The Malaysian cosmetics industry contains immense potential with the growing recognition of wanting to feel and look good. Dressing tables overcrowded with established brands are being replaced with local brand names. A brand that has entered the local beauty cosmetics scene is Cantik Dara, owned and managed by established film actress Nur Risteena Munim. Having carved a name in the local film industry, the decision to be involved in the entrepreneurial world as a manufacturer and distributor of organic beauty products is another challenge for this Penang-born winsome beauty. In an interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Risteena elaborates on her plans in building the brand Cantik Dara and marketing it within the country and regionally.

There is a new genre of entrepreneurs in town, young, ambitious and focused on creating waves within established domains. Nur Risteena Munim, represents a good example of those seeking success as a serial entrepreneur.  Having established successful careers in the local film industry and the clothing line, Risteena is ready to take on another venture in the local cosmetics industry. Coming from a family of five siblings and parents, a banker and housewife respectively; Risteena emphasises the entrepreneurial streak she possesses, “I have always wanted to be involved in my own businesses and not work for others. I have my independence, make my own decisions and determine how much I want to earn.”

Subsequent to completing her Diploma in Mass Communications from UiTM, the first career choice was in films.  “I wanted to go into acting to improve on my personality,” she says. “As by nature I am a reserved and shy person, acting was a drastic action to get me out of my comfort zone and socialise.” Acting was a correct career choice evident from the eight films completed and the awards received, one for the most popular female artiste in 2016 for the film, GirlFriend Kontrak at the Malaysian Film Festival.

There are a number of other business ventures Risteena is involved in, including a boutique. “My main interest has always been business despite having an acting career as a successful business means assurance of income. I have a three-story building in Jelutong which houses my other business interests and I own a clothing line popular among my fans,” says Risteena with unmistakable pride regarding her achievements and a steely determination showing from beneath the reservedness.

“Cantik Dara, my latest venture in the beauty line is complementary to my other business interests,” says Risteena. “I started Cantik Dara because of the lack of suitable safe organic beauty products that are reasonably priced for the new generation in our society. Most products contain ingredients that are harmful to health.”

“Cantik Dara is my way of providing guidance for young people to look good and be safe. From my experience in seeking good and safe beauty products, I can relate to the challenges young people are undergoing,” quips Risteena. Cantik Dara was launched in 2017 with the company taking a phased-growth expansion plan. “We have started with the online marketing channel as that is where the majority of our customers are positioned. Most of my customers from the younger generation are adept at online marketing and I foresee that is going to be the trend of the future. We have had positive testimonies from an estimated 2,000 customers. There are plans to open stores in the near future,” says Risteena, “We are going to have booths at Putrajaya, Singapore and Brunei for the Ramadhan period.”

Risteena also adds that Cantik Dara has expanded its business to Singapore and Brunei. “We are now an international brand and we are considering to further develop our business in these two markets. Besides, we might even explore the Indonesia market,” she remarks with an unmistakable tone of excitement. “Our marketing platforms also range from our Instagram page which is “cantikdara.official”, our Facebook page “cantik dara” and official website “www.cantikdara.biz”. Cantik Dara is also eager to welcome and recruit new agents, drop-ships, and stockists from each state as part of the team. We will also provide workshops and training in order to equip the new joiners with tips and marketing strategies to succeed. We also have a good incentive scheme planned for the new comers and they will constantly be updated with knowledge on new products in order to promote the brand.”

“There were challenges when starting the business which we are resolving gradually such as getting the right stockists. I have always believed in resolving challenges by being persistent and the same will apply with Cantik Dara,” continues Risteena. “I have faced challenges in my acting career and in my other business and I have learnt to overcome those challenges which I regard as experiences for improving my entrepreneurship skills.”

The current production line is based in Melaka under the Melaka Biotechnology Corporation with a total staff of 20 people. “I practise a flexible management style but I am firm on rules and regulations as mistakes can be very costly. My staffs know this and so far, I have had cooperation and teamwork values rooted in them,” says Risteena in elaborating on her management style.

As for work-life balance, due to a busy lifestyle filled with acting and business commitments, the equation tilts towards work with very little time for family. However, time spent with parents, siblings, a few cats and a monkey is very much treasured. “The monkey, a golden monkey is a family pet the whole family loves spending time with,” shares Risteena. Other than having pets, the main hobbies revolve around the home with interior decoration on the top of the list. “I love rearranging furniture and buying things for the house. My mother and I frequently shop for new items that will change the ambience of the home,” says Risteena.

Risteena’s advice for those interested in making a career out of entrepreneurship is persistence and determination despite the challenges. There is no doubt that these are wise words coming from a new generation entrepreneur.

The post The Prowess of A New Generation Entrepreneur appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Recall the time David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappeared? And also how he penetrated the Great Wall of China? Great magicians are certainly a thrilling lot and in Malaysia, we have our very own award-winning magicians who, among them, have also made their mark internationally. In this issue, Top 10 of Malaysia shares its list of the nation’s extraordinary and talented magicians who have thrilled their audiences, royalties and ministers among them, with unforgettable ‘magical’ moments.

Andrew Lee

Malaysia’s top magician Andrew Lee is the first Malaysian magician to predict the top 3 winners of the Melbourne cup 2017 and also entertained many guests on cruises such as Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line and X Celebrity Cruises. A master in close-up magic, Andrew has performed internationally with acts that include stage illusions such as levitation, vanishing, appearing, sawing people into two, making birds appear out of thin air and also mentalism.

Mark Yong & Pinky Loo  

International award-winning magicians, Mark Yong & Pinky Loo are also the USA Merlin Award Winners and the Malaysia Book of Records holders for the most costume changes – 20 changes in one minute. Mark Yong is a skilled professional magician and foremost entertainer in Malaysia with over 9 years of performing experience. He received an award conferred by the International Magicians for best quick costume change act in 2012. Mark & Pinky’s famous illusions are sawing a lady into two and making people disappear. Their performances of dance, illusion, comedy and close-up magic are perfectly choreographed.

Vikneswaran Allagu (Vikey)

Malaysian magician Vikneswaran Allagu or famously known as Vikey is well known for his street magic card trick illusions, illusion acts, mentalism magic, high profile feats of endurance acts, fire-eating performances, street magic, master of ceremony and clowning. Vikey has won numerous titles and awards such as Best Showmanship Award and The Most People Choice Award. He was also recognised with an award as an upcoming talented Indian Magician in Malaysia on Malaysian Indian Artist Day in 2010 and had also received The Best Endurance Magician Malaysia 2017 award for his unique fire act stunts thus earning him the title, “Fire Magic Man”.

Zlwin Chew

The name Zlwin Chew is quite a familiar one with Malaysians as the artist is the nation’s well-known international practitioner of art magic and mentalism. He started his career as a magician after performing at Zouk for 4 years. A lover of prestidigitation, Zlwin has performed for the Yang di-PertuanAgong, Raja Perlis Syed Sirajuddinibni Syed Putra Jamalullail, Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (former Prime Minister of Malaysia), The Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahira and also at India’s Techfest in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Besides, he has also worked with world famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein and DKNY. Being a professional magician, he now performs at clubs all over Asia, Australia and also on ship cruises.

Jeffrey Ch’ng (Jefferado)

Another one of Malaysia’s successful and renowned illusionists is Jeffrey Ch’ng or Jefferado. Uniquely charismatic and entertaining, Jeffrey started his magician journey at the age of 13 when he performed at small parties, old folk’s homes, charity events and orphanages. At the age of 18, he established Amazing Magic Studio Sdn Bhd in Penang. Discovering his passion, he decided to polish his talent by attending various international magic festivals and conventions as a learning process. He won the title of “Most Famous Magician’ in a magic competition in 2006 and has since performed over 1,000 charity, government and corporate event shows.

Jeff Leong

Well-known multi-talented master magician, bubble artist and television host, Jeff Leong has been awarded the Top Prize of International Stage Magic Competition Singapore 2009. He was also the first bubble artist in Malaysia and Singapore. Selected as one of the Top 10 Magicians in Malaysia by Tallypress, Jeff’s impressive performances include sawing a person in half, bodily suspension in the air, card and canes trick, dove act, dollar bill in lemon, close-up coins trick and fire-eating. He has also performed for renowned artistes such as Jay Chou, Lu Chen, Jacky Wu as well as for the Sultan of Johor and His Majesty’s family during the youngest prince’s birthday.

Aaron Pang

As the organizer of International Amazing Magic Festival in Johor Bahru from year 2011 to 2013, the talented Aaron Pang has also been a representative of Malaysia in performing at the World Magic Tour Show organized by Korea in 2014. As he became more famous, Aaron was invited to perform at concerts with artistes such as Dato’ Rossa Roslaina, Sheila Majid, Sheila Amzah, Penny Tai, Sam Lee, Sistar and also for VIPs such as Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi (Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister) at the Sarawak’s private festival celebration in 2016. Aaron also performed at Europe’s famous balloon show in 2015 and had won several awards such as the 2010 Taiwan RIC Magic Festival, Taiwan Qing Shui Magic Festival, Singapore Magic Circus, Malaysia Magic Festival 2011 as People’s Choice Award and UMIC (Korea) 2014’s Great Magician Award.

David Lai

World-renowned Malaysian mentalist, David Lai is famous for his metal-bending, mind-reading, hypnotic persuasion and telekinesis demonstrations. He was also teh producer and director of Superstars of Magic Show in Malaysia for the 4^th time. Besides being the winner of the RHB Best Performer award 2014, the Prestige Top 40 under 40 2013, Merlin award 2012 and Malaysian Young Achievement Award 2012, David is also the top-notch entertainer and internationally acclaimed director and producer of illusionary wonderments.

Chase Lew

Malaysia’s renowned comedy magician, Chase Lew started performing in 2005 and he performed with Maestro Carl Davis in Dewan Filharmonik Petronas with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also invited to perform for the Royal family of Brunei besides appearing in live TV shows – Malaysia Hari Ini, TV3 and The Breakfast Show, NTV7. Chase has performed in numerous corporate events for some 500 companies, private functions, wedding dinners, children birthday parties, university prom nights, primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and charity shows.

Samuel Chong

As Malaysia’s comedy magician, the Penang-born Samuel Chong is also a talented pick-pocket artist. Samuel has performed for more than 100 organisations and companies such as Eastern and Oriental Hotel, Motorola, Erns & Young and HSBC. Some of his famous stage magic tricks include swallowing balloons and rope escape which will leave his audience stunned and amazed. He has also used 1,120 rubik cubes to create a portrait of David Copperfield.

The post Malaysian Magicians – The Top 10 appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

People’s ardent passion for capturing memorable moments has been around for as long as one can remember. To this end, photographs have been used for a long time now and they tell amazing stories, evoking a myriad of emotions among viewers as they do so. As ‘a  picture is worth a thousand words’, one amazing visual storyteller has decided to take up a role in portraying the world’s amazing landscape, architecture, nature, people with their daily emotions and festive celebrations. In this issue, Top 10 of Malaysia speaks to the talented Yaman Ibrahim, a wonderfully inspiring photographer about his inspirations and his works.

Hailing from a large modest family and based in Kuala Lumpur, the talented Yaman Ibrahim started out his career by teaching art subjects to secondary students. “Our parents always encourage us to pursue our passion and interest in life,” says the jovial Yaman. After gathering experience in that field, he became a creative director before becoming a photographer. Yaman has been in the photography industry for 18 years now and every minute of it has been fun and precious for him.

When asked on what inspired him to become a photographer, this Malaysian artist reveals that he has always been inspired by the human condition, especially emotions. “I have time and again been intrigued by the various emotions and reactions displayed by people from all over the world. I remembered the time when I witnessed a child smiling and that inspired me to capture a snapshot. From that moment onwards, I decided to take up photography,” says Yaman with a smile.

Yaman loves travelling and capturing special moments in his photos. One of his most inspiring photos was taken in India. “India is a country with a broad spectrum of colours which could be seen in the daily lives of her people. I’m so inspired by their honest smiles despite their inadequacies and poverty in life. Her majestic architecture is also an amazing subject for photography.”

“I love capturing pictures of people going about their day-to-day activities, and this also includes celebrations. I find much joy in taking their pictures, and even when photos are motionless, I believe they can convey an interesting story like nothing else can do. This is perfect for me,” says Yaman. He is also thankful to his wife, family and friends as they have been his faithful supporters all throughout his journey as a photographer. Nonetheless, his loyal fans also give him the encouragement to continue producing beautiful and inspiring photos.

Yaman has no lack of wonderful moments during his journey as a photographer. One of his unforgettable experiences was during a visit to Mount Bromo, Indonesia. “It was 2010, and I visited this dormant volcano. At that moment the volcano erupted after having been dormant for ages. I felt so privileged as I seized the opportunity to capture the moment together with the facial expressions of the villagers around the area,” Yaman reminisces. “It was for me an experience of a lifetime, a most significant one too.” “People whom I have met during my travels may lack even the basic necessities of life, but their warm, friendly and hospital nature always never fail to touch me deeply,” he adds.

On the other hand, Yaman is also not new to the challenges he faced as a photographer. He had his fair share of them while doing a photoshoot of some company directors and food, and also during the time when he found himself in a restricted zone while doing photography. However, he was none the worse for those experiences and Yaman moved on with much wisdom gained.

Yaman also has several accomplishments to his name. “I’ve published a book and made some appearances on television. My photos have been featured on National Geographic and I’m currently the Fujifilm X Camera spokesperson.”  In addition he has also won several awards for the past few years.

As there are many people who only rely on online videos and televisions to look at the world these days, Yaman tries to provide the best with his camera. “I would choose those moments which I myself had witnessed with my own eyes in order to portray their true beauty and essence in the photoshoots I show to the world.” As he is able to connect with the images he captures in various aspects of life, Yaman strives to improve his photo images by capturing the best moments with the help of technology. “That way, I hope to capture ‘immortality’ into the photos in the best possible way I can,” he says.

For the year 2018, Yaman intends to focus on the essence of Malaysian life. “I could accomplish this by capturing the mixture of emotions and day-to-day activities. My ongoing project is ‘Orang Malaysia’ and it covers people from all walks of life. The photos captured will portray their truest self without barriers or pretense.”

When asked for the advice he would give to amateur photographers, Yaman believes that they should be passionate and interested in pursuing photography. “There is no perfect image and in this world what seems to be right can actually be wrong and vice versa. Just persevere in doing good work in your endeavor and one day, you will succeed in realising the goals you have harboured for yourself all along,” says the talented Yaman.

The post An Eye for the Beauty in the World appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

The entrepreneurial passion for innovative ideas has been an integral part of Chuah Kooi Sang. Hailing from Perak, Chuah epitomises the equation of hard work, risk-taking and innovation for achieving success. Having been involved in the construction industry from the early 1990s, the years spent gaining experience in petrol station construction and developing his company, Permai Ihsan Sdn Bhd, into one of the leading construction companies in the Malaysia Oil and Gas (O&G) industry, is a telling experience. It has been a successful journey of realising innovative ideas within the general construction industry. In a recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Chuah speaks on his passion for the industry, personal achievements and upcoming plans for the future of Permai Ihsan.

One of the leading players in the O&G construction industry, Chuah Kooi Sang, 52, speaks about his childhood. “I come from a tin mining family and we stayed in Malim Nawar, a small town in Perak. Both my parents were involved in tin mining and I have inherited their resilient streak,” says the affable Chuah.  “I have always been involved in the construction industry and subsequent to getting my civil engineering education, it was only natural that I was in this industry.”

Chuah started his maiden venture by establishing his company, Permai Ihsan Sdn Bhd in 1994. “I like the name ‘Permai Ihsan’ as it emphasises on aesthetic excellence, a combination that resonated with me,” smiles Chuah. “Our company has received several awards such as the 2015 Malaysian Golden Eagle Award and the 2017 Asia Pacific Award for Excellence and they are testimonies of the excellent quality of services provided by Permai Ihsan.”

“My first petrol station construction venture was completed within a time span of 35 days. I was new in the field then and with a reputation and trust to be gained, I ensured all deadlines were met according to specifications,” recollects Chuah. “We still adhere to the principles of innovative excellence in ensuring the quality of our services surpass clients’ expectations as Permai Ihsan is a recognised name in the O&G industry.”

The striking aspect of Chuah’s construction strategy is the innovation of new ideas which has been recognised by the industry. “There is the launching of the ‘mega stations’ in 1997, the first one was in Setiawangsa, Selangor which combined retail services. The services were further augmented with the building of the biggest green service station in South East Asia along the Sungai Besi Highway in 2012. It also incorporates fast food and coffee chains. The design of petrol stations has been innovated according to market needs with a rudimentary design launched successfully in Africa and the Malaysian East Coast. Permai Ihsan provides a full range of end-to-end integrated services from building to maintenance services including installation of pipelines. “The company has diversified into general construction with several projects in shopping malls and warehouses,” shares Chuah.

“In managing a team of 60 people, both onsite and offsite, within a very competitive field, my leadership style is invariably flexible with high expectations and rewards. We appreciate the employees who are our most important asset and we have recently organised a company trip to Hokkaido as one of our ways to show our appreciation,” says Chuah.

“My work is demanding and calls for a 24/7 focus which can impact my work-life balance. I have four children – three sons and a daughter, all of whom are studying. I do try to spend as much time as possible with them,” quips Chuah.  “My wife has been a great supporter of my work and is wonderfully taking care of the children,” says Chuah with a big smile as he casts a glance at his wife who is seated beside him.

“The company’s future expansion plans include becoming a developer and diversifying into other areas within the construction industry, and this reflects on its growing stature. As a developer, we will be able to provide better services for our clients on a domestic and international level,” says Chuah.

As for his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Chuah strongly believes that they should be patient, work hard and never give up.

The post Innovative Excellence – Building the Blocks for Success appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

For some, success is not merely measured with dollars and cents. Jothee Subramaniam is one of those rare individuals. Other than building a successful driving school business, he is also very much a dedicated family man to both his wife and kids at home. In this issue, Top 10 of Malaysia speaks to the enterprising and successful Jothee Subramaniam, the founder and CEO of Sekolah Memandu Jothee about 34-year involvement in the driving school industry, the development of his company as well as how he has grown as a leader throughout the years.

In the early 70s, Jothee Subramaniam was just a small town boy from Sungai Petani juggling multiple odd jobs for survival. However, the now 69-year-old would never have imagined being the leader of a successful driving school in Subang Jaya.

“Back then, I was only working as a driving instructor in Kuala Lumpur. But someone from the industry saw the potential in me and asked me, ‘Why don’t you start a driving school of your own?’ And so, Sekolah Memandu Jothee was born,” he says.

With the establishment of his own driving school in 1984, Subramaniam made use of his sound people’s skills by building and establishing relationships with his students. “I always stood for honesty and trust.” He stresses that he does not believe in cashing in on his students. “Taking my students hard earned cash without giving them their money’s worth has never been my policy. I ensure that I guide them well so that they are successful in their driving exams,” reveals the affable businessman. At present, most of Subramaniam’s existing clients are direct descendants or offsprings from his former students that he has taught way back in the 80s.

Being a man who puts his family first, Subramaniam admits that becoming a millionaire was not his utmost priority. “When I first started out this business, I was thinking of merely making sufficient money to bring up my young family.” He says that surprisingly his now grown-up children did not take after their father as far as careers are concerned. “But I am proud to say that all of them have found success in their own field,” shares Subramaniam proudly.

For more than 30 over years, Subramaniam’s business has proven itself to be rock solid by making it through the test of time. As times have evolved, so has a new direction begun to take place. “Right now, I have plans to turn my driving school into an institution itself,” he shares. “In the future, I hope to leave a meaningful legacy behind,” Subramaniam adds.

Every successful businessman has his fair share of challenges in life and so does Subramaniam. “The process of maintaining and building relationships with all your clients is not an easy feat,” he explains. Subramaniam goes on further to say that the trust forged between student and teacher does not come overnight. “This unification takes years to materialise and that also with a lot of heart-to-heart encounters.”

As a self-proclaimed people’s person, it is not surprising that Subramaniam has inserted this notable trait into his management and leadership styles. “As a superior, I do not hesitate to give credit to the staffs in my company when it’s due. I take pride in praising or giving them a pat on the back if they have really done a good job,” he admits.

When asked what inspires the enterprising Subramaniam to lead his company forward, he unabashedly reveals that the secret lies in his life-long dedication to maintaining the job and building up the business. “Passion is the key to success,” he shares.

Since Subramaniam is an optimistic entrepreneur who also sees the big picture, it is only natural that he foresees only bigger and better things for his business in the near future. “Driving schools are a thing of the past. The amalgamation of my driving school into an institute is the best decision that I can take, and I look forward to it being greatly rewarding,” he says with confidence.

Despite running a business, Subramaniam still views himself as a family person. “Regardless of how busy I may be at work, my family always comes first. I ensure that I spend quality time with my siblings, wife and children,” he shares. As the eldest among his siblings, Subramaniam views himself as the protector and keeper of the family. “Whenever a member of the family needs a lending ear, they can always trust me to be their confidante.”

Unsurprisingly, Subramaniam considers his family to be his greatest achievement in life. “I believe that I have raised my kids well. For example, my eldest son Sivananthan who currently works as an engineer was previously awarded the prestigious ambassador award by the Malaysian Embassy in the United States for being the top Malaysian student there while he was still doing his tertiary education back in year 2000,” he shares. Meanwhile, his other children are not to be outdone. His daughter is currently operating her own early childhood education business. “Suffice to say, I am one proud parent,” says the beaming father.

For those who plan to walk the same pathway as Subramaniam, he strongly advises them to go for proper courses and training before embarking further. “The driving school business in Malaysia is, unfortunately, staged in an extremely controlled environment. Therefore, the best option is to venture into a driving institution itself,” he says without hesitation.

The post A Titan in His Own League appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Building an entrepreneurial community defines the vision of Shah Hafiz, the recipient of the Anugerah Personaliti Industri dan Usahawan Malaysia, 2018. An entrepreneur who gained experience and skills by learning the trade right after leaving school, Shah possesses firsthand knowledge from having experienced both stellar successes amidst the intermittent downs of businesses. The grit and determination required for entering new markets have not deterred the visionary Shah from experimenting with innovative strategies within the business field. The experience gained from the various businesses ranging from unit trusts to trading are invaluable lessons that have helped in the remarkable achievement of the current business, DYXY Cosmetics, run as a partnership with wife, Dyana Roslan. In a conversation with Top 10 of Malaysia, Shah spoke on his entrepreneurial journey and his vision in building an entrepreneurial community.

Entrepreneurship has been the sole career choice option of Shah Hafiz, as he got himself entrenched in the field right after leaving school. “I am from Kuala Lumpur, having been born and bred here although there was a short stint in Bentong,” reminisces Shah on his childhood. “I come from a middle-class family consisting of two brothers and my parents. I am the middle child. Unfortunately, my mother passed away when I was fifteen and all four of us guys had to take care of each other. Life was not exactly easy.”

After leaving school and a short stint in a financial course at Kolej Damansara, the first career choice was in the insurance field before moving into unit trusts and loan banking. “When my mother passed away due to kidney failure, she had no insurance and that took a toll on my father and the whole family. Out of that predicament, I realised the importance of having financial security,” says Shah. Despite the challenges of hardship, the determination in succeeding resulted in financial success. “I was earning a five-figure income by the time I was twenty-one. Can you imagine me buying my own car, a BMW, at twenty-one?” asks Shah with a grin. “I realised then the power of working for myself by using my own ingenuity. Maybe I got that from my father who was a businessman.” Marriage was on the cards around that time with Dyana Roslan. “I got married at the young age of 22, as I felt the responsibility of taking care of a family would bring me greater success in my businesses,” says the father of three boys aged six, four and four months.

From the banking field, the next shift for business expansion was in the field of import-export. “I became the youngest vendor involved in the supply of rubber which I imported from Thailand and Indonesia. My customers included Mardec and Felda,” says Shah, “Unfortunately, the declining rubber prices impacted my business and I diversified into other areas within the import-export field. One was the chicken industry, where I imported chicken from the Middle-East and Europe and supplied to China and Thailand,” says Shah. There were intermittent downs in the businesses due to uncontrollable factors such as
declining prices and demand. “But during these times, I was involved in small businesses that have allowed me to gain experience,” explains Shah. The beauty business became the next focus, inspired by Dyana’s entrepreneurships in selling cosmetics. “I observed my wife was doing well in her cosmetics business and I realised the potentials of the business. Women use cosmetics and the demand is always there,” says Shah.

“We decided to start a partnership in cosmetics with Korean formulations. The origins of the name, DYXY, refers to a combination of Dyana’s name and Roxy, her favourite brand. Dyana is also a graduate from Top to Toe Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology and she is now a qualified beautician, beauty therapist and aesthetician. She has also won awards such as the World Masters Professional Beauty Associates and International Federation of Aestheticians. She specialises in skin treatments and has used her knowledge and skills to create products for DYXY. Besides, she also ensures that the products are made from the finest ingredients and quality to assure customers’ satisfaction.”

“I started out in Kelantan as the norm for starting cosmetics business is to begin in the north. I went to Kelantan without knowing anyone,” recalls Shah. “In the beginning, it was a challenge as the brand DYXY was unheard of but through determination and weeks of persistence, it finally caught on with the Kelantanese young women. I found my own stockists, agents and distributors and the business has in five years expanded throughout the country.”

The Korean formulations are similar to that of established brands but the attractive pricing strategy is the main crowd-puller. Shah acknowledges the competition has lately turned intensive with more brands entering the local cosmetics market. However, there is still scope for growth because of the attractive prices and high consumer demand for cosmetics.

“The product quality has to be good and I ensure that DYXY’s standards are consistently high. DYXY’s value proposition is the formulation we use for our products which is similar to established brands. We target the mid-range market with reasonably priced products, similar to established brands,” explains Shah.

The products have been certified by the Health Ministry and are awaiting halal certification. The three marketing promotions channels consist of the online, offline and networking channels. The online channel is the fastest growing channel from a wider market exposure. The product promotion is targeted towards building the brand reputation of DYXY. Initially targeted towards Gen-Z, aged eighteen to twenty-four, the product range since then has expanded to other age groups.

The nurturing of new entrepreneurs through the establishment of a platform is another achievement of Shah based on his vision of establishing an entrepreneurial community. “I have nurtured a few hundred entrepreneurs as my distributors, who now enjoy five-figure salaries not to mention the few millionaires amongst them,” smiles Shah, “That is the source of my happiness, to see lives changed for the better through their own entrepreneurial skills.”

The success of the entrepreneurship programme has been recognised by the awards that DYXY has received, the latest being the Anugerah Personaliti Industri dan Usahawan Malaysia, 2018. The establishment of the DYXY Academy has enabled Shah to provide formal, structured training for distributors thereby improving their professional skills in sales. “Those who joined me initially were those who were determined to change their lives and they have turned out to be very successful. I personally select my distributors and train them so they possess the required sales knowledge for selling my products. It is a win-win solution for my distributors and DYXY.”

The future plans in the pipeline include the expansion of distributorships to Brunei, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. Shah practises a guided style of leadership with his twenty employees based at the headquarters. There is a DYXY app which allows all employees including himself to communicate with each other. The role models who have shaped his entrepreneurial journey include his father and father-in-law, who are both
successful businessmen. Shah’s younger brother has taken on his entrepreneurial spirit by joining him in the business.

As for work-life balance, the close proximity of the office headquarters near home allows for close interaction with the children whenever possible. “I drop by for lunch and try to spend time with them. Bringing up three boys is, most assuredly, not a walk in the park for me and my wife,” admits Shah. Shah’s advice for those intending to start a business is that one must possess the persistence and determination in the face of difficulties and challenges.

“There are bound to be failures here and there, but the resilience in recovering and to keep going will determine success,” he says. Shah’s success in the entrepreneurial field is undoubtedly an inspiring paragon for entrepreneurialism in Malaysia.

The post A Paragon Of Empowerment appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

As more and more people are looking out for awesome and satisfying life-changing mobile and web experiences on their smartphones, mobile applications that deliver are much sought after. Talented mobile application developers in Malaysia churn out a wide range of new mobile applications for games, banking transactions, hotel bookings, online shopping and a host of others, and they are just a click away. Indeed, mobile apps have revolutionised the way people conduct their day-to-day businesses and the way they live. Here, Top 10 of Malaysia takes a look at its list of Malaysia’s most successful mobile application companies that have become an integral part of the way the government, corporations and online businesses in this country operate.

Getright Malaysia Sdn Bhd

Getright Malaysia Sdn Bhd was established in 2015 and led by Derrick Liew. Famous for its digital and mobility solutions, it provides services especially on mobile applications, web development and iOS application development services for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Getright has since gained the trust of clients from sectors such as the government agencies, telecommunication, pharmaceutical, healthcare, retail, education, technology, logistics, fashion, automotive, media, property development and new startups. Its services have greatly helped clients in areas such as work productivity, sales and cost saving.

Apps Design Studio  

Founded by Eden Yap, a veteran in digital marketing and ecommerce with over a decade of experience, Apps Design Studio is now one of Malaysia’s go-to mobile application developers when it comes to Apple iOS and Google Android applications. Over the years, Apps Design Studio has served clients such as BMW, Proton, Hyundai, Genting, Digi, Acson, Hitachi, Hatten Group and PJD Group. It also produces creative and innovative iOS/Android applications that are designed to enhance user experience, engage customers and even building one’s mobile brand.

Agmo Studio Sdn Bhd

Agmo Studio Sdn Bhd was founded by Tan Aik Keong. This award-winning software company which serves the Fortune 500 companies, multinational companies and government agencies specialises in mobile and blockchain solutions. To date, Agmo Studio has produced more than 100 mobile applications for online to offline, e-government, smart home, medical, oil & gas, virtual reality and cryptocurrency. Its clients also include big brands like PETRONAS, Toyota, Honda, Accenture, Roche, Digi and Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation. Agmo won the ASEAN ICT Awards, 4 times MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards and Asia Smart App Awards. Besides, it has also established its offshore development office in Shanghai.

Cleverus Consulting  

Established by Lawmence Wong, Cleverus Consulting has grown to be the leading global digital agency that helps organizations by creating innovative and creative seamless digital experiences for its customers. It provides services that include world class SEO, “Pay-per-click”, digital reputation management, creative web solution, inbound marketing, mobile-friendly websites with hybrid application capabilities and mobile application development such as Android and IOS mobile applications. It attracts clients from start-ups, entrepreneurs and even agencies with its efficient business analysis, custom UX/UI design, code development, project management and quality assurance.

StrongByte Studio  

Founded by Tang Tung Ai and Fong Huang Yee, StrongByte Studio Sdn Bhd is a mobile application development studio which won multiple awards such as the Gold Award for the Asia Smartphone Apps Contest 2015, Celcom App Developer Challenge (2012) Best App Award, TADHack Malaysia (2014) Winner, MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2014 Finalist and Digi CFC (2013) Best App for Health and Wellness. Supported by clients like Axiata Group Berhad, TIME dotCom Bhd, Digi, RISDA and Universiti Malaya Hospital, StrongByte has produced more than 50 mobile applications including Insulin Decision Aid, I Found Mine, Redy, InstaB for Baby and VRS – Visitor Registration System for iOS, Android, Windows, BlackBerry and Nokia.

Vyrox

Founded by Joe Leong and Leong Yee Rock, Vyrox is one of the best software companies in Malaysia. It creates software and mobile applications for Malaysia and also international public listed conglomerates like I-City Berhad, Selangor Properties Berhad, SPK Berhad, Gamuda Berhad, Capital Land Limited, Sime Darby Property Berhad, Matrix Concepts Holdings Berhad, Old Town Berhad, Mitraland Group, Huawei Malaysia IoT, Telekom Malaysia R&D, ST Regis Hotel and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology.

Fireworks Solutions

Founded by Yanzer Lee and established in 2003, Fireworks Solutions is now an award-winning Digital Innovation and Digital Marketing firm that delivers digital developmental services such as mobile application, web solutions, e-commerce, games creations, digital signage, and kiosk solutions. With its services extended to Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, Fireworks has clients such as Mead Johnson, Sinchew, Setia, Amway, Prudential, Bank Simpanan Nasional and Myanmar’s Ministry of Information. Besides, it has also won awards such as The Kancil Award (Advertising Award), Samsung App of The Year, Digi WWWOW Awards 2012, United Nations’ Cyberstar Awards 2006, Marketing Excellence Award 2013 (Double Award) and Golden Globe Tiger Awards 2016.

Terato Tech  

Founded by Reza Razali, Terato Tech is one of Malaysia’s well-known leading mobile application companies and its clients include Maybank, CIMB Bank, CIDB Malaysia, Axiata and Matrade. Terato has also won awards such as Frost & Sullivan 2011 Malaysia Excellence Awards, Red Herring Top 100 Asia Companies, Digi WWWOW Awards App of The Year, GOMOBILE Innovation Awards 2010 and MADTechVentures Award 2010. Terato also has produced mobile applications such as “Slurp! POS by Silent Mode”, “BePunct: Cloud Employee Management”, “MyUsrah App”, “Domino’s Pizza Malaysia & Singapore” and “MyPesara: Kumpulan Wang Persaraan”.

Nexstream

Established by Kelvin Kwek, Nexstream transforms business processes and ideas into mobile applications in order to enhance the efficiency of workflow, increase productivity and even maximise profits. Specialising in HTML5, iOS and Android Development, Nexstream has been building its own mobile applications such as aliments – The Ultimate F&B Booster, BYBGo – Online Shopping Companion, Konnected Factory, Konnected Patrol and Konnected Pay. Besides, it has also constructed mobile applications for clients such as Tune Talk, TGV Cinemas, UPA, Panasonic and GAMMA (Gallery of Malaysian Government Mobile Applications).

Mobius Digital Systems Sdn Bhd

Established by Justin Leo and Zachary Tay, Mobius Digital Systems Sdn Bhd is one of Malaysia’s creative multi-disciplinary mobile application development companies which have created famous applications such as HelloGold, Boat Noodle Application, Beagle, GoGet, Laundrun Mobile Application, DealsPic, Nect – Android Version, Hiris – The Wedding App, MyLifestyle Taxi, SweetSpot Mobile, Meet Me Halfway and Media Prima Digital: MetroTV App (Harian Metro). Mobius also creates mobile catalogues to customise e-commerce mobile applications for corporate companies and also startups and place its priority in user experience and user interface design.

The post MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPERS IN MALAYSIA – THE TOP 10 appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Dato’ Kamisah Johan believes in creating homes that suit their owners’ lifestyle preferences and tastes. In a recent interview, the Group Executive Chairman of Rembawang Holdings Sdn Bhd shared with Top 10 of Malaysia her passion and her endeavours to turn her vision into a reality.

It is increasingly difficult to find green spaces in urban areas, let alone live among them. But Dato’ Kamisah Johan is making it possible for city-dwelling Malaysians to do just that. Teringin @ Sri Ukay – the flagship development of Rembawang Holdings – offers an address that is not only a stone’s throw away from the heart of Kuala Lumpur, but also one that integrates nature into the neighbourhood.

With Dato’ Kamisah at the helm as Group Executive Chairman, property developer Rembawang Holdings Sdn Bhd is currently gearing up for the launch of Teringin @ Sri Ukay in April 2019.

Rembawang, operating from its head office in Desa Sri Hartamas, was founded by Dato’ Kamisah and a team of property enthusiasts with a proven track record in property investment.

“Rembawang was initially set up as a property investment company. We acquired land, secured a team of consultants to work with us, created a concept for each land development, obtained the development order (DO) from local authorities, and packaged all of that to the big boys in the property development industry,” says Dato’ Kamisah.

“The company is driven to unlock the potential of sites that we selected to create beautiful homes with unique and thoughtfully-designed attributes, while ensuring that the socio-economic and natural environment of the surrounding localities remain intact.”

Having observed what other developers had done with their projects, Dato’ Kamisah felt that Rembawang could offer something to homebuyers that was currently lacking in the property market.

“I wanted to create something unique,” she says. “I wanted to be a property developer who would feel proud of what we had built – that was what I wanted to achieve. When I stumbled upon Taman Sri Ukay, I fell in love with the greenery and the waterfall nearby. That was when I knew that this land would be the site of Rembawang’s flagship development.”

Born and raised in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, Dato’ Kamisah began her career – not in property development as one might presume – but in the hospitality industry. After eight years in various hotel chains including Sunway Resort, Hotel Mutiara Kuala Lumpur and The Holiday Villa Group, she made a bold move to switch to property development.

“I wanted to earn more. Therefore, I was interested to work in the sales division of the property development industry where the more sales I made, the higher my commission. That drove me to work harder,” she shares.

It was not only financial rewards that kept Dato’ Kamisah going. As a property salesperson, she broadened her knowledge on architecture, space allocation and design development. In addition, she developed a network of like-minded contacts who shared her dream of becoming a strong player in the property market through a ‘quality over quantity’ approach. Everything culminated in 2009, with the support of family and investors, she established Rembawang Holdings to make her mark in the industry.

“As a property developer, I always think it is vital to build something that we would want to live in. The quality and sustainability of a project to me is of utmost importance,” she stresses.

Dato’ Kamisah is excited about the company’s maiden project, Teringin @ Sri Ukay, for she went through many obstacles to bring the project to life. Seeing that the land consisted of a mix of flat land and slopes, the land’s geography posed a challenge. It took seven years for the company to obtain the DO approval from the local authorities, as comprehensive geotechnical and environmental impact studies had to be carried out in the project site.

With Dato’ Kamisah’s sheer persistence and resilience, the long wait paid off when the comprehensive geotechnical tests showed that the land and its surrounding areas were safe for development with the right planning and proper mitigation.

“I’m very grateful for the support from my team throughout those seven years. They were with me since the company was founded. I felt like I had to make this project happen in order to not let them down. I’ve always believed that no problem is too big to handle because where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she affirms.

Teringin spreads over 5 acres and comprises of 24 three-storey semi-detached houses, one bungalow and a clubhouse with full facilities.

“What sets Rembawang apart from other developers is the careful thought we put in when designing each project. Each house will combine colonial and Peranakan themes with a modern twist, thereby creating 11 unique yet cohesive designs. There will be some similarities in the designs, but each home will have its own identity in order to add a sense of exclusivity to the owner. The rest of the land will be used for recreational purposes,” explains Dato’ Kamisah.

This gated and guarded neighbourhood will also cater to multi-generational living. Dato’ Kamisah explains that there are usually three generations living under the same roof. As such, she desires to create a development with ample space for the elderly and the children, not just within the house, but also the surrounding compound.

Even the name Teringin was specially selected. “We aimed to incorporate elements of harmonious living within a community. Surrounded by lush greenery, our homes will be places where people would desire to live in. Hence, the name Teringin which translates to “wanting” in English.”

Apart from Teringin, Rembawang is working on other projects such as the 21-tower Solitaire Kuala Lumpur at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng and an affordable housing development of 510-serviced apartments with full amenities in Senawang, Negri Sembilan.

According to Dato’ Kamisah, quality-consciousness is a core element of Rembawang’s business approach. Therefore, every project carried out by the company prioritises quality-conscious development. Through the launch of Teringin, Rembawang hopes to showcase its commitment to homebuyers and to meet the expectations of investors in creating sustainable, safe and value-filled communities.

With her excellent entrepreneurship and management skills, resilience, can-do attitude and philanthropic attributes, Dato’ Kamisah was recently lauded with several accolades, namely the Malaysia Excellence Business Award (MEBA) 2018 under the Women Property Icon of the Year Category, Anugerah Ikon Wanita Dalam Hartanah 2018, Corporate Social Responsibility Award 2018 under the SME and Personality Category, and a BrandLaureate Corporate CSR Award.

When asked what she believes to be her key to success, Dato’ Kamisah emphasises that being prepared and having self-confidence are both very crucial.

“I am also a firm believer of not shying away from saying “I don’t know”. First of all, it will inspire and encourage others around me to be bold enough to do the same. Secondly, by acknowledging that we do not have all the answers, we are able to humble ourselves and be open to receiving knowledge from people with great expertise in that particular subject matter.”

The post UNFURLING A BEAUTIFUL DREAM appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Amran Abd Hamid, director and founder of Dapur Penyet grew up with the longing of achieving success in his life. Despite the setbacks of his first business attempt, Amran never gave up. Filled with determination and perseverance, he established Dapur Penyet to promote Indonesian cuisine. In an interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, the enterprising Amran talks about his business venture and the latest dishes he has for 2019.   

Amran Abd Hamid hailed from the “Pearl of the Orient” but grew up in the idyllic countryside near Kulim. This self-proclaimed “kampung boy” had always wanted to make a big success of his life. After completing a degree in Corporate Administration, he worked towards being qualified as a member of the professional body for company secretarial practices and he succeeded at the age of 25. However, Amran never lost sight of what he really wanted in life. He then started his own company as a contractor in the water treatment industry. Unfortunately, that didn’t go well for Amran. “I was simply too young and inexperienced to run my own business,” he confesses.

It was over dinner with a friend in Singapore that the idea of Dapur Penyet cropped up. In 2010, Amran and his partner started their first Dapur Penyet outlet in the Maju Junction Mall in Kuala Lumpur and the brand now expanded into Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Myanmar. Currently, there are some 150 outlets. Amran says, “I want food from the ASEAN region to get more recognition and to be presented in the quick service restaurant format.” He has definitely succeeded into making that happen with Dapur Penyet.

When one thinks of Indonesian cuisine, one of the most iconic dishes that come to one’s mind has to be the richly spiced and perfectly roasted “Ayam Penyet”. Dapur Penyet serves a delicious version of this dish which does not require its customers to wait for long before getting to indulge in this delicacy. A new addition will be added to the menu for 2019, and that is the “Ayam Gaprek”. Also known as “Ayam Gunting”, this Indonesian dish is prepared using a rather interesting cooking method known as ‘post-marinade’. Instead of having the sauce before the frying process, the “sambal” sauce is poured onto the crispy delicacy, coating every piece with its fantastic flavours.

Dapur Penyet has certainly come a long way and with the popularity and success it has achieved, it comes as no surprise when Dapur Penyet won the award for Emerging Franchise in 2017. “For me to be acknowledged as one of the best SMEs in Malaysia is one of the greatest milestones in my life,” says Amran proudly. He also mentions that it is his desire to have the company listed and further expand to other markets in the world.

Successful business expansion endeavours would require a great team that has the synergy and culture to move ahead with the leader. “I focus on business strategies and on building rapport between me and my employees,” says Amran. “Employees need to be very clear about the objectives of the company and I, too, need to know them well. I make it a point to meet with my staff on a regular basis.”

Amran leads a team of rather young employees and he looks forward to bringing out the full potential in them. “Young people are very savvy with social media but they need guidance and motivation that are a tad different than others,” says Amran. He believes that the youths need to learn the mechanism of a business from ground zero so that their understanding of it will be comprehensive. He also believes that young people would need to be disciplined and have integrity to be able to achieve the greater things in life.

The post ONTO GREATER HEIGHTS appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

The Top 10 Cup Mini Golf Challenge 2019 was held in Sungai Long Golf & Country Club to help the underserved and needy of our community. Organised by Top 10 in association with CSR Malaysia and NiagaTimes and in collaboration with Exim Bank, it was attended by many CEOs of corporate companies. The event was a success in both the golf tournament and in supporting charity.

The post The Top 10 Cup Mini Golf Challenge 2019 appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

It is no secret that he comes from a family with several renowned businesses. However, Dato’ Ed Sullaiman Tan Sri Ahmad Johan has decided to forge a new path with his very own company, Bumijaya Kiara Biotech Sdn Bhd. In his recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, the affable Sarawakian entrepreneur shares stories from his past journey, his current venture and some words of wisdom.

Dato’ Ed Sullaiman Tan Sri Ahmad Johan or Ed as he is fondly known, has had an impressive career spanning over two decades. While he did start off by working at his father’s company – a move many would think is an easy way to the top – his success was certainly not handed to him on a silver platter.

“My father has a business doing prefabricated composite sewerage tank in Peninsular Malaysia. The company’s factory in Sungai Petani is operational since 1990.” Ed was not shy to admit that after not being able to continue his third year in finance at Systematic College (now known as SEGi College) for not making the grade, his father got him to work at the Johan Fibres Industries Sdn Bhd factory.

“I started as a general worker in 1992. My pay at that time was RM5 a day,” says Ed. “My first job was picking up all the fiberglass waste and put them into a shredding machine which would turn them into powder.” He spent nine years of his life being tasked to cut fiberglass into the shapes of the tank, a job that he hated with a passion.

Aware of his status as the towkay’s son, Ed says, “I used to curse my father for it.” However, today, he is grateful for the experience of starting from the bottom. He realizes that the journey taught him such valuable wisdom. “It makes you wiser and equips you with greater perseverance.”

Along the way, Ed had the opportunity to go to the United States of America to obtain the composite technician license. He did just that. In fact, Ed was the first South East Asian to have managed the feat. Following the development of his family business, he would later delve into the aviation, aerospace and defense industry working for AIROD.

Upon his return to Malaysia, Ed pursued his studies in Human Resource Management at Universiti Putra Malaysia. This time, he followed through and graduated in 2004. “I then went back to working at my father’s composite company. Fast forward to 2009, I joined yet another family business at the SME Ordnance Sdn Bhd, which is a subsidiary company of National Aerospace and Defence Industries Sdn Bhd,” shares Ed. In 2014, he was promoted to Executive Director Group of Finance.

After many years of working in the family business, Ed finally gathered the courage to work on one of his own. His decision to walk away from a designation that earned him a six-figure salary certainly took many by surprise. However, according to Ed, “Time told me that I have to move on.”

He is now a man on a mission. It is to develop his company, Bumijaya Kiara Biotech Sdn Bhd together with his wife and two other business partners and taking it to greater heights. The story of how Ed got involved in this new venture is not all sunshine and rainbows though. The 47-year-old stated, “My wife started the business but she got conned. That’s when I decided to take over,” says the 47-year-old Ed. It is now an ongoing court case.

The unfortunate event did not hamper their spirits to carry on with their aim. Instead, Ed felt that it was only right for him to reconstruct the business. He even went on to continue investing more in the research and development process. With the knowledge of the company’s bioengineers, they came up with Clarel’s Yoghurt Powder Supplement, a product formulated with 18 types of superfood. “Its star ingredient is none other than blackcurrants. This product has also been certified by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and it has obtained its halal status from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia,” reveals Ed.

As a consumer of the product himself, Ed certainly knows what he is talking about. “We got more than what we asked for,” he says referring to the benefits reaped from consuming the food supplement. “The 1 year 10 months duration spent for the purpose of research and development certainly paid off. As an avid golfer who spends hours on the course, sun exposure is a normal affair for me,” shares Ed with a smile. “My skin complexion has gotten better after taking Clarel’s Yoghurt Powder Supplement on a daily basis.”

The good response does not come from Ed alone. There have been plenty of positive feedbacks from general consumers on the effectiveness of the product. It does what it was set out to do – to improve skin conditions, particularly skin pigmentation disorders. With its rich-nutrient content, it also helps to achieve the glowing, radiant skin – a feature many seek to possess. “It turns out that Clarel’s Yoghurt Powder Supplement also improves colon health,” explains Ed.

On the backstory of Clarel’s as the chosen name, Ed explains that it was inspired by the French word, clarté, which means clarity.

The company is already working on another product that revolves around weight management. “I don’t believe in weight loss products. To lose weight, there is no easy way but you can manage it,” says Ed, and he speaks of this from experience. “There was a point in time when I weighed 126kg with a 45.5-inch waistline,” says the father of five who was determined to change his lifestyle for the better when he thought of his family. Today, he has managed to reduce his body weight to 90kg and his waistline to 38 inches. That is Ed – the lad with such great will power. It is that very same trait that kept him going when the going got tough.

Ed does not deny that having to start from scratch all over again after working his way to becoming a top-ranked officer is a challenge. “I almost gave up. The business was not going where I wanted it to be,” he says. However, he is no quitter. It is a matter of adapting to the situation. He has been in the game long enough to know that he must plan wisely to make use of the resources he has. “I have faith in my product. It’s about creating brand awareness now,” he says. Ed looks forward to having his son onboard to work on this aspect as soon as he returns from the United Kingdom. Ed says that he is also willing to work with those who would like to join him in elevating the state of Bumijaya Kiara Biotech Sdn Bhd.

Despite the obstacles he faces, Ed has not failed to count his blessings. He expresses his gratitude to the Almighty for the beautiful family he has. Even during his busy days back then, Ed will make time to be there for his wife and children. At work, he is a firm believer in treating employees the right way. “In my experience, the rise and fall of a company lie with employees. Always give good opportunities for them to shine. Don’t suppress people. Never ask for respect, earn respect. Then, people will respect you for who you really are,” he adds.

Ed also encourages one to have a dream. “It keeps you motivated,” he says. “Work as much as you can towards it. God will decide how much or how less you will achieve. At the end of the day, it is His decision. But you do what is necessary on your part.”

The post CHARTING A NEW ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Literally cooking up a storm of gastronomic retro Malay dishes has been Kuzie Catering’s forte since its inception in 1992. The company has since then established itself as a reputed food and wedding planner. Having had the opportunity of serving a long list of VVIPs locally and overseas, including royalties, the Kuzie Catering brand is synonymous with Malay haute cuisine. Although a relatively small outfit, the company continues to dominate the local catering scene by providing excellent food and services. In a recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Raja Muhammad Danial Bin Raja Roslay, CEO of Kuzie Catering Sdn Bhd, talks about the company’s capabilities and business model, its past and current successes and the vision for the future.

Kuzie Catering is a well-known catering and wedding planning company with a reputation for serving excellent haute cuisine Malay food. The company was founded in 1992 by Raja Muhammad Danial Bin Raja Roslay’s late father, Datuk Raja Rosly Raja Mazlan, popularly known as Pak Engku. The name, ‘Kuzie’, is a combination of the names of Pak Engku and Danial’s mother, Ramziah Samah.

Kuzie Catering was established at the right time as it fulfilled the growing demand for exclusive services from an urban sophisticated population yearning for heritage food. “Kuzie Catering has served the British and Brunei royalty and the top echelon of Malaysian society. We were the caterers during Prince William’s visit to Malaysia in 2012,” remarks Danial.

“We have a strong and loyal relationship with our customers as we cater to all their social functions, regardless of size, occasion or location,” says Danial with a smile.

Having taken over leadership of the company in 2018, the young Danial excitedly shares, “I want to carry on the legacy of my father in providing excellent services and food.”

Exuding a quiet boyishness charm that belies the strength and determination in moving forward towards greater heights of success, Danial was forthright. “I might be young in terms of age as I am 22 and undoubtedly there is nervousness but I am keen to learn and ensure the continuity of the business.”

“We are industry leaders based on our value proposition of food and services quality that differentiates us from competitors. The menus are exclusive consisting of popular retro Malay cuisine with the signature dishes, Daging Dengdeng, and Nasi Briyani,” explains Danial.

“We have three to four engagements monthly with the average crowd of 1,500 per event costing around RM55,000,” says Danial. A successful milestone has been the catering event for an 80,000 crowd for a one-day open house. “I have catered for 45,000 people since taking over which I consider an achievement itself,” says Danial with a sense of pride. “This is despite our small employee size consisting of 15 employees including the 4 chefs.”

“So far, the team who used to work for my dad has given me the same level of support they gave my father and we have managed to continue business as usual. These are loyal employees and we work based on trust. On top of that, the added support of relatives keeps Kuzie going,” says Danial. “The internal team of employees is supported by partnerships with specialty companies for the different levels of service engagements. The employment of temporary workers for the preparation of food further rationalizes costs and enables efficiencies in services.”

Danial has initiated aggressive marketing programmes within the private and public sector preferring personal meetings where he is able to present Kuzie’s portfolio of services. “However, all our employees are considered marketing representatives as they promote our services during and after events.”

“My age and the lack of experience is a challenge as I am still learning the ropes of the business,” acknowledges Danial. The notable challenges faced by Danial are competition within the industry based on pricing strategies and sustaining a high level of quality in food and services. “We have started promotions offering services at competitive prices as a way to sustain the competition, such as the current RM45 per customer promotion,” Danial adds.

As the youngest in the team, the Danial’s style of management is ‘bottom-up’ where teamwork is emphasized. “We would meet to discuss everything, down to the smallest detail there is,” reveals Danial.

The inspiration for the business comes from his 19-year-old sister and his 18-year-old brother, and mother who lives in Pahang. “They provide me with the support and inspiration to carry on with the business. I do have cousins who work with me, one handling purchasing and another is the chef,” says Danial.

Even though still single, Danial believes in a 9-to-5 schedule and a good rejuvenating rest during the weekends. His favorite pastimes after work and during the weekends are working out at the gym and playing the golf course. Being an exponent of “silat”, Danial also gives martial art lessons to students at his alma mater in Bangi over weekends.

Danial has got plans to venture into the ready-to-eat meals industry. “My next move is to come up with this type of convenient food products – pop it into the microwave for two to three minutes and your meal is ready,” reveals Danial. “And the long-term vision for the company is to be able to expand outside Malaysia with plans to open restaurants in Brunei and the Middle-East,” says Danial with unmistakable confidence in the tone of his voice.

Danial’s advice for the young entrepreneur is to be adventurous and to persevere in one’s pursuits and endeavors as there is always a risk in everything one does.

The post TRUE GRIT – SKY’S THE LIMIT appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Success never came easy for Dato’ Sri Nazeri Omar, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of RF3 World Sdn Bhd. However, the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit in him has enabled Nazeri to overcome many hardships to rise up to become the success that he is today. In a recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, the visionary entrepreneur talks about his many struggles and his ambition for the company he founded.

Dato’ Sri Nazeri Omar was certainly not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. “I come from Felda Bukit Puchong, Pahang,” he says. “That is where growing oil palm is the main focus for the locals.” But Nazeri went to tread on a different path. Upon finishing high school, he started working at a factory and he managed to climb up the ranks. However, after 10 years of serving the company, he was fired for starting a union to defend the rights of the workers.

“I was fired a few months before my wedding took place,” reveals Nazeri. But he saw it coming and was already prepared for it. “I was already doing part-time as an insurance agent,” he says.

It was at this point of his life when Nazeri discovered that he could hone his skills in marketing. “I learnt how to deal with people,” he says. He also faced many rejections as an insurance agent but that did not break his spirit. “It was certainly a much easier job compared to the work at the palm oil plantation. I also believe that for every 1,000 attempts at selling, there will be at least one success,” says the father-of-three. Nazeri also believes that the hardships he faced growing up has helped toughen up his mental strength.

Despite his outstanding performance as an insurance agent where he managed to get 100 customers within his first month, Nazeri figured that such a life was not really for him. Realizing that he has to attend to those who have bought the insurance from him for many years to come, Nazeri felt that it was too great a responsibility to bear. The interest in doing business was still very much alive in him.

“A wise man told me that if I was employed and earned a monthly salary, I would already be able to tell how much my income is in the next 10 years. No matter the potential I have, my earnings would be fixed. However, in business, the harder I work, the more I get,” says Nazeri.  As a car enthusiast, Nazeri was also highly motivated to get into business so that he could afford luxury cars.

Since then, Nazeri forayed into various types of businesses with one that was import-export. “Even though I had no knowledge in this trade, I followed my friends who were more knowledgeable.” His trust in his friends, this time around, backfired. “The business seemed lucrative,” he says. However, not all that glitters is gold. “It was one of the most painful experiences in my life,” Nazeri laments as he recalls of being cheated.

The consequences for Nazeri after this episode of his life were of epic proportions. He had to endure not having proper meals for days. “I even had to send my wife back to the hometown. I didn’t even have the money to buy milk for my child,” he recalls. From being thrown out of his house to having his car repossessed, Nazeri has been through it all. While he admits that his family members did help him out during this difficult period, he did not want to rely on others for long.

It was during this phase in his life that Nazeri’s passion was shaken. He was torn between going back to the life of working for others or pursuing yet another business. “I prayed to God. I know that money is not going to fall from the sky but I asked for guidance. I even cried on the prayer mat,” admits Nazeri.

His prayers were answered when a former customer sought his help for cargo clearance matters. From then on, Nazeri managed to get more customers and further develop the business. However, after two years, Nazeri decides to call it a day as the competition from the bigger players was making it difficult for small businessmen like himself. At one point in time, Nazeri was in the construction business too. “It came with its own set of challenges,” he says “which included labour issues.”

Nazeri had his fair share of working for multi-level marketing companies. He also held the post of Marketing Director before eventually establishing his own beauty products company, RF3 World Sdn Bhd in 2011.

As for the name of his company, Nazeri explains that ‘R’ refers to ‘Revolution’ of which they would like to create. ‘F’ stands for ‘Firm’ – both in how the company is run and how its products enhance skin firmness. As for the number ‘3’, it is a figure Nazeri is fond of. It also signifies the three elements the company is about which are beauty, health, and luxury.

Coming together as a team with expertise in different fields such as medicine and law, Nazeri and his peers first came up with Firmax 3, a natural lifting cream. It was a great success and to date, RF3 World has five products that range from slimming to stem cells aspects of beauty and health. It will be launching four new products this year.

Since its inception, RF3 World Sdn Bhd has been rapidly growing. “I believe that in business, you have to be quick to seize opportunities. Otherwise, you will lose your market,” says Nazeri. In Malaysia, RF3 World has 28 stockist centres. Since having established themselves locally, Nazeri and his team went on develop the business overseas in 28 countries around the world which not only include several Asean countries but also nations like the United States of America, Canada and Australia.

“I am a man with a mission,” says Nazeri. He makes it clear that it is his ambition to break through and conquer the global market with his venture. Soon, his company will be setting foot in more countries globally. “We approach it like we are doing battle,” explains Nazeri. “And I don’t want to succeed alone. That would not be meaningful enough. I want others to succeed with me,” he says with a smile.

When asked about how he balances his work schedule and personal life, Nazeri points out that it takes a good deal of sacrifice to do what he does. At times, it is at the expense of family togetherness, but he makes sure he brings his family for a holiday trip overseas every six months. He does so for the agents of his company too.

Nazeri takes his business very seriously. He certainly has the advice to give those who are keen to give entrepreneurship a shot. “Don’t be afraid to get into the business. You have to give it the best that you have and failure is normal. But you will become more knowledgeable, wiser and stronger in due course. Those are the most valuable qualities in life. You will then be able to survive and be victorious come what may,” says the visionary entrepreneur.

The post BUILDING A VISIONARY’S EMPIRE appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Entrepreneurs Derek Soh and CJ Hah set up Polygon Properties Sdn Bhd in 2017 to make a difference in the real estate industry. In an interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Soh and Hah share on how they aim to change people’s lives by prioritizing agents’ education and development programmes, providing value-added management services to customers, and building homes for those in need.

Derek Soh did not inform his parents that he quit his job in Petronas to be a real estate agent. The Co-Founder of Polygon Properties had returned from the United Kingdom (UK) after completing his Masters degree in International Business Management and had only worked for the oil and gas company briefly before he decided to strike out on his own in the real estate industry.

“I come from Segamat and the real estate industry was not so fancy ten years ago. There were no real estate agents or negotiators in Segamat back then except brokers – you know, those old uncle types dressed in short pants,” laughs Soh.

But Soh persisted with his dream. He did not have any financial support during the first six months as a real estate broker, but relied on the very minimal saving he has left from his time in the UK until he struck his first property deal about four to five months later.

While Soh quit his full-time job to be a real estate broker, CJ Hah ventured into the industry on a part-time basis while working full-time as a banker.

The calm and poised female director who is also the Co-Founder of Polygon Properties shares, “I studied Business Information Systems at TAR College but I had always wanted to be in the sales and marketing line. After seeing my friends doing well in real estate, I had decided to do the same by working part-time at property sales galleries.”

“I spent every weekend from morning till night at the sales gallery. I made cold calls and consistently followed up with customers. Within three months, I sold six shop lots, and I resigned from the bank immediately!” says Hah.

Following that, Hah purchased her first home in Ipoh and another in Kuala Lumpur (KL). “I told myself to give real estate a chance and if I didn’t succeed, I could always go back to banking. But after buying two homes, I knew that my income as a banker would not be able to finance that comfortably. As such, I decided to do real estate full-time,” she reveals.

“Real estate today is challenging, unlike ten years ago – agents have to work harder than before. That is the reason why we focus heavily on education, training and development programmes for our agents. Polygon is not only a place for agents to make money but like a university as well to acquire knowledge and build skills related to wealth, people and entrepreneurship,” says Soh with excitement.

“We have a 30-day Million Dollar Realtor Programme for our new agents who are coached by six experienced leaders on how to close a successful deal within a month. We are not worried if our agents become smarter and more successful than us as a result of our development programmes. In fact, we would be concerned if they don’t grow,” says Soh

Hah adds, “Our experienced leaders contribute a lot of their time and effort to work as a team – like a family. Our leaders operate with a mindset to grow and to empower each other. Also, we implement the sharing culture in Polygon because we believe that trust and sincerity are fundamental in this industry. That makes us very professional in what we do.”

The dynamic duo aims for Polygon Properties to be a professional real estate company in every aspect. Hence, they recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to introduce Polygon Customer Care Programme (PCCP) which provides real estate management services to customers from renting and selling processes, renovation solutions to maintenance works.

“We do not want to be a direct-selling kind of agency. We want to assure our customers get proper after-sales services through PCCP,” explains Soh.

In addition to agent development and customer care, Polygon also believes in giving back to society. The company will be rolling out its “One Year, One House for One Family” charity initiative in 2019 to build a house for those in need in order to inspire and help people who are faced with poor living conditions each year.

Its professionalism and strong people-oriented culture has enabled Polygon Properties to work very well with Tier-1 property developers in Malaysia. It has agency branches located in KL, Penang and Kota Kinabalu, and looking to expand to Melaka, Johor, and other major cities in Malaysia in the years to come. Currently, Polygon Properties has already set up an office in Guangzhou, China which marked its first international expansion.

“We want to be a leading & trusted professional real estate agency in Malaysia, and we are keen to expand globally to China, Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong as well,” says Hah with a sense of determination in her voice.

“In order to succeed in the real estate industry, you need to know your purpose and vision, and be self-driven and persistent. Take ownership of your own success. By doing so, you would be able to develop further and to overcome challenges faced in the industry,” quips Derek.

“Have a strong heart too,” says Hah with a smile.

The post Stepping Up To Greater Success appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Founder and CEO of Genio Sdn Bhd, Kennie Chong is no stranger to starting small and working hard to achieve the kind of success in life he desired, anchored on the platform of honesty and integrity. In a recent interview, he shares with Top 10 of Malaysia his journey in establishing his event management and production company, his future dreams and the advice he has for young entrepreneurs who are interested in starting their own business.        

Hailing from Ipoh, Perak, Kennie Chong grew up and had his early education in his hometown before moving to Nilai, Negeri Sembilan to pursue a course in electrical and electronic engineering at INTI College. He first obtained his diploma and went on for a degree at the University of Leeds, England. Upon his graduation, Chong started working as an engineer in a semi-conductor company.

“I believe in gaining enough experience through employment opportunities even before I venture into business,” shares Chong. “I had always been curious and interested about entrepreneurship and management skills.”

“After about a year of working, I decided to quit my job and start my own company, Genio Sdn Bhd. We started in Ipoh from a very humble beginning with minimal resources,” Chong reminisces. “Then I decided to venture out to new frontiers as I didn’t want to just rest on my laurels. I moved my company to Kuala Lumpur for a fresh start.”

Chong had the opportunity to meet his first mentor who is renowned in the field of event management. “He is the one who had impacted my career immensely. I decided to start a partnership with my mentor although I considered myself working for him,” says Chong with a smile. “We managed to come up with a deal where I will be primarily involved with business development and he will manage the operations. It was a great time for me where I got to be mentored and was able to earn a living at the same time.”

However, it wasn’t a walk in the park for Chong in Kuala Lumpur as it was a new environment for him. “I had to build all my networks from ground zero and handle the public relations aspect as well. It was very challenging initially where financial commitments have to be met and investments are constantly required to stay relevant,” laments Chong. However, he and his team overcame the challenges and through time and sacrifices, the business soon started to flourish.

“From the beginning, I envisioned Genio to be a leading event management company not only in Malaysia but across whole of Asia. Currently, we are now living that dream as our company has expanded services to Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Thailand,” says Chong with a sense of unmistakable pride. He personally thinks that a successful company is all about quality over scale, as that is the key contributing factor for sustainability and competitiveness. He also emphasizes the importance of having a team that delivers quality, thus providing a service that is of worth to clients and ensuring great satisfaction for them. “This will also secure their affection for the company,” he says.

“When we first started out, we offered event services and provide ground breaking ideas to enhance creativity and concepts. Down the road, we progressively ventured into event production services and we purchased our own audio and visual equipment such as LED screens, sound and lighting systems among others,” says Chong. Genio also supplies its equipment to other event companies and soon diversified into branding, video production, marketing consultancy and IT systems related to event industry.

Chong believes that in order to build a successful company, it is vital to stay innovative and think out of the box in order to constantly create something breath-taking. “Essentially, we are all concerned about getting on top in a very competitive market. Therefore, I have always emphasized on collaboration where effective business alliances could be forged. I also believe that when we go it alone, we can respond quickly, but when we want to go far, we need to collaborate in order to maintain maximum distribution of resources for the industry as a whole,” he explains.

Chong has kept expanding his business to other countries in the Asia Pacific region. Ten years’ down the road, he sees himself to be a motivational speaker and will focus in giving back to society. “I would like to give talks and share my experiences, ideas and skills to students, industry players and young entrepreneurs,” he says.

“Be daring to pursue your passion and be dead persistent about it. Always believe in what you are doing and overcome your doubts, and one day all these shall turn into great pay cheques,” says Chong. Also known as the “eventpreneur” or “eventainment guru”, his advice to young entrepreneurs: “Honesty and integrity built great businesses, where a right mentor will guide you to the right path. Be daring to explore uncharted waters, stay as ‘hungry’ as possible, and always learn humbly from the pros. Remember, luck alone is never going to bring you anywhere and make you successful.”

The post Taking the High Road to Greater Heights appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Boldness and perseverance have propelled Teh Gaik Cheong, the CEO of G Life Group Sdn Bhd to achieve the kind of success that he takes pride in today. For anyone to take a leap of faith to foray into the world of business at a young age of 18 is certainly a bold move, especially when one has neither the experience nor confidence for it. In a recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, the enterprising and dynamic Teh talks about his dream, his journey into the world of insurance business and his plans for the future as well as giving back to society. 

Hailing from Penang and growing up in an extended family, Teh Gaik Cheong has witnessed the kind of success which one can achieve in the insurance industry. “I watched my aunt gain ultimate success when she started being an insurance agent. Thus, it made me yearn to be like her and on my 18^th birthday, I decided to take a leap of faith and venture into the insurance business,” says Teh.

However, during the first two years in the field, Teh found himself having to contend with hard-hitting struggles. “It was certainly no walk in the park, partly due to my lack of experience and confidence,” he recalls. Nevertheless, Teh decided to persevere and to pursue his dreams of succeeding in the insurance world. “After lots of hard work and perseverance, success came knocking at my door during the third year of the business. I also won a trip to travel overseas due to my exemplary performance,” shares Teh proudly. This achievement of his gave him a boost to reach for greater heights in the insurance industry.

“In today’s world, everything changes rapidly and whatever that was workable ten years ago, may not be so today,” says Teh as he talks about the establishment of his company, G Life Group Sdn Bhd. “G Life is a platform where companies from different industries would work under its impeccable branding, advertising and promotion services to promote their brands. I understand what my customers’ needs are and I am able to meet them in the media, travel and even education industries. G Life provides well-researched and comprehensive insurance and financial planning services to its clients to help them save a lot of money on their promotions and advertisements,” explains Teh.

Teh takes pride in being able to help as many people as possible. The humble entrepreneur is also honoured to be listed as one of The 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs in 2017. He has also given talks to more than 12,000 people. “I am proud of my team as we have trained the best salespersons for the past 11 consecutive years and we reward them richly for their achievements.”

“10 years ago, success was all about connections and knowing the right people in order for the business to flourish but today, it’s largely about the power of social media,” says Teh. “When I first started out, I strived to build good relationships with my clients and garnered tremendous successes. However, times have changed and social media is now very much a good part of our daily lives. That’s when I shifted my direction and focus on branding and promotions with the assistance of modern technology,” says Teh. He believes that the younger generation is very influenced by the internet and social media platforms especially when planning their shopping. This in turn made him transform G Life into a significant presence on social media.

Teh also has plans to expand his offices to East Malaysia and other major cities in Peninsular Malaysia such as Penang, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Ipoh and Kuantan over the next five years. “I also plan to give back to society by organizing seminars targeted for young people on proper workplace etiquettes,” reveals Teh. He believes that the seminars would be extremely helpful especially when they are conducted by professionals who have the hands-on experience in meeting people and building relationships with clients. This is only the start of another journey for Teh and there is so much more which he would like to achieve in the future as the sky is the limit as far as he is concerned.

“It is important for them to develop people skills, be diligent and willing to learn,” says Teh as he touches on what is essential for young entrepreneurs in order to succeed in life.

The post The Road to Success – Taking the Bull by the Horns appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Seeking and providing new opportunities within the Malaysian market is the objective of truly homegrown entrepreneurship, Flenaz Synergy Sdn Bhd. Initiated and managed by the team of Norlaila Yusof and Nastasha Nordin and their spouses, the company which began operations in 2017 is geared towards creating a name for itself within the domain of Malaysian household products. The multifold plans of Flenaz Synergy include that of resolving the challenges Malaysians face in the selection of suitable household products through the marketing of affordable Malaysian-made products by utilizing internal talent in the distribution of products. In a conversation with Top 10 of Malaysia, Norlaila Yusof and Nastasha Nordin speak on the background story of Flenaz Synergy, the successes achieved since inception and the challenges of taking the company forward.  

The team of Flenaz Synergy consists of the husband-and-wife teams of Norlaila Yusof – Mohd Fairouz Bakar and Nastasha Nordin – Mohamad Azli Che Azhar. The Flenaz name created from an acronym of all four names symbolises the team’s talent, skill and years of working experience in the engineering, finances and business sectors which has facilitated the management of the company.

Both Norlaila and Nastasha possess vast experience in marketing from managing successful marketing teams locally and abroad. “I was a stay-at-home mom who ran several lucrative online businesses in various fields,” recollects Nastasha. “The experience I gained has given me the confidence to start a new venture by providing solutions for issues faced by Malaysians.”

Norlaila has had similar experiences in marketing products locally and abroad while completing her Master’s programme in the UK. The talents of the team are spread out with Norlaila focusing on the financials, Nastasha on team management and their husbands on production and operations.

The company has started off with the creation of a pillow that is suitable for most Malaysians in terms of comfort and resiliency. “We decided on a pillow made from a material that provides the right comfort, is washable and affordable,” says Nastasha. The pillows are entirely made in Malaysia, another plus point for the team. There are two categories of pillows, the Leyna Favourite and Leyna Premium.

“Both pillows have been favourably received as shown by the encouraging sales of more than 197,000 since we started in 2018,” projects Norlaila, “The sales of the Leyna is gaining momentum as most customers who have purchased the Favourite are keen to own a Leyna Premium.”

The distribution of the pillow is managed by a team of leaders and agents located throughout the country and in Brunei. “The company is run like a family. We manage our teams like a family as we consider them an integral part of the company,” says Nastasha. To date, there are a team of 100 leaders and about 2,000 agents.

“Most agents are happy with the success they have achieved with the company and look forward to working with us,” says Norlaila, “And we are proud that we have given them an avenue for earning money and gaining experience.” The training programmes conducted on a frequent basis have given leaders and agents a tremendous boost in confidence.

Being mothers with children, both women have sharpened their skills at time management in ensuring a healthy work-life balance. “I plan the daily time schedule incorporating both my work schedule and the children’s when they come back from school,” both women say. Norlaila spends time with her children in the office and at home while Nastasha does it at home. “The weekends are focused on the children to make up for the weekdays,” explains Nastasha.

The advice for those wanting to start new entrepreneurships is to start small and to be self-financed. It is important to be debt free and to manage costs. Both entrepreneurs encourage those interested to start out as agents before aspiring to start new ventures. The experience and skills gained as agents are immeasurable in being able to override the dynamic challenges of the business world.

The post Riding a Synergy for Success appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Looking physically good is a wish list for most of us and a reality for some. The field of aesthetic medicine has helped Malaysians in fulfilling those wish lists with the added bonus of self-confidence and esteem. Introduced in the 1990s, aesthetic medicine has grown from its original purpose of making one look good into various specialized fields. The aim of helping people in their quest to improve their physical outlook has been a major factor for one of the leading aesthetic physicians in the country, Dr Sutina Nordin, to enter the industry. Top 10 of Malaysia speaks with Dr Sutina on her success story in building one of the top five Malaysian aesthetic medicine practices, the challenges in establishing the industry and future diversification plans.

The field of aesthetics was a niche field that caught the eye of Dr Sutina Nordin while she was doing private practice in a clinic in Kuala Lumpur in the 1990s. A mother of two boys, Dr Sutina was looking for a business idea that suited her working and non-working hours. After graduating from University Malaya in 1991, Dr Sutina worked at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur for four years as a surgeon before seeking out a more balanced opportunity.

Coming from a family of five siblings and parents who are government parents, traits such as responsibility, discipline and schedules were second nature. “Father was in the education field and mother was the country’s matron. It was just natural that we were ingrained into structural thinking, being decisive and taking responsibility for our actions,” recollects Dr Sunita.

The traits have helped shaped her business ventures, the risks undertaken and the depth of involvement in gaining exposure, training and experience. “I have immersed myself into this field to the extent that we have successfully created our own association, helped formulate policies and have been a supportive force towards the growth of the industry in Malaysia,” she says. The petite and affable Dr Sutina radiates a high-level of energy and is quite a winsome person with her wit and humour to boot.

Her business started out temporarily with aesthetic treatments given to friends and family including those working at a television station. The idea dawned on Dr Sutina that this was a suitable practice for her as it fits in with her schedules, was a niche field and most importantly there were lots of happy customers. “I decided this was a field I wanted to get involved in as it met all my expectations,” she says.

“My husband and I went to Korea to explore the idea further. We found aesthetic establishments around every corner and that gave us the confidence to start a similar outfit here. We ended up purchasing a RM180k laser machine,” smiles Dr Sutina. The business has since flourished with two well-established practices in place – the En-hanze Medical Aesthetic and MediSpa Centre in Petaling Jaya and the LUMINOUS Aesthetic and Regenerative Clinic at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur. The centres are acclaimed as one of the top five aesthetic centres in the country.

The mantra of ‘happy patients, happy doctors’ has come to pass for Dr Sutina by ensuring that customers’ requests are fulfilled without compromise.  Managing a team of 15 people have been equally successful with the ‘good ones’ staying on. “My tendencies to micromanage have been tempered quite a bit,” laughs Dr Sutina and adds, “as it was not good for my ‘chi’.” The work-life balance hinges on a supportive husband but there are the occasional weekend trips and bonding times that make up for it.

Having excelled in the field of aesthetics, Dr Sutina plans to widen the scope of services towards a holistic framework of health and well-being therapy. The five areas of services she have in mind are related to women’s health, men’s health, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, aesthetics and joint pains that will focus on issues impacting everyday living. The medical expertise will consist of local and overseas specialists. She also has plans to go into cellular therapy in collaboration with European partners.

Dr Sutina’s long-term vision is to transform aesthetic medicine into a specialised professional medical practice. Her advice for those keen on entering the industry is to prioritise their professional expertise which will help their careers and the industry.

The post Crafting a Beautiful Success appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

A galloping horse full of dynamism, vigour and astuteness defines the successful journey of Beh IDesign, an upcoming interior designer outfit established in 2015. Jack Beh, the founder of Beh IDesign is responsible for steering the company towards the path of success through niche value propositions including feng shui designs. An enterprising personality with the talent for seeking opportunities and turning them into winning solutions define Beh’s persona. Within three years of its beginning, Beh IDesign has grown into a force to be reckoned in the interior design industry. As a recipient of the Rising Star Award category of Designer of the Year Malaysia 2018 is recognition of Beh IDesign’s past and current performances and future potentials. In a conversation with Top 10 of Malaysia, Beh speaks on his personal journey in marketing, the growth of Beh IDesign and future expansion plans within Malaysia and the region.

The world of interior design and art is a passion for Jack Beh. “I have been intrigued by the various forms of arts since childhood,” says Beh, “Unlike my brother who is academic, my passion is towards the creative field.” Coming from a Subang Jaya middle-class family consisting of parents and a brother, Beh says in retrospect, “I am lucky in the sense my parents recognised my interests in the arts and supported my ambition to become an interior designer.”

“My dad was in the cabinet business and I developed my marketing acumen from watching him manage his business,” adds Beh.

The combined acumen in marketing and design has facilitated Beh in his marketing ventures since college days. “After college, I worked as an interior designer to gain experience which helped me in getting a good insight into the practical side of the industry. I was also involved in marketing as a part-time venture as I love the energy and dynamism plus the favourable returns,” says Beh enthusiastically. Although possessing boyish looks and a soft-spoken demeanour, the unmistakable sharp skills of a successful entrepreneur was clearly apparent.

In 2015, Beh started Beh IDesign with a small team of designers and on-site project staff. “I chose the horse as my brand logo,” explains Beh. “My surname ‘Beh’ represents the horse in the Chinese language and secondly the horse’s indomitable spirit represents my company’s values of idea generation, commitment and quality performance.” The values of providing quality services, building customer relationships and finding niche propositions have resulted in good customer feedback.

“I am thankful to my customers as they have contributed towards the company’s growth through referrals,” says Beh. “My customers have given me the opportunities for building my brand.” The target market is focused on new homeowners within the 30-40 age demographics.

Beh’s profound understanding of niche propositions for standing out from the crowded competitive industry is focused on the art of feng shui. “We follow feng shui principles and we have become one of the top specialists for the ‘hidden door’ technique,” says Beh proudly.

“We have good feedback for our modern, contemporary and practical style for residential units. These include residential units such as Cascadia, Grandvilla and Andes Villa,” says Beh. The continuous inflow of projects has contributed toward its growing success.

“So far, the greatest achievement in my life is receiving the Rising Star Award and being on the same stage as other established players,” says Beh on his career achievements.

Beh’s team consists of six designers and four on-site project staff who handle interior design projects. Teamwork and supplier relationships are important pre-requisites for success. The main inspiration for taking the company further is based on having full ownership. As for work-life balance, Beh’s work which takes up some 30-40 hours per week is mainly focused on weekends instead of weekdays based on client availability.

Beh’s vision for the company is to expand further within the country down south and up north within the next five years with a subsequent regional expansion. He also has plans for further diversification into the food and beverage sector and furniture. Beh’s advice for newcomers is to be organized and practice sound risk management by having back-up plans to cater for all eventualities.

The post Galloping To Higher Ground appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Nine years ago, Vincent Nee was inspired by Robert Kiyosaki’s book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ which advocates building wealth through real estate investment. At the age of twenty-nine, the entrepreneurial Nee is now a millionaire and a highly sought-after property coach of Vince Academy that teaches people how to earn passive income from property investment and management. Recently, in an interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Nee speaks about his background, hardships, how he went on to become the successful entrepreneur that he is today and his desire to inspire others to achieve success too.

“When I was much younger, I wanted to be rich. I didn’t come from a rich family, and had often received hand-me-downs from my older brother. As such, I was envious of rich people,” says Vincent Nee, the property entrepreneur and investor.

“When I was studying in Sunway College, I wanted to learn how to make money. Unfortunately, colleges don’t teach us how to make money but how to graduate to be an accountant instead.”

Nee became bored with college, and started to look for books on how to make money, and he came across one book that changed his life and mindset – ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki who wrote about building wealth through real estate investment. Inspired by what he read, the then twenty-year old student set out to look for business opportunities.

“One day, I was at my friend’s rented room and I asked how much rent he was paying. He said it was RM600 per month. There were seven rooms in the house which meant that the total rent was RM4,200 per month. I found out from iProperty.com.my that the market rental for that house was actually RM1,500,” says Nee.

“Then I’d thought, if I rent out one house, my income would be RM2,000-RM3,000 per month. If I rent ten houses, I would earn about RM20,000 per month.”

With no job and no income except for pocket money from his parents, Nee started a hostel business concept whereby he rented a house from the owner and sub-rented out the rooms to tenants to increase his returns. Along with his college friends-cum-business partners, they started to make good rental returns within a short period of time. A year later, the young college student quit his studies to focus solely on the hostel business. By the age of twenty-one, Nee had rented ten houses and earned RM20,000 on a monthly basis.

However, Nee ran into financial problems when he lost RM150,000 in multi-level marketing and forex trading. “I was too young then and didn’t know anything about money management. I was afraid to tell my parents about my debt, for I knew they would kick me out of the house!” laments Nee.

“To settle the debt quickly, I worked three jobs and expanded my hostel business from ten to twenty houses. With RM40,000 income every month, I had managed to recover my losses but suffered a downturn soon after when my former business partners and staff swindled RM500,000 from the business,” shares Vincent. “Running a hostel takes up a lot of responsibility as the committee must ensure that its operation is acceptable to the people living in the neighbourhood. We provide professional guidance to the management team who are operating the hostel.”

But Nee is no quitter. “Despite the financial problems then, I still strongly believed that real estate was an avenue to earn passive income. So, I attended many courses on property investment and management – how to buy, rent and renovate properties – and applied the knowledge learnt from those courses. By the age of twenty-six, I recovered all my losses and earned my first RM1,000,000. Since then, I’ve been very grateful that, in spite of the difficult circumstances, I’m still alive.”

During his trying times, Nee sought help from people but no one gave him advice. Now that he has earned his millions, he is inspired to set up an academy to teach people how to build wealth through real estate.

Established two years ago, Vince Academy is a one-stop solution centre for members to learn creative strategies and skills in property investment and management. Academy members would learn that they do not need a huge capital to invest in properties but rather having the right strategies and skills to earn passive income through rental returns.

“It’s all about negotiation. We coach our academy members on how to increase their rental returns from the average market returns of RM2,500 per month to RM3,000 then to RM5,000 per month,” says the visionary property coach.

Apart from learning the tricks of the trade in property investment, Vince Academy guides members on property management such as selecting the right properties and tenants, renovation solutions, and providing hassle-free services for investors in rental collections, utility bill payments and house repairs.

Since its inception, Vince Academy has signed up more than 700 members. The property entrepreneur and investor hopes to grow the academy to have more than 10,000 members and to help at least 1,000 members to become millionaires. In addition, Nee envisions his academy to be a public-listed company someday.

Four years ago, Vincent Nee invested in one house and was heavily in debt. Today, he is a multi-millionaire, owning twelve businesses with sixty full-time employees, and has invested in over fifty properties.

“For those who want to build wealth in property investment, I would say that if you have the will to learn, we have the knowledge and experience to coach you on how to make your millions through real estate. For everyone deserves to be rich,” says Nee with a smile.

The post An Entrepreneurial Spirit Soars High appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.