WOMEN WITH VISION AND AMBITION ATTEND MONTHLY CHATS

By Hazlinda Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Ladies with goals in life, business
minded and happily challenged to upgrade their family income, meet once a month
to share on the know-how in business.

These two-hour sessions, fondly known as the ‘Sembang-sembang’ workshops
(literally meaning to chit chat), are held in Bangsar near here where many
businesses have physically sprouted and developed progressively.

Ladies in businesses exchange useful tips and information on the possible
best practices to further sustain their existence in the various fields of
business venture; big or small, sole or sharing, with friends or the family,
regardless of the type of business they are most interested in.

“I now work together with my eldest daughter in our new family venture –
cosmetics and skin care. She is only in her 30s. I believe that this kind of
business, which focuses on beauty products and care must only be handled by
those with a lot of experience. Consumers today seem to only trust the big
names, big saloons.

“It is tough because these outlets have high operating
costs,” Tannis Chin, 56, shared when met at an interestingly robust and
successful evening of entrepreneurship discussions and social networking.

People sometimes shy away from doing business for fear of losing their
investments and having to swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

“I think practice does make perfect. We must continue to learn new business
tricks quickly with the hope that it will shorten our time of mastering the
effective business traits. Don’t give up, success doesn’t come easy,” said
Tannis, who has been involved in the cosmetic industry since 1977 starting out
on the right footing in an established Japanese firm; Kanebo Limited.

Tannis attends the monthly chat to network and spread her business ideas
effectively through personal sharing and face-to-face product sharing.

FAMILY PARTICIPATION

Big families are normally thought of as ideal members in business.

Trust which happens to be an important element both in finances including
income and expenditure matters as well as the making of important short term
decisions affecting the direction of the business and company especially, needs
to be available and present at all times.

“I started with zero experience but accepted the need to go through that
long learning curve and the inevitable mistake making. Most importantly, there
was a synergy among the members of the family; we were a team.

"Then our food business flourished, Enak KL made her mark. It was difficult
though to remind myself that I was not the daughter but the manager at the
restaurant. Since Enak KL opened in 2005, I am still learning to do things
better for our family restaurant,” Sherena Razaly, an actively contributing
director of Enak KL; a traditional Malay restaurant in the heart of Kuala
Lumpur, shared with other budding entrepreneurs wanting to make it in the family
business.

Sherena was educated abroad but her focus then was in architecture, just
like her father Razaly Wahi.

Her mum, Fawziah Abdul Ghani, is the brain behind the recipes served
at Enak KL.

COOKING PASSION

“I started cooking since the age of 10 years old. It started out with the
cream puffs. I am happy to have had that eagerness to try out recipes until
perfection. Our food at Enak KL is not fusion; far from it. It is traditional
Malay using traditional Malay ingredients. The recipes are from Muar and we do
not add MSG (monosodium glutamate) into any of our dishes,” Fawziah excitedly
shared with the other four members of the panel in the presence of almost 50
female business enthusiasts.

At Enak KL, all team players know the role they play and the related job
scopes, they were entrusted with.

“Our main staff like the chef and cashier have been with us for a long time,
we are lucky there. There is definitely some pressure in handling the workload
of a family business but the accountability bit is one million times greater.

"I realised that to be a long-term player in the business, you must make
sure the big decisions are made with consensus. I have learned to be more open
and listen to critics made, especially those coming from my parents and my
partner director; my sister that is. And mind you, mum is always right,” said
Sherena while simultaneously glancing approvingly at her mum; a former lecturer
at UiTM.

This Sembang-sembang workshop; a monthly women entrepreneur chat is jointly
organised by Warisan Global and the US Embassy of Malaysia.

The Embassy puts in a small grant to allow the workshops to take place on a
monthly basis.

To date, 11 sessions have been jointly organised and the topics discussed
range from 'first class service and social media' to 'empowering women through
entrepreneurship' and the latest being 'spotting the right idea,' among many
others.

The information obtained acts as a guide to new entrepreneurs, just about to
bravely put their best foot forward towards better economic gains.

These interactions have been proven to be beneficial and encouraging to many
women venturing into business since it was launched in March 2010.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP DISCUSSION

“I started learning about my mum and dad’s business since I was 11. That
was 10 years ago. I have been attending workshops and seminars since my teenage
years. It sure was an advantageous exposure to essential business skills at that
early stage. Most of the time, my input and opinions are valued and taken into
account,” Lalitha Wemel, a young Branding & Public Relations Director of LTT
Global Communications shared at the session.

Lalitha, now 21, also emphasised the need to put one's emotions in check at
all times especially in running the family businesses together.

Another panel member, Natasha Brand Palencia, the Communications and
Administration Manager of Brabons Entertainment, insists that being in business
is not glamorous.

“There is no certainty in anything you do in a family business. It is prone
to high risks. At Brabons Entertainment, we have got an accountant to look into
our accounts. Whatever I do, I always remind myself that I have got to be on
the same page with the other members on the decision making list especially with
mum, she is still the boss! I do a lot of reading to update myself on what is
most current especially where values are concerned. Values need to be learned,”
said Natasha, who hails from Sabah.

One’s commitment in business is certainly a full time involvement; very time
consuming and full of risks.

However, being able to share the sweet and bitter experiences in running a
business openly in chats of this kind is certainly a good and easily accessible
method of learning.

An attraction, women entrepreneurs find hard to resist!