Spreading the wings of Ilmiya Enterprise

Many may not know, I have been in business with my better half for quite some time. In my previous working places, I used to sell Nasi Lemak and kuih for breakfast. That time, it was more to make ends meet. Alhamdulilah, it helped to cover the expenses of kids milk and diapers. Yes, it was tiring. We have to wake up at 4am to cook and pack. However, it was indeed satisfying.

My better half also used to have a stall that sells mee rebus and other Johor delicacies. That was another tiring phase in our life. Before we left for work, we had to prepare all the ingredients and the moment we are home from work, we quickly prepare all the related items for my better half to bring to the stall. He went to the stall while I stay home and take care of the kids and prepare the next day's ingredients. His stall was a hit and until now some customers still recognise him and missed his mee rebus, mee bandung and rojak. He got to stop the business as he got promoted and the work became more demanding.

When Raya approaches, for many years we were selling kerepek and kuih raya. Some we made on our own and some we got them from suppliers. I had many regular customers and the profit from the sales were kept in kids savings account so this can be used for their education. We have not been doing this business for few years due to my work load which require lots of traveling.

So now, with my better half left his job and he became an entrepreneur, we started this business journey again. And it goes without saying, I am part of it. I honestly am enjoying it.

Don't get me wrong, I do love my current job. My job gives me lots of satisfaction, nurturing young talents and guiding them to a suitable career path. Also giving chances to graduates who may not be as lucky as others in securing employment. However, there's something about having own business which are difficult to explain.

My better half opened his own Mini Market September last year. It was his long time dream and I am so happy when he got to fulfill it. And now he has expanded his physical shop to virtual presence. And I am of course a social media junkie, supporting him all the way. We are now selling more than just groceries items. We offer kerepek, snacks and also textile items aka kain ela. Alhamdulilah, so far things are heading towards positive response. We are of course long way to go before can even be defined as successful. Insyallah, we will get there one day.

Of course I need to end this with my pesanan dari penaja paragraphs. Please do follow us on FB at https://www.facebook.com/IlmiyaEnterprise and https://www.facebook.com/AzmanHamzahMiniMarket. We also have our own Instagram account, @IlmiyaEnterprise. If you are interested to order things we have to offer, don't be shy and whatsapp 0196976174. We will be more than happy to assist.

The journey is still very far. Insyallah, if we continue to work hard, we will get there eventually. And never forget to also pray hard. Allah is there to make it easy on us, Insyallah....

"Rabbi Yassir Wala Tu'assir, Rabbi tammim bil khair"

"Allahumma laa sahla illaa maa ja'altahu sahlan, wa anta taj'alul huzna idza syi'ta sahlaa."

The entrepreneur blood in him

For those who knows me, would know how I love to be involved in business. I just love doing transactions and earning income from this. I have been doing this since I was in school. When there's opportunity arise, if possible, I will grab it.

When my better half shared his passion more than 10 years ago to open his own business, I fully support that. My better half works hard and very creative. He will do well doing his own project. Yes, employment provides security however, self employment if done right and if you are lucky provide security and satisfaction. I must say, however, it's not easy.

After saving money for 10 years, he finally got the courage to open his own mini market. He intentionally open it in Simpang Renggam, Johor so he can also share this opportunity with his sister and her husband. After working with one company for more than 20 years, he tendered his resignation after Raya last year. Some may not see it yet, but I believe it's the best decision he has ever made.

 It has been good Alhamdulilah however not all smooth sailing. Issues with manpower (not so much about the number of person he needs, more on trust), time management, vendors among others filling up his days. Yes, some may say it's nice to be your own boss, however, when you are an entrepreneur, you are not only your own boss, you are also your own kuli.

There are good days, there are bad days. As his wife, I give him fullest support. I want to see him succeed so whatever I can do, I will do it.

And today, he has expanded from mini market to also being distributors for kerepek. He started that more than 2 weeks ago, Alhamdulilah, the outcome has been overwhelming. He manages his time between the mini market, collecting kerepek from supplier, packing it, taking orders and delivering it. I can see he is tired but his determination amazed me.

What I can say to the ecosystem of new entrepreneurs, if you can't make it easier on them, please don't make it harder than it is. Especially for those who have just started, we should understand if they are not able to make time for you. The least you can do is to try and schedule whatever events around their schedule. And please don't think they are trying to be arrogant. They are not, they are just trying to gain back the capital they spent to start the business.

My better half is an amazing man. He tries very hard to make everyone happy that I feel sometimes people are just taking advantage of him. I know he tries very hard to balance everything, some people tend to forget he is just human after all. And as his wife, I hate to see his heart gets broken and to see the sadness in his eyes. Unfortunately, I am not as forgiving as he is. I feel like, you mess with him, you mess with me and I take longer time to be healed.

Enough of that. So, call for action for this entry :

1. If you are in Simpang Renggam area, drop by Azman Hamzah Mini Market. Get your groceries there as well as other household supplies. If you want to know the location, like Azman Hamzah Mini Market Facebook.

2. If you want to buy kerepek and consume it immediately or want to order for Raya, just call or whatsapp him at 0196976174. He offers many types of kerepek at very competitive price. And if the order is alot, he will deliver it himself for free to certain areas in Klang Valley.

Thanks everyone for your support. My better half has been working very hard all his life providing good life for us, this is his time to do what he loves the most. It's his time to shine and I know he will be a huge success.

And to all homo sapiens out there, related or not related to us, try not to have ill feeling when you see others are doing well. And don't step on them when you see them falling. Allah is great. What goes around comes around. If you want to succeed as well, work hard towards it. Don't build your success by taking people down. Rezeki di tangan Allah, bukan di tangan manusia...

Closing statement, jangan lupa order kerepek suami saya!

Online Business, to do or not to do

I have this issue. This issue usually happens when I am bored, or upset about something or frustrated when something don't go my way. And this is when I start to create new projects. Personal projects on my own. Usually it does not involved profit making elements, however, I thought of embarking into something different. Coupled with a natural entrepreneurship blood running in my better half's veins, we are experimenting to start our own online business.

After going to UK 3 years in a row, I see lots of business ideas. How branded items sold in UK are very much cheaper than sold here in our country. It's cheaper by at least 30% to 40%. Not everyone is concern about seasons and being up to date with fashion, so our target audience should be those who just want to have a feel on what it's like to own a Prada, Tod's, Gucci among others. Don't get excited yet people, we are still toying with this idea, nothing concrete yet.

Apart from that, baby's stuff are also lower in prices compared to those sold here. Avent bottles, Mothercare products, Fisher Price products are the items I have in my mind. It's like fulfiling my wishlists, buying branded baby's stuff. When our kids were growing up, we can't afford all those and settled with generic brand. So, it's a pleasure to make it affordable for those who can only dream to own one.

Another potential exploration are items from Indo China like Vietnam, Cambodia to name a few. Textiles would be the must have. Bandung used to be textile heaven however, recent years show textiles in Bandung are getting more expensive. It's not as cheap as it was before. So, market moves to Indo China.

No, I am not leaving my job and don't plan to this near future. I love what I do. This idea should it's materialised will be spear headed by my better half and I will play the supporting role. Putting my accounting knowledge into practise as well as learning more on how to market via social media. 

Again, this idea is still very much premature. Still in WIP stage. Lots of research and feasibility study needs to be done before we jump into this. I am excited though to launch this project. 

Doa2kan lah yer kawan2 :)

Signing off,

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