It is a personal struggle of their own, especially for “dadtrepreneurs”, as their business will only flourish if they give it the attention it needs. However, fathers who are entrepreneurs have a different mindset than others, because the true driving force behind their business is family.
For Mother’s Day this year, we took the opportunity to highlight some mothers who run their own simple businesses but are not usually in the spotlight. They may not be running chains of F&B outlets, or an online fashion empire; but they are entrepreneurs in their own right as they operate their business daily and take on the financial risks that come with it.
So this Father’s Day, we want to cast the spotlight on these 8 men who are not on billboards, magazines, or newspapers; however, regardless of the scale of their business, they are entrepreneurs, husbands, and fathers.
1. Wadi
Wadi runs a char kuew teow stall alongside his wife Zabidah, and the pair were seen manning the stall long before evening, when the crowd begins, at the Bazaar Ramadhan in USJ 4. Wadi, 34, is a father of 2 children and he has been running his business for a little over a year now.
The lack of customers might be a disappointment at times, but his joy and pride is when he has repeat customers who frequent his shop often to reorder food from him.
2. Ije
Ije, 30, runs his stall alongside his wife, Yan, 29, at the USJ 4 Bazaar Ramadhan, selling mixed dishes. They are a parent of one child aged 3, and have been running the business for an estimate of 5 years. This business of theirs is something they both chose to partake in after their marriage together, which is a sweet and loving decision to be partners in both marriage and business.
Their day is brighten up when they see plenty of customers forming a long line just to buy their meals and the best part is when they’ve completely sold out.
3. Mohd Jasmi
Jasmi, 41, runs his business at the USJ 4 Bazaar Ramadhan alongside his family and they sell 7 different types of flavoured drinks, from air bandung to chrysanthemum tea. The tough part of his job, he mentioned, wasn’t the selling—it’s the cleaning up after.
The father of 6 (age between 4-14) has to clean 7 huge drink containers at the end of every tiring day, but he added with a sneaky grin and a humour that hid his age well, “The best part is when I’m counting the money earned!”
4. Khairi
Khairi, 29, is a father of 2 and he mentioned that the hardest part about being an entrepreneur is the element of time. “My time with my family is less, when I hold this job”, he said, noting that he has to leave for work early and often comes home late. Hence time with his children, aged 2 and 6 months old, are a scarcity.
Still, he shares the best part of being an entrepreneur is the freedom of being one in the first place. All rewards earned are after all a direct representation of the efforts being put in, Khairi pointed out. He hopes that his children will have businesses of their own someday, and added, perhaps even a greater one than himself.
5. Mohd Hazim
Hazim, 64, runs his business selling bubur lambuk and kueh tepung pelita at the USJ 4 Bazaar Ramadhan and he has been doing it for the past 5 years. He has 5 children aged between the ages of 24 all the way up to the 30s.
His greatest obstacle is one that he cannot control—the weather. But no matter rain or shine, Hazim never fails to show up. His discipline and entrepreneurial spirit has certainly impacted the lives of his children, as one of his daughters also runs a F&B business of her own.
6. Rosli
Rosli, 53, has been in the business for the past 8 years, and only sells during the fasting period. Prior to USJ 4, he has been selling ayam golek percik at the SS18 area. Leveraging on this annual affair, he noticed that it is usually during the middle of the fasting month when production tends to drop.
“This will pick up again during the end of the month, this is a common process which is quite typical for the market,” he said hopefully. The father of 6, aged between 8-18 years old, hopes that his children will strive to excel in their studies.
7. Razman Bin Abdul Razak
Razman, 28, mans a pita kebab arab stall in the USJ 4 Bazaar Ramadhan, and he has been doing this for the past 4 years. “The best part of my job is being my own boss,” he said. He beamed the most when he spoke about his pride and joy—”1 son and another little one on the way”.
He hopes that he will inspire his kids to one day be businessmen themselves and earn a successful means of living.
8. Teh
Teh, 52, runs his own pau food truck in the Bandar Sunway area, and he has been doing this for a whopping 14 years thus far! The humble father of 5 sees his business as a necessity in order to provide for his family. “No working, no money,” he said with a smile, “So we must be hardworking.”
When times are hard during “slow” days, he keeps himself going purely with the motivation to provide for his family.
