By CT Hj Mahmod
Pengiran Dato Haji Abu
Bakar meeting the Chinese delegation yesterday.
Despite the challenges of a
sluggish economy and an unstable market climate, the young
entrepreneurs of Brunei Darussalam still have much optimism
coursing through their veins. Instead of seeing this as an
obstacle, they view the current situation as an opportunity to
learn valuable lessons from.
This a view echoed by the Young
Entrepreneurs Association of Brunei, which believes that, 'in
every challenge there is an opportunity to be gained'.
One such optimistic local
entrepreneur is Fauziah Dato Talib, CEO of Indah Sejahtera
Development and Services Sdn Bhd (ISDS). She explained that one
of the ways to survive in the intense competitive business world
was to look within their company and try to work creatively.
Fauziah Dato Talib emphasised
to the Bulletin that, "We are not griping, we are still
going forward and that is the quality of an entrepreneur at the
end of the day.
"Challenges are there, we
are not saying they should not be there, they will always be
there, every country faces challenges. It is just the make up of
the culture and people within that country that makes a
difference. At the end of the day, it is how one deals with
those challenges."
This will be the basis during
the upcoming one-and-a-half day 'Young Entrepreneurs
International Conference', which will be held April 8 till 10.
The theme for the conference is 'Sustainable Development Through
Entrepreneurship'.
Since its inception nearly
three years ago during Apec 2000, the Young Entrepreneurs
Association of Brunei (YEAB) which has had a history of active
participation with relevant government bodies to foster
entrepreneurial skills by conducting seminars and workshops,
will mark another milestone by hosting the first-ever Young
Entrepreneurs International Conference in Brunei, which will see
young entrepreneurs from across the Asia-Pacific region under
one roof.
In her role as the treasurer of
YEAB, Fauziah Dato Talib went on to explain that the conference
will highlight certain areas of concern that will focus more on
discovering avenues to overcome challenges and identifying the
opportunities that lie in them.
She explained that the topic of
discussion will centre on lessons that have not been learnt and
why companies fail.
"Failing to fail is one
thing, but going to fail is another. Although some of us
questions why we are failing, maybe there is a point where we
can actually say to ourselves, maybe we have not failed yet,
maybe there is enough time to put the brakes on and change our
strategy," she stated.
One topic of interest for
entrepreneurs will be the first session entitled 'In to Win -
Achieving Success as an Entrepreneur' that will be delivered by
Mr Evan Carmichael, from Redasoft Corporation, Canada.
His talk will focus on the
usual pitfalls of companies that failed, and basically how to
look at different areas to ensure that entrepreneurs can get out
of the pitfalls or to ensure entrepreneurs will not repeat it
when undertaking other entrepreneurial ideas.
International speakers will be
flown in, including Mr Dean Cooper, Director of Sapphire Venture
Management and Consulting Services, USA and New Zealand, who
will deliver a talk on 'Branding Yourself to Achieve Your
Entrepreneurial Dream'. The talk will highlight how to be able
to project yourself to the public with focus on the essence of
being an entrepreneur.
Four panellists from leading
investment entities will also be there, such as Mr Robert
Miller, CEO of Brunei Financial Offshore Centre, Shiekh
Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed, Director of Industrial Promotion and
Tourism Department, Mr John Perry, CEO of Brunei Economic
Development Board, and Hj Razali Hj Yusof, Deputy Acting
Director General, Department of Economic Planning &
Development.
Currently, some 80 delegates
have registered for the event. They mostly comprise local
financial institutions such as IDBB, which has a small and
medium enterprise centre, members from the Chambers of Commerce,
and consulates from Embassies in Brunei who are trying to
strengthen trade bilateral relationship.
According to Fauziah Dato Talib,
who strongly rebukes the belief that there is "no spirit
among the local entrepreneurs", said that the spirit of
entrepreneurship has always been around. Bruneians just did not
have the knowledge of what steps to take next, without feeling
they are in the wrong place.
"If you want to see the
spirit of local entrepreneurs, come to conference," she
said.
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