KENT NG KUN KWAN---INSPIRING STORY OF TALL, HANDSOME, SLIM AND SMART YOUNG MAN AGED 35 WHO FIRST EARNED RM 1,200 PER MONTH AS WAITER TO RM 20,000 AS GENERAL MANAGER THEN WENT DOWN TO ZERO INCOME AND NOW EARNING RM 10,000 A MONTH PLUS PROFIT! HE NOW OWNS KUNKWAN MANDARIN LANGUAGE CENTRE IN JOHORE BARU AND NOW KUALA LUMPUR! TRULY A SUCCESS STORY FROM NOWHERE TO SOMEWHERE! I TAKE THE CREDIT FOR DISCOVERING HIM WHEN HE WAS A LOWLY WAITER AT TAI THONG RESTAURANT IN MID-VALLEY MEGAMALL! KENT NG WAS SERVING ME THEN AND I RECOGNISED HIS TYCOON FACTOR AND TOLD HIM TO FIND A BETTER JOB WITH POTENTIAL WHICH HE DID! AND NOW LOOK AT HIM! ALL DUE TO ME, HAHA!
DATOKEEHUACHEE@GMAIL.COM
KENT NG KUN KWAN AND DATO KEE HUA CHEE AT THE LAUREATE GETTING THERI FACES AND BODY FIXED WITH THERAPEUTIC ELECTRO-MASSAGE
HAPPY HAPPY
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LILLIAN TOO THE GREAT FENG SHUI MASTER ALWAYS SAYS A NAME CARRIES MORE WEIGHT AND LUCK WHEN IT HAS ONE OR MORE DOUBLE ALPHABETS. FOR EXAMPLE HER NAME LILLIAN TOO HAS 3 'L', 2 'I' AND 2 'O'. MY NAME KEE HUA CHEE HAS 4 'E' AND 2 'H' WHICH IS EXCELLENT LUCK!
BUT SINCE KENT NG SAID IT IS TOO CUMBERSOME TO CHANGE HIS IC AND PASSPORT, I SUGGEST HE CAN RETAIN HIS ORGINAL NAME AND CHANGE HIS COMPANY NAME TO KUNKUAN INTERNATIONAL MANDARIN TRAINING CENTRE INSTEAD OF 'KUNKWAN' BUT THIS IS NOT MY CONCERN, HAHA.
I think the name should be KunKuan Mandarin Language Training Centre or even KunKuan Mandarin Centre. Personally I think the awful word 'International' is redundant and meaningless as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, TESCO, Toyota or Starbucks do not use the word 'International' as part of their names!
Only airlines do so and even this is redundant and unnecessary as since when does Singapore International Airline (SIA) have a domestic flight as you can jog all over Singapore island within a day!
As it is, the logo 'KunKwan' is designed, by luck or chance, to look like 'KunKuan' as the 'w' is written in such a way as to resemble 'u'!
But I digress.
Suffice to say I was impressed by Kent Ng Kun Kwan's height, slim body, charming personality and wit when he served me char siew and siew yok at Tai Thong in Midvalley Megamall decades ago that I struck a conversation.
Born and raised in Tapah, Perak, Kent Ng is the youngest son and dropped out of school after Form 6. "I was a lousy student but I am making up for it!" grins this handsome young man.
Now 35, Kent Ng looks, walks and talks like a billionaire's son or a millionaire himself which of course he is. His parents own fruit farms in Tapah but no way was he going to pick fruits to sell!
He recalls, "When you met me, that was my first job. It was a part time job during school holidays after STPM. My second job as waiter was at Madam Kwan KLCC!"
As we both were enjoying Nasi Borjari at Madam Kwan KLCC during this interview, we roared with laughter. "After that I took your advice to try make more money and became an agent for Diamond Water Filter."
It was his first failure as entrepreneur. "I didn't get any sales as I didn't know how to promote. I was not convinced of the product so I found it tough going! In addition I had to invest some RM 6,000, all of which vanished eventually. I also was disappointed at the ridiculous high mark-up which the product did not deserve. The water filter came from China and each cost RM 200 but we had to sell for RM 3,000! The quality and value of the filter were too low to justify the high mark-up.
"Then I became agency tour leader in a company called Asia Baru which did not last long as I quickly lost interest after the initial glow. I left after a year"
Then came his first big break that saw him earning RM 20,000 a month!
"I joined Fire Prevention Centre Sdn Bhd and for 5 years I sold fire extinguishers! I started as salesman and left as general manager.
"I nurtured this idea of starting a Mandarin language centre after a trip to Taiwan. There I saw almost all ang mo (white men) working in Taipei and other cities spoke Mandarin fluently. A few even spoke Hokkien! So it occurred to me many Malays and Indians in Malaysia might want to learn Mandarin as even back in the early 2010s China was already becoming a global superpower. It was very obvious the 21st century would belong to China the way Europe and USA controlled the 20th century.
"In Malaysia we do not think of English as a foreign language and all Malaysians who went to school speak English and Bahasa Malaysia plus their native dialect which can be Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Mandarin or Teochew. I did a rough check and discovered many Malays are interested in learning Mandarin except there are no proper good schools! The Indians in Malaysia were also interested. So I knew the prospects were good."
At RM 20,000 a month Kent Ng was earning RM 240,000 a year and he was in his twenties! He even got a flash BMW!
Kent Ng wanted to leave Fire Prevention Centre but his Hong Kong boss refused to let him go. Eventually his boss became his partner! A win-win solution!
KUNKWAN INTERNATIONAL MANDARINTRAINING CENTRE ESTABLISHED IN 2013 IN JOHORE BARU
"I am so proud KunKwan Centre is recognised by Confucius Institute of China! Each student gets a certificate from Confucius Institute of China which is the most powerful body of Mandarin language in China and a foremost authority. In addition we are allowed to issue certificates on behalf of China's Ministry of Education! So KunKwan Centre's certifications are globally certified and accepted worldwide.
"The online course costs RM 998 for 4 months or till you pass!
"I chose Johore Baru as Johore then was undergoing a massive development with huge projects like Forest City under Country Garden Pacificview and many companies from China were opening new offices in Johore. I figured non Chinese Malaysians who could speak and/or write Mandarin would easily get a good well paid job. It was boom time."
Alas, Kent Ng forgot that 'boom' is close cousin of 'doom'!
Often what looked great on paper will fade when reality sets in.
"The location was OK as my centre is at Desa Tebrau next to IKEA near JB city centre. My first mistake was over-hiring. At one time I had around 50 staff! In hindsight I shudder to think of how I paid their salaries of around RM 150,000 a month! Very 'chia lat' (scary)
"Another problem was rental due to too much space! The JB premises is 8.500 sq ft which is huge by Malaysian standards and monstrous by Hong Kong or Tokyo standards."
Kent Ng laughs, "I want to be lean and mean but I don't seem to learn my lesson as the new KL branch in Sungai Besi is even bigger at 11,000 sq ft! Due to Covid-19 and Conditional MCO we have more than enough space as classes now tend to be via ZOOM. But costs are manageable unlike my early years in Johor."
OWN BOSS AGED 29 WITH LIMITED EXPERIENCE
"I was 29 when I opened KunKwan Mandarin Centre and too ambitious to make it big quickly." he recalls.
"The high payroll meant I had to start reducing my staff from 50 to 10! These 10 had faith in me and stayed with me in my darkest hours. They were my pillars of support and all are still with me today. As a reward I have given them free shares! They deserve everything I can give them!
"I was 29, first time being boss and so young and naive.
"I lost everything---my beautiful BMW and also my beautiful girl friend! Haha, she was a staff member at my company and so yes, she was my employee.
"I couldn't raise any money as none would lend me. I didn't ask my parents as earlier my Mother advised me to stick to my RM 20,000 a month job at selling fire extinguishers and my 2 brothers had no extra cash.
"I could not pay my house instalments as all funds I had went to pay my staff salaries. I sold everything I had. I slept in the office for 2 years! Yes, I physically worked and slept in my office! No one knew as the centre opened at 9 am to 10 pm. I bet my staff must have been so impressed as I was seemingly always the first to arrive and last to leave! I opened the centre at 9 am and closed it at 10 pm! Wonder if they suspected why the unused storeroom is always locked, haha!
"I slept inside a storeroom next to the toilet. I never told anyone including my staff. I am only revealing this secret as I want young businessmen to never give up your dream and obstacles are simply made for you to overcome. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel!"
Kent Ng sold his KL house in Damansara Perdana for RM 450,000 which he bought when he was earning RM 20,000 a month. His BMW cost RM 3,000 in monthly instalments so that went too after 3 months of non-payment. He lost his aforesaid girl friend too.
"For 2 years I had zero revenue and did not take any salary. My staff didn't know as I used the sale of my house to pay for everything.
"I really struggled until I broke even after the third year. KunKwan is profitable to this day."
BIG PLANS AFOOT
KunKwan Mandarin Language Centre Kuala Lumpur opened last 14 September 2020.
"I plan to open in Singapore in 2022 based on status of Covid-19 as I hope to focus on whites/non Chinese learning Mandarin.
"Then we go IPO in 5 years!"
BTW, Kent Ng now drives an electric blue, RM 500,000 Porsche Macan and currently stays with his staff as these are the people who stood by him during those dark days. But he is in the market for a RM 1 million condo with views of KLCC!
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