An inside view of Raden’s restaurant.
FOR Raden Khairulzaman Raden Bustari, a young age is not an obstacle to success in business but attitude is.
The 25-year-old set up his own company in July 2015, just one month after he started his industrial training at MLNG Petronas in Bintulu.
He said it came about after his parents challenged him to form his own company and learn to become an entrepreneur.
Raden Khairulzaman Raden Bustari
“My parents were very supportive. They encouraged me to try and start my own business. So while still doing my industrial training, I thought of setting up my own company,” he told thesundaypost.
Khairulzaman, who has a Diploma in Engineering Technology (Process Instrumentation and Control) from the German-Malaysian Institute (GMI), said he learned about business and the importance of communication from his father when he was very young.
He likes the business environment rather than a fixed 8-to-5 job.
When he finally took up the challenge, his father, who is in the food business, taught him what needed to be done to set up and run a company. According to him, forming a company and applying for a business licence is not difficult.
“Fill up the forms and when you have time during lunch hour, submit them to the relevant agency. They will call you if there’re missing documents or have incomplete forms,” he said, adding that one also needs to have some money to rent an office for the license.
Some of the offerings at the restaurant.
After graduating from GMI, he started to focus seriously on his business. For him, the first two years were more a learning process.
His parents helped him out financially until he was able to put the company on stable footing.
Khairulzaman said when he first started, he had no product except his licence.
“How do you sell a product without one? What I did was approaching and asking people what kind of service I could provide. I was prepared to do any business, even construction.”
But that was not his only problem. People still thought he was “too young to be trusted”.
“I had low self-esteem and didn’t know how to open my mouth and talk. I didn’t have anything and I had no job,” he recalled.
Even when he applied for a car loan, the bank refused to approve it because he was “too young”.
Then he met a man who was to become his first customer.
“He was very helpful and wanted to see the young generation think outside the box and grow to be successful entrepreneurs. He has a wide network and introduced my company to other people. I think I got lucky,” Khairulzaman said.
The man has remained one of his clients.
Through hard work and perseverance, Khairulzaman landed his big construction project, which became his portfolio.
“They see the quality of my work, how I managed my company. I’m not just a young boy who only knows how to talk,” he quipped.
Today, his company has won the confidence of many clients. It is not only financially stable but thriving as well.
In late 2018, he entered into a partnership with his 37-year-old aunt Raden Kartini to start a restaurant.
Kartini, a canteen operator for seven years, is a skilful cook while Khairulzaman has the acumen for business management. It was a good partnership to get the business up and running.
Their idea was not just to have a restaurant but also a catering business and a food supply line for school canteens. They rented a shop lot at Nibong Road but the first day of business wasn’t what they had hoped for.
Making only RM300 to RM400 per day and having to pay monthly rent and salaries, they were on the downside for the first few months. After the slow start, they were encouraged to find their business showing signs of turning the corner.
“We looked at our chart and found business was picking up. We thought we should give it time to improve. Of course, we did aggressive promotion on social media and customers who loved our food helped to spread the word to their friends. We also had help from government agencies dealing with us,” Khairulzaman said.
People keep coming back because the restaurant provides quality food.
“We started with 15 dishes but now have about 40 – plus about 30 menu items. But with a full plate, maintaining quality isn’t always easy; that’s why teamwork is so important. We make sure we continue to serve the best,” he added.
About a year later, hoping to expand their business, they rented two more lots of the same shophouse – one next to the existing shop and the other on the upper floor. Then the Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed on March 18.
“We were very worried because we just rented the new lots and the rent is high because our shop facing the main road is strategically positioned. We were afraid we might have to close the second and third lots,” he recalled.
During MCO, like most food operators, he could only do takeaways. Business dropped drastically. The profits went into paying rent and salaries.
A customer looks through the glass-covered food shelf.
“I didn’t recall all of my workers during MCO and the owner of the shophouse also reduced the rent by about 30 per cent. That was why we could carry on,” Khairulzaman said.
He was happy that despite having to comply with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), he could open his business for dine-ins again. As more government programmes were allowed, he was finally able to recall all his workers.
The restaurant now employs about 30 workers, including part-timers. It’s divided into sections for marketing, human resource, operations, and business development.
“My goal is to have a hall for about 1,000 people and hopefully, I will also be the planner and caterer. I hope
I can achieve this before I’m 40. So I have 15 years to work towards that goal,” Khairulzaman noted.
To those wishing to start or expand their business, he said it was important to be positive, open-minded, and ready to learn, adding, “Always research and plan properly. Most importantly, have the right attitude.”
He pointed out that even though there was support from government agencies, it would only be given if the agencies were satisfied that young entrepreneurs like him and his aunt were serious about their business.
“Business is about learning and I’m still learning by accepting criticisms, not giving up easily, thinking outside the box, and going the extra mile to make things work.”
Khairulzaman said technology and the Internet had provided so many opportunities and resources to help people grow their businesses.
“If you can’t go to Thailand, you can still learn about Thai food from YouTube, adopt it and see if it works for you. It’s part of the facilities to help grow your business. Never stop thinking outside the box.”
He said being in business constantly reminded him of the need to come up with new strategies and plans.
“In short, business is creative. It leads you to creativity. Any creative thing you can convert into money; it depends on how you run your business,” he added.