Being rich in life is definitely would be one of the dream goals for many people in this whole wide world. To be able to achieve that, they have to work hard in life so that everything will be worth it in the end. Despite all that, many people said that someone could change if they have become rich. They would turn to someone who is arrogant, stingy, and many other negative descriptions towards them.
Fortunately, there is a whole different story for this particular Malaysian billionaire who is ranked 25th in the Forbes list of 50 richest people in Malaysia. His name is Tan Sri Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim. There is actually a very inspiring story of how this specific native of Sungai Petani, Kedah started his journey before he finally becomes a billionaire. It is so amazing how this former military intelligence officer with the rank of Major and former used car dealer is so high in his fighting spirit in business that he can get to this point.
Based on his story, he and his wife started a used car business right after retiring from the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM). In the early days of his business, Syed Azman traveled back and forth to London to buy used cars before selling them in Malaysia. At that time he did not have an AP (Approval Permit) but he shared the AP with friends who had the permit.
Over time, he also managed to own an AP from the government and his car business was gaining prominence. Soon the government decided to stop giving open APs and only offer AP franchises. To get the AP franchise, Syed Azman has to be appointed by a foreign car company as a distributor and then the permit is awarded to him.
Luck was on his side when he managed to gain the trust of Honda to appoint him as a distributor of several types of cars in Malaysia. Then Syed Azman got the right to distribute Chevrolet and Suzuki.
Syed Azman once said that he was bored because he spent a lot of time on the road while doing business. Then his friend suggested he buy a helicopter just to travel for his business. So in 2003, he bought a helicopter for the US $ 1.5 million for his daily use. When he did not use the helicopter, he only rented it to those who were interested.
It was then that he realized that the demand for these helicopters was high in Malaysia. Five years later, he managed to secure his first contract to provide helicopter services to bring oil and gas sector workers to the rig. Today, the owner of Weststar who is so humble has more than 40 helicopters, four private jets and he was also awarded a contract worth RM8 billion for oil rig workers to bring it among the richest men in Malaysia.
Although his wealth and assets reached billions of ringgit, Syed Azman declined to say the amount. Now, Syed Azman continues to spread his wings despite the bitter challenges he faces at a time when the world economy is in a state of uncertainty. Just as dozens of his helicopters flew high in the air, so did his spirit and determination.
Sources: Forbes