"Success is a journey, not a destination

Assalamualaikum....

It's been months since I last blog an entry. I've thought of abandon it but somehow or rather, I wish to type an entry today. It's a summarize one.

21st months of togetherness.
Today, 19 of August 2008, marked our 21st monthsary. 4 more months and my relationship with Irwan turns 2 years old. It is so fast that sometimes I lost track of the number of months we are together. After a year, we tend to looking forward to the number of years instead of months. For 21 months, no break-ups no patch up. Still together no matter how huge the arguement is. I still do not know what makes me still holding on to him but all I know, I'm in loving with him every single day.

Year 3, Semester 1 reflection
I feel that I did not gain any new or special things during this year semester 1 school years. Since I changed class everyday, I hardly get to know my classmates. Almost 70% of of classmates, I totally forget their names the next lesson I come. To make it worst, sometimes I really forget what class I am in on that day. I have entered the wrong class before. Even for the last few lessons. And, I only remember one facilitator name, which is my supportive Marketing faci, Mr Lim. The rest, I totally don't bother to remember. I've argued with facilatators this year because I hated the say she phrase what she wants to say to me. I felt that I never talked to her nicely, even a short goodbye.

My team and I felt that we did not do well in FYP1 due to failure in time management. We only commited ourselves fully, 2 weeks before the submission DEAD-line. We had a thought that if one of us fail, we repeat our semester together. And we are already prepared for the worst, which is saving up money till 1.2k for the school fee if we had to repeat one more semester for FYP1.

This semester in school seems really pathetic till Carmelia & I felt that we should not sit in the class anymore.

deMetamorphosis Business
deMetamorphosis (http://demetamorphosis.multiply.com) has turned 5 months old since it opens on 1st March 2008. The business outcome is way better than our first food business, Simply Irrizestable. We learn from our mistakes and correct it. We love making mistakes because we learn new things and gain new opportunity in every mistakes we made. And that's how we improved ourselves and the business we are fully commited to.

There's ups and downs in this business, we do lose money and make money. Money is a game, but few people dare to play it. We do have late delivery of items due to restocking or supplier slow response. Fortunately, we did not received any huge complains from our customers.

We have taken part in 3 big events:
- Science Centre (Staffs day)
- Tampines East CC
- Kampung Fiesta at Arab Street ( advertise in Berita Minggu)

We failed in the Science Center event due to the location. Our sales barely reached $50.00. This was due to location. We improve slightly in Tampiness East CC event. Sales reached nearly $200.00. However, there wasn't large crowd. Finally, in our third event, sales reached $1K for a big 3 days event. This was a success because of location, timing, marketing, pricing, target customers and joint venture with other online business owners. It was a great learning journey of an online business to an offline one.

What touches me the most is that our customers who had purchased our stuff online before, asked where am I during the event itself. I am thrilled that they even remembered my name. I was not there on the full day event due to work and etc. However, I thank my best friends, Carmelia & Su for conducting the event smoothly with me not around.

We met new people, experience business owners and self-employed. On one of the event, there's a ceramah on a man who used to be a millionaire now bankrupt. However, he managed to climb back on track with just $400 in his hand. I felt that everyone can be financially dependent and free but they just failed to think big.


The Big Dream
Where can I learn the knowledge I gained carrying out this business in school? If there is, I learn to forget because in learning we can only remember 10% of what we read. Just take a look at the Learning Pyramid below:


I really felt that I obviously remember what I learn by doing it. Don't laugh at an university graduate if he/she had forgotten Primary 6 Maths. When I tutored Primary 6 Maths early this year, I stumbled because I totally forgot the formula.

It's not that the education system here is not good but it is our own responsibility to go beyond what we have learn in school. Education is a life-long journey remember?

My business partner, Carmelia and I do have big dreams. Once in a while, we do feel that we cannot achieve that dream because it seems impossible or we are not capable to realize the dream.

Our big dreams are:
- To achieve financial freedom by age 35 years old
- To make deMetamorphosis internationally known brand
- To set up franchises in Singapore, then to Asia, finally Western countries like Australia
- To bring up the name of Muslims Malay business, globally
- To introduce latest fashion of Muslimah apparels and accessories
- To help the less unfortunate by charity work beside donating more money
- To create more job opportunities
- By the age of 40 plus, we wish to set up a well-known private business school for pratical business experience like the show The Appretiance, Donald Trump.

Prada, LV, Gucci and etc are internationally well known women fashion product brand. Why can't we be like them too?

Everytime we have negative thinking, we read business books by experience business owners.
And we have time to reflect what we had read and the experience we gain so far. We know we cannot quit and cannot afraid to lose. If we lose, we must get up back again. We must win this game.

The ending
I shall end off this previous entry with a qoute:
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland

Salam,
Rohani