What is the nature of your business? (Business Profile)
Nordic is a manufacturer of Marine, Oil & Gas control systems.

What made you embark on this venture choice?
I used to work for a multi-national company (MNC) that was in a similar industry. The experience there caused me to question, 'If Europeans are able to do it, can a local company do it too?' At that time, there was no local company in this business and I was motivated by the challenge to be the very first successful local company in this industry.

How does your business work?
Nordic is a system solutions provider. Using our self-developed flow control technology, companies that operate ships and those in the oil and gas industries will be able to run their machines more efficiently and safely. Any hydraulic valve/ actuation application can substantially benefit from incorporating our system. Our core competencies are valve actuation and tank measurement, anti heeling application intended for use on ships and in the oil and gas industries.

Did you have the capital to start the business or did you have to borrow from someone to get started?
The company started off as a partnership. We had a venture capitalist that provided us with a large portion of the starting capital that we needed. As such, the rest of us partners had to contribute a comparatively much smaller sum of money.

Do your parents have their own businesses too? Have they inspired you in one way or another?
Yes, my late father was in the electronic appliance trading business and used to own a shop. This shop was shared with my grandparents, who use the other half of the floor space to run a provision shop. From young, I would often go to the shop to help out and it was my dad who trained me in sales. Even though they were small businesses, both my dad and grandparents were entrepreneurs in their own way and this probably rubbed off on me.

What was your childhood dream? When did you decide that you would strike out on your own instead of working for someone else?
My childhood dream was to be a businesswoman. There were two reasons that helped me to decide that the time was finally right for me to strike out on my own. The first one was the moment when I realised that the food business run by my mother and other siblings was doing well enough to earn them a comfortable living. When my father passed away, my mother had to start her food business to provide for the family. Since it was still new and business had not picked up yet, I took on a salaried job so that my family would have another source of income to depend on. I am the oldest in my family and having just graduated after my father died, I saw it as a personal responsibility to ensure that there would be 'food on the table' every day at least. The second reason was when I finally began to realise that I had no true job security even though I was working for an MNC. It happened when my boss was suddenly asked to leave one day. It came as a shock and it was not long after that I resigned to start Nordic.

Why does someone decide to be on their own rather than join an existing company?
I think that many people who start businesses do so after they start to realise that they have no real job security as an employee, just like I did.

Are there at any point in your life that you experienced a significant event (WW2, racial riots of the 1960s, the Economic Crisis of the 80s or 90s, SARS, new competition or shifts in market behaviour and trends) which affected or influenced you and your business that made you change the way you think and do your business?
Nope, there wasn't.

What are some of the challenges in starting a business from scratch? (Modify question to what are some of the challenges in maintaining a family business if applicable.)
Firstly, when you are new to the market, very few people know you. Trying to get more people to know you and thereby establish your brand will be a very real challenge as such. A second challenge would be controlling the company's finances. It is important to be very careful with how every dollar is spent.

Who/What motivates you?
I started off with the challenge of making Nordic the first successful local company (in our industry) in mind. This still motivates me today. It is my passion and desire to plant more Singapore flags globally as we venture into more foreign markets.

Tell me about the first few customers and the first few years of business.
My first customer was the local yard Keppel. Reputation is important in my business and I had a good working relationship with them in my previous job. They gave me my first job and are still my customers today. Another noteworthy customer I had was a shipyard seller. I was able to deliver my first product to him in two weeks when my competitors would take months longer to do so. That impressed him and shortly after, he gave me a larger order which proved to be a turning point for my company. He actually gave me a call in the morning and I was on the plane to China by nightfall to get the paperwork done.

Please tell me some stories of your best day in business or your proudest achievement to date.
My best day was when I received the largest-ever single order for my company. What made it so sweet was due to the fact that this order came from a company that was actually on the brink of suing Nordic a few months earlier. I would elaborate on this in the next question.

Do you recall your worst day in business? Have you ever felt like giving up?
My worst day in business came when I realised that I would not be able to meet the delivery date for a customer. The shipment was actually delayed for more than three months. The totally unexpected delay was the result of a foreign sub-contractor going bust. Their business had over-expanded. When we went to meet our customer to explain ourselves, we got a terrible scolding from them and a threat of a lawsuit loomed. However, we were not ready to give up but were instead determined to work a way out with them. During those few months when the matter was still unresolved, I offered to examine the shipping components used by our customer for free. These were components from elsewhere and I actually found that they were inferior components that might have safety implications. I wrote a report documenting my findings and submitted it to them. They were surprised by my findings and were very grateful. In fact, they were so pleased that they changed all the inferior components used on their vessel overnight. This was truly another turning point for company. Impressed by our professionalism and courage to tell them their 'faults' despite all the problems, this client went on to award us our largest single repeat order ever.

When was the moment you realised the business would work and support you?
That was last year when I realised that my business was truly growing.

What are some of the things you have had to overcome to succeed?
Firstly, I had to move out of my comfort zone - my stable job at the MNC. Secondly, I had to take my business beyond Singapore to really see it start growing. There is a very large market that we can tap into out there but people often have apprehension when considering an overseas venture.

What are some qualities that you feel you possess which differentiate you from someone who works for others?
I 'never say die until I try'. I am someone who does not give up easily.

To succeed in business, what qualities are essential? What are some of the secrets in making a successful business?
Integrity is essential. It is important to 'say what you mean'. The quality of products delivered must also be as promised. The first secret is to recognize who your customer is. The second one is to do much more than your customer expects. Surprise your customer in a good way when possible. The third secret is to have good cost control or management. A company exists to make money and costs must be kept low. Next, be careful not to over-expand. Finally, gathering market information about the customer regularly is very important.

Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by my goal of planting the Singapore flag with my company all over the world.

Have you ever thought of expanding the business in some way or in multiple locations? How and where?
I am planning to expand into Japan and India next. I look for areas where there is a presence of a marine industry.

What aspects of expansion would you like to see for your enterprise?
Apart from geographical expansion, I am also looking into vertical integration. I would like to increase the product offering of my company.

In your opinion, how would you define entrepreneurship?
There is this story of two villagers who carry buckets of water back to their village to earn a living. The spring is located some distance away from the village where they live. Everyday, these two villagers would travel to-and-fro. Villager 'A' went on doing this all day for many years. Villager 'B' however would carry buckets in the morning, but in the afternoon, he would spend time building a pipe that would connect from the spring to the village. Years when by and the pipe was finally complete. By this time, Villager 'A' was much older and could carry far less buckets of water. Still, he had to keep fetching water all day to earn a living. Villager 'B' was older too but no longer needed to fetch buckets of water. The pipe he had built would provide water for sale all day and he could rest at home. In this story, the entrepreneur is Villager 'B'. Entrepreneurship is about building one's own 'pipe'. I am still building my pipe and hope to help young people to build their own someday soon.

To what extent does one's educational level help or hinder entrepreneurial-ship?
I believe that education is really not a determinant. It helps one to generate ideas, and a graduate degree can be seen as a stepping-stone.

As we try to select the final 41 entrepreneurs, what qualities would you think a person should have to inspire others?
One of the first qualities would be integrity. I also feel that an entrepreneur must have gone through it him/herself to inspire others. Such a person must also not look down at others who have failed because many of such people have picked themselves up and become very successful. Lastly, I believe that 'leaders are readers'. An entrepreneur should be someone who reads widely and is always keen to learn.

What are some of your own values in doing business and what do you like to pass down to others, particularly the younger generation?
It is important to remember that there is no short cut in business. Just like in the army, where a lot of time is spent preparing before an exercise, planning is essential before making any decisions in business.

What advice would you give young people who want to start their own business?
Firstly, know clearly why you want to start a business. Ask yourself what the purpose is. It will be a light for you. For me, it was 'to bring food to the table'. Secondly, calculate your costs. Thirdly, try to have a mentor who believes in you and will coach you. For me, I seek advice from my pastors a lot. Fourthly, be humble enough to listen to advice from others. The Bible teaches that 'plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.' Mix with people much older. Fifthly, don't let others despise you because of your youth. Have confidence in yourself. Sixthly, read books to overcome your lack of experience. Finally, know who you are working for. Be accountable to the person who entrusted the works to you. For me, I always remind myself with this Bible verse in Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."