Assalamualaikum…

I am constantly worried about the typical mindset of many Malay entrepreneurs. Seriously, if you get a peek of their companies’ profiles, it’s like they have the best vision and mission statements in the whole world. But when it comes to the business model….hmmm…it’s like they’re heading down south although they want to go to the north region using the PLUS highway. Landasan dah betul cuma arah perjalanan je yang salah.

Their business model reflects their way of thinking.

Here’s the scenario. Many Malay entrepreneurs depend too much on the government. There are some of them who clarify that the government is their ONLY target market. No matter what kind of services or products they’re offering, they’re focusing their eagle eyes on the government alone. But then, hari2 kat ofis dok zihin kat staf ttg Anthony Robins la, Guy Kawasaki la, Dale Carnegie la, Seth Godin, blablabla…. Pelik betul! I can’t find a single logic explanation. Kenapa still mentality macam tu walaupun dok refer to Seth Godin and alike? (However, of course there are exceptions for certain companies involving in certain industries such as property development or road construction. They have no choice but have to deal with the government)

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying bidding for government tenders is a bad thing to do. I’m not saying applying government grants or financial support is a lame thing to do. I’m not saying Aidan Group had never been awarded any project from the government. If there are chances, why waste it?

We shouldn’t be bodoh sombong or arrogant, trying to show off to Chinese, Indian and other Malay businessmen that we don’t need anybody’s help because…”We’re not like those typical Malay business owners”. Aidan Group even has a few big shots among our contacts to advise, guide and assist us while we manoeuver in this business environment of “Who knows who”. We analyzed the situation in Malaysia. We should do what we have to do.

We build and leverage our resources. Kalau certain projects memang kene guna ‘cable’, then buat la effort to build relationship with those ‘cables’. Do it in a professional manner. Leverage. No hanky panky, please!

But…

if those Malay entrepreneurs love so much to be the intan payung of the government but yet they want to be “A world class leader in this and that”, can anybody tell me how are they going to achieve it? Have we ever seen a single example in history of any MNC that expanded globally by just targeting the government as their client? I can guarantee you, Zero. Nil. Zilch!

Moreover, if the government is their sole target market, how and when are they going to learn about the different types of marketing concepts and techniques, complex sales cycle, the skills needed to sell to big private companies when they have no ‘cables’ on the inside and other crucial experience? When the economy is bad, what should they innovate? When the economy is good, which direction should they take? How do they keep up with the current business trend? (some people even think that we have this Aidan Blog with our pictures on it because we want to be glamorous. See? How far are they lagging?)

What will happen to them if one day the Bumi government today being overtaken by the Non-Bumi government that will not care on hak keistimewaan Melayu or any quota system? How will they survive?

In some worse cases, they don’t even have any products or services. Just company atas kertas. Dapat projek, pass to others. They take 30%, enough. To start up, that might be fine. But if they keep on doing it, as if it is their business model; ‘outsourcing projects’, I don’t think they deserve to be called entrepreneurs. I don’t think they’re business men either. Seriously, someone who’s selling pisang goreng or Ramly’s Burger at the road side is a better business person than they are.

For me, they suit to be in a profession that we can call as ‘tukang melobi‘. 

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell had shown some very good examples of global entrepreneur’s mindset. For these people, completing their studies at top universities will be a hindrance for them to pursue their dreams.  (but don’t quit college just because you want to be like Bill Gates, alright?) They were NOT over confident. They didn’t have any issue on ‘kerja dengan orang dulu sekejap untuk cari pengalaman’. They were only full of determination and one thing for sure; they didn’t start with the government’s help. First, they bootstrapped with their own money. Then, they got an angle investor. At last, they went public. How many opportunities do you think they’ve created for other people around the globe?

Tremendous!

I know some of the Malay entrepreneurs out there might not agree with me. You can totally live with your own idealism. You can always look things in a narrow perspective instead of looking it in a bigger picture. It is your own choice.

But for those who want to change, I would like to give a call for you to DO IT NOW! Take action. Don’t procrastinate. Revise your reading materials (I’m planning to give some review about it in other posts) and check who are the people that you are making friends with. Believe me. These are two fundamental elements that will shape your mindset.

Eventually, I think it is high time for us to decide. Whether it’s bumi or non-bumi government, we should strive to stand on our own.