The Edge - The Entrepreneurial Spirit

TROPICANA CORP BHD FOUNDER AND GROUP EXECUTIVE VICE-CHAIRMAN

Tan Sri Danny Tan Chee Sing

My advice to people looking to become an entrepreneur is to get off the ground, grow and create success. When you’re in a business, it’s not like having a regular job where you get a paycheque and do the same thing all the time.

When I first founded the company Di-jaya.it was based on good family values.The word ‘DI’ represents my name, Danny, and my wife’s name, Ivy. Along the way,we have built the Tropicana brand name ar d achieved many milestones,and frankly, I couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of my wife and family.

To be a good entrepreneur, you have to be flexible, resourceful, decisive, and possess strong networking and good relationships built over the years. More importantly, you need to understand the business well and possess the right attitude, backed by a strong and clear vision.There is no shortcut to success; we must work hard and smart to achieve our vision.

Of course, the golden rule of thumb is ‘capital preservation is paramount to wealth creation’. Be mindful of what you and your business need and don’t need.Anything more should be allocated to savings and investments,as capital preservation wil always be the most important factor in wealth creation.

Finally, I am a firm believer in building a good brand and reputation. When you have achieved success, always remain humble, continue to learn and improve. Always remember — it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.

Despite the current market challenges, our team is agile and responded swiftly by enhancing our digital platforms as we rolled out a series of campaigns and customer-centric developments at strategic locations. In our aim to push forward and expand our foothold across Malaysia, we are also ready to take on more joint venture projects through our Tropicana Smart Partnership Programme.

We invite landowners to join us, leverage on our expertise as well as strong network to unlock their land bank, or we welcome corporations to partner us to jointly develop our strategic land bank. Together, we are stronger and our collaboration will allow us to gain greater traction and grow faster.

My wish for Malaysia in conjunction with its birthday? We are all Malaysians. This is the bond that unites us. In the spirit of patriotism, unity and love for our country, let us continue to let our light shine in these unprecedented times. Don’t give up, work hard and work smart. Stay connected, stay safe and stay healthy.