The director of Fiready Pte Ltd, Mak Ka Weng, has always cherished the happiness and well-being of his loved ones. Growing up in a low-income family, he knows the hardship of poverty and the struggles of making ends meet.
Even so, this has never broken his spirit. In contrast, it only made him all the more grateful for what he has. Despite the money struggles throughout his upbringing, he remembers his family life as one that was filled with joyfulness and love. Money is never the driving force in his life—during rough times, he only needs to turn to his parents, in-laws, and later his wife, to remember what life is all about.
Saving Lives One Fire at a Time
Together with our slogan “Ready against fire, whenever, wherever,” the entire brand image is to highlight the importance of always being prepared against the dangers posed by fire. — Mak Ka Weng, Director of Fiready Pte Ltd
Perhaps that is also why he started Fiready, which began in the year 2016. Combining the words “fire” and “ready,” the company has a mission to maintain the well-being of people from all walks of life, particularly against the harms that may come from fire-related incidents.
Ka Weng and his team saw that many of the top players within the industry of fire protection put all their attention on big-scale companies. While government-backed establishments and multinational businesses had their needs covered, the team found that enterprises from more modest roots, particularly SMEs, were often left out in the cold.
That is how Fiready came to be. Ka Weng’s team set their eyes on the goal of providing smaller-sized groups with all the products and services required for fire protection, all in higher quality and more accessible than ever.
Blessing in Disguise
“I think there is no single moment, but it is always very heartening for me when my clients will Whatsapp me privately to praise my colleagues for a job well done. Moreover, our trade is fire safety, so when our equipment puts out a fire, we know we have indirectly saved a life and it gives us comfort in knowing so.” — Mak Ka Weng, Director of Fiready Pte Ltd
Like many others, the outbreak of COVID-19 threw Fiready some harsh curveballs.
Few businesses were left unscathed during the pandemic, and Fiready was no different. Thanks to restrictions on the circuit breaker at the time, the Fiready team saw a 50% dip in their core business. But with a keen mind, a great entrepreneur will find a way to turn lead into gold, and that’s surely what Ka Weng managed to do.
He and his team started turning to other safety products that were high in demand at the time, such as misting and coating products for disinfection and sanitization purposes. Soon after, they started bringing in automated external defibrillators (AEDs), personal protective equipment (PPE), and other similar products that would greatly benefit people.
This allowed the Fiready team to revisualize their company’s identity to one that not only sought to save the life of others from fire, but also from other hardships, as well. Ka Weng notes that one of the highlights of working and leading his team at Fiready is seeing the trust that their customers put into his team—as well as the trust his team puts into him. He strives to continue nurturing Fiready as the one-stop shop for life-saving needs. They are also planning to grow their team in order to better serve their clientele and improve their turn-around time.
Always Moving and Growing
“Entrepreneurship is like a game. Enjoy it!” — Mak Ka Weng, Director of Fiready Pte Ltd
An entrepreneur who wants to continue building upon his success needs to have clear goals, clear motivations, and a clear purpose in mind. Luckily, Ka Weng has all of these things down pat.
To Ka Weng, few things inspire him more than his team at Fiready. As the director, he acknowledges the trust they have for him and uses it to fuel his drive. Knowing that you have the responsibility to keep your business and your team afloat pushes Ka Weng to always look for more prospects and openings to help their financial standing.
At the same time, he highly values integrity when it comes to guiding his team. Integrity to Ka Weng means nurturing a two-way trust between him and his employees. While he always does his best to lead them, he also knows that his team members are capable enough to do their jobs at their best.
A solid cash flow management, to Ka Weng, is one of the most important things to have, especially during dips in the economy. He has seen many businesses lose their grips on things because they couldn’t get a handle on their cash flow problems. Ka Weng adopted a quote from Warren Buffett that cash flow is akin to “oxygen”; it is rarely thought of when present, but it never leaves one’s mind when absent. He stresses that debtor ageing is something that you should always keep one eye open for.
Ka Weng claims that most people pay sole respect to hard work as a key to prospering in entrepreneurship. While this is a sentiment he shares, he also believes that much of it relies on luck. He thinks it is important to acknowledge how fortunate Fiready is, as much of a business’s success comes down to “being in the right place, at the right time, to meet the right client or supplier.”
Even so, Ka Weng doesn’t look at his entrepreneurial journey as only work, work, and more work. If someone is truly passionate about their work, according to him, then work will cease to feel like work. Instead, it will become something you can truly have fun with.
From the story of Fiready and Mak Ka Weng’s life as an entrepreneur, we learn that finding a purpose you strongly believe in is key to keeping a business alive and well. And during rough patches, all you need to do is turn to the ones you cherish most. Above all, a good entrepreneur must be ready to think on their feet and adapt to any obstacles that come knocking down their door!
With the slogan “Ready against fire, whenever, wherever,” Fiready Pte Ltd Director Mak Ka Weng set out to provide a one-stop, life-saving solution for the people. The happiness of his family, customers, and employees is what motivates him to keep growing and nurturing his business.
Learn more about Fiready Pte. Ltd.
A version of this story first appeared at SME STORIES SG