Passion will take you to greater level, says businessman
| Danial Norjidi |
THE topic of building a profitable business with zero capital was discussed during a session on ‘Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks’ during the Local Business Development (LBD) Forum at the Radisson Hotel on September 19.
The session featured Azman Manap, the founder and Managing Director of Azil Engineers based in Singapore.
In the session, he shared how, with no money, no business knowledge and experience, he successfully built a business that is not only profitable but continuously growing to become an established company in the construction industry in Singapore and Malaysia.
He has published two books on entrepreneurship, the first- 12 Lessons to Build a Profitable Business with Zero Capital, which came out in 2010, was well received and translated to Malay Language.
His second Book- How to Grow Your Business: Enduring Setbacks and Crisis to Achieve Business Growth and Success recognised his abilities to navigate the ups and downs of building a successful business.
Azman Manap, founder of Azil Group Singapore and moderator, Stuart Lee, the Principal Trainer of Articulation Training Centre during the Local Business Development Forum. – RAHWANI ZAHARI
The discussion was moderated by Principal Trainer at the Articulation Training Centre Stuart Lee.
When asked from Azman about how to be sure about moving in the right direction with one’s business, he answered, “There are only two types of business that you should do: first, something that you’re very good at; second, something that you are very passionate about. Those to me, personally, are the only two things if you want to start a business.”
“At the end of the day, the business is about bringing the idea to the market,” he said, adding that while his passion is actually in music as a drummer, he saw more of a market in engineering.
“We have to be realistic. If I want to be a drummer, I can, but there’s a limitation to what you can do. That’s a fact. The market is like that, so you have to understand what the market requires.”
“The easiest business to do is to actually solve a problem. The hardest businesses to do are luxury businesses, because the market is smaller. But when you have a solution to solve a problem in any industry, you are actually on the right track. So whatever you are good at, find somebody that needs your solution.”
In response to a question about maintaining self-confidence, Azman said, “Basically, because I was an engineer, I know what I can do.
“Regardless of money, you know that someone needs what you have, so I focussed on what they need. It’s not about me, it’s about what the client needs, so I’m actually fulfilling what the client requires.”
“Of course, some clients will just shoot you down. Out of 10, probably five will say ‘you’re wasting my time’. That’s where I would feel down. So as I said just now, what’s the worst that can happen? You just move on.”
In terms of lessons he’s learnt with regards to dealing with challenges, he said, “For me, it’s always about what’s next. I just move on.
“It’s not easy, but when you look at the issue that you have today and the potential that you have in front of you, there’s a lot more potential. So I would rather focus on the positive rather than the negative.”
“I honestly believe that the market is more vibrant now because of the Internet. Simple as that,” he said. “Effectively, your clients are limitless.”
Asked if he had advice for budding entrepreneurs, he shared, “If you actually start reading books about all these successful entrepreneurs, a lot of them actually started from the school of hard knocks. In fact, I enjoy reading all of these things, and it actually inspired me.”
“Personal development is one of the things that you must do,” he affirmed.
With regards to how people should get started, he said, “First and foremost, you have to decide what you will do. I think a lot of people are tech savvy, with Facebook and Instagram.
“That’s basically where you should start, because you have to tell people who you are, you must tell people what you have. If you are selling a product, no matter how good your product is, if nobody knows what your product is, there’s no use. You have to strategise who is your target audience.”
The Brunei LBD Forum was convened by Asia Inc Forum in collaboration with Baiduri Bank as major partner, Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata as print and digital partners.
Source: https://borneobulletin.com.bn/passion-will-take-you-to-greater-level-says-businessman/