CAMPUS ALOR GAJAH, MALACCA FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES

ETR 300 ENTREPENEURSHIP

TITLE:

Success Story of Azhar Ainual Jasmi

PREPARED BY: MOHD IZZUDDIN BIN MOHD IKBAL (2008245716) PREPARED FOR: MR. ZAINUDDIN

Success Story of Azhar Ainual Jasmi Managing Director AJ Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd

NAME: Ainual Azhar Jasmi AGE: 47 years ORIGIN: Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan POSITION: Managing Director AJ Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd EDUCATION: Diploma in Agricultural Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) (1981-1983), Bachelor of Food Technology, UPM (1984-1988) WIFE: Rokiah Hashim CHILDREN: Nurul Syahidah (20); Maisarah (19), Mohd Hafiz Syamil (14) and Amirah (10)

Refusal is often considered a negative and easy to make someone upset. But if the contemplated returning, there's the wisdom behind every event, but sometimes more hidden advantages. Thirteen years ago, the Kuala Pilah born, Ainual Azhar Jasmi was working with a sauce manufacturing company owned by a Bumiputera had suggested to his employer to introduce a mayonnaise product. He was confident that the product can go further in the future and become a popular Malaysian food. At the time, mayonnaise was not very popular and was considered as the food of people from the West. When he proposed his employer to produce a mayonnaise product, his proposal was denied by his employer as his employer did not dare to explore new markets for such products. That event made him strengthens his passion to work on his own. He quit his job and started doing research and development (R & D) to produce the product before completing the product two years later. According to him, paving the way for it is not easy to develop products that have not been identified. Making mayonnaise is not an easy task. For making new products, we have to have knowledge, understanding and techniques for making new products. To get more exposure on the technique of making mayonnaise, he went to Germany for almost a month. Upon his arrival there, he found that the technology used mayonnaise producers in that country is too high. He was looking for methods of processing that does not involve high investment. With his determination, he was able to reduce costs through the use of conventional techniques. He was able to do this task as he has an educational background in food technology. His company, AJ Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd managed to produce their own mayonnaise that was given the name Jasma. It was named after the name of his father and mother names, Jasmi and Asma. Not like the mayonnaise in the Western and Arab countries that have a sour taste, Jasma is appropriate to the local community, sour but with a taste sweetness. When introducing the product, Ainual went down to the field and asked the retailers to allow him to market the product. Although initially it was difficult for them to accept them because there are competing companies that monopolize the market, gradual acceptance allowed Jasma to linger in the market.

A miracle, in fact privileged Ainual because suddenly competing companies which produce mayonnaise had a supply problems. This caused an open space for Ainual to introduce Jasma products. He did not faced a big problem to market the product even if it is not yet well known and new in the market. Although the packaging is not that beautiful, plus it's not a local food product, retailers simply gave him the opportunity to market Jasma. However, happiness is only temporary as the company's competitors started to notice the products presence, so the competitors started to dump their products on the market. The first year of marketing, AJ Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd mayonnaise recorded drastic sales, unfortunately, fell sharply in the second year due to dumping of other competitive products besides the quality problems with Jasma. Their mayonnaise faced a problem when it was in market. The problem occurred middle in the year of 2000 and it lasted till 2004 that almost made the company closed. Confidence in retailers continued to decline until it gave a problem to market the product back because of the difficulty of getting back their confidence. In 2004, the company arose from the fall and took two years to rebuild their name. One thing that he learned from that incident is the customer must be cared for. Thankfully, the customers gave him the opportunity to market his products in supermarkets. One of the reasons for him to rise up from that failure is that his employees are loyal and willing to face the difficulties experienced with the company. Some of his experience that he faced while trying to market the product is going home late at night and even in early mornings. In fact, he was even arrested by the police and Road Transport Department (JPJ) while sending goods to Gua Musang for operating without a license goods vehicles (GDL). He was determined to borrow his brothers van to send the goods even though he has no vehicle license for goods. Aspired to make AJ Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd as a Bumiputera company that is successful in the production of mayonnaise for local and international markets, Ainual is now in the planning to produce products that have added value in the market through the production of food-based of mayonnaise. To maintain a good reputation and quality products, the company keeps a sample each time the production of mayonnaise is produced for reference. They went through less attractive experience when the product they marketed is damaged and when checking upon the reference samples, they found it to be defective. Each sample is stored as a reference in the event the case is damaged on the market supply. In addition, they make a laboratory analysis and chemical analysis to ensure that the product is in good condition, moreover visitors are also not encouraged to visit the processing plant to prevent pollution