To establish oneself as an independent and secure person, one must have a stable career and income. For the blind community, in particular, this is a much greater challenge than it needs to be.
Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have near or distant vision impairment, with Malaysia accounting for 1.2 per cent of the total. Despite having the required education and experience, many still have trouble landing jobs that are a good fit for their skillset due to their disability.
People who are blind or have low vision are just as capable as those who have normal vision, and they often outperform their sighted peers. These days, you can find blind engineers, blind chefs, and blind footballers. As a matter of fact, the Malaysian National Blind Football Team is ranked fifth in Asia and 20th in the world.
I am Faizul bin Ahmad Zuki. An unfortunate accident took my right eye, and now I am determined to end the exclusion I have faced because of it.
How I transform my limitations into an opportunity
I became disabled following a hit-and-run motorcycle accident in which a tree branch blinded my right eye. Since the accident, I have had trouble focusing and finishing work because the inner part of my right eye is still damaged. The stress of being a breadwinner and business owner finally got to me, and I had numerous nervous breakdowns as a result.
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The incident has rendered me unable to fulfil my role as my family’s sole provider. I started a carpet-cleaning business out of my home in 2019, but I lack self-assurance in my business skills and have not been able to grow to a sustainable level.
Many felt that people with disabilities, like myself, simply needed financial aid when I initially started out on my entrepreneurial journey. In reality, however, we are more in need of additional assistance in terms of education and facilities for business and daily life.
After hearing about the Maybank Foundation’s RISE Programme (Reach Independence & Sustainable Entrepreneurship), I decided to sign up. Rather than just getting handouts, the Maybank Foundation and a multinational social enterprise called People Systems Consultancy (PSC) have teamed up to create a programme that helps people with disabilities (PWD) produce meaningful, measurable, and long-lasting economic outcomes.
When I completed the course, I had a new perspective. I made the decision to devote more time to my cleaning business to improve the quality of life for my family. Although my vision is getting worse, I am much more determined than ever to make some positive changes in my life. It gives me great pleasure to also share that I came in second place at the most recent Liga Usahawan OKU Selangor 2022 competition, which was organised by Raja Muda Selangor.
As a result of this life-altering shift, I now earn at least RM40,000 every month, which is four times what I was making before (RM10,000).
The defining moment of my life
Before participating in the RISE programme, I was emotionally unstable and slow to recover from setbacks in business. For as long as I can remember, I have had this frustrating feeling that I am not making the most of my opportunities to better my life.
Not only that, but my business acumen was lacking, especially in financial management. For this reason, I had no way of knowing whether or not the business was profitable, as I had no way of knowing how much money was coming in or going out.
Today, I have such a firm grasp of financial management that I can accurately assess my company’s profit and loss. In addition, I now understand how to allocate profits to the parts of a business that need development, like capital expenditures and promotion. This has given me great self-assurance as I run my business and interact with clients and customers.
After participating in the RISE programme and learning how to identify the most effective business strategy, I am now better able to restructure the requirements of my company and the steps that must be taken to meet them.
My emotional state, which has been the most difficult part of my life, has also improved, which is great news because it has been the least stable of my problems until now.
Overall, I am happier now that I do not have to stress as much about the future of my company or my bank account. This is so because I can monitor and manage my cash flow more effectively. It has helped me run my business with less stress and worry by allowing me to focus on what matters.
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In my opinion, the RISE coursework covers a wide range of topics that apply to the working world. There are a handful of the course’s modules that have proven especially useful to me as an entrepreneur. When it comes to assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing both myself and my organisation, the SWOT Analysis module has proven to be one of the most useful resources. The module has also prepared me for the potential benefits and drawbacks I may face in my future endeavours.
In addition, the Profile Strengths module has helped me zero in on the industry where I would thrive. Despite the fact that I had already started working on my carpet cleaning business before beginning this course, this module has reinforced the importance of making sure that all future and past business decisions will bring us joy.
Lastly, the Financial Management module has greatly aided in managing corporate finances when the themes examined truly reveal several fundamentals in revenue management.
My own personal note to you
In spite of my visual impairment, I am grateful that I can make regular contributions to our family’s income. It is also something I take great pride in that I am not the type of person to rely on charity for financial support; that is almost the universal stereotype in today’s society.
In the future, I hope to expand my carpet cleaning service business across Malaysia, open a carpet washing factory in every state (including Sabah and Sarawak), help those in need, and provide opportunities for the disabled and the unemployed.
To my fellow friends with disabilities, I would say that the first step toward making the most of our abilities is to educate ourselves about those abilities, the resources available to us, and the will and advantages we already possess.
We need to dispel myths and raise awareness within our own families that people with disabilities, too, can succeed. This is especially true when such people are given individualised care and attention.
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