Today, the company is back on track to break RM100 million in sales. Why?
Seventeen years ago, Dr. Kartika (“Dr. Kay”) and Dr. Syid founded Eskayvie. Today, many people see a successful brand. What most people don’t know is how close the company came to not existing at all.
At the end of 2016, after once hitting more than RM50 million in sales a year, Eskayvie’s sales dropped to around RM2 million. Like many founders in that situation, they were close to deciding to shut the company down.
That was when the team that stayed on “forced” Dr. K to attend the Intensif Magnet Kekayaan & Kejayaan (IMKK) programme run by Richworks in November 2016. She came in with full humility, an open mind and a willingness to be coached.
One of the first things I told her was, “You should be doing at least RM50 million in sales every year.” At the time it probably sounded impossible. But Dr. K chose to believe it, changed her strategy, realigned the company’s direction and, most importantly, kept executing.
The rest is history.
The following year, sales climbed back past RM20 million. Then past RM30 million, back above RM50 million, and eventually past RM100 million during the pandemic. Like many other companies, Eskayvie went through challenges after the pandemic too. But today, they are back on track to break the RM100 million mark again.
Many people see this as an “overnight success”. I watched the whole journey myself — almost 11 years of challenges, hard decisions, discipline, perseverance and non-stop self-improvement.
What I respect most about Dr. K is not just her perseverance. It is that even today, after 11 years, she still chooses to be coached. Success never made her think she already knows everything.
Every time she faces a challenge, she seeks input. She asks, she looks for certainty, she listens carefully, and then she acts. That is one of the main reasons she keeps growing as a Business Leader and Eskayvie keeps growing as a company.
Many founders only look for guidance when they are in trouble. Dr. K kept seeking guidance even after rebuilding a company worth more than RM100 million. That is the difference between someone who is truly committed to keep learning and keep improving.
Happy Birthday, Dr. K. I pray that Allah SWT continues to grant Dr. K health, blessings, wisdom and even greater success. May Eskayvie continue to grow across ASEAN and inspire more entrepreneurs.
It is not easy to become successful. And it is not hard to stay stuck where you are. Most founders who fail do not fail because they lack potential. Not because they have no hope either. But at some point, they can no longer see the way forward. Or worse, they choose to give up hope.
Dr. K chose a different path. For 11 years, she never stopped learning. Never stopped improving herself. And never stopped choosing to be coached.
Remember. The one decision that truly guarantees failure is when we choose to GIVE UP.
Datuk Wira