i admit i'm not very business minded, nor am i that ambitious...
it's probably the family's gene:
dad's an agronomist, all his life he worked on agricultural related field, or as an intermediate between locals and Japanese, since he speaks Malay quite well, which i thank him very much for if it wasn't for him, i myself would not be speaking street-Malay
mom's a nurse by profession, but there were times when the family moved here and there, she had to quit and become my dad's support, other than being a housewife caring for the family...
not many of our close relatives are into business...
almost none...
i was never interested in business, eventhough i started my college life taking business...it was not really for the interest of business, but just for the sake of taking tertiary education...
it was when someone said the magic phrase "when you're in a business, you're superior to all those so-called expert: engineers, technicians, lawyers, even scientists, teachers or doctors, because they work under you, and you pay their salary..."
it actually got me thinking, a lot...
it kills a lot of brain cell to run a business, just like a chess game, you arrange your manpower, and you lead them, you may lose some, you may gain some...
other than a sharp brain, business nowadays require good networking and public relations...
it's a tougher world today than how it was 10 years ago...
many people go into business with the purpose of making money, but if everything was that easy...
these few days i ran some chores for the Japanese Food Stall...looking for some items that were out of stock from our usual suppliers...
i even made phone calls to KL to reach some suppliers, but delivery arrangements were just too difficult and costly for small and fragile orders...
i am very thankful that a supplier did point us to one local wholesaler that they deal with, which actually had what we wanted, it's a very helpful act, and normally people aren't very helpful these days...
he could've just proceeded with our order and made air-freight delivery which would cost us a lot, but instead, he gave us a local contact for our convenience...
of course i understand they would have their own dealings in between, but still, i am very thankful that he made my life easier...
i believe this is called "karma", what goes around, comes around...with his act, he did not only created business for his business associates, and with his act of goodwill, he gave us a very good impression, and we wouldn't mind to have business with him in times to come.
then before i left from work, i had a long chat with my boss...and the most interesting part was when he touched upon the issue on why did he choose to run such a small business in this food court...
finally i get to see the bigger picture of his mind frame...
with the inflow of customers every night, even if there were only 5% of the people consuming 1 set of our usual menu, he would earn enough to cover daily expenses...
of course there would be peak and low, which is common in a business cycle, but don't forget, Kota Kinabalu does not only have it's own citizen, we also have many visitors from outstation, and foreign tourists...
"if you can get people to consume even with the lowest number of crowd, then this business is workable" is what he said that 'wow'-ed me...
this is how a business brain work...he's not just an aged chef...
our location is strategic as it is located right in the middle of the city...
although it may not be as grand as other seafood restaurants, but it is a convenient spot to be reached by foot, and people are drawn here with the various types of food available in a single food court...
even though i may not agree with everything on how he runs his business, but i have to agree on what he said tonight...
every night we look at the same crowd, but we see things differently...this is what sets bosses and employees apart...
but not all bosses think like that...
i'm glad i work here...even though the pay may not be very much, but i learn and am exposed to more that i ever did...
my pay may have been 3 times more in the past, but i do not get as much freedom, wisdom and job satisfaction as i gained these past 6-months...
i love having small chats with foreign visitors on food, on local customs, or anything they like to share with me, at least they gave me some input...
i love seeing customers who are happy after having a satisfying meal with us...
i love to see usual customers returning again and again, sometimes bringing their friends and families...
there are fussy customers, but critics bring improvement...just take them positively...
though some are trying to be funny...
but then again, erase the bad, and just keep the good...
cheers for more positivity coming our way!
