FIFTH TRAIT(Proactive)

     Proactive mean entrepreneur take control on something and did not just watching and waiting for something to happen. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhari have this trait. This is shown because he never go to the university. He started by took his father’s business before moves on to the transportation business.

     Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhari is a proactive person.This is because he managed to find opportunities that exist in the business environment.In addition,he was also careful in doing business.He has many personal characteristics and superior should be emulated by all parties.He is always looking for any business opportunities that exist and will try to tap into those opportunities.For example,he has entered into various sectors,where it has nothing to do with each other.He had entered the food industry,shipping,manufacturing and more.Therefore,he continues to be proactive in going into business.

    

FOURTH TRAIT(Observant)

     Observant means a person have an ability to notice the opportunities plus with good in analyzing and take actions wisely. In the industry, the entrepreneurs have to compete with their competitors to keep their company maintain and sustain. They also can’t easily let go the opportunities which can bring profit in their side. The one who has this kind of trait could be someone unique compare to the others because they can look forward more further the future.

     In case of Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar’s story, he kept move forward once he saw the opportunities in jobs. First and foremost, he started to help his mother planting and selling the vegetables since his family was not very afford. After that, he slowly move on with others activities such as sells roti canai, bred cattle and sells the meat. After that, he shifted to the business of transportation. In 1975, he established Shah Company by selling and distributing rice to Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan (FELDA), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Pernas edar and others. By expanding his business, he continued with selling sugar under Bukhari Sdn. Bhd. until today. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar then established Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd., joint ventures with New Zealand Milk Products in 1979. They market their products under Fernleaf and Anchor. However because of economic downturn, he desperately sells his share in  Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd.

     After that crisis, he tried to observe more chance and grab the opportunity. Once, he made up changing system his product with china’s tea when involving in Canton Trade Expo. Next, he involved himself in manufacturing industry of military uniforms. He also involved in shipping business and established Bukhari Shipping. At the same time, he got involved in a number of housing projects under Syarikat Bukhari Development. He then managed to popularize that port in the project of Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas. From that, he can convinced two international shipping company which is Maersk Sealand, Denmark and Evergreen Marine, Taiwan to move from Singapore’s port to Tanjung Pelepas’s port. Furthermore, he build the company of  water’s privatization, Equiventure Sdn. Bhd., joint venture with his own company, Kembara Dinamik and Oneo Company, Perancis. He also bought engineering company, MMC Corporation with RM3 per share from Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). On March 1996, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar build Yayasan al-Bukhary as a welfare to help those in needs. In the midst of hardship, he will always find a way to not left behind. As a result of being an observant entrepreneur, he can gain success in his life.

THIRD TRAIT(Failure Is An Option)

     Failure is an option  can be defined as a when entrepreneurship face a failure when do something, he or she do not feel give up and keeps continue harder to make sure the target that has planed before successfully accomplish. His first direct involvement in business is he used to help his father with his business’ accounting. ‎After school, Syed Mokhtar help his father take care of livestock at a quarantine ‎centre close to the railway station in Alor Setar. He never attended university but he was so smart to use the experience he had gained from helping his father. Aside from his father’s business, Syed Mokhtar also helped his mother cultivate ‎vegetables to be sold at a market on Jalan Telok Wan Jah. He also had even sold roti canai in that same market.‎In the mid 1970s, his father’s cattle business ran into trouble following the outbreak of ‎foot-and-mouth disease. The outbreak spread throughout southern Thailand, Kedah and ‎Perlis and all their livestock has perished.

     He takes that failure as a step to move to other ways. He decided to go into the business of selling meat. He find the markets around Alor Setar to buy ‎unsold meat from the vendors there. The meat would then be resold to in the surrounding area. ‎Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar’s business received encouraging response from the public. ‎Soon after, Syed Mokhtar moved on to the transportation business. He established a transportation company named Syarikat Pengangkutan Sentosa, ‎and appointed a Chinese clerk to be the manager. From a small business that offered transport service to haul rice, it now owns more than ‎‎40 lorries for various transport purposes. ‎After establishing Syarikat Shah, he created Syarikat Bukhary that involved in the ‎rice and sugar business. Then, he  created Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd (Susu Mas) in 1979 to facilitate his ‎business of supplying to the government. However, following the economic crisis which hit the ‎country at the end of 1980’s, he decided to sell his business interest in that company. ‎The 1980’s and 1990’s, he involves in clothing and manufacturing ‎industry. He won a contract to produce military ‎uniform for the Ministry of Defense.‎ and this success makes him decide to create two clothing company, Amtek Holdings ‎‎(Amtek) which manufactured shoes, while Oriental Garments Uniform Dividion (Oriental) ‎produced boots.

    This shown, the failure that happen on his business at first place makes he takes a better step to achieve his target. Also, due to his family and education background influence him to make changes without care about the failure that happen in his life.  

SECOND TRAIT(Visionary)

        Tan Sri Mokhtar is a visionary person. He has a vision to help his family and change to the better life. He willing to donate his wealth to the poor people. His vision is to help others by using his own wealth. So, he built up Yayasan al-Bukhary in 1996 to help the poor especially in their education. Al-Bukhary Foundation is committed to the health and welfare program that seeks to empower the poor living facilities.

     Yayasan Al-Bukhary also concentrate on issues related to community integration, especially in relation to the scholarship of Islam and the Hajj. Basic program implemented by three entities. There are Yayasan al-Bukhary Main Office, Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia and Sharifah Rokiah Sciences Complex. Among the major projects undertaken are the construction of complex al-Bukhary costing RM400 million in Kedah. The complex plays an important role by providing facilities such as mosques, orphanages and others.

FIRST TRAIT(Open Risk Taker)

        Open risk taker is one of the importance trait that must be faced by an entrepreneur. Open risk taker mean an individual or corporate trying something new in their business even that trying can potentially cause financial loss but the entrepreneur also have opportunity for a rewarding a profit. The higher risk taker by an entrepreneur, the higher return the entrepreneur will get. For instance Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al- Bukhary was willing to take risk to get involve in a new field of him that is field of transportation. He received a permit for four trucks of class A and take a risk by apply loan for RM 110,000 from MARA to buy two lorries Mercedes 911LS to start his business in 1972. After he buying two lorries he establish transport company named as Sentosa Transport Company and appoint a clerk of China as the company manager. The truck were use to start rice business. This company still existing until now and already have 40 truck.

     Beside that, Tan Sri Syed mokhtar al- Bukhary also establish shipping and registered with treasury. He bought ship which was 28 years old that made from German at the price of USD 1 million. Angsa Mas was the name for the ship that use to transport rise from Thailand to Sabah and Sarawak. However he having loss for shipping business and he had to sell this ship at a price of USD 600,000 and loss of USD 400,000. After that, he try to join venture in Islamic banking by taking over Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad but involvement in financial and banking is not as easy as we expect. Lastly, based on these statement it is truly shown that Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar is an entrepreneur that not scared faced with risk. 

SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR

    

   The successful entrepreneur that we have been chosen is Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary. He was born in 1952 at Alor Star, Kedah. He has been involve in diversified business such as transportation and logistics, plantations, property development, defense and armony as well in engineering and power generation. He has a traits like open risk taker, visionary, failure is an option, observant and proactive.

PROACTIVE(Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal)

     A person who is being proactive will always have a vision of the future, they will not blame circumstances or conditions for their behavior. In addition, they will focus their efforts on the circle of influence that accounts for all the things that can be influenced by them. Their nature is positive, large and wide, causing increased their circle of influence. Proactive entrepreneurs working from the inside out, starting with the first change himself.

     An entrepreneur that suitable in this character is Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal bin Abu Bakar. He is the president of EMKAY Group, president of MK Land Holdings Berhad and President of Setia Haruman Sdn.Bhd. He was born on 18 March 1949 at Kampung Changkat, Pusing, Perak. He was graduate in Bachelor’s Degree in History from Universiti Malaya. He started his career in 1970 by serving the government at the District and Land offices in Selangor. After that, he served as a professor at Adjung of the Business and Management Faculty at UUM since March 15, 2004. He also served as Vice President of FIABCI Malaysia since 2005. He formed the EMKAY Group of companies in 1983. He has 20 years experience in the property development industry. He also served as a chairman at Setia Haruman Sdn.Bhd until February 5, 2016.

     He been awarded the outstanding Entrepreneur of Selangor 1995 by the Malay Chamber of Commerce for the state of Selangor. He also have been awarded the Contruction Industry Outstanding Personality of the year award by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) in 2001.