Most entrepreneurs don’t fail because of the economy alone. They fail when what they assume about the future is driven more by fear.
Last night I was on a flight to London. Just like that, Q3 2026 has begun, and insha-Allah, tomorrow I’ll be at the convocation for the Global Master of Business Administration at Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester.
On this flight, which takes hours, I noticed a notebook and a pen placed in front of my seat. As I’ve done for years, I started writing down my dreams and goals again.
Most people think dreams only need to be written once, usually at the start of the year. I see it a little differently. Every time I rewrite what I want to achieve, I’m not just listing new targets — I’m re-examining the way I think. Is the dream still big enough? Do I still truly believe it can be achieved?
I know many entrepreneurs are thinking about rising operating costs, interest rates, consumer purchasing power and global economic uncertainty. Without realising it, that worry starts to turn into a form of assumption. They start telling themselves this year will be harder, the targets may not be reached, the market is no longer on their side. The truth is, assumptions like these slowly shape our actions, and in the end they decide the results we get.
A few days ago, during the Double Ace Podcast session, Norman Hakim shared his experience joining a RichWorks program for the first time. He admitted he was quite surprised to see participants shouting the word “SWITCH”. For someone seeing it for the first time, it can look strange. But to me, switch is not just an activity. It’s a symbol of the courage to change the way we look at a situation. Instead of focusing on the problem, we choose to look for the opportunity. Instead of letting fear take over our minds, we choose to build the confidence that every challenge comes with its own wisdom.
In more than 18 years of coaching entrepreneurs, I’ve seen one thing stay very consistent. Founders who succeed don’t succeed because they always do business in a good economy. They succeed because they refuse to let the economy decide how they think. They choose to act based on strategy, data and real hard work, and at the same time they always keep good assumptions about Allah.
Didn’t Allah Himself say in the hadis qudsi, “I am as My servant thinks of Me.” The more I understand this hadith, the more I realise that assumption is not just a passing thought. It shapes our prayers, it influences our actions, and in the end it shapes our future.
That’s why, at over 35,000 feet, I wasn’t just rewriting my targets for Q3. I was rewriting my conviction. I was reminding myself that whatever the economy is doing, my responsibility is to keep working as hard as I can, keep learning, keep guiding, keep improving myself, and keep thinking well of Allah. The rest I leave to Him.
Because in the end, I learned one thing. The economy may influence the journey of a business, but what determines how far we can go is how we see the future, the courage to keep acting, and the belief that Allah always opens a way for those who never stop trying and never stop thinking well of Him.
— Datuk Wira Dr Azizan Osman