15th May - Young Brunei entrepreneurs ready to prove themselves

Bandar Seri Begawan, Sun: They are young, they are smart, they are business-savvy and they are in the money. Or rather they will be because of the three factors. Meet Brunei young entrepreneurs who for the last month have been busy brainstorming, networking and organizing themselves during weekly meetings, albeit with regular caffeine buzzes in between, so that they can capably chart the economic passage of the country. These dynamic young people fully intend to make an impact and they know that the one and only way this can be achieved is with one voice, hence, the first ever Young Entrepreneurs Association of Brunei, which goes by the acronym "YEAB".

YEAB has not been launched but it will be on May 20 in conjunction with a National Seminar On Young Entrepreneurs at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. In the meantime Lils Management Services and Business Service Center Lisa binte Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim who is the pro-tem chairman and her "A" team, Syarikat Perusahaan Gunung Intan managing director Frances Lo as vice-president, Bright Future Marketing Services managing proprietor Albert Tan as secretary and KS Tan of New Island Corporation as treasurer. The "A" team continues with Great Eastern Life agent. Gwendolyn tan as assistant secretary, ISDS executive director Fauziah Dato Talib as assistant secretary and legal practitioner Dr Colin Ong as the executive committee member. Every Saturday afternoon for the last 30-odd days, the seven of them have been congregating around a large, oval table at Lisa's cozy office to lay down the groundwork for the formation of the association. Downing a lot of coffee and munching on biscuits keep the conversation flowing and a multitude of ideas bouncing off the walls. Unfortunately, the coffee beans do not have the same effect on everybody, KS Tan or "Keng Soo" to the crowd, claimed it made him drowsy whereas the bright-eyed Fauziah pronounced a buzz after waking up to the smell it, metaphorically-speaking of course.

While they jokingly said that it was a combination of Lisa's aromatic coffee and scrumptious biscuits that dragged them there every week, one knows better than to believe them. The fact alone that vice-president Frances tied the nuptial knot 24 hours before the interview took place and yet managed to make the way to both the YEAB meeting before the interview and the interview itself was enough to send a strong message across. Underlying the constant banter and barrage of jibes, their commitment to this pioneer project is unquestionable and this becomes more evident as the interview progresses. After initial few minutes of uneasy silence, nervous giggling and finger pointing as to which one of them should speak first, theirs answers are both rapid and fluid.

KS Tan, whose disposition for humor makes him one of the most popular in the group, disposed of many funny bones and said he hoped that the association would be instrumental to creating the right environment for a young entrepreneur can run a business successfully. "I also hope that this will in turn have a positive effect on the country's economy because the YEAB is striving for a constructive outcome on the economy. We want to be pro-active rather than reactive. "Of course, we want YEAB to benefit the immediate members but it should benefit the society as a whole," he said. "Fauziah piped in that YEAB would "challenge existing norms" by showing people businesses in Brunei were run differently from how they perceived. "There is a perception that businesses in Brunei do not run as efficiently as they but we want to show them that work optimally. This can work for members of YEAB because we have different skills, experience, certificate of competency and we share these resources. When you take all the back with you and channel it to your organization, it will be more successful," she stated. Albert said receiving all this knowledge has helped him with his business at a when he has lost focus. He said that for one year the effects of the regional economic crisis had made it difficult for him to fulfill Bright Future Marketing Services' primary tasks to market products for the insurance because the industry was going through a trying patch. However, in the last one month, the YEAB gang has immediately gave him a clearer picture on the scope of his business thus raising his confidence level and making him feel more upbeat about the future.

All of them agree that being around one another has a positive effect on them individually. Fauziah said that she wished that the YEAB had been around when she first came back from abroad and was feeling rather displaced. "When I first came back, had one foot in the door, and one foot out of the door, gave myself " a two years contract" to stay in Brunei and for one year my company was sort of drifting but now I feel better about things and clued -on about the direction in which it is headed," she said. She also said that it was both reassuring and heartening to know that they were supportive of each other's business activities and one such example was the E-Commerce seminar her company was organizing this coming Thursday which the rest of them had agreed to attend. Another point of consensus is the fact that being young entrepreneur was no easy simply because "no one knows who you are" and having an association would assist in them gaining recognition.

Describing the YEAB as a "University Students Council," Gwendolyn said YEAB would serve to function as a "support network for young entrepreneurs and show them it did no matter if they were not known at first because brighter days could lie ahead. "We have all been through this struggle and we know what it is like to make debut appearance in the Brunei market. We want YEAB to be an association through which they see that they have some kind of future," she said. Lisa said it would help young entrepreneurs both professionally and personally. Fauziah said that the association would be able to speak on behalf of all the young entrepreneurs in Brunei while Dr Ong added that it would be a "focal point" through which they could ready themselves to adhere to the Asean Free Trade Area and World Trade Organization requirements when they came into force. "We want to ensure that young entrepreneurs here command a position international marketplace by ensuring that their standard and competency levels are up to pars," Dr Ong stated. Tan quipped that YEAB was also created young entrepreneurs would have some influence in the government when it came to the policy-making matters for business. The group thinks that it is great that everyone comes from a different business background because of the "networking" and "connecting" prospects and the chance to share operating strategies. Gwendolyn said that their participation in YEAB had shown that no matter what kind of business you did because ultimately operating a business successfully ran on a strand of strategies, which were essentially the same.

Albert, Lisa and Fauziah were enthusiastic about the fact that the networking and connecting could manifest into joint ventures, mergers, strategic alliances and other types of mutually-beneficial business relationship. "We have never work together before and it is great that we have been given this chance. Many of us did not even know each before this but we have learnt to work well together," she said. She also said YEAB was an organization which has no barriers in terms of culture, creed, language or religion. "Business is about learning how to survive. We don't need any language to get that across. The question is here not about whom the person is; rather it is about what he or she can get out of the association.

"There is no question about status or rank. Everyone is welcome," Frances added. Those interested in finding more about the YEAB can attend the National seminar (Young Entrepreneurs at the Industry and Primary Resources on May 20. The association has also organized a logo design competition. The deadline is May 21.