PENANG, 3 October 2013 – With keen interest and desire to put a challenge upon himself, a Penangite daringly emigrated, armed with only USD2,000 as pocket money to start a new life.

That was part of the shared experience by the Chairman and President of Mini-Circuits Technologists Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Kelvin Kiew, who also left his career as an engineer to catch bigger ambitions.

Kiew said he was aware of his ability and he did not intend to just work for wages, but is committed to challenge his ability by leaving his beloved country to a foreign land with one goal in mind, to find success in life.

The entrepreneur figure of the small and medium enterprise (SMEs) also shared his more than 30 years experience in roaming, having to ever sleep in the car and bathing in public restrooms, before achieving success in business.

“I went to the United States with USD2,000 in cash obtained from selling a used car.

“I was desperate and promised my mother to bring back the success and better lives for myself and family,” he said when presenting a talk titled Building SME Supply Chain Eco System and Enterprise Success Formula in conjunction with USM-CEO Talk Series at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently.

But he said that today his business makes a profit of up to 400 million per year, owns 16 companies with 10,000 employees.

He added that among the things learned with over 30 years experience in the business world, is there is no easy way to achieve success, on the contrary it must be pursued with great determination and desire.

To be successful in business he said that one also needs to start from scratch with whatever ability one has instead of waiting for the availability of all material resources before taking action.

“For me, we do not need to have a huge capital, many employees as well as a posh building to start with. But quite simply, what we need is some smart moves and a bit of knowledge in the business world,” he said.

He also shared his experience in the perspective of SME and opined that Malaysia should not be too dependent on foreign investment to remain competitive.

“Local companies should be given credibility and support to remain competitive and at the same time they should also actively involved in the international supply chain,” he said.

He said that the government also proposed to give more focus and guidance to SME entrepreneurs, as well as foster an environment that is more conducive to the business world in the education system beginning at school level.

This lecture series, organised by the USM Graduate School of Business (GSB) provides an opportunity for CEOs to share ideas, experiences and the latest developments taking place in the industrial world with the campus and its surrounding community. - Translation: Yong Check Yoon/Photos: Mohd Fairus Md Isa