Mrs. Sharifah Shawati Syed Mohd
Written on 09:45 by Track Soft
Keys Fact
Article Published : Tuesday, September 21st 2010, New Straits Times.
Company Name : Adamaya Marketing Sdn. Bhd.
Qualifications : Diploma in Hairdressing, A Cut Above Academy, Malaysia.
Address : 64, Jalan TSB 9, Taman Industri Sungai Buloh, Sungai Buloh, 47000 Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Article
Women: Sharifah banks on people power
DESPITE the large number of local beauty products in the market, image consultant Datin Sharifah Shawati Syed Mohd has taken a bold step in producing her own skincare line.
The former Malaysia Airlines flight attendant and TV3 newscaster has named the range Adamaya (after her son Adam and daughter Maya). It also includes healthcare and household products.
“I’ve always wanted to do this but I never really got around to it until I met my husband’s schoolmate who’s a reputable chemist. He’s good at what he does and knows consumer needs well,” says the businesswoman who looks up to celebrity entrepreneur Kimora Lee.
Her company, Adamaya, a registered trademark since 2006, started with a hair salon, followed by a business in image consultancy. Now, it has diversified to include a product-based multi-level marketing (MLM) business.
Her products are made from 100 per cent natural ingredients, some of which are imported and manufactured locally using nano technology. There are 20 products with additions in the pipeline. “Another plus point is that we have our own factory (in Kota Damansara, near Sungai Buloh) and our chemist is the third-generation in his family.”
After Sharifah’s products were endorsed by the relevant authorities last March, she had been busy going on roadshows nationwide, including Sabah and Sarawak. Response was so overwhelming that in the third month Adamaya’s turnover reached RM500,000.
“This is my new life now, meeting people in rural areas and offering them jobs and business opportunities. I’m glad to be able to give them a chance to earn extra income for their families through Adamaya.
“We have 1,000 members and they are enterprising. Many have full-time jobs, yet they are eager and willing to do more to help themselves.”
Sharifah, 41, adds that members range from those in their late teens to an 80-year-old woman in Butterworth. “I truly admire our veteran member, a former teacher who’s been involved in MLM throughout her life. She even concocted her own ‘product’ by mixing ours to use on her skin!”
Sharifah had just got back from Jakarta where she conducted a workshop on personal image for some of Indonesia’s deputy ministers, ambassadors’ wives and entrepreneurs.
She will now travel within Malaysia to promote her brand.
“I find myself going to Kelantan and Terengganu more often these days. The women there are to be admired. They’re in their 40s and 50s, and are so aggressive when it comes to business. They are independent and don’t depend on their husbands. Many are also involved in other businesses apart from Adamaya.”
While some remain sceptical of the MLM business, Sharifah, who has a degree in business management, is quick to dispel the perception. “It’s the easiest way to earn money. You only need three things — a little bit of money, time and people. In fact, Donald Trump said if he were born again, he’d venture in MLM. This was what inspired me to start Adamaya.”
From her observations, she says Malaysians look for packaging, feel of a product and the end result. They also tend to like a product that’s linked to or associated with a familiar face. However, Sharifah does not intend to promote Adamaya by putting her picture on the packaging.
“I want my products to speak for themselves. They are quality products and they should be able to sell on their own.”
Interestingly, some items sell better in some states. For example, the skincare items are highly sought after in Sharifah’s home state of Terengganu. People there are conscious about their looks, she says, and they especially like Adamaya’s face serum which contains fish collagen to keep skin radiant and youthful.
In Kelantan, the colon cleansing health supplement is in demand to counter balance a diet of sweet and rich foods. The label’s alkaline coffee (which neutralises toxins in the body) and a health drink made with 32 types of berries, are popular in Sabah and Sarawak.
She plans to penetrate the overseas market, namely Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt. “Recently we had an order of 50,000 bottles of Adamaya’s mineral spray (an antiseptic liquid) from Yala in south Thailand.”
Sharifah’s long-term vision for the company is for it to be listed on Bursa Malaysia. “We are also planning a super store where all Adamaya products will be made available. And we aim to introduce a trust fund for our stockists where 10 per cent of the sale of the product(s) they sell will be channelled to a special savings account.”
Sharifah, who started Adamaya with her own money, strongly advocates saving and wants to educate more people to start their own business.
“Ultimately, my goal is to make Adamaya a legacy for the generations to come.”
-NST
http://e.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Women_Sharifahbanksonpeoplepower/Article/art_print
