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From Jobless To Successful Pre-school Entrepreneur
By Melati Mohd Ariff
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Giving up and packing his bags to head for his home village was never in Ahmad Jafferil Ismail's thoughts when the then accounts executive was retrenched from his job in 2002.
The Kota Baharu-born, who came to this city in 1993, did not believe in throwing the towel and resolved to stay in Kuala Lumpur to explore for other opportunities to earn a living.
Armed with the diploma in accounting from Institut Teknologi Mara (ITM) and Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Ahmad Jafferil was determined to battle against all odds to look for the 'bullion' in this metropolitan. ECONOMIC MISERY
"The firm that employed me was still able to withstand the economic downturn that hit the country in 1997-1998.
"There was still a bonus payment for us in 1999 but after that the company showed signs of folding up as there were no new projects.
"Sensing that the firm was not able to hold on much longer, I started to prepare myself for the worst possible scenario", the 40-year-old Ahmad Jafferil told Bernama here recently.
In 2000, he attended the entrepreneurial course held by the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry. The five-day course gave Ahmad Jafferil some light on the entrepreneurial field.
"Most of those who attended the course were jobless graduates who cannot communicate in English. They came only for the sake of attending, as there were no fees imposed.
"Those who were really interested like me only numbered some 10 percent", he said.
HINDRANCES, OBSTACLES
The few years after Ahmad Jafferil lost his job was full of miseries. At that time, his wife's employer was erratic in settling her salary.
The former accounts executive had also applied for many jobs between 2000 and 2002 but the response was least inspiring.
"Life then was difficult. That prompted me to venture into business. With money from savings and loans from parents and family members, I ventured into supplying chemicals.
"Not easy to bid for tenders, sometimes you could be successful and other times you might not. There are too many hindrances in the supply field, if there are no contacts then it would be quite tough", said the eldest of three siblings.
Ahmad Jafferil had also set up a restaurant in Kampung Baru that offered mixed rice during the day and Thai food during the night.
He had to refinance his car in order to obtain the RM20, 000 capital for the restaurant business.
"That restaurant business did not last long, not even one year. What I learnt from this episode was that you couldn't do business instantly what more if you are not from the business background.
"I had to learn right from the start and there were many hiccups", he said.
Ahmad Jafferil said he did not really learn the ways of the restaurant business before plunging into the field.
"This trade is actually good as there are ready customers. But I did not take into account about the cost of rental and workers' factor, what more if the employees pilfered the raw materials and money from the proceeds.
"The lesson for me was that I should have been there (operating the restaurant) and not let the workers to run the business", he said.
Ahmad Jafferil, whose father is a retired lecturer and mother a government pensioner, had also become a distributor for mineral water apart from doubling up as a tourist guide.
KINDERGARTEN
Trampled' by financial difficulties, Ahmad Jafferil had a soul-searching discussion with his wife Maizura Mohamed Sani, 36, about their future. Maizura then had expressed her intention in setting up a kindergarten.
"In 2005, there were various issues concerning the housemaids and we too had experienced problems with our own housemaid. Hence we toyed with the idea on establishing a kindergarten.
"I told my wife if she was really keen to set up a kindergarten, then she should look for the required know-how. My wife later resigned from her job that paid RM3,000 a month and worked as a kindergarten teacher on RM600 monthly salary", he added.
Ahmad Jafferil said after he felt that his wife had acquired sufficient experience and they set up Nadi Ilmu Enterprise, the entity that operates a kindergarten, at the end of 2005.
Initially the kindergarten business was a joint venture with Maizura's former kindergarten employer.
"My wife's former (kindergarten) boss noticed her capability and offered for a joint-venture. At that time, due to financial constraints, we accepted the offer with us holding 70 percent of the stake", he said.
TIESYA KIDS CENTRE
The kindergarten started out as TIC Junior in 2006, later renamed as Tiesya Kids Centre or TKC in 2008.
Tiesya is Maizura's nickname. The kindergarten is located at No 25, Jalan Setiawangsa 23, Taman Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur.
Initially, the couple used RM30, 000 of their own funds for the kindergarten. "I did apply for a loan from the Entrepreneurs Fund channeled through SME Bank. I made the application in November 2005 and for that I only received RM14, 000. That was also after the kindergarten had began operations", said Ahmad Jafferil.
He said RM100, 000 was actually needed to start a kindergarten.
"We only had RM30, 000 to start with and therefore we were forced to operate with what we had.
"There is no way of starting big, but the more important aspect is the image and ability to lure the customers. The location is crucial too", he said.
FOCUS ON ENGLISH
TKC, which started with 55 children in 2006, now has an enrolment of more than 80 who are aged between 3 and 6 years old.
The fee for each child is RM200 and the session starts at 8.30am before ending at 12 noon. The fee for day care services is RM250 for each child.
"We are not into the day care services as there are others in this area who are doing that. We are more focused on the kindergarten", he said.
What is the special feature of TKC?
Ahmad Jafferil said the kindergarten focuses on the English language due to the request from many parents.
"My wife is more inclined on education using the English language. For that, she attended a 13-month course on pre-school learning", he said.
Ahmad Jafferil said he is looking for another location as he plans to expand TKC's operations.
He said the rental for the kindergarten's existing premises is more than RM3, 000 and they hope to move to a better location as the potential in this business is vast.
"I am confident with this business. For the new premises, we would try to get assistance from the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry and also MARA. We are in need of bigger premises and if possible I would like to purchase the property", he said.
Ahmad Jafferil said they are also collaborating with the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM) for the establishment of a chain of kindergartens at public institutions of higher learning.
"UIAM has its own kindergarten and day-care centre for children of their academic staff and students.
They have a module named, as UIAM Educare and we would market this product and manage the centres.
"I have big plans including giving out the franchise for the TKC Kindergarten", he said.
Ahmad Jafferil's resilience, spirit and determination, aided by the support and encouragement from Maizura has enabled him to be on a strong footing as an entrepreneur despite the trials and tribulations that he faced after being 'axed' from a well-paying salaried job.
Ahmad Jafferil has some advice to budding businessmen.
"If you want to do business, go out and learn more about handling accounts and management. There is no shortcut to success. Get the experience first and gain more knowledge even though you have to work for someone first".
-- BERNAMA
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