Recently, we have had the opportunity to dialog and exchange view with our Malay friends on few topics of discussion.
One of the discussions was about the Malays can hardly enter to the business sectors and industry pre-dominantly occupied by Chinese.
The Malay friends have shown their concern and shared the grievances for not being given the chance to explore the business world widely in the conventional business sectors.
For eg.
Case 1 : the Malays can difficutly get the import agency right from western supplies to sell the machineries into Malaysia market. The reason is the agency right has been awarded to Chinese;
Case 2 : the Malays cannot enter into the hardware business ( selling all kind of materials and tools). The reason is this very traditional business network pre-dominantly run by Chinese;
Case 3 : the Malays have to trade with more expensive material cost if begin to invovle trading business
Above examples look like "business or market hindrance" to a certain persons or group.
Indeed, after heart to heart talk with a few friends, I have below encouragement to our Malay friends when entering to the business :
Business is a kind of knowledge, skills, network , time and opportunity required :
1. Knowledge
A person ought to have product knowledge, production knowledge, trading knowledge while start up the business;
2. Skills
a. Finacial Capital Accumulation Skill - from own saving, family, financial insitution
b. People Skill - to utilize capable human resources regardless of race, group as long as they can help you to enter into the industry. You can partner up with Chinese to gain entry, access to industry resources.
Before, when DEB needs Bumi partner, the Chinese look for this partner to qualified and access to goverment tender which is pre-dominantly structured by Bumi goverment servant.
c. Network Skill - if you think a business sector is occupied by a certain race like say if we want to do business in Japan, we have to engage the Japanese partner or staff to gain entry to the circle. If we want to sell things to Vietnam market, we need to first of all partner with Vietnamese because the society simply does not speak English.
Chinese do not occupied all business sector including Money Changer, News Agency ( by Indian), Halal Food ( by Muslim).
Esblished network has given the existing group the advantage of access to most competitive product cost. Remember it is not over-night effort.
d. Time
Chinese has been in the business world for many many years. But does not mean that others do not have the chance to break in as long as you have business idea in differentiation like Bill Gates has come up with Microsoft to shock the IT world and Google has come up with Search Engine which was not believed by Bill Gate at one time.
If you want to "head-on" with the existing established group, you need to come up with value added idea and product like Pau Ahmad. Pau was not Malay food culture, but now become popular after introducing to big Malay market !
3. Opportunity
Cannot award with Import Agency or Export Agency. Even many other Chinese cannot get agency in his own race and group. You have to wait for the opportunity.
I have been in wood panel industry for 15 years. I have had problem to get agency for certain products neither.
But, persistency, negotiation and opportunity are vital.
Again, Not Over- Night !
One of the discussions was about the Malays can hardly enter to the business sectors and industry pre-dominantly occupied by Chinese.
The Malay friends have shown their concern and shared the grievances for not being given the chance to explore the business world widely in the conventional business sectors.
For eg.
Case 1 : the Malays can difficutly get the import agency right from western supplies to sell the machineries into Malaysia market. The reason is the agency right has been awarded to Chinese;
Case 2 : the Malays cannot enter into the hardware business ( selling all kind of materials and tools). The reason is this very traditional business network pre-dominantly run by Chinese;
Case 3 : the Malays have to trade with more expensive material cost if begin to invovle trading business
Above examples look like "business or market hindrance" to a certain persons or group.
Indeed, after heart to heart talk with a few friends, I have below encouragement to our Malay friends when entering to the business :
Business is a kind of knowledge, skills, network , time and opportunity required :
1. Knowledge
A person ought to have product knowledge, production knowledge, trading knowledge while start up the business;
2. Skills
a. Finacial Capital Accumulation Skill - from own saving, family, financial insitution
b. People Skill - to utilize capable human resources regardless of race, group as long as they can help you to enter into the industry. You can partner up with Chinese to gain entry, access to industry resources.
Before, when DEB needs Bumi partner, the Chinese look for this partner to qualified and access to goverment tender which is pre-dominantly structured by Bumi goverment servant.
c. Network Skill - if you think a business sector is occupied by a certain race like say if we want to do business in Japan, we have to engage the Japanese partner or staff to gain entry to the circle. If we want to sell things to Vietnam market, we need to first of all partner with Vietnamese because the society simply does not speak English.
Chinese do not occupied all business sector including Money Changer, News Agency ( by Indian), Halal Food ( by Muslim).
Esblished network has given the existing group the advantage of access to most competitive product cost. Remember it is not over-night effort.
d. Time
Chinese has been in the business world for many many years. But does not mean that others do not have the chance to break in as long as you have business idea in differentiation like Bill Gates has come up with Microsoft to shock the IT world and Google has come up with Search Engine which was not believed by Bill Gate at one time.
If you want to "head-on" with the existing established group, you need to come up with value added idea and product like Pau Ahmad. Pau was not Malay food culture, but now become popular after introducing to big Malay market !
3. Opportunity
Cannot award with Import Agency or Export Agency. Even many other Chinese cannot get agency in his own race and group. You have to wait for the opportunity.
I have been in wood panel industry for 15 years. I have had problem to get agency for certain products neither.
But, persistency, negotiation and opportunity are vital.
Again, Not Over- Night !
