OBSERVANT

Datuk Loh Boon Siew

Observant means to pay close attention to precisely everything that happens around us. It is a process of collecting the information by seeing or, more specifically as observations of behaviour and make a note of the behaviour observed. An example of successful entrepreneurs is the Datuk Loh Boon Siew.

When Datuk Loh Boon Siew’s childhood, he started working by collecting animal filth as fertilizer in agriculture and fishing for sale as a family income.When he was 12 years old, his father took him to Penang to migrate and find a source of income. He was told by his father to work in a mechanic shop.

They both do not have the slightest time to have fun, but to work hard to send money to families who are in China. To earn more, on the night he washed his bus and wage 10 cents per bus. At the age of 18, he decided to run their own business and often figure out a way how to get the opportunity to do so.

He saves the money little by little, then bought some mechanical equipment, worth RM10.00 and 8 buses worth RM200.00 to be repaired and used as a passenger bus. The bus also highlyprofitable, which is from RM1.20 to RM1.40 per day. 

 In 7 years, he owned 40 buses and a store which sells spare batteries and vehicles. After the Second World War ended, Datuk Loh expanded his business by opening a second-hand car shop and become distributors of some sort of British motorcycles.

In 1958, he visited Japan for outings. In Japan he saw a Honda motorcycle that has never been used in Malaysia and think maybegetting a good market if brought to hear. After detecting the producers who, he made a deal to order 12 units. This bike was later sold to his friend without taking any profit. This is so that Datuk Loh have is good observant because he successfully sees Japan as a country which leads to the expanding of his business.

Now he is the one who has managed to put the Honda as the third largest vehicle sold in the country since 3 years ago. He has reason to be proud of its success in the business and corporate leaders, putting him as one of the richest in Penang and from 10 leading figures in the Malaysian entrepreneurs.

Biography of Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew

Tan Sri Dato’ Loh Boon Siew was born in the Fukian province in China in 1916. He and his father came to Malaysia and he started to work as a mechanic. To earn more income, at night he washed the bus and the payment only 10 cents for each bus. At 18 years old, heset up a workshop and purchased 11 buses by using his saving money RM 2,000.

Operating through his Penang Yellow Bus Company Sdn Bhd after that within three years, the thriving company had a fleet of forty-onebasis. Not only Penang Yellow Bus Company Sdn Bhd and his mechanic shop, he also had ventured into sale of used cars, spare parts, batteries and tires. But on 1942, his money was confiscated by the invading Japanese army. In 1945 the Japanese were defeated, and he started selling bicycles, tires and motorcycle accessories, and soon he expanded his business to used cars, transports and buses

(Menkhoff & Solvay, 2012)
The beginning of Honda started during a trip to Osaka in 1957, the sight of a motorbike captivated Boon Siew that he chased it down the street and eventually persuaded its maker to appoint him as their first overseas distributor. Thus, began the story of Honda in Malaysia and the Asian region outside Japan. A factory was built in Penang to assemble the Honda Cub and the Honda motorcycle assembled in Malaysia was renamed as Boon Siew Honda.

The Honda Cub became the best selling motorcycle in Malaysia and Boon Siew was recognised as the first person to bring the Honda Cub motorcycles into Southeast Asia. The popular Cantonese word Cub 仔 (transcribed as "kapchai" in informal Malay), which means "small (Honda) Cub" and is now a generic for small under bone motorcycles in Malaysia, originates from the Honda Cub. From the sale of Honda bikes to manufacturing of automotive parts, his business grew and diversified to property development and hotels through his investment company, Oriental Holdings.

Oriental Holding were assembly, component parts and plastic manufacturing activities. (Kim, 2007)Loh Boon Siew died at the age of 79 on 16 February 1995. Following his death, his daughter Cheng Yean took over as Chairman of Oriental Holding, while Loh’s son-in-law, Wong Lum Kong appointed as the Managing Director and another Loh’s child as the Directors of the company. (Menkhoff & Solvay, 2012)

Reference:
http://g9sade1013.blogspot.my/2015/10/entrepreneurial-traits-observant.html