brother as a pilot meant that that she could not only find out what was missing in the local market, but she could also inject international flair to local needs. Today, Zawara is producing fashion that caters to modern Muslim fashionistas. Zawara has also lifted the café experience to a whole new level by offering gourmet food items; something that my tummy can truly appreciate. Recently, Dilla launched Zawara cosmetics which ablution friendly and Halal status is a godsend for any Muslim woman who wants to have an impeccable and polished look without having to compromise her religious obligations. I was really inspired after talking to Dilla. I realized that anybody, no matter who you are, can become a successful entrepreneur as long as you are passionate and ambitious. No person is too small, and no idea is too big. As Dilla said, you can start small, but you must always think big. So, what is your big idea? I know mine! Watch the video here. Happy watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  There are some people in the world that, no matter how famous or successful they are, just makes you feel so comfortable when talking to them. My heart beat with excitement on the morning of my meeting with these two gorgeous sisters. How could it not? These two women had been gracing the many covers of magazines and newspapers for the last few years. They are a hot commodity!  So, I was happily surprised when I sat down with Nor Akmar and Aida Nurlin, better known as the Millionaire Sisters. I was struck by how extremely friendly and down-to- earth they were. The interview with them felt like a conversation between old friends as it was peppered with laughter and humor. No wonder they said communication is an important element to business success; they are experts at it! This brilliant duo has become a formidable force in the wealth management industry hobnobbing with some of the most successful entrepreneurs around the world. But mingling with businessmen who owned private jets was not how their careers began. Aida Nurlin remembered shuttling her sister from meeting to meeting at the beginning of her career. Through being her sister’s ‘driver’, Aida learnt the tricks of time management and was able to juggle school with her fledging unit trust job. I love how driven and determined Aida Nurlin and Nor Akmar were. I could see fire in their eyes as they gave advice on the importance of investing part of your savings. Fingers crossed, I hope their passion and energy is contagious! I want to see myself in their shoes in a few years’ time. So, I will take their advice and have positive energy. Throw out the negative and focus on the good. Only then will good things come our way. So, here it is me sending you good vibes!   Watch the video here. Happy watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  Imagine yourself being in a concert, your adrenaline is pumping and your energy is through the roof; you feel like you can do anything, achieve anything that your heart desires. Well, meet the guys at Incitement, Led by Zikry Kholil and Daniel de Gruijter, Incitement wants to recreate a concert experience when you attend their events. But they also want to take this to a whole other level, they want to channel your energy and passion into a meaningful social project that you can be proud of.  Sadly, Daniel was overseas at the time of the interview, and i only get to interview one of the amazing duo, Zikry. The interview has made me a superfan of Incitement and their cause. Do you know that in a short span of three years Incitement has expanded to over 45 countries? And to think that Zikry actually called himself an ‘accidental entrepreneur’. They never planned for Incitement to be a money-making company in the first place! They just wanted to create a movement in which youths could contribute significantly to society. This goes to show that business does not always have to be cutthroat, it can also have a greater social purpose. However like a skillful entrepreneur, Zikry leveraged on his social network and was able to attract top multi-national companies to contribute and make a difference in their society by connecting them with the appropriate non-government organizations.  I could feel a positive aura radiating from Zikry as he waxed lyrical about the work he is doing with Incitement. It was clear to me why Incitement could expand in such a short period of time! Zikry only surrounded himself with positive people who shared his vision. Success can definitely only come when you cut ties with the Debbie Downer in your group. So, empower yourself with the right people and see not only your spirit but business soar! Update: Zikry Kholil listed as Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (say whatttt) Forbes acknowledged Zikry Kholil in the category of Social Entrepreneurship. He went to receive a multitude of local and global awards for his work with Incitement Watch the video here. Happy Watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  Interviewing young entrepreneurs has been such a dream come true! And, I hope I will never wake up from this dream as I am just getting started. Speaking of starting out, some entrepreneurs are simply born to be one! Like Mukhlis Dato Amir, who by the age of 29, has headed successful businesses in three different sectors- fast moving consumer goods, IT and education.  My eyes widened in awe as Mukhlis talked about his family background. No wonder he became such a successful entrepreneur; the business spirit is in his DNA! While most of us would probably be spending our pocket money during lunch buying food, Mukhlis was pocketing profits from selling groceries to his peers. He was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug when he was just a kid, one faithful day, when his mother sent him to school with a container filled with chocolates to sell. From there, he learnt valuable skills like dealing with difficult customers. Today, Mukhlis imports and distributes quality Turkish food and Hamidiye mineral water through his company Megavizyon Sdn Bhd. Mukhlis’ success is proof that you are never too young to start a business.  Talking to Mukhlis reminds me of how we should always strike while the iron is hot. Mukhlis entered the IT industry when it was booming and managed to create one of the youngest data management companies to be awarded with the MSC Malaysia status. Not only does Mukhlis own businesses, he is also a Director for DMR International Sdn Bhd. Mukhlis is definitely a busy entrepreneur. And at 31, he has only just begun! Mukhlis Dato Amir creates his own opportunities. He maps his own path to entrepreneurial success. He did not sit and wait for it to come. So, if opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door!  Watch the video here. Happy watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  I was so thrilled to have been invited to a smashing weekend party from some friends i met at Mindvalley. If you know me, I am always up for a good time and boy did I have fun. Nothing beats a party with great music, food and fashion. Luckily, I made sure my style was on fleek as every hipster was strutting their stuff that day. How could they not; when you are invited to a party thrown by the guys behind local fashion brand, Pestle and Mortar, you got to be on point! So, I got butterflies the day I interviewed the guys! Imagine how mind-blowing it felt to be sitting across the next big fashion icon to have come out from Malaysia! But, I was happily surprised at how easy going Eddie Samad and Hugh Koh were. Listening to them talk about doing trade shows and expanding to the United States made my mouth drop in awe. To think they started this brand off as just a hobby. Hugh and crew were huge rock fans who loved the idea of combining music with fashion to create a lifestyle brand. So, they made one; but, with a local touch of course! You will fall in love with their style; the clothes are so gangsta chic! No wonder Chef Nik, Faz Adhili and Kenneth Koh want to become the faces of this brand; it is cool and innovative. They can count me as a fan too! Hugh sees the company becoming a multi-million- ringgit brand. Can you believe it? After talking to Hugh and Eddie, I saw how important it is to not only be driven but also be in the driver’s seat. If you want to see success in your future, take action and steer your company to your goal! Watch the video here. Happy watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  Dance does something to my body that nothing else can. When a good song comes on the radio, my feet instantly start tapping and my head begins to bob. I just can’t help but want to dance to the infectious music. The entrepreneurial mums of Dancesteps studio and Baby Dancesteps, Shirena Dato Hamzah and Clara Lim have turned this pastime of mine into a lucrative business where anybody from someone with two left feet or a child whose inner Michael Jackson is yet to be discovered can hone their craft. If you can describe Shirena in one word, it would be passionate. She lived and breathed dance all her life. So it was only natural for her to open a dance studio at a tender age of 21. And now she has three flourishing dance studios under her belt!  I love how these women carried themselves. They were so graceful. I was so entranced by their beauty and poise when they invited me to watch them teach. They reminded me of mother swans tending to their babies. Speaking of babies, Baby Dancesteps was born after they became mothers to girls. And if you know girls, most of them dream of being a ballerina. Shirena and Clara saw this as a business opportunity and now kids as young as two can become the next ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop or Tap protégé. But what I have learnt from these super elegant ladies was not just to strike while the iron is hot. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be driven. You need to be hungry. Shirena and Clara constantly feed themselves with knowledge on the latest dance and music trends. How else are you going to attract the interest of a 12 year old? So you must put in time and effort in your business, but you must also always be hungry for a new skill. Only then can you sustain your business. Be inspired to hone your craft by checking the video of my interview with them here.  Watch the video here. Happy watching! Click on Categories: Entrepreneurship to view all stories of other Young Entrepreneurs.  |
Welcome to my colourful world of creativity. I'm all about making life fun and colourful. Whether it's creating wall art decor with my awesome team or DIY adventures at home, I love it all.
When I'm not creating, you'll find me exploring new places, diving into entrepreneurship, and embracing self-development. Check out my blog for interior design tips, art inspiration, and ways to spruce up your space. Thanks for dropping by! 
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