ARTICLE ABOUT GLE Centre Enterprise
From ustaz to premixed-coffee entrepreneur
by Shukri Rahman
MARANG: Being an ustaz at a religious school did not stop Mohd Zulkifli Harun from building a premix-beverage business that has become one of the largest in Terengganu and Kelantan.
His thriving Marang, Terengganu-based GLE Centre Enterprise is testimony to what can be achieved by young entrepreneurs who dare strike out on their own.
Zulkifli, 32, shares his motivation for going into business. “Since I came from a poor family and didn’t want to see my family living in continued poverty, I worked harder in order to succeed,” he tells FocusM.
Interestingly, Zulkifli quit his three-day-a-week job as a Fardhu Ain ustaz at Sekolah Yayasan Islam in Jalan Hiliran, Kuala Terengganu only last year. He had been teaching there for 10 years. “My business actually ran while I had another job,” he says.
He says GLE’s Super Jantan is ranked third in Terengganu among premixed coffee products, after the more established Radix and the CNI Tongkat Ali.
After five years and having built a presence all over Malaysia, the coffee-and premix-beverage distributor is eyeing Indonesia and Thailand. “Indonesians like premixed coffee. It is one of their daily drinks,” he says, adding he will soon meet prospective stockists in Medan and Makasar.
He will also start discussions to expand into Thailand, especially the rural south. “I am lucky as two of my uncles live in Narathiwat and Bangkok,” Zulkifli says.
The company is also planning to set up its own factory in Terengganu and introduce two products, bringing the number to nine. Regarding the proposed factory – part of his expansion plans – Zulkifli is considering two options. “I have applied for a unit in the Mara factory at Bukit Kor, Marang. However it is tough as I understand there are more than 100 applicants!”
If that option fails to materialise, he will seek another site where he will have to supply the machines. At the same time, he says, the company will automatically “graduate” from being a sole proprietorship to a private limited company (Sdn Bhd).
“We will enjoy more advantages in terms of credit facilities and so on,” he says. It will be another milestone for the company, which has an annual turnover of close to RM4 mil.
With rising demand from existing customers, Zulkifli says GLE will introduce two more products: ginger tea with honey which is a hit, especially in Kuala Lumpur, and skyfruit (tunjuk langit)-flavoured tea to be distributed initially in the East Coast.
Five years ago, the company had only its maiden product-cum-flagship Super Jantan premixed coffee; now it has seven. The number of employees has also increased, from only two in 2009 to eight today.
Zulkifli took advantage of his earlier experience in two local direct-selling companies to propel GLE into the coffee and other premixed drink market – beginning with Terengganu and Kelantan in 2009.
“I was first with CNI, which distributes CNI Tongkat Ali; and later with HPA Industries Sdn Bhd, which distributes Radix. Though I managed to get four-figure and later five-figure incomes, I asked myself how long I should sell for others. Moreover I already had my own network of customers and distributors. There were tens of thousands of downlines all over Malaysia.”
What did he learn in his stints with the direct-selling companies?
“We were like multilevel-marketing companies. I learnt how to face different customers. They have different characters. What the different types are, how to mix with them and how to talk to them. It was very much about the art of human relations.”
GLE has appointed a stockist in every state, except Sabah and Sarawak which are covered by a stockist. They are backed by a network of distributors of more than 100, including 20 in Terengganu and 15 in Kelantan.
Zulkifli says: “We also want to develop our stockists so they too become successful entrepreneurs.”
GLE uses a third-party factory in a contract manufacturing arrangement. The factory, Mitra Food Industries Sdn Bhd, is in Kedai Mulung, Kelantan.
Unlike when his network had distributed third-party products, going into business on his own meant coming up with a GLE range. “The products are 100% ours. We signed a contract manufacturing agreement with the factory. In other words, if the factory itself wants to sell our products, for example Super Jantan coffee, it must buy the products from us. They are owned exclusively by GLE Centre Enterprise.”
GLE also uses social media for effective communication and co-ordination. “Our website provides the latest news and we also use Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat and SMS.”
Zulkifli says he will leave it to the factory to come up with new products which will be tested for months until the company is satisfied. The factory’s QC department will then ensure the products are always formulated according to the same specifications.
Source:
http://www.theantdaily.com/Main/From-ustaz-to-premixed-coffee-entrepreneur#sthash.BYNe2ToJ.dpuf
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