CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, an entrepreneur is the one who have the strong will to keep working harder in order to achieve success in the business. This is because starting a new business is not an easy task as there are many obstacles and challenges that must be faced by the entrepreneur. Successful entrepreneurs have some similar highly distinguishable characteristics shared by them regardless their origin or gender. Most of them have extreme passions that motivate them to go beyond on ordinary people. They tend to be someone that can remain strong even they need to go through tough times and they also learn from their past mistakes. Other than that, entrepreneurs are not afraid of taking any risk of being failed as they will look at the failure from positive side. They have vision and grow the business for the society. They also the one who wants freedom in business, being able to make own decision and be success on their own.

Entrepreneurs are a catalyst for the development and economic growth of a country. The rise and fall of economy of a country also depend on entrepreneurs. They are unique individual and totally different from ordinary people. They set up business not only for themselves but also for the development of society as they can provide job opportunities and increase the lifestyle of other people who is in need.

ANANDA KRISHNAN

Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan is a successful business tycoon and he is known as the sixth wealthiest man in Asia. He is the chairman & CEO of Usaha Tegas Group Holdings Bhd. His parent was originated from Sri Lanka but he was born in Kuala Lumpur.  He furthers his study at the University of Melbourne, Australia for his B.A (Honours) degree in political science. Following that, he graduated from Harvard Business School in 1964 after finishing Master in Business Administration.

Networked

Ananda Krishnan has a very good political relationship with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who was Minister of Finance during that time. He always attended either formal or social meetings together with Tengku Razaleigh. Tengku Razaleigh introduced Ananda with Dr. Mahathir in the 1970’s. Ananda was trying hard to cultivate his relationship with Dr. Mahathir. He always keeps in touch with Tengku Razaleigh even though his relationship with Dr. Mahathir became closer. Apart from that, Ananda also is the one who played an important role in the restoration of his relation with Dr. Mahathir after Tengku Razaleigh left UMNO and formed Semangat 46.

People keep mistakenly think that he is one of Dr. Mahathir cronies as their relationship is very close. He took over Racing Industry located in the middle of Kuala Lumpur which is the most expensive estate in Malaysia. Ananda also gained profit from Malaysia’s privatization policy. A company controlled by Ananda had successfully taken over one- third of the equity in the Powertek. He also gave the idea to Dr. Mahathir against the construction Of Petronas Twin Tower which is now one of the tallest buildings in the world.

Visionary

Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan also is an entrepreneur who has the visionary trait and he has a good foresight in handling and managing his business worldwide. Ananda entered the telecommunication sector very quickly during the late 20^th century when the sector was growing dizzy. As a result, Malaysia had its own telecommunication satellites for the first time in 1996.

Ananda also involved himself into business such as drilling, communication, and multimedia. He started the business in a small scale betting operation but he has the ability to know exactly when it is the right time for him to increase his company profitability. He diversified the business into oil drilling, communication and multimedia, real estate industry and TV broadcasting.  He also had been involving himself into small scale horse race betting when he was a student. He also knew that ne needed to keep pursuing his study in order to handle his growing business. Therefore, he took Master of Business Administration at Harvard in 1964.

As a man with vision, he removed Maxis Communication Berhad from the Malaysia Stock Exchange in order to privatize the company and globalized the Maxis service.  He knew that he can increase the investment benefit on his telecommunication business if he privatized Maxis Berhad as well as promoting it globally. He did the privatization after discussed the idea and analyzed the market with his shareholder, Raja Datuk Arshad Raja Tun Uda who is also the Chairman of Binariang Satellite System Holdings. 

He had planned to extend Maxis into Indonesia and India in order to increase the stock market value. Apart from that, he also planned to return Maxis back to Malaysia Stock Exchange after Maxis has earned a stable profit.

Proactive

Ananda Krishnan is an MBA graduate from the prestigious Harvard University. Ananda is very proactive in creating more opportunities in his way to success. He determined his business strategy actively and corporate goals together with his shareholders, business partner, employees and government sector in order to deliver strategic values.

Ananda currently owns 2 of the biggest communications companies in Malaysia; Maxis Communications & MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems. Maxis is currently the biggest cellular phone company in Malaysia with more than 5 million subscribers and about 30% of Malaysia's market share. 

Ananda has the ability to appreciate and take advantage of new technology discoveries and make them work in his way. He knows it very well on how to take actions and preserve in challenging situations. He is also broadening his investment in various fields.

.

Open Culture

Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan is a successful entrepreneur that has the characteristic of culture of openness in managing their business. Cultural openness means, entrepreneurs can receive any opinions and views of others and the surrounding environment in its business organization. The entrepreneur must trust and can work with other subordinate and not be influenced by others in managing the business. Entrepreneurs in dire need of internal and external energy high for him motivate them with their businesses. In the decision-making process, the entrepreneur has to take into account all internal and external factors of the organization as well as taking into account all relevant stakeholders.

Ananda Krishnan always uses strategies for creating the effect of ingenuity and efficiency of a wider network. An entrepreneur certainly is someone who can think independently and mature. An independent-minded can see, seize and analyze the opportunities available by their own. Entrepreneurs are one who always open mind and not be influenced by outside influences. Entrepreneurs will make the opinions of others as partners, managers and subordinates as a guide.

Malaysian entrepreneurs who practice the culture of openness in business is Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan. He believes workers underneath. He believes that with the expertise of its employees in generating ideas in business and this is evidenced when he has responsibility for managing a number of professional and competent employees. Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan management believes that the idea would be interesting to get a variety of views of the other parties which made him be able to manage and grow its business in the field of Telecommunications Maxis and Astro. Employee expertise is shared and merged into a strong management idea. This is evidenced by the wealth of its telecommunications company Maxis and Astro to have reached 81.48 billion.

Open Risk Taker

The risk taker is where an individual or business that tends to behave in a way that can potentially cause physical harm or financial loss, but might also present an opportunity for a rewarding outcome. For this part, we are going to related risk taker term to a well-known entrepreneur who is Ananda Krishnan.

Ananda Krishnan is the sixth wealthiest man in Asia. He is the Chairman & CEO of Usaha Tegas Group Holdings Bhd. Krishnan was born Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan to Tamil parents of Sri Lankan origin in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Krishnan’s company, Maxis Communications has contributed immensely to his current status making him the richest BUSINESS man in Southeast Asia.

His   humble, bold, daring and risk-taking character led him to remove Maxis Bhd. from the Malaysian stock exchange in order to privatize the company to cater to the global market. As an entrepreneur, he has a set of managerial qualities and business practices which he has applied in his bid to become a Malaysian billionaire. Ananda is planning to achieve his primary goals, where he would analyze the current situation, anticipate future undertakings and make appropriate decision to achieve his goals. Even though he decided to take the risk in his business at the same time, he is also aware of the organization’s goal.

As a businessman, he determines his business strategies and corporate goals together with is business partners, shareholders, employees and government sector in order to deliver strategic values, since his ultimate goal is to privatize and globalize the service provider Maxis. He always ensures that the goals are achieved even if it’s risky to achieve the targets. The decision on privatizing was his alone though he discussed and analyzed with other entrepreneurs and his shareholders including Raja Datuk Arshad Raja Tun Uda, the Chairman of Binariang Satellite Systems holdings, which is also controlled by Ananda Krishnan.

Other than that, Ananda has the vision and that is why he is the best among his peers. We do not envy but admire him for his achievements. The money he makes is from his effort and risk taking.

He’s hardly seen at conferences and even during meetings with his close associates. He’s like an invisible deal maker. Ananda could not be contacted by Reuters for comments. Some investors believe Ananda could be tapping his assets in response to political volatility in the Middle East and ahead of national elections in Malaysia expected this year that could stoke market volatility. He has also been facing problems in India, where police have been investigating one of his companies in a telecoms case. Company officials have denied any wrongdoing. The internal rate of return that he is getting from some of his power assets may also not be lucrative, especially for the problems in Egypt and Pakistan. Of the entire financial crisis that Ananda faced, he still manages to maintain and rise up his business. He decided to take the risk in order to achieve the targeted goals.

With already a net worth of $11.7 billion, Ananda Krishnan is still always on the look to expand his business. He is always ready to take a risk as long as his business leads to profit and goals are achieved. He holds an interest in satellites and communications, property development, gaming, and oil trading. His love for property led him to buy Kia Ora, his extremely expensive house near the rural town of Scone. The property comprises 1,800 hectares of land. Ananda’s other properties are based in France, London, and Kuala Lumpur. Ananda also thoroughly enjoys fishing trips on his luxurious yacht.

PROACTIVE

OPRAH WINFREY

An entrepreneur who is proactive able to create or control a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened. An entrepreneur with this trait tends to take action and preserve in challenging situations, particularly when they perceive opportunity. Proactive person are able to minimize stress levels by effectively planning ahead. The less stress they have, the more successful they become. They also will have specific goals in mind and by controlling various situations they will gain various accomplishments.

Oprah Winfrey is one the entrepreneur who shows proactive behaviour. She is an American television host, actress, producer and entrepreneur. She was born on January 29, 1954 in Mississippi. She entered Tennessee State University in 1971 and began working in radio and television broadcasting in Nashville.

In 1976, Oprah Winfrey hosted a TV chat show People Are Talking which becomes a hit and she stayed with it for eight years, after which she was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her own morning show, A. M. Chicago. Winfrey succeed to win the viewer with her open, warm-hearted personal style.

She launched the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986. With its placement on 120 channels and an audience of 10 million people, the show grossed $125 million by the end of its first year. She soon gained ownership of the program from ABC, drawing it under the control of her new production company, Harpo Productions. Winfrey also signed a multi-picture contract with Disney. The initial project, 1998's Beloved, based on Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison and starring Winfrey and Danny Glover, got mixed reviews and generally failed to live up to expectations.

The media giant contributed immensely to the publishing world by launching her "Oprah's Book Club," as part of her talk show. The program propelled many unknown authors to the top of the bestseller lists and gave pleasure reading a new kind of popular prominence. With the debut in 1999 of Oxygen Media, a company she co-founded that is dedicated to producing cable and Internet programming for women, Winfrey ensured her place in the forefront of the media industry and as one of the most powerful and wealthy people in show business.

In 2009, Oprah Winfrey announced that she would be ending her program when her contract with ABC ended, in 2011. Soon after, she moved to her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture with Discovery Communications.

In March 2015, Winfrey announced that her Chicago-based Harpo Studios would close at the end of the year to consolidate the company’s production operations to the Los Angeles-based headquarters.

Oprah started as a television host but she expanding her career to the very top level by owning her own production company which brings more profit to her. It is not only that she is very proactive on her career but she has her owns style that wins the heart of the people.

TEAM ORIENTED

JIMMY CHOO

A successful entrepreneur figure of Jimmy Choo shoes is synonymous with exclusivity and style. He is not only a shoe designer but also a skilled craftsman who makes shoes and specializes in producing works of art. He was inspired and inspiring designs from nature such as trees and flowers and also the environment such as interior decoration in the places he visited.

He studies in the field of shoe manufacturing and fashion in London. After graduation, he tried to open a shoe store to rent an abandoned building of the former hospital. After four years of hard work, his designs have coverage in magazines Vogue, a fashion magazine in the UK. Jimmy Choo became well known worldwide.

Jimmy Choo is an example of dynamic community of highly skilled people that bring together around a unique brand that make all of us feel passionate about.  The company owned by Jimmy Choo has designed an internal communication strategy to ensure the employees understand the strategic framework and value creation architecture of the board. The employees also being kept up to date on the medium term plans on how  to achieve the goals that have been planned by the company.

Other than that, the strategic plan for the year is presented annually by the Executive Directors to all the corporate employees and managers within the business. This regular update is done as to introduce new colleagues as well as providing information on how the employees are working towards achieving the strategic framework.

Jimmy Choo’ company is surrounded by dynamic environment and it is crucial that the views of the employees taken into accounts as the company grow. Therefore, all employees are welcomed to give their opinions and come out with new ideas on their own. Training also being offered to the employees by Jimmy Choo Training and Development and it also does not stop even though someone is pregnant or do have childcare responsibilities.  Those employees never been assumed as not interested in promotion. Apart from that, appropriate training also being offered to each employee’s current responsibilities as well as those who need to keep their progress in the business towards achieving their potential.

OUTCOME-ORIENTED

HOWARD SHULTZ

Outcome-oriented means that they are more interested in the final outcome rather than going through a process. Even though the entrepreneurs with this trait are focusing more on the results but the process must be done with integrity.

For example, the entrepreneur with this personality is Howard Shultz. He is an American entrepreneur and the CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company, which is well-known as one of the largest coffee store chains in the world. Howard’s breakthrough towards his dream is not an easy one to achieve.

He was born on July 19, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. His family was literally too poor to put food on the table. Determined to build a better life for himself, Schultz channeled his energy into high school sports and earned an athletic scholarship to Northern Michigan University. He graduated with a bachelor degree in communications. Schultz started to notice a small Seattle company named Starbucks while he was at Hammerplast for a job trip. Starbucks was originally founded in 1971 as a single store. Starbucks sold freshly roasted gourmet coffee beans as well as teas, spices, and various coffee making accessories.

Gerard Baldwin and Gordon Bowker, the Starbucks owner was very impressed by Schultz’s energy and marketing skill. Both the owner of the Starbucks possesses very little business knowledge and they asked Shultz to become part of their operation. In 1982 Schultz joined Starbucks as head of its marketing and retail operations.

A year after that Schultz has learned the idea of opening a coffee bar in Seattle but the idea was rejected because Baldwin and Bowker were unwilling to move beyond the store’s core product offerings. Schultz left Starbucks in 1986 to open his own espresso bar. The venture was a hit but he needs more funding to expand the business. He was very lucky because a year later Baldwin and Bowker wished to sell their outlets. Schultz purchased the original Starbucks chain for $3.8 million and merged with his own.

Schultz set out to completely overhaul Starbucks according to his vision. He expanded Starbucks’ offering to include more exotic coffee beverages such as espresso, cappuccino, café latte, iced coffee and café mocha. The most radical change Schultz made was to improve the way of his company dealt with its employee. Schultz was sure enough that efficient service would boost sales, he instituted a training program designed to groom knowledgeable employees who would enjoy working behind a counter.

As a result of Schultz’s vision, Starbucks experienced unprecedented growth throughout the 1990s, blossoming from 425 stores in 1994 to more than 2200 store in 1998. With annual sales topping $1.7 billion in 1999, Starbucks Corp. reigned as the nation’s  number 1 specialty coffee retailer. Now Starbucks has more than 24000 stores in 70 countries.

OPEN CULTURE

SERGEY BRIN

Entrepreneur whom is concern about open culture is Sergey Brin. Ranking on number 20th on the Forbes List of Powerful People, number 13th on the Forbes 400 and on number 24th in the Forbes list of Billionaires, Sergey Brin, the Co-founder and Director of Special Projects at Google, is one of the most influential business magnates in the world and has proven so with his exceptional entrepreneurial skills.

He enrolled in the University of Maryland at College Park and graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in 1993. Brin then won a scholarship from the National Science Foundation and went to Stanford University where he studied computer science. He also did an internship at Wolfram Research. To continue with his studies, Brin went to Stanford again to do a PhD in computer science but left on a leave to work on his project that later became known to the world as Google.

Brin met Larry Page at Stanford during his PhD program at Stanford. They became good friends and found a common interest that led to the development of Google which was initially a research project. They made a search engine that gave out a list of results according to the popularity of the web pages. They derived the name ‘Google’ from a mathematical term ‘Googol’ which means a 1 followed by hundred zeroes. This name also reflected their goal to organize the vast amount of information under a single platform. They collected funds and investments from family and friends and on gaining a million dollars launched their company in 1998. Since that time Google has been the number one search engine. It is the most popular and most used search engine and over 200 million searches are conducted on it every day. Its headquarters are in the Silicon Valley where Brin and his partner Page continue to work on their brainchild in order to make it better and more advanced. Both colleagues share the responsibilities of the work as the director of Special Projects.

Google has been synonymous with culture for years, and sets the tone for many of the perks and benefits startups are now known for. Free meals, employee trips and parties, financial bonuses, open presentations by high-level executives, gyms, a dog-friendly environment and so on. Googlers are known to be driven, talented and among the best of the best.

As Google has grown and the organization has expanded and spread out, keeping a uniform culture has proven difficult between headquarters and satellite offices, as well as among the different departments within the company. The larger a company becomes, the more that culture has to reinvent itself to accommodate more employees and the need for management where Sergey Brin is always concern about open culture.

While Google still gets stellar reviews for pay, perks and advancement, there are also some employees who note growing pains that you’d expect from such a huge company, including the stress associated with a competitive environment. Hiring and expecting the best from employees can easily become a stressor if your culture doesn’t allow for good work-life balance.

Brin has been honoured with many awards for his immense contribution to the world for it is due to his efforts (along with Larry Page) that have literally changed the way the world works. He was one of the top 100 innovators in the world aged below 35. He got an honorary MBA for ‘embodying the entrepreneurial spirit and lending the momentum to the creation of new businesses’. .

FAILURE IS AN OPTION

PUAN FARIDAH ZAKARIA

Failure is a very bitter pill to swallow. If we take failure as a positive thing, it is not impossible for it in bringing success to our life. The example of the entrepreneur that making failure as an option is the Managing Director of Boutique Fareeda, Mrs. Faridah Zakaria. Her determination and strong will enable her comeback success.

Her determination to change the fate of the family makes her strive and never give up, and the result was born into the frenzy. Boutique Fareeda sells hijab in various patterns nowadays. She was born in Singapore but was raised in Penang. She began involving herself in the field of beauty and opened a beauty salon in Pulau Pinang. The business received no response and only lasted a year only. After the failure of her beauty salon business, she did not have any work to do and it put herself in pressure. She determined to find a way to support her family. She must do something to change the fate of the family, and she began dealing hijab from Dubai on a small scale.

She then got the idea to produce scarf with her own brand. That was the beginning of Fareeda hijab design which was inspired by her taste. She proved that it is not impossible to become success if we want to. When homemade hijab were made, many friends and relatives have the interest in it and starting to buy the hijab from her. She finally decided to open a business that sell hijab. At the beginning, she only used two sewing machines to sew the hijab. She struggled to finish the hijab ordered by her customers because the machine owned by her business is not enough.

She received hundreds of orders that need to be completed in a timely manner. She need to divide her time wisely as she has to spend her time with family as well as she need to sew the hijab and serve customers in the same time. She only sleeps two to three hours a day but she has a high level of discipline that enables her to become a successful businesswoman. She felt very lucky to have a husband who is very understanding and always encourage her to continue to expand her business.

Fareeda boutique has more than 100 employees and 300 dealers that sell almost 2000 hijabs every month, especially from the branch in Bangi, Selangor. Customers are willing to queue to get the hijab as the designs are limited. Every Fareeda hijab produced is limited in order to maintain the quality with the use of the best fabrics imported from abroad.