Motivation Techniques for Young Entrepreneurs

by Leo Sun

As a young entrepreneur, it is easy to lose your way, to lose steam as motivation wanes. Failed products and poor sales can crush your spirit, and the loss of support from family and friends can cause you to doubt yourself. What are some ways young entrepreneurs can keep up their spirits and persevere in today’s cutthroat business environment?

Time is on Your Side

Just as financial advisers tell young investors, “Time is on your side.” When you’re young, you can take higher risks, such as buying up high-risk stocks and waiting a decade before selling. The same applies to small businesses. If you’re young and able, you have the luxury of failing and being able to pick yourself back up. You’re able to take risks that older businessmen simply can’t afford to take.

Don’t Look Before You Leap

Fear is a great motivational tool. If you want to start up a business, quit your day job. Transfer your life savings to a trusted family member, then tell them to withhold it from you. Once you’ve removed all your safety nets, you’re ready to leap. The greatest entrepreneurs have risen from desperation – and you’ll never truly feel desperate unless you lose your monthly income and access to your savings.

The Glass is Always Half Full

There’s simply no point in viewing the glass as half empty. Pessimists should not be entrepreneurs – they should try to make a living shorting stocks instead. A great motivational tool is to always look at the bright side – a cliche, for sure – but also one of the most important qualities of a motivated manager. Perhaps you botched a product release, and a competitor flattened you. It’s only a big deal if you didn’t learn anything from the costly lesson. It was worthwhile if you’re able to perform a thorough autopsy of your dead product to understand why it failed. Your product didn’t fail – rather, you were given an opportunity to see weaknesses which you couldn’t see earlier.

Relax!

Sometimes you just need to take a time out and relax. Put the world on pause, and put on your favorite CD. Go out for a cup of coffee, get a massage, and let your worries melt away for the day. Rushed and stressed managers often make terrible decisions. Taking a day off and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the workplace can help you come back to work with a fresh perspective on the current situation. Encourage your co-workers to take breaks, or hold meetings in outdoor, casual environments.

Reevaluate your Priorities

Sometimes our personal and professional lives get so fragmented that we lose sight of what’s important, and become creatures of habit and routine, rather than passion and motivation. Think of your mind as a hard drive desperately in need of defragmentation, where disassembled volumes are scattered carelessly about rather incoherent volumes. Meditation, exercises and prayer – depending on your personal preferences – can help center your spirit and allow you to see what’s truly important in your life.

Connect with Loved Ones

Our personal connections with family and friends are often sacrificed in the name of our careers. Reconnecting with friends and family can put us back in our place, motivating us to either try harder or to relax more. You might be earning a lot of money, but if you’ve become so alienated from the important people in your life, is all that cash worth it? It’s doubtful that you can stay motivated if no one is there to share your success.

Other Sources of Motivation

The key to staying motivated is simple – stay positive. Inspect yourself from time to time and ask yourself if you’re truly happy, and can stay positive. If you can’t, it’s time for a change.

What Motivates Entrepreneurs?

by Ryan May

Some entrepreneurs continuously struggle to bring a single idea or product to market while others seem to be able to do it almost effortlessly, time and again. Household names like Steve Jobs, who achieved a legendary level of success with Apple, Pixar and NeXT, serve as examples of these global business auteurs. But there are exponentially more men and women who successfully and continuously launch thriving businesses that may not achieve the same level of global recognition but remain highly profitable just the same.

How do they do it? Given the repeat success many enjoy, you can pretty much count luck out. And while a wide range of leadership abilities go into the mix, at the core is an innate drive toward success.

The greatest challenge for a serial entrepreneur is figuring out how to rekindle the initial hunger, passion and dedication that fueled their first venture. To do so, many surround themselves with connections who’ve supported them in the past, often leaning heavily on trusted partners for crucial financial, professional and emotional support. To continuously draw from these people, the entrepreneur must inspire an organic dedication among his or her followers.

Often viewed as optimistic and idealistic, the entrepreneur possesses a level of commitment and a vision that are easily observed. They’re inventive, aggressive, confident, tireless, highly (and often severely) competitive, and possess an intense level of focus. Entrepreneurs genuinely believe in what they’re doing and thereby inspire others toward the same goal. They typically place a high value on creativity and will take a calculated risk if they’re fairly certain they can sway the eventual outcome in their favor.

But what inspires such a fierce level of commitment?

Wealth

Money seems to be the common denominator among serial entrepreneurs. Taking a quick glance over a list of The World's Billionaires compiled by Forbes, a large percentage are entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Larry Ellison and Amancio Ortega. These men account for the top 1 percent of the world’s wealth and have achieved their standing as self-made entrepreneurs.

Intrinsic Motivation

Also known as the “entrepreneurial obsession,” intrinsic motivation is a term used to refer to the predisposition to work on something because it’s interesting, engaging, stimulating, satisfying or challenging on a personal level. This is in opposition to the larger set of people who are extrinsically motivated, driven by expected evaluation, supervision, competition or rewards. Entrepreneurs do what they do because they genuinely enjoy it. As a result, many serial entrepreneurs strive to create something that is both tangible and significant and will not pursue objectives they deem to be less of a challenge.

Social Responsibility

There is no guarantee on the success of any business startup, though the success rate of a serial entrepreneur would seem to argue with that fact. As mentioned above, those willing to risk both time and financial resources do so because they believe in what they’re doing. And with entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs or Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, we glimpse a desire to leave the world a better place by contributing innovations that improve the entrepreneur’s chosen field. These individuals, who may possess a nearly maniacal level of ambition, tend to provide products and services that strive to improve society and in the process leave a significant mark on the world – in short, a legacy.

Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun - Founder and controlling shareholder of Berjaya Group

WHILE Vincent Tan has handed over the reins of his sprawling Berjaya Group to his son Datuk Robin Tan, the elder Tan remains the man to watch next year, both on the corporate front and the sporting pages.

On Christmas day, the 61-year old billionaire bought himself  another football club in Europe,  this time Bosnian Premier League outfit FK Sarajevo. Media reports quoted Tan as saying that he intends to establish co-operation deals between  the club and his English  Premier League team Cardiff City FC.

The Bosnian acquisition was announced even as Tan continues to struggle to win back Cardiff fans’ waning adulation following his unpopular moves to change the club’s colours and recent treatment of its manager.

Observers have noted that the club would need to remain in the top flight of English football to ensure a successful listing on the stock market, as some reports have indicated.

The Berjaya Group’s sprawling business empire, which the elder Tan founded, saw two successful listings in 2013 – Caring Pharmacy Group Bhd  and its Mazda dealership  Berjaya Auto Bhd.

However, a plan to list Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd’s business trust in Singapore was aborted due to unfavourable market condition, while the proposal to sell shares in 7-Eleven chain operator Seven Convenience Bhd in Malaysia to the public had hit a snag.

These plans could be revived in 2014.Meanwhile,   there are other  possible initial public offerings  (IPOs) related  to the group being  bandied about in the market,  including the potential  listings of MOL Global Pte and IU Mobile Sdn Bhd.

Vincent Tan is the chairman of U Mobile.

Recently, he had roped in the Sultan of Johor to take up a 20% stake in Berjaya Times Square Sdn Bhd (BTSSB), the owner of Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur and prime properties in Johor Baru. The sale had raised some eyebrows as it had resulted in a loss to Berjaya Assets Bhd.

BTSSB is a unit of Berjaya Assets Bhd, in which Vincent Tan has a direct 49.88% stake, Bloomberg data showed.

He is no stranger to controversy and it will be interesting to watch how the “retired’ tycoon continues to play the game his way, on and off the field. – By Izwan Idris

Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun

Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun born in 1952 at Batu Pahat, Johor. Known simply as Vincent Tan, is a Malaysian businessperson and investor. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive of Berjaya Corporation Berhad, which is in a wide array of businesses which includes golfing, property, resorts, and gambling in a group known as the Berjaya Group.

In 2010, he entered the Forbes billionaire list with an estimated worth of US$1.3 billion (RM4.2 billion).Tan's success in the Malaysian business sector has been attributed in part to his close association with prominent Malay political figures.

In December 1980,Tan purchased Malaysia's McDonald's franchise and in 1985 he bought Sports Toto when the lottery agency was privatised by the government. Tan obtained the license for his lottery business from an non-tendered privatisation in 1985.

In 2010 Tan bought a controlling share in the Welsh football Premier League side Cardiff City Football Club and in 2013 Bosnian FK Sarajevo. Tan promised to spend £25m to help Cardiff City establish themselves in the Premier League, and publicly stated his interest in listing his 36.1% stake on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). An IPO (Initial Public Offering) would sell shares in Cardiff City to the public for the first time, in an attempt to gain capital to expand the business.

Top 4 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs

by Carmen

Do you think you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?  Becoming an entrepreneur takes a specific type of personality.  Fortunately, it’s the type of personality you can develop by working on yourself, growing, and learning how to express these traits.  Focus on the four top traits below and you’ll find yourself ahead of the pack.

An entrepreneur is a problem solver

An entrepreneur looks at a problem and knows it’s an opportunity.  That’s not a cliché talking.  A problem is literally an opportunity to get paid if you can be the one to solve it. Successful entrepreneurs make their name identifying problems without solutions, and providing those solutions. Every good product solves some sort of problem.  Even video games solve a problem—they provide a way for people to unwind after a stressful day and fulfill a fantasy.

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, your natural response to any given problem should always be to ask yourself how you can solve that problem.  Not who is to blame, not how that problem came to be—just how the problem can be solved.  Problem-solving becomes a habit.  As you become alert to problems with no solutions, you become alert to new ways to create, grow, develop, and innovate new products.  If you can marry this alertness to calculated action you will develop the instincts that you need to be an outstanding entrepreneur.

An entrepreneur takes calculated risks

Risk-adverse people don’t make very good entrepreneurs—but neither do extremely reckless people who leap first and look later.  Real entrepreneurs evaluate their potential risks.  They also know how to minimize the risks they need to take through hard work, dedication, and strategic planning.

When a risk goes bad an entrepreneur doesn’t waste a lot of time looking for someone to blame.  Instead a true entrepreneur analyzes what went wrong, learns from it, and moves on.

An entrepreneur is self-motivated

This is about more than simply being your own boss.  This is about more than simply being able to get up in the morning and get to work.  An entrepreneur is always capable of seeing a tomorrow that’s just a little bit better than today.  He’s not satisfied to just sit on his laurels and enjoy the fruits of his success.  He’s constantly looking forward—creating plausible plans to create more opportunities and find his next point of success.  An entrepreneur is also willing to push himself.  Last year’s success was fine, but this year’s success should reflect his growth.  He’s always coming up with some new project and looking for ways to make that project succeed.

An entrepreneur is confident

There’s not much room in the business world for self-doubt.  Fear can make you back away from projects that could be the key to your ultimate success.  Furthermore, the entrepreneur has to be in the business of convincing other people that his ideas are good.   Partners, investors, financing, creative structuring—it all depends on the entrepreneur’s ability to convince other people that they’re making a good bet when they team up with him.  If the entrepreneur isn’t sure about himself, how can anyone else be sure of him?

Corporate Entrepreneurship and its Importance in Large Companies

by Ryan May

Though its definition is somewhat contentious, the concept of corporate entrepreneurship is generally believed to refer to the development of new ideas and opportunities within large or established businesses, directly leading to the improvement of organizational profitability and an enhancement of competitive position or the strategic renewal of an existing business.

Within that system, the notion of innovation is at the very core of corporate entrepreneurship – the two inseparably bound together and responsible for driving calculated and beneficial risk-taking. Taking it one step further, corporate entrepreneurship may even significantly alter the balance of competition within an industry or create entirely new industries through this act of internal innovation.

Why should established organizations consider corporate entrepreneurship?

Corporate entrepreneurship is especially crucial for large companies, enabling these organizations – that are traditionally averse to risk-taking – to innovate, driving leaders and teams toward an increased level of corporate enterprising. In addition to the obvious benefits obtained through innovation, this approach also provides the organizational benefit of setting the stage for leadership continuity.

In a simpler view, corporate entrepreneurship can also be considered a means of organizational renewal. For in addition to its focus on innovation, there also exists an equal drive toward venturing. These two work in unison as the company undertakes innovations across the entire organizational spectrum, from product and process to technology and administration. In addition, venturing is a primary component in the process, pushing larger companies to enhance their overall competitiveness in the marketplace by taking bigger risks. Examples of these risks, as seen in a large-scale organization, may include: redefinition of the business concept, reorganization, and the introduction of system-wide changes for innovation.

Setting up the corporate entrepreneurship environment

In modern business, one of the primary tasks of the business leader is to foster an environment in which entrepreneurial thinking is encouraged and readily takes places. Promoting this culture by freely encouraging creativity (and thereby innovation), business leaders motivated toward corporate entrepreneurship must continuously strive to exude and build trust, embracing the risk to fail and inspiring those around them to take similar calculated risks.

But there is more to an environment of corporate entrepreneurship than simply inciting inspiration. It also relies heavily on a system of continuous analysis and feedback, potentially including the following two steps:

Step 1

Set a broad direction for achievement, reevaluating it periodically for any new information that may have surfaced in regard to changes in the business environment, including competitive products and markets in which the firm is operating. Constant evaluation is essential at this stage as even the most finely-tuned direction can still lead to catastrophic failure if the approach is no longer working.

Step 2

Reinforce efforts across the entire organization that coincide with the current plan for achievement. The task of a leader or senior manager is often that of the analyst, continuously promoting strategy while making adjustments based on their beliefs related to organizational goals and the feedback they receive from business units. As these business units continue to experiment with existing products and services, as well as innovate and develop new ones, senior executives can magnify the stated goals to reinforce those business unit initiatives and thereby achieve the highest degree of success.

Contribution of Syed Mokhtar

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MUSLIM EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

Although he enjoys his success as the nation’s number one bumiputera conglomerate ‎figure, he has not forgotten his responsibility to help his Muslim brethrens. For this ‎purpose, the Yayasan al_Bukhary was established in March 1996 to help the poor, ‎particularly in the area of education. Until today, Yayasan al-Bukhary has spent more than RM300 million for religious, cultural ‎and educational activities. The foundation not only provides aid to people of this country, ‎but also countries that are members in the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).‎ Among the biggest projects ever conducted was the construction of the Kompleks al-‎Bukhary costing RM400 million in Kedah. The complex is a centre complete with facilities ‎including a mosque, medical centre, community centre, housing for orphans, a special ‎academy of the elderly and an institution of higher education. ‎ 

This foundation also created the International Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur, at a ‎cost of RM100 million. This four-storey building is the first museum in Asia Pacific that ‎showcases Islamic works of art. Yayasan al-Bukhary also built 16 mosques all over the ‎world. ‎

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

Prior to 2000, Yayasan Al-Bukhary donated about RM7.75 million to Oxford Centre for ‎Islamic Studies, a world-renowned centre of Islamic studies. And starting from November ‎‎2007, Yayasan Al-Bukhary will sponsor 28 more students to study at the International ‎Islamic University Malaysia. Yayaan Al-Bukhary is also involved with the Al-Bukhary International University’s ‎construction project in Kedah, which costs RM500 million. It will cater to 3,000 students ‎of whom 70 percent are foreign students fully sponsored by the foundation by 2009. Last 6 September, Yayasan Al-Bukhary donated AS$1 million to the Lebanese ‎Humanitarian Fund in order to lessen the burden suffered by people of that country, who ‎are victims of Israel’s atrocity. ‎Besides that, this foundation also helps non-Islamic based organisations. For example, around RM1 million was donated by the foundation for the Langkawi ‎Project, an effort spearheaded by the MCA, in the area of education, particularly in ‎providing scholarships to financially needy students from rural areas.

Syed Mokhtar (Yayasan al-Bukhary)

Objektif penubuhan Yayasan al-Bukhary

Yayasan al-Bukhary ditubuhkan pada Mac 1996 sebagai badan kebajikan yang berperanan membantu golongan miskin, menyokong perkembangan seni dan budaya Islam dan juga menggalakkan persefahaman antara peradaban। Antara objektif utama Yayasan al-Bukhary adalah menggalakkan persaudaraan sesama Islam. Yayasan ini terdiri daripada dua buah bahagian. Satu bahagian menjalankan kerja-kerja kebajikan manakala satu bahagian lagi menguruskan penyaluran dana daripada setiap syarikat yang mana Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar ada kepentingan di dalamnya.

Sehingga kini, Yayasan al-Bukhary membelanjakan lebih RM300 juta bagi aktiviti keagamaan, kebudayaan dan pendidikan। Selain itu juga, Yayasan al-Bukhary hanya membiayai pelajar miskin. Antara inisiatif yang dilakukan adalah membiayai pelajar Muslim miskin dari serata ASEAN supaya belajar di Malaysia.

Projek-projek utama Yayasan al-Bukhary

Antara projek terbesar yang sedang dijalankan adalah pembinaan Kompleks al-Bukhary yang bernilai RM400 juta di Kedah yang dijangka siap pada akhir tahun 2004। Kompleks itu kelak memainkan peranan sebagai kompleks yang lengkap dengan pelbagai kemudahan seperti masjid, pusat perubatan, pusat komuniti, rumah anak yatim, akademi khas bagi warga tua dan pusat pengajian tinggi.

Antara projek besar yang disiapkan adalah Muzium Kesenian Islam Malaysia di Kuala Lumpur yang bernilai RM100 juta। Muzium empat tingkat itu adalah muzium pertama di rantau Asia Pasifik yang memaparkan hasil seni Islam. Yayasan al-Bukhary juga membina 12 buah masjid di serata negara.Sumbangan dalam bidang pendidikan

Pada tahun 2000, Yayasan al-Bukhary mendermakan sejumlah RM7।75 juta kepada Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, iaitu pusat pengajian Islam yang terkenal di serata dunia. Yayasan al-Bukhary juga kini sedang membantu Institut Pembangunan Pendidikan Maju (MIED) dalam projek bagi mengasaskan Institut Perubatan, Sains dan Teknologi Asia (AIMST) di Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Selain itu, Yayasan al-Bukhary juga sering mengadakan dialog peradaban bagi menggalakkan toleransi dan persefahaman antara masyarakat berbilang agama dan kepercayaan.

Penglibatan Yayasan al-Bukhary dalam projek yang dimulakan oleh bukan Islam juga terserlah। Walaupun Yayasan al-Bukhary lebih menekankan kepada projek kebajikan yang bercirikan Islam, ia tetap menyumbang kepada projek yang dijalankan oleh organisasi bukan Islam. Contohnya, Yayasan al-Bukhary menyumbang sebanyak RM satu juta bagi Projek Langkawi, iaitu projek yang dimulakan oleh MCA bagi mengumpul dana bagi menjalankan projek pendidikan di luar bandar dan juga memberi biasiswa kepada para pelajar yang kurang mampu.

Tan Sri Syed adalah usahawan Bumiputera yang terkaya di Malaysia dengan kekayaan yang bernilai RM1।67 bilion.

Syed Mokhtar (Perniagaan)

Mula berniaga

Pada tahun 1970-an, perniagaan binatang ternakan bapanya mengalami kemerosotan ekoran tercetusnya wabak kaki dan mulut . Wabak itu merebak ke seluruh Selatan Thailand, Kedah dan Perlis. Semua binatang ternakannya mati begitu sahaja. Sejak itu, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar mengambil alih perniagaan bapanya dan membuat keputusan untuk tidak lagi melibatkan diri dalam bidang penternakan. Beliau mula menjual daging secara kecil-kecilan.

Sebenarnya, Beliau pergi dari pekan ke pekan di sekitar Alor Setar bagi membeli daging yang tidak terjual. Beliau kemudiannya membungkus daging itu bersama ais dan menjualnya kembali kepada peniaga Bumiputera dan restoran-restoran di sekitar Alor Setar. Beliau berjaya dalam perniagaan itu. Kejayaan itu menambahkan keyakinan beliau bagi memajukan diri dalam dunia perniagaan.

Daripada perniagaan menjual daging, beliau beralih pula kepada perniagaan pengangkutan. Pada tahun 1972, beliau berjaya mendapat permit bagi empat buah lori Kelas A. Beliau mendapat bantuan pinjaman sebanyak RM110,000 daripada pihak MARA yang digunakannya bagi membeli dua buah lori Mercedes 911LS.

Sebenarnya, seorang peniaga Cina menawarkan sejumlah wang bagi baki dua permit yang tidak digunakannya. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar enggan dan menyerahkan permit itu kembali kepada MARA. Selepas membeli dua buah lori itu, Tan Sri Syed membuka syarikat pengangkutan yang dinamakan Syarikat Pengangkutan Sentosa dan melantik kerani Cina sebagai pengurus syarikatnya itu.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menggunakan lori-lorinya bagi memulakan perniagaan beras. Syarikat Kenderaan Sentosa masih wujud sehingga ke hari ini dan memiliki lebih daripada 40 buah lori.

Menubuhkan syarikat

Pada tahun 1974, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar membeli rumah kedainya yang pertama di Jalan Telok Wan Jah di bawah perjanjian sewa beli dengan UDA atau Perbadanan Kemajuan Bandar.

Seterusnya, pada tahun 1975, beliau menubuhkan Syarikat Shah dan memohon lesen perdagangan beras daripada Lembaga Padi Negara yang kini dikenali sebagai Bernas. Tuah ayam nampak di kaki, tuah manusia siapa yang tahu. Dia berjaya mendapat kontrak bagi membekalkan beras ke pihak FELDA, MARA Senama, Pernas Edar dan juga Sergam Sdn. Bhd., iaitu anak syarikat Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri Johor.

Selepas berjaya dengan Syarikat Shah, beliau menubuhkan syarikat usaha sama dengan dua orang peniaga Cina, iaitu Ng Ghiak Gee dan Chua Chong Tan. Ghiak Gee adalah pedagang beras manakala Chong Tan pula pengilang beras.

Dalam syarikat usaha sama itu, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar memegang 52 peratus kepentingan manakala Ghiak Gee dan Chong Tan masing-masing 32 peratus dan 16 peratus. Perniagaan usaha sama yang diberi nama Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. itu memulakan operasinya pada 15 Julai 1976, di pejabatnya di Jalan Telok Wan Jah.

Perniagaan terus berkembang

Daripada beras, beliau kemudiannya mengembangkan perniagaannya kepada komoditi lain, iaitu gula. Ini masih dijalankan sehingga ke hari ini melalui Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. Pendapatan tahunan Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. kini mencecah RM250 juta.

Setahun selepas Bukhary Sdn Bhd. memulakan operasinya, beliau menubuhkan Bukhary (KL) Sdn. Bhd. pada tahun 1977. Syarikat itu ditubuhkan khas bagi mendapatkan kontrak kerajaan yang pada masa itu banyak ditawarkan kepada usahawan Bumiputera. Operasi Bukhary (KL) Sdn. Bhd. dijalankan di rumah kedai empat tingkat di Jalan Pahang yang juga dibeli melalui perjanjian sewa beli dengan UDA. Usahanya membuahkan hasil lagi.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar diberikan kontrak bagi membekalkan beras, teh, tepung coklat, tepung susu dan juga minyak sapi kepada kerajaan . Bahagian bawah pejabatnya diubah suai menjadi pusat pembungkusan.

Apabila beliau mendapat kontrak pembekalan itu, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menubuhkan Susu Mas Sdn Bhd. pada tahun 1979. Syarikat itu juga adalah syarikat usaha sama di antara dirinya yang memegang 51 peratus kepentingan dengan New Zealand Milk Products yang memegang saham selebihnya. Produk Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd. dipasarkan di bawah jenama Fernleaf dan Anchor.

Pada pertengahan tahun 80-an, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menjual kepentingannya dalam Susu Mas Sdn Bhd. ekoran kemelesetan ekonomi.

Pada tahun 1978, beliau dijemput menyertai delegasi perdagangan ke Ekso Perdagangan Canton, China. Semasa berada di China, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menjalankan sistem barter, iaitu menukarkan kokonya dengan teh dari China. Cuma bezanya sistem barter zaman sekarang dijalankan secara besar-besaran atau pukal.  Contohnya, menukarkan 1 tan minyak sawit dengan 1 tan minyak mentah.

Perniagaan pakaian

Selepas mengembangkan perniagaannya bermula daripada bidang komoditi ke pengangkutan, pembungkusan dan barter, beliau kemudiannya melangkah kepada sektor pembuatan. Ini ekoran kejayaannya mendapat kontrak membuat pakaian seragam tentera bagi pihak Kementerian Pertahanan. Kontrak itu adalah bagi membekalkan pihak tentera dengan 120,000 pasang kasut dan 330,000 pasang pakaian seragam. Apabila berjaya mendapat kontrak itu, beliau mula mencari pembekal. Pada mulanya, beliau membeli secara terus daripada pengilang.

Selepas membeli daripada pengilang, beliau kemudiannya membuat keputusan menubuhkan dua buah syarikat, iaitu Amtek Holdings bagi mengeluarkan kasut dan Oriental Garments Uniform Division bagi mengeluarkan pakaian.  Oriental Garments Uniform Division adalah syarikat usaha sama dengan Oriental Garment yang berpusat di Seberang Prai.

Apabila Amtek Holdings disenaraikan di Papan Kedua Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 1998, beliau menggunakan wang penyenaraian yang diperolehnya bagi membeli Spark Manshop dan hak bagi mengeluarkan dan memasarkan pakaian berjenama Crocodile. Kini, anak syarikat Amtek Holdings mengeluarkan kasut tentera (Amtek Shoes) dan pakaian berjenama Lee Coopers dan Lois (Amtek Garments Sdn. Bhd.) bagi pasaran eksport.

Perniagaan perkapalan

Tidak cukup dengan perniagaan pakaian, beliau juga bergiat dalam perniagaan perkapalan. Beliau menubuhkan Bukhari Shipping dan mendaftarkannya dengan pihak Perbendaharaan. Bukhari Shipping bertindak sebagai broker kapal di bawah polisi CABOTAGE. Melalui Bukhari Shipping, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar membeli sebuah kapal buatan Jerman yang berusia 28 tahun pada harga USD1 juta.

Kapal yang diberi nama Angsa Mas itu digunakan bagi mengangkut beras dari Thailand ke Sabah dan Sarawak. Walau bagaimanapun, perniagaan itu mengalami kerugian yang menyebabkan beliau terpaksa menjual kapalnya pada harga USD600,000, iaitu rugi sebanyak USD400,000 (USD1 juta - USD600,000).

Pada masa yang sama, beliau mula mem*sensored*tkan diri dalam sektor pembangunan hartanah. Beliau membeli beberapa bidang tanah di Alor Setar dan memulakan beberapa projek perumahan di bawah syarikat Bukhary Development.

Penglibatan dalam projek penswastaan

Beliau terlibat dalam projek penswastaan Johor Port Sdn Bhd. dan Johor Tenggara Oil Palm Sdn.Bhd. Beliau membeli Johor Port melalui tender pada harga RM330 juta. Johor Tenggara OilPalm Sdn. Bhd. pula dibelinya pada harga RM135 juta. Melalui Johor Port Sdn. Bhd., beliau menjayakan projek Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas.

Kini, Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas semakin maju hingga mereka berjaya meyakinkan dua buah syarikat perkapalan antarabangsa, iaitu Maersk Sealand dari Denmark dan Evergreen Marine dari Taiwan supaya berpindah dari Pelabuhan Singapura ke Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas.

Projek penswastaan ketiganya adalah penswastaan air yang mana beliau menubuhkan Equiventure Sdn Bhd., iaitu syarikat usaha sama di antara syarikatnya, Kembangan Dinamik dan Pilecon Bhd. serta syarikat Perancis, Oneo. Pegangan Kembangan Dinamik dalam syarikat itu adalah sebanyak 49 peratus.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Al-Bukhary is the richest Bumiputra corporate figure in Malaysia. With involvement in diversified business areas which include transportation and logistics, plantations, property development, defense and armory as well as engineering and power generation, he has a net worth estimated to be US$2.75 billion according to Forbes, makinghim the 8th richest Malaysian.

Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary the third of seven children born into a middle-low class of Hardhrami Arab ancestry.  His father was a trader who had travelled to Central Asia and Thailand in his youth before settling down in Kedah during the 1940s. When Syed Mokhtar was nine years old, he was sent to Johor Bahru to live with his uncle Syed Omar where he studied until Form 2. He subsequently returned to Kedah to finish his education until form five at Saint Michael's School, and he never went to university. A whole lot of his knowledge and experience was gained through his own entrepreneurship experience during his youth time.

Due in part his family's mediocre-to-poor background,  Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary had to step into the working world in his early life, while pursuing his primary and secondary studies. Syed Mokhtar helped his mother planting and selling vegetables in the market and also selling roti canai. His numeric knowledge was used tohelp his father in doing daily book keeping.

After finishing school, Syed Mokhtar helped his father in breeding cow business but only to see the business washed away by foot and mouth disease. Nevertheless, he took over the businessand start over by selling meats. He then move on to packaging the meats and start selling them wholesale.

Syed Mokhtar and Zainal started his business in Kedah in the 1990s dealing in rice. More success followed and he moved to rice trading business. He worked even harder after he was awarded the rice trading license from Lembaga Padi Negara, and was later awarded successions of supplier contract government-linked corporations as partner with Zainal Hatim Hj Ambia Bukhary. 

As his determination starting to skyrocket, he quickly moved to expand into diversification of other businesses. His next big move was in the logistics business, with initial goal to transport their trading materials. Today, his business empire has grown into areas such as plantation, property development, construction, engineering, power generation, infrastructure and ports.

He owns 51.8% share in Malaysian Mining Corporation via his wholly owned company, Syarikat seaport terminal (johore) sdn bhd,a subsidiary company Syarikat Indra Cita Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal Hatim personally owns SKS Ventures, which was awarded the task ofbuilding the site for 2100MW coal-fired power station at Tanjung Bin, Johor. Tan Sri Syed Mohktar has a 32% share in PERNAS through his own company, Syarikat Ratu Jernih. SyarikatPerdana Padu Sdn. Bhd. and Corak Kukuh Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal are board members of Syarikat Bina Puri Holdings Berhad, whereby, on his own, he has 7.34% share. Apart from these, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal has varied interest in a number of companies, both in Malaysia as well as abroad.