| MINGGU INI DAPAT KITE KENAL DENGAN USAHAWAN MINGGU INI. SHAHEED. SALAH SEORANG FINALIST ANUGERAH USAHAWAN MUDA MELAYU DARI DPPMS.
ABANG ABU TELAH DAPAT MENDAPATKAN BUTIRAN SERTA SEDIKIT TEMURAMAH AGAR IA DAPAT MEMBERIKAN PENGAJARAN KEPADA PEMBACA BLOG ABANGABU. IKUT TEMURAMAH DIBAWAH. |
| 1)What kind of business do you have? What inspired you to become an entrepreneur? |
My primary business is Ed Borhan Pte Ltd, providing services on Internet Strategy Consultancy & Web Application Development using DotNetNuke. I also have a partnership named WebLaunchKit Pte Ltd.
The desire to be as successful as possible and to understand my limits so that I can push myself further.
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| 2)Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success? |
Previously I thought, the life cycle in Singapore is ‘standard’ – 10 years of education, National Service, 3 to 5 years of work life, get married, plan for CPF returns. But I realised, that is the life cycle which does not maximise my potential. Thus I had to erase the idea that there is a ‘system’ in place for everyone and I must create my own challenges/changes.
| 3)Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur? |
Having TIME. However, this is not necessarily an advantage on its own. If not managed well, time will be lost. And lost time cannot be recovered. As an entrepreneur, I get to plan my own schedule and set aside valuable time for family and loved one, while at the same time meeting my business targets.
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| 4)Is it difficult to get financing for businesses? If so why and are there any solutions? |
I started my business without capital, zero dollars. And I was so happy when I saw on ChannelNewsAsia a millionaire lady, Ms Wendy Kwek, on The Million Makers (by ScreenBox). I was happy because she started all her businesses with zero dollars. Reason: if your business can make money out of nothing, your business is bound for success! Oh, I so AGREE!!!
My capital in business is my knowledge, such an intangible asset, but so valuable and is always increasing its value as long as I continue to learn.
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| 5)Did you have a mentor to help you get started? |
Not really, but while I was working for about 2 years in SMEs, I learned as much as I can from my previous bosses. If I were to choose a specific person as a mentor (unofficially), it will be Mr Samuel Yeo, who was my manager when I was a Project Lead at National Healthcare Group for 10 months. He taught me so many important things; where some of the lessons helped me be more mature in business/personal dealings.
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| 6)Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable? |
Well, I bought a bicycle for about S$89 so I can travel to school at Tiong Bahru from home at Sengkang. This helped me save travel expenses for the first 3 months when I have not received any income.
From the earnings that I made in the first year (under the brand Shaheed Borhan), I re-invested S$15,000 back into the company (Ed Borhan Pte Ltd) the following year. This is primarily a branding and marketing exercise which is now showing positive returns!
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| 7)What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business? |
Having a supportive family and loved one, and great friends to share thoughts is a great benefit. Family and loved one give me the strength to go through tough times. Friends are there to give ideas and challenge my thoughts whenever we chat about things happening among us.
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| 8)What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales? |
The name card is essential! Making a lasting first impression and following up with emails and phone calls before finally meeting again to discuss potentials; sometimes over lunch or coffee. Focusing first on the relationship is one of the things I learned from my ex boss Mr Matt Ng of Joo Walters.
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| 9)What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but, don’t have the confidence or feel they don’t have what it takes to succeed? |
Be among the right people, network with likeminded people who will not only understand your desire but will also be able to see your potential.
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| 10)How do you manage juggling the responsibilities of being a entrepreneur? |
It doesn’t get any easier as I continue to grow the business, but being an entrepreneur is about continuously learning the ropes, improving the skills and managing the risks at every level of the game.
I assess every tasks that needs to be done and delegate them to the right people if I cannot complete the tasks myself. And then I prioritise them with deadlines to ensure completion.
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| 11)What’s next for you? |
One of my long term goals is to be a business mentor and start-up investor. And I am brewing some ideas to get myself closer to that goal. This I will share once the plan has been fine-tuned.
