Mr. Mohamad Sabrie Mohamad Salleh
Written on 18:21 by Track Soft
Key Facts
Article Published : Saturday, August 28th 2010, New Straits Times.
Company Name : UNICOM Event Marketing.
Qualification : Degree in Accountancy, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Address : No.34-5-1, Jalan 1/101C, Cheras Business Center, Batu 5, Jalan Cheras, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur.
Article
The greatest lesson from VI
Failure and financial hardship are part and parcel of entrepreneurship, according to corporate social entrepreneur Mohamad Sabrie Mohamad Salleh.
"Entrepreneurship cannot be taught with a textbook. You have to take chances and make mistakes to know what works," said the 24-year-old managing director of UNICOM Event Marketing.
Once a dreamer who believed he could do anything, he got a dose of reality after working with other young entrepreneurs on several ventures which failed to live up to expectations.
In retrospect, Sabrie finds the lessons learnt from those early efforts valuable in his quest to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship among Malaysian youths.
At UNICOM, Sabrie works to connect the corporate world with youths by hosting events which will expose students from public and private universities to new business ventures and opportunities.
A former student leader, he said one of the greatest challenges for students was knowing how to communicate with large corporations.
"What we want is to create a common ground between tertiary institutions and the corporate world, so that they can work together to create new products and technology."
Though he says he was playful in secondary school, Sabrie credits his formative years at Victoria Institution for instilling in him a sense of possibility.
"At VI, you're immersed in a culture which tells you you can achieve the impossible," he said.
Growing up within that environment, he said, spurred him to become more active in student life when he entered Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to study accountancy.
Sabrie's interest in entrepreneurship and youth leadership was further developed through his involvement in UPM's student representative council, of which he was eventually appointed as president.
He encourages young people to get involved in more student organisations, saying his experience as a student leader proved to be of great help in his work as a corporate social entrepreneur.
"Getting involved in a student body exposes you to so many personalities which you then have to learn to manage.
"You'll learn how to strategise and organise your work, how to find common resolutions, when to speak and when to stay silent, when to fight for your beliefs and when to compromise, when to accept failure and when to try harder."
He said it was equally important to have different experiences, citing his love for Japanese martial art aikido as an influential and balancing force in his life.
"Aikido is based on the philosophy of understanding and empathising with your opponent, which has been valuable in teaching me the value of looking at others' perspectives," Sabrie, also a committee member of Aikido Aikikai Malaysia, said.
He said young Malaysians should take advantage of the nation's diversity and work together to explore different markets in the Asian region.
"As Malaysians, we have plenty of multilingual speakers who can use those skills to expand and explore business opportunities and markets in the Asian region," he said, adding that Malaysia has a wealth of untapped talent and potential.
On his plans, Sabrie said he was currently working to establish an alumni organisation for former student leaders from universities and colleges nationwide.
"Many still have plenty left to contribute to the nation, given the skills and knowledge they have gained from their experiences as student leaders," he said.
Student leaders interested in getting in touch with Sabrie can contact him at sabriesalleh@gmail.com.
-NST
