Diploma Pengurusan Perniagaan (DPP)

1. Loh Boon Siew (Boon Siew Honda)

The entrepreneurship spirit showed by the Chinese immigrant was so classic that it granted him entry in the school’s curriculum. The late Boon Siew was the man responsible to start the dealership of Honda motorcycles in Penang, hence it does not come as a surprise when he was often referred as ‘Mr Honda’.

With virtually no education, he arrived in Penang at a tender age of 12, backed with little money, and a pinch of determination. Boon Siew started his job as a mechanic, before making his way to prominence with Honda dealership, and in the process, beat all odds.

2. Robert Kuok (Kuok Group)

When you combine good education and family’s wealth, then no hell will break loose. Banking on those two key strengths, Robert Kuok took over his father’s trading business, together with two brothers, and created a business larger than anyone can think of. The impact is so great that Kuok has been sitting on the top of Malaysia’s rich list for more than 5 years. Residing in Hong Kong, Kuok is mostly linked to a sugar business but also has his hands on other wide range of industries including hospitality, energy, logistic and manufacturing.

3. Tony Fernandes (Air Asia)

Tony Fernandes is the man behind AirAsia’s journey to world domination. With RM1, Tony bought a defunct carrier, along with over RM40 million in debts, and created Asia’s most successful budget airline company. From an ailing company deep in financial trouble, AirAsia went through a remarkable turnaround and made its first profit merely after 7 months of operation. From thereon, they never looked back and created records after records.

4. Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary (MMC)

A humble entrepreneur, often shying away from publicity and media. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary is the richest Malay and bumiputra in Malaysia, and has continued to hold the status for a long time. In his childhood, he found difficulties to do school revision because of the inadequate house facilities and small space. But that did not stop him from achieving his current status. Syed Mokhtar is a great giver; his very first salary received during his youth was divided by 2 halves – one for him, and another for charity.

5. Lim Goh Tong (Genting)

Lim Goh Tong is another classic story of a rag-to-riches story. Just like Loh Boon Siew, Lim also migrated from the China mainland in his youth. And as fate would have it, the two later became friends when Lim was on his way to build Genting. From the day he was born until his death, Lim Goh Tong did not speak English – he only communicated in Chinese and Malay languages. But his language barrier did not prevent him from negotiating one of the largest contracts around.

6. Maznah Hamid (Securiforce)

7. Ananda Krishnan (Astro)

With an MBA qualification from Harvard University in America and a Degree from Melbourne University in Australia, it’s safe to say that Ananda Krishnan is the ’smartest’ entrepreneur in the list. With more than $7 billion of networth, only Robert Kuok is richer than him in this country. Ananda has a long list of business involvement, that includes Astro, Measat, Maxis, Aircel, TGV Cinemas and many others.

8. Azman Hashim (Ambank)

A horrible car accident almost wrecked his life, but Tan Sri Azman’s never-say-die attitude eventually rewarded him with larger than life achievements. With good academic background in accounting field, Azman was quick to maneuver his career along the corporate path, joining several established corporations in the process. Since acquiring Arab Malaysian Bank (now Ambank), Azman is credited for his effort to transform a relatively unkown bank into one of the largest financial institutions in the country.

9. Steven Sim (Secret Recipe)

A modern type entrepreneur, Dato’ Steven Sim established the popular Secret Recipe cafe and turned it into one of the most successful homegrown franchises. From merely 6 employees, the company has grown by leaps and bounds and is today backed by more than 300 staff nationwide and still growing. Secret Recipe today can be found in almost all major cities and towns, and is expanding beyond the international border with oversea operations in Singapore and Indonesia.

10. Mustapha Kamal (MK Land)

Tan Sri Datuk Mustapha Kamal is the co-founder of MK Land (an associate company of Emkay Group), which started as a small company and eventually grew to become one of the property icons in Malaysia. At the height of its prominence, the company was picked as one of the major developers of Cyberjaya, Malaysia’s very own cyber city. Among other successful developments carried out by MK Land are Bukit Merah Laketown, Damansara Perdana and Bukit Raya Beruntung.

Careers in Entrepeneurship

Entrepreneurs start new businesses and take on the risk and rewards of being an owner. This is the ultimate career in capitalism - putting your idea to work in a competitive economy. Some new ventures generate enormous wealth for the entrepreneur. However, the job of entrepreneur is not for everyone. You need to be hard-working, smart, creative, willing to take risks and good with people. You need to have heart, have motivation and have drive.

One of the best things about pursuing a career as an entrepreneur is the wide-open possibilities. There is room in many economies throughout the globe for entrepreneurship - such as India, Brazil, Dubai, the U.S. or Kenya. There are many industries where wealth creation is possible be it the Internet and IT, personal services, media, engineering or small local business (e.g., dry cleaning, electronics repair, restaurants). But there is a downside of entrepreneurship too. Your life may lack stability and structure. Your ability to take time off may be highly limited. And you may become stressed as you manage cash flow on the one hand and expansion on the other.

It's important to be savvy and understand what is and is not realistic. The web is chock-full of come-ons promising to make you rich. Avoid promotions that require you to pay up front to learn some secret to wealth. Understand that the market is more or less efficient - which means that if a bunch of people know a sure way to be a millionaire then the opportunity has probably already been competed away. On the other hand, look for inefficiencies in markets. Places where a better idea, a little ingenuity or some aggressive marketing could really make a difference. Think about problems that people would pay to have a solution to. It helps to know finance. It's a must to really know your product area well. What do consumers want? What differentiates you from the competition? How do you market this product? A formal business plan is not essential, but is normally a great help in thinking through the case for a new business. You'll be investing more in it than anyone else, so treat yourself like a smart, skeptical investor who needs to be convinced that the math adds up for the business you propose starting.

Entrepreneurs have many personalities. A number never finished college. Some are fiery revolutionaries. Some are gentle souls with a good idea. Some are driven but difficult. Some have grown up in the most difficult circumstances imaginable - emerging with enormous determination to strive for greatness. Others are pleasant, personable and compassionate renegades. Generally, there will be a life event, key motivator or a source of inspiration that causes a person to strike out on their own rather than work inside a larger company. Sometimes it is cubicle fatigue or, worse, getting fired. Other times it is an "aha moment" where an insight or innovation into how an industry or business could be done differently arises. Sometimes it's a bad boss.

The possibilities in entrepreneurship are endless. The rewards can be high. And the risks are undoubtedly high too. But, if you have drive, creativity and the desire to be your own boss, this may very well be the career for you. Good luck!