1) you are son of lee kar seng etc....
2) saving from working for decades
3) bank loans(this only apply if you have property for bank to hold)
4) partners.. which might result betrayal or quarrel...

Nowadays hardware business seems hard to survive, especially those with small capital and surviving in the city. It is not thriving as the golden age 5-10 years ago, whereby there is massive development.
In this kind of business, plus others like distributing or manufacturing etc., whoever gave the most flexible credit term is the winner. And for small capital players, this is bad bad bad. Very very bad, as you need cashflow to cover the overhead and expenses. Unless of course you have a list of major good payer, then that would be fine.

I've a friend who venture in hardware shop in a small town. And frankly speaking his business is good. As small town does not have big players, and he sweep almost all the hardware business in town.

Angel, do you go and tender some big contract? Supplying paint, ironmongery, doors, etc?

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Added on December 21, 2009, 3:14 pmCapital.
1. Family
Always approach your family member 1st, as they are the one who will always support you.

2. Relative
Sometimes in life, we do have an uncle/aunty who is rich and nice and is willing to pour in the capital for you.

3. Friends
Invite your friends to venture with you and become your partner in business

4. Bank
Personal loan, charge in your family asset such as house and land. (this I do not encourage)

5. Your savings
If you are prepare to lose the money. Business are not 100% successful.

6. Lucky strike on Jackpot, Toto and etc.


I start my 1st business when my friends invite me to join them, and I asked my dad to pour in the capital for me. Before my dad said yes, he ask me where is my Business Plan. And I told him verbally and this and that and all the things that will get him in to pour in the capital. Finally he agreed.

After half of year of loss, I closed my 1st biz. And all my dad told me was, I know that you would fail because you don't even have the slightest idea about what you are doing. You must know the selok belok of the business and dive into the sea to see the whole iceberg (not the tip only). From that day onwards, I always prepare my bullets before I fully venture into a business. And the rest is history.

*My 1st biz is Computer Sales & Services (a painstaking experience).

This post has been edited by edyek: Dec 21 2009, 03:17 PM

Pay for local worker only rm400 a month? How to survive? What is the pay of the foreign worker? Where is your shop?

from what i see la, the BEST way is to go with Awakened_Angel's point #2.

even if business fail you still lose only what you saved, not ending up in debt to others.

as for partners or family, end up we OWE people. even if $$$ paid up all then still have a TIE / BOND that's forever there.

later anything they can come say "oh don't forget when you started blablablabla.............." some after later see your success they want a PORTION and very hard for you to decline cos you owe them to begin with.

and in worst cases, partners run away. shit happens, money can change people.


there used to be Laser Quest at The Mines. now donno where the game is already. Bad location perhaps?

don't need to deal with dirt and vegetable oil but still die off, I guess time wasn't right for them. I enjoyed playing it, was back in college that time.

I love this thread, I love these type of businesses where they deal with customers/clients. This is the real deal, this is the real business. Way to go TS, I'll pray for your success in whatever business you are getting into (as long as it's a legal business).

Correct. Money do change people. Since I've tie/bond with my father, I don't mind borrow from him to venture in business.
Anyway, after my 2nd venture is a success, I've allocate shares to my father in my company (after all he had invest in me for the 1st biz).

Of course if you use your savings it would be better, but some people just don't save enough to give themself a head start in business. Eventually, they would still have to go and ask for .

Just be careful when you choose your partner to venture with you. I've learned my partnership lesson in the computer and nasi lemak venture. And now, my partners are doing great ! Never could have ask for a better one.

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Added on December 21, 2009, 4:28 pmThanks am. If I'm not wrong, I do recall from some thread that you are running a laundry business. How is business lately? Mind to share here?

This post has been edited by edyek: Dec 21 2009, 04:28 PM

true indeed..... things happen when your supply goods to you and your customer at the same price...

NOPE... NEVER think of... mine is SME.. not MEGAE.. as each contract will easily sum up to 10 of millions or 100 mills for mega projects

mine range between 10k-100k ++ for each project... for CASH..

two major player....

main con like simedarby or sunway.. or government

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Added on December 21, 2009, 4:30 pmforeign? RM 750.00...

government set the minimal line

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Added on December 21, 2009, 4:32 pmI have witnessed real brother and so called BROs quarrel till the point of no return... in partnership....

unless, you clearly stated in black and white

This post has been edited by Awakened_Angel: Dec 21 2009, 04:32 PM

Ah, so you ask for cash terms and in return you give them a better discount?

I think you can approach some small and medium housing development. My friend approach a medium developer lately to supply paint, doors, ironmongery, WC and tiles. And he contra back half of his contract sum for a unit of terrace house. Not bad actually, considering the developer don't want to input heavy payment, and my friend wants a housing property so that he can sell for higher price upon completion of the project.

@edyek

My business is currently running well at the moment, I even supply plastic, hangers, liquid detergent and fabric softener to other laundries as well.

I do dry cleaning for other 6 laundries too but for now I have reached the limit (can no longer accept dry cleaning from any new laundry).

Now I'm in the process of learning the methods of cleaning hotel/hostel linen and bedsheets using proper procedure, chemical and machines. My friend in Kuala Kubu Baru is doing such and getting a hefty RM40k per week from linen/bedsheets.

It's good to hear that. So basically, you sub dry cleaning from 6 laundries because they do not have the technology/knowledge to do dry cleaning? Good strategy.

40k is good money. Must be a 5-star hotel? Considering hotel contract contributes the major income for the laundry. There is no such thing as free lunch, and hope your learning is a smooth sailing thus adding a major income to your business. Good luck !

Btw, did you take any government contract?

This post has been edited by edyek: Dec 21 2009, 05:04 PM

40K looks big for those makan gaji people, but it takes more than just the gut, sacrifice and determination to do business. People always think that by doing business, cash flows into their account freely while they sleep at home. That's wrong. This is the typical mindset that brings his/her business down !

5-star hotels have their own laundry for their linen, these contracts normally comes from 2-3 star hotel/hostel, private college hostels and institutes.

Other laundries could easily do the dry cleaning but they don't want to waste their sweat for this complicated type of cleaning. I'll do the job for them. I do the dry cleaning by myself actually, I never allow my staffs to touch any dry cleaning items. This dry cleaning, if you do properly, it might beat the price of any hotel contract.

this is another option for baddebts.. but its the same where contrators unwilling to pay and will mark up the house price slightly higher...

I have few contractors who would contra

for some @$$h0l3 one, some would threatened to burn my house if I dare to ask money or resort ahlong or debt collector

This post has been edited by Awakened_Angel: Dec 21 2009, 06:09 PM

- Deleted -

No point sharing cos this forum already has a brilliant and smart-mouth businessman in Awakened Angel.

This post has been edited by wirelessdude: Dec 21 2009, 07:09 PM

I want to ask this freelance amateur "consultant" ....

are you willing to be responsible for anything else??

as consultant earn their title for it........

and often people provide "lip service" tend to call themself consultants

as consultant bear their decision and be responsible for it... they get sued and get in jail for wrong advice given....

It's because of such negative comments and name-calling that people aren't willing to share.

You call me an amateur without even knowing my background or work. Sigh!

If really wanna earn in hardware or paint line...you'll have to be one of the taikor or else you won't really earn a lot..
just my 2 cents..

i've watched some documentary on how large 5-star hotels in Las Vegas outsource their cleaning to dedicated cleaner companies.

i know it's off-topic but you mentioned it so i'd just like to add. don't be surprised 5-star hotels come to you, they have huge volumes especially during holiday seasons (ok la i think every hotel also).

one thing about business is that starting is NEVER easy. often it goes to "negative", it's more about cost and waiting for customers at the start.

i came to know about a business that was setup by a family (IIRC it's brother and sister), they opened a supposed restaurant at a corner lot. reno and have a few stalls there, not even 3 months they decided to close it. I was like WTH?!??! - news came about that the brother see like no business, then call it quits or something like that. damn stupid, what a joke la.

in the end some Indian took over, setup a mamak restaurant and it's operating so well now. Don't need that many stalls also. 1 nice Malay stall cooking dishes with decent price and their own staff make the nasi kandar, roti and drinks.

the difference between them? Preseverence! oh and of course, being REALISTIC in running business. Clearly the earlier party had no wisdom and knowledge when it comes to running business, having stupid and unrealistic expectations, and then resort to quitting when things don't look good.

Maybe that's because you only paid your 1 worker RM300

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Added on December 22, 2009, 8:03 amand again, only RM500 pay, and only just 1 worker doing everything

This post has been edited by mylife4nerzhul: Dec 22 2009, 08:03 AM

The worker is just helping to sell every morning. Its my partner problem for not supplying enough food to sell.


That one worker is just a part time computer technician, working from 12pm to 5pm. Basically all the work is done by my partner.

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Added on December 22, 2009, 8:46 amCorrect. Perseverance is one of the key to business. Sometimes the pioneer is not always the winner but instead the survivor is the winner. Most indian is good is doing mamak business, but often I hear my friend complaining that they tend to pay their rental late, and sometimes carry forward.

This post has been edited by edyek: Dec 22 2009, 08:46 AM

Yes 5 star hotels do send their linen to laundries but I would say only about 5%. The volume is indeed huge even their own laundry cannot cope with the works. But the bad thing about 5 star hotel is that they want things to be cleaned as new that gives too much hassle to the contractors (that's quite impossible btw), that's the reason they don't really trust 3rd party laundry and that's why they set up their own laundry.