Dr Soraya Rahim Ismail of Boost Juice Bars, tells LIM WONG HOOI entrepreneurs are masters of their own destiny, but then you can never truly ‘switch off’.
Dr Soraya Rahim Ismail, 42, the founder and managing director of Vitality Boost Sdn Bhd, master franchiser holder of the Boost Juice Bars in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. says leaving the corporate world to start her own business was something of a culture shock.
It meant going from a job with a proper support structure to back you up to practically doing everything by yourself.
However, Soraya says she’s rather motivated by the fact that selling health drinks means she’s contributing positively to Malaysia by providing a healthy alternative to fast food.
You’re a high achiever, with a doctorate in chemical engineering from Imperial College, London. Can you tell us about your dissertation and what you found interesting about it?
My PhD was about Optimisation of Chemical Process Design using a heat and mass mathematical model. This involved developing a model for design of chemical plants or processes, such as distillation processes for the oil industry. As my models were developed based on case studies to solve actual design problems provided by the industry (i.e. by oil and gas companies), the PhD (which took three years to complete) was not simply theoretical. I enjoyed tackling a large problem by logically breaking it down systematically.
What motivated you to start a business?
I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur and start my own business. The largest influence was probably my parents, who individually had their own businesses, where my father owned a travel agency in London when I was growing up. I was with the management consulting firm Accenture for 10 years, travelling from the UK to many locations, including Europe, Japan, USA and Australia, specialising in customer relationship management and marketing.
However, it was not until the right opportunity came along that I left the corporate world in 2009 while I was senior manager with Accenture in London.
How did you know what business to go into?
As master franchisor of Boost Juice Bars in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, I found this business ticked all the boxes for me. It is a brand and also a product that I am passionate about.
I already had the idea in 2007, hence I established the company in 2007 (while I was still with Accenture) and started negotiations with the Australian company who owned the franchise to become the master franchise holder in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, but it was only in 2009 that I opened the first outlet in Suria KLCC.
It allows me to contribute positively to Malaysia by introducing a healthy alternative to fast food while building a Malaysian company to provide jobs. It also presented me an opportunity to return to Malaysia after over 20 years of living and working abroad.
How different has it been compared to being a professor or a consultant?
With an initial capital of RM1mil from our savings, my husband and I did all the backend work involving human resource, administration, supply chain and marketing when we began with 12 staff for the first outlet.
Today, we have a staff of 300 in both the Malaysia and Singapore operations.
The challenges of starting a business from scratch and introducing a brand to a new market are very different from having an established corporate job, where you usually have the support structure in place, as well as a guaranteed pay cheque at the end of the month!
Overnight, I went from a job where we managed large teams of people with managers reporting to us to literally doing everything ourselves at the beginning.
However, it was a great learning experience and ensured we understood every aspect of our business.
We also had all these great marketing ideas and a strong vision of where we wanted to go but we had to grow the business to a certain level and size before we had the capacity and funds make it happen!
How has it affected your personal life?
Running your own business carries the benefit of being your own boss and being in charge of your own destiny, but on the flip side, you can never truly ‘switch off’ from work.
As my husband Nick Tiernan, also the regional director, and I are both running the business, we tend to ‘talk shop’ most of the time and have had to learn how to work with each other!
We are both opinionated and are not always in agreement, which makes for very colourful debates that we both enjoy!
Today’s modern women have their sets of wheels to show. What is yours?
I drive a Volvo XC90 which I love as it is practical and comfortable. Our boot is often filled with our sporting equipment – whether it’s bicycles for our regular family outings to the park or kitesurfing gear on trips to Kuantan during the monsoon season!
Fact file
What is your motto in life?
My motto with my staff and customers is: Love life & stay healthy.
What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur?
The flexibility to schedule my working day so that I am able to send and pick up my six-year-old boy from school every day – something that I would not have been able to do if I had remained in my old corporate job!
What do you do to de-stress?
I exercise regularly as part of my schedule. This allows me to have some ‘me’ time and de-stress effectively! I love yoga, swimming and cycling – all great activities that you can easily do in Malaysia!
Are there any figures that you look up to?
Janine Allis, founder of Boost Juice, who was a mother of three young children when she founded Boost Juice in 2000, is an amazing role model.
She started the business from scratch through hard work and determination, and has a highly successful business that continues to grow 15 years later.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/smebiz/people/2015/05/18/you-cant-truly-switch-off/#wBvwYzAHB6mAe40a.99
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