ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEADER - Part 3

5. Failure is an option

Failure is the non-fulfillment of functional requirement. (Rausand, M, 2005) To become a successful entrepreneur surely they need to face the failure for many time. This is because, not all the step or strategy that we planned are run smoothly. A successful entrepreneurs are the entrepreneurs who courageous to risk the failure from their mistakes. The failure can helps an entrepreneur recovered from past mistakes to continue succeed in the business. Entrepreneurs who have failed also can improve the weaknesses and shortcomings.

Among the entrepreneurs who have an attitude of never giving up because he have faced failure is Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba. Jack Ma makes it faced as the power to be succeed in business. In his life, he has faced with various problems. Every school rejected Jack Ma, where he wants to learn. Even since primary school, he already received the rejection because of his test in mathematically is not so good but Jack Ma hold out. Since the age of 12 to 20 years, he pedaled his bike for 40 minutes to the hotel in order to learn English. He was eliminated from Harvard. He failed in the exam to enter the college and he only passed after the third attempt to become a teacher.

His attitude never give up can be seen when he failed a job interview more than 30 times after graduation. The saddest is when he failed to get a job at the recently opened KFC in China at that time made an interview in walk in. Among the 24 people who have took the interview, 23 people graduate work in KFC except Jack Ma. He still did not give up when starting a business on a small scale. However, his business failed. Without the experience or academic education in the field of computers and software, he opened AliBaba company in 1998. Unfortunately, the company loss for 3 years without gain any profits.

The failure he faced did not become an obstacle to continue his business. With an attitude of confidence, after that he created a program to process payment called AliPay and his many friends and customers who criticized saying that the most pathetic idea in his all ideas. However, now AliPay has 800 million users. His attitude which focus on a goal and the failure as an option for successfully to make him to become the richest man in China with a value of USD 20 billion. 

6. Open culture

In the entrepreneur, open culture involved many productive in the business and trade has a positive impact on the entrepreneurs themselves. Open culture is a concept someone who is able to think independently and see, seize and analyze any opportunities, entrepreneurs with these characteristics will always be an open-minded and not be influenced by the unhealthy effects. This is because entrepreneurs is at the forefront of the business. More successful entrepreneurs like Robert Kuok Hock Nien, he do not focus on just one area only but he work in various business areas such as industry, management, hospitality and more.

In 1948, Robert Kuok's father died. Robert Kuok’s mother pursue ideas that have invested all the capital in the sugar refining industry. In the view of Robert Kuok, other than rice and wheat, sugar plays an important role in the food industry. Furthermore, the IT era has not started yet at the time, the business of selling sugar is the smartest way to get rich. Despite opposition, but it would open up a sugar refinery still starts with Malayan Sugar Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

In May and June 1963, Robert Kuok take 100,000 tons to 200,000 tons of sugar to sell to the next month. This decision is intuition Robert Kuok's sugar market that will grow and be able to reap more profits. Unfortunately, in July and August 1963, the market for sugar fell drastically. This condition may make Robert Kuok bankrupt if it does not have sufficient working capital. Maybe this sustenance Robert Kuok, in late August 1963, a hurricane hit Brazil and ruin all of the sugar plantations of Brazil. The price of sugar in the international market increase sharply because Brazilian sugar production reached 5.5 million tons per year.

In 1971, Robert Kuok build Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. His career in the Hong Kong real estate began in 1977, when he acquired a piece of land in the newly reclaimed on the east coast of Tsim Sha Tsui. In here, he built his second hotel, Kowloon Shangri-La. He believes that China will become a tourist destination world citizen one day. In 1983, he founded the Shangri-La Hotel in Hangzhou, China. Now, Robert Kuok undertake 72 Shangri-La Hotel around the worldwide.

In conclusion, Robert Kuok has a vision for the country's expected the requirements and policies that will be established by the government. Foresight same encouraged Robert Kuok, through various companies in Hong Kong to move into the Chinese market. Through tourism and hotel, Robert Kuok has established itself at the forefront of the emerging Chinese market. He admiration for its generous reward loyalty and friendship.

Robert Kuok