Tuesday 8 May 2012

How It All Began...

Let me tell you a story.
My story.
A simple tale about how
determination,
perseverance
&
belief,
grew into a
beautiful & unique 
retail concept 
in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Back at a time when the
internet and smart phones
were not on anyone's
imagination.
Let alone pockets.
Kuala Lumpur was a small city,
in a small country in
South East Asia.
This was a time of the
 fax.
That almost extinct office
apparatus.
People still wrote
 letters,
and used stamps.
I did.
This was 1990.
In South Africa,
 President de Klerk announced
that
 Nelson Mandela
will be released.
I was restless.
( So was he )
I knew there was a
 professional calling 
out there.
Something that I could
pour my 
heart & soul
into.
Uncertain.
Hesitant.
Impatient.
We've all been there.
My gut feeling shouted...
"Just Do It!".
I guess that was a 
Nike
moment.
So, I pack some stuff
& flew to
Kota Bahru,
Kelantan.
On the east coast of
Peninsula Malaysia.
In search of batik manufacturers.
Enthusiasm
is certainly
infectious.
Before long, 
I had a few printers willing to
"Take A Chance On Me".
Samples were made.
I can't tell you the joy of handling
those very first
 lengths of batik.
It must have been akin to motherhood?
I was lost for words.
( bet you Toni Morrison can...)
When I saw those 
beautiful batiks,
I immediately knew that this was it.
That this was the way to go.
The path I must follow.

And the rest is history.
Well...sort of.
We cannot hide behind our beliefs
and
creative energies.
"Don't count every hour in the day
Make every hour in the day count"

And in the words of a good friend,
Bryce,
I must
"turn culture into a commodity".
Sometimes,
I felt like a 
salmon
swimming upstream.
In reality, I was an
anchovy
in a 
BIG 
pond.
Nowadays, I still work 24/7.
Still striving to be
innovative.
Make a better product.
Both inside & out.
It's great to 
weave a dream
Making it happen is something else.
We're still constantly trying
to separate ourselves from the pack.
And have merchandise that
stand out.
No detours.
No options.
No second guesses.
Only to maintain and grow
what we started.

If I had to offer advice to someone starting a business,
it would be 
"to be prepared to work harder
than you've ever had"!

Constantly focusing and
accentuating the 
positive.
You may be creative.
and 
you may have the know-how.
But without that secret ingredient,
"sweat & tears"
it ain't going to happen.
A dream remains a dream,
unless 
you
make it happen.
Like I mentioned before,
"the cream ain't going to whip itself"!
Let's face it,
placing merchandise on the shelves,
does not mean it will sell.
There won't be any
honey
if bees stop working.
Stick to your 
conviction,
hold on to your
 beliefs.
Let no one whisper
negativity to 
sway you.
But you know what?
Being magnificent
is not easy.
You must be able to 
"walk the talk".
But I have fun.
I enjoy being 
creative.
Putting it all together.
And the results show.
We now have a
 voice.
Team work is crucial.
So is 
coordination.
Being cheerful helps.
Never loosing track of where
 we're heading
or
where we
came from.
Our work is a 
reflection
 of ourselves.
Swim against the tide,
...enjoy the ride.
You'll get there one day!!!

Thank you for making
it happen!




1 comment:

  1. Great post, Peter, and it is so nice to have my line be remembered!
    Bryce

    ReplyDelete

Nice of you to write!