I’m always inspired by women who go against the tide, beat the odds and triumph, especially in places where they have their work cut out for them. Take for example, Tengku Rozidar, a Brunei woman with a hearty appetite for business success. Fondly called “Hot-Dog Lady”, she set up one of Malaysia’s most successful franchises to date, the 1901 Hotdog Co.
Tengku spoke about challenges of keeping her businesses afloat at the “Women in Business 2009 Conference” where five Brunei women were honoured and received plaques of recognition from Her Royal Highness Princess Azemah Ni’matul Bolkiah.
From Humble Ingredients
I had to smile when I read that Tengku gave her speech at lunchtime! To fill you in: 1901 has grown from one hotdog stall in Sunway, Malaysia, in 1997, to 70 outlets around Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in 2009.
This is quite an achievement given that in 1997, the year 1901 was born, Malaysia was suffering an economic downturn and Tengku spoke candidly about the challenges she’d faced since founding the hot-dog franchise with her husband Ahamad Zakir.
This plucky Brunei woman revealed that in the early days, she and her husband had no idea how they were going to sell their hotdogs priced at RM3.90 per packet when other competitors were selling theirs for around RM2.99.
Love, Faith and Courage: The Perfect Recipe
According to Tengku, it is important for any budding entrepreneur to remain focused, optimistic, and courageous and have unwavering faith in God that success will come, as she confirms in an interview with News Brunei:
“My reasons for wanting success became clear to me when I went through the process of asking myself what are my values, mission and vision,” she said, adding that when the reason for wanting success becomes clear, obstacles are easier to overcome.
“I always wondered if I would ever get the chance to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After the re-branding exercise… I found my reason to succeed, I actually saw the light.”
And The Motto of the Story…
1901 was awarded the “Most Promising Franchisor of the Year for 2000/2001″ by the Malaysian Franchise Association. The award recognises the achievements of up-and-coming, enterprising franchisors that are poised for the future.
The Malaysia Superbrands Council also awarded Tengku’s company with “Consumer Superbrand 2003/2004″ and again in 2005.
Just shows us enterprising young ladies what we can achieve if we put our minds to it, right? Anyone feeling peckish?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice post..Just a correction: she is a Malaysian. She came to Brunei to give a talk about her journey at the Women in Business Conference 2009. Thank you.
Thankyou! The article we sourced listed her as from Brunei. It’s good to have the right fact – thank you for letting us know.