As Adham took us through the whole forging and blacksmithing workshop at Lipis, Pahang, he also shared some profound wisdom and insights as to what got him into the business, what kind of efforts he put into, and what he aspires to achieve. Here are some cool nuggets of wisdom I've picked up in that short time we had together:
1. Growth Mindset - Contrary to my initial impressions and assumptions , Parang Lipis wasn't a family business brought down from generations. In fact it wasn't even an aspiration he had in his younger years. It was a recent ambition he set after learning about the craft.
Adham in fact had an educational background in TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language. He could have pursued his profession on that path (in fact, he did already start off his career in the Middle East), but chose this direction instead.
What sparked his interest in the field was his initiated his learning journey: in his initial days, Adham went on an expedition to visit and learn from 60 different blacksmiths from all over Malaysia, vlogging his journey initially for security reasons, venturing into unfamiliar territory (who knows what kind of characters he will meet!). What started off as security precautions, eventually earned a social media following and continued to encourage his growth journey.
2. Be Objective & cut through the noise - When he first intended to start blacksmithing and entering the industry of knife-making, many discouraged him, some questioning "why throw away your professional career ahead of you" to enter a business that doesn't have much potential. Many people around him, out of good intentions, had warned him, if you pursue a business based on this kind of hard labor, there's not much money in it.
But when he really studied the businesses out there, the supply-demand and numbers didn't seem to match that sentiment. Demand is there. But why don't these businesses survive?
He observed a common pattern: mismanagement.
When these skills weren't complimented with strong management, the blacksmiths don't get to fulfill their potential.
"What if i could do better?"
It was then, he decided stepped up to initiate the business in year 2020.
3. Be Proactive: During the pandemic era of COVID19, Adham observed that many of his friends and family were losing their jobs. This incident, coupled with the timing of his newfound skills, triggered the thought: perhaps I can create job opportunities for them?
He committed to it: some of his staff today were those retrenched or struggling for jobs from that era.
4. Discipline to Push yourself out of your comfort zone -
Okay , so we've formed a company, employed a few guys. Now, what? How do we push ourselves to break boundaries and thrive?
In his own words, "it was at that moment, I told my then-girlfriend: let's get married. Now if I have responsibilities and a family to feed, that will push me and force me to find ways to thrive!"
He wasn't going to settle down in his comfort zone. He knew, that to break through the perceived norms and achieve a higher level, he'd have to get uncomfortable: and instead of waiting for external factors for him to react to, he proactively pushed himself into that zone of discomfort.
5. Carving a Niche - As he explained, those who enter the knife-making business either branch of between either of two: making Knives as an artwork, or knives as a tool.
He chose to take the path of the latter: as a tool. Carving as an art, sure, you can sell the knives as a higher price and it's also got a cool edginess x-factor, but it's also more seasonal: whenever there's a trend, a viral sensation, mainstream media coverage, demand will spike for a short while, then die down. But manufacturing knives as a practical tool: a continuous, constant demand that can enable a more stable business for longterm sustainability that doesn't rely on trends. Now that's forward thinking
6. Vision & Branding Strategy - When we first arrived, he asked us, "before I begin, I'd like to ask where did you hear about Parang Lipis?". Our honest answer was "our group leader organized this trip, we just followed her 😂", but we were also a bit perplexed at why he asked.. "Is this a big brand that we have been ignorant about?"
As he later explained about the business after the tour, there were a lot of considerations about naming of the business before they arrived at "Parang Lipis". Most knife makers name their businesses from the names of their founders. But he wanted a brand that #1: customers would immediately know what their product was, and #2: one that would establish a branding of the local expertise (Lipis).
He had a broader vision: to make Lipis as the go-to place for Parangs, to the point where, whenever people associate the location of Lipis, the first thing that comes to mind is "Parang". And true enough, to some extent, its already happening: whenever the Sultan of Pahang comes to Lipis, he will ready his entourage to get a new Parang.
7. Inclusiveness - I've always believed that the mark of a true professional is to be inclusive and welcome newcomers to the gold. Those who would love to see their profession expand, who welcome and celebrate newcomers, who aren't stingy with knowledge and generously share.
And that's what Adham embodies and is passionate about: he invites more people to join in the craft, even if it's just as a hobby. What motivates him is his observation that this is a dying skill: Since his initial expedition learning from 60 blacksmiths, about seven of them have already passed away.
Inspiring stuff!
We wish him and pray for his continuous success and barakah (blessings), in this life and the next.
No comments:
Post a Comment