Most people start a business because they want to build a company. They have a business plan. They have sales targets. They want to be an entrepreneur.
I didn’t.
I had no plan to build RichWorks. All I did was help one entrepreneur who needed help. Then another, and another. Bit by bit, that help grew into a movement.
Today, after 18 years of fighting for it, that movement is called RichWorks. It’s more than a company. It’s a mission to help more entrepreneurs grow, build better businesses and leave a legacy that benefits other people.
I believe many entrepreneurs have gone through this phase. We work hard, but things change when we least expect it. We start questioning the decisions we made, we lose confidence in ourselves, and we wonder whether there’s still room to get back up.
That’s when a friend came to see me. He had just started a catering business, but he had no idea how to get customers. I took a piece of paper and shared a few marketing and sales strategies based on my own experience. Nothing more than that.
A few weeks later, he came back with good news. His business was moving again after he landed a new contract. After that, he brought along a few friends who were also facing the challenge of building a business.
One day, I was invited to the premises he had just rented. I thought he only wanted my views on the shop. The moment I walked in, more than 20 entrepreneurs were waiting for advice. From morning till evening, I listened to their stories, one by one. Some were close to shutting down, some had run out of money, some had lost customers, and some had already started losing hope in themselves.
That was the moment I realised — maybe Allah wasn’t closing a door in my life. He was opening an amanah far bigger than anything I had ever planned.
That day changed the way I look at business. I stopped asking, “What business should I build?”
Instead, I started asking, “How many more people can I help?”
Until today, that question is still the basis of every decision we make. I believe a business built only to chase profit will always be hunting for customers. But a business built to solve people’s problems will always have a place in their hearts. Trust doesn’t come from what we sell, but from the value we give consistently.
Looking back at this journey, I’m more convinced than ever that purpose isn’t necessarily found while we’re planning our future. Sometimes it shows up when we choose to help someone who needs it.
That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way. When we truly benefit other people, we don’t just change their lives. Without us realising it, Allah is changing ours too.
If you want to hear the full story behind how it all started, I invite you to watch the Book of Jake Podcast with @Jake Abdullah. I share in more depth about the journey, the challenges, the leadership philosophy and the lessons that shaped RichWorks to this day. I hope there’s one sharing in there that benefits your journey too.
Datuk Wira