Taking A Side Step

Ever since I started working, I was always in the shipping industry. The earlier six years were spent with two distinguished shipping agencies. Then I went into the port industry. Always having to do with containerisation. That was my passion, it seems.

But since 2002, I was lured into doing marketing, a job which I had been trying to elude since my shipping agency days. I really don't like marketing. For some obvious reasons. I would rather do paperwork. But then, I had to follow the instructions. You see, when you're working for people that's your limitations. You just have to follow what they asked you to do.

This is the type of marketing where you need to do almost the impossible. Selling bare land (with basic infra) to foreign investors or even to locals. You need to also sell mangrove area (undeveloped land). And it's not just some bare land or mangrove area...they come with a sub-lease. So there's time factor involved. It was indeed a challenging and yet interesting job to do. Only that, when you work for people your limitations are also in terms of balancing between what are needed and could be done. You couldn't reach out to the global market so much because there's the budget that's tightening your every being. So you just have to be creative or play it the conventional way.

However, 8 years later and today, I'm taking a side step away from the port and shipping industry. Not totally...but I'd say almost 3/4 of me is already out. I'm now going into the property industry. I don't know how...and I don't know what it takes to play the game in this new playing field (for me). But I'm willing to give it a shot. I'll never know until and unless I've done it, right?

JBiz Management was set-up to lure foreign investors into setting up their businesses around Johor, particularly in manufacturing or warehousing. It's some sort of a consultancy work. For the time being...that's what I'm focusing on. For the mid-term, I'm going for the Real Estate License. I figured that if I want to be in it, might as well immerse myself in it. You know...

For the past few months I've been reading a lot about behavioral models and personal characteristics. Up to this point, I think and I'm sure that I have those basic criterias to make it to success. It's all up to me, whether I want to do it or not. This was the test that I wrote about in my earlier postings.

I'm starting small. But I'm dreaming big. God willing.

What's with JOHOR (Part 1)

I'm sure you all know what 'Tourism' is, yes? It's an industry that deals with leisure and interesting places where you can go for your vacation. Do you know what 'Business Tourism' is? In most places, Business Tourism is meant for tourists who would come into the country to attend meetings, seminars, conferences, exhibitions, etc.

But I am promoting another side of Business Tourism...which is a tourism for the business people by itself. In this case, I am acting as a 'Tourist Guide' for the business people, especially foreign companies or entities when they want to relocate or expand their existing business; or when they want to set up a new business within this region; by providing them with a guided tour of the industrial areas - virtually as well as physically.

My company is called JBiz Management. And currently, I'm focusing on JOHOR (Excuse me, JOHO with an R ya..). Where is Johor, you might want to know. Well...Johor is the second largest state in West Malaysia and is located on the southern part of the peninsular, neighbouring to Singapore. There are a total of 10 districts in Johor with Johor Bahru district as the capital.

What's with Johor, anyway? Some people might look at Johor as a location inferior to the bustling and developed Singapore. To the business people, this is most likely. Hence you'd find most businesses carry out their operations here to take advantage of the lower cost, compared to Singapore; and yet they'd prefer to live in the Lion City. But...actually Johor has more to offer than the comparative costs.

I could summarise JOHOR as a place where you can 'work, live and play' all at the same time. Here are some interesting points:

1. Industrial Areas

There are a total of 28 industrial areas in Johor. These industrial areas housed most of the renowned manufacturers of textiles, furnitures, paper products and also food-based products. Of course all of these products are exported overseas. Do you know that the Nike t-shirts are made here in Johor? The t-shirts sold in Sears & Roebuck, the furnitures sold in Walmart, US and the cocoa-based products sold to the branded chocolate producers around the world...And now Johor is moving towards some new industry clusters with the likes of bio-technology, nano-technology & oil & gas. So there are a lot of potentials for the businesses to grow here; for big-scale, medium & smaller scale.

2. Residential Area

In Johor, you would find residential areas catered for the high-class as well as middle-class. If you prefer to live in a high-security and lavish high-class residence, you might find Ledang Heights and Leisure Farm appealing. You would find banglow lots ranging from RM700k - RM4mil here. The middle-class areas aren't too bad either. There are gated and secured residential areas. Property developers like Setia Properties, Bukit Indah Residences, Nusajaya, Horizon Hill provide you with a wide array of choices.

Leisure Farm Resort

Ledang Heights, Nusajaya

Setia Eco Park

3. Nature

To me, this is the best part. Even though with its vast plains of flat land, Johor still has some hidden beauty inside the patches of its jungle. And because it is located at the tip of the peninsular, Johor boasts the longest beach in Malaysia that stretches up to 400km from the East to the West side of the State.

Trek up the legendary Mount Ophir (Gunung Ledang), 1276m above sea level

Buaya Sangkut Waterfall deep in the heart of Endau Rompin National Park; one of the oldest tropical jungle in the region.

Beautiful stretch of white sandy beach off Desaru, on the east of Johor

Sunset off Sibu Island. Johor hosts 8 large islands mainly on the eastern side.

-to be continued with Part 2

If you want to find out more about JBiz Management, contact me at jbizmanagement@yahoo.com

Sources of information:

www.jsic.com.my

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