Being a full time entrepreneur with no fixed monthly salary to wait at the end of the month (most Bruneian do, but not me) I always face a challenging days ahead or behind me. Unlike my time in 2004, income is not a problem while my partner and me do the investment trading business. At the least, we could earn $6,000 a month after paying our personal loan, car loan and the phone bills. I owned two BMWs at that time, the 330i and the 320d. Going dining at the Empire Hotel is just like going to the Indian restaurants. I fly frequently using the flying club’s aircraft – Cessna 172.
Then new rulings from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) came into force that prohibits investment trading business carried out by unqualified personnel or organisation without prior track records. We tried to plead with the MOF lawyers, at that time *Dk Nor, to grant us the license that will allow us to continue the business. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and became the end of our glorious business and perhaps the almost luxurious lifestyles. 
Since then, I have repeatedly fine tuning my fish business time over time. Invested most of my time studying the best possible methods of culturing fish both freshwater & marine species. Done trial culture in many ways possible. As we all know Research & Development (R&D) cost huge money and suddenly my cash flow became low and low, with low income to offset the out flow. Why is this happening? Is the location not good? Or is the business I venture in not right for me? Is Brunei market not friendly with aquaculture? Are government support insufficient? Are the bankers not supportive? When I looked back what I have done in the past, it’s all okay and right on track. But there is one missing point or way. I started to realise this when my cash reserves is extremely low and if we talk in technical term, is at its most critical disastrous point. Live support system almost impossible to rescue.
*Mr Hariz, one of my ex-colleague in the bank, and now doing business the same way I do, except he deals in the poultry sector. We occasionally share ideas and discussed the business future in Brunei. When we sit down and discuss the business and talk the business, it will take not less than an hour doing brainstorming. One missing point that I mentioned just now and one that Hariz and I agreed is the marketing side. We neglected this point, assuming people will go after us buying our things. Of course people do come and buy. But the problem is, it’s not in cash method – it is on CREDIT. Another point we neglected is the direct marketing and sales reaching the end user. The consumers market. Credit sales in Brunei can kill a business silently as most debtors lacks liquid cash. However credit sales arranged through banks will make you survive. Well, when you go to a bank asking about this arrangement, it’s not as easy as it is on paper.
*Nickname is used.
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