Brunei - Stick to what you know: SPMS exec to entrepreneurs

TO BUILD a successful business, one has to look around for the correct opportunity, said Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Metassim of Syarikat Perniagaan Malar Setia (SPMS), who is celebrating its 25th anniversary today.

To keep a business running for 20 years is no easy feat, and Hj Abdul Rahman's advice to new and upcoming entrepreneurs is to find an opportunity that suits the personality.

"Maybe education is your speciality, so you enter that field. If you are used to being a programmer, you probably shouldn't go into sales. You have to stick to what you know," he said.

SPMS, a company which started distributing frozen goods in 1987, now distributes 35 major international brands in the Sultanate.

Hj Abdul Rahman said that in business, one has to look for opportunities.

"If the time is right, you have to take it. If not other people will," he said.

He used Malar Setia as an example, saying that sometimes, it isn't they who are after distribution rights of brands, but it is the principal holder who approaches them.

"(This is) because of our past record, our network, our delivery times. We put in hard work so that we maintain our standards," he said.

Hj Abdul Rahman, an accountant by trade, said that he joined the company three years after it was formed by Managing Director Lim Chin Lam.

The company used to be called Heng Ngee Trading.

"From then on, our focus shifted to halal products," he said.

Hj Abdul Rahman recalled the time Malar Setia got its first international brand, Ayamas.

"We tried our best to get distributorship of Ayamas because we wanted to focus on halal products. And our speciality was frozen goods," he said, adding that's how the company ceased its first opportunity.

He said that besides the hard-work put into the company, Malar Setia bases its business on trust and transparency.

"Because retailers trust us and support us, our principals are able to appoint us. Integrity is important in all sectors," he advised.

One other thing that's important for business, Hj Abdul Rahman said, is community work.

"We want to donate for those in need and this is our social obligation, especially for those less fortunate than us," he said.

Malar Setia donates daily necessities such as coffee, tea, cordials and noodles to Pusat Ehsan on a monthly basis.

"We want to give them equal opportunities," the managing partner said.

Hj Abdul Rahman also emphasised the importance of his staff, which he grew from four to more than a 130 now. Seventy per cent of the workforce are Bruneians.

"For our 25th Anniversary dinner we will be rewarding members of our organisations with a special gift, especially those long serving staff. There are some who have been with us for more than 20 years," he said.

Malar Setia's distributorship includes international brands such as Coca Cola, Ayam Brand canned food, SC Johnson's household goods, Ambi Pur air fresheners, Bruneian bottled water Rainfresh, and Indonesia's Mie Sedaap.

GOH DE NO

The Brunei Times

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