It was at the height of the Asian Financial Crisis. The country was reeling from the impact. Belts were tightened and many businessmen took conservative routes to ride the crisis over. In the midst of this turmoil, two young entrepreneurs, Tengku Rozidar and Ahmad Zakir, set up the first ever hot dog store in Sunway Pyramid, Malaysia. The rest, as they say, is history. From the first pushcart, 1901 now has grown by leaps and bounds with over 70 outlets by 2007.
For Tengku Rozidar and Ahmad Zakir, 1901 is the culmination of their dream. They believe that many fellow Malaysians would like to run their own business, just like they do. Therefore they decided to set up a franchise and make it affordable. That way, people who aspire to run their own business could pursue the dream. On the other hand, the design of pushcarts and stores were reminiscent of America?s hot dog stores. The approach was so successful that for a long time, many people had thought that 1901 is an American hot dog chain.
For the founders, the success they have achieved is just a beginning. Now, they set their sight to soar to new heights. |