Mr Zulhilmi ‘Emie’ Mohamed’s life was not always so smooth-sailing. In his early 20s, he found himself struggling for a time without a roof over his head. So, how did he get from homelessness to designing dream homes for others? Tune in to the final episode of Rags to Riches as Emie shares about some of his lowest moments, from the time he spent living from hand to mouth to his eventual ascent to success. Emie’s story is a testament of how sincerity, combined with passion, hard work and a fierce determination to prove himself, despite doing things differently from his peers, can change one’s fate in ways one could’ve never expected or dreamt of.

Before Hanip Automobiles, he was merely Hanip, the talented mechanic with little else to his name. Fast forward to today, Hanip is recognised as one of the top car mechanics for Borneo Motors, and even has a successful workshop to call his own. A classic rags to riches story, Hanip proves that even with a basic education and average family background, success is still attainable with a strong will, discipline and pure hard work.

Rina Tahar had it all – She was finally pursuing her passion for fashion, her modest wear business was booming, and she was earning 5 figures daily. But in the blink of an eye, everything came tumbling down when she experienced a critical designer’s block. With production suddenly halted, she found herself on the brink of despair as her debts accumulated to nearly half a million dollars.

Yet, Rina remained resolute to save the business. She had faltered and made mistakes, she realised, but her brand was still solid, still breathing, and still very much loved by her customers.

Tune in to find out how Rina’s self-reflection led to her redemption, and how SUFYAA was saved after a near devastating loss.

Before ‘modest fashion’ became a globally known term, there was – and still is to this day – SUFYAA. Among the first to pioneer modestwear via e-commerce, SUFYAA was founded by Ms Rina Tahar in 2011, some time after she made the conscious decision to start wearing the hijab. A draftswoman at the time of her migration to hijab, Rina was working in a predominantly male industry and felt a lack of quality and practical modest wear for women of the corporate world. Spurred by the desire to fulfill this need, Rina left her corporate job to set up her own modest fashion line.

With passion and determination, Rina’s business soared – yet, it wasn’t happily ever after from there on out. Like every good story, Rina’s is not immune from trial and loss as well as lessons and sacrifices that made her grow into the strong and tenacious woman she is today. Tune in to Rina’s story to hear about her journey and the lengths she would go to keep her dream alive.

Soon after embracing Islam in his youth, Mr Ronnie Faizal Tan found his calling in his business. 20 years on, he is a serial entrepreneur, setting up one business after another despite having encountered failure on more than one occasion. How does he keep his morale high even in the face of loss?

In this compelling interview, Ronnie reflects on his journey to Islam and how it has impacted the decisions he made as an adult as well as his journey as a Chinese-Muslim businessman. Ronnie’s story is a heartwarming example of what it means to strive for a higher purpose: to look beyond profit and rather, how one can use business as a means to help others and to draw closer to God.

An avid learner with an intelligent mind and an ambitious soul, Ms Meliza Salim journeyed into the male-dominated realm of startups when she was only 20. Now in her 30s and having found her calling in teaching, Meliza’s very own Lil Changemakers is a one of a kind private prep school focused on the holistic and spiritual development of children from an early age. Meliza’s story is one of courage, self-empowerment and the importance of empowering the next generation.

Over 110 years ago, a humble and resilient Javanese immigrant worked to support his family of 15 by peddling satay on the streets. Who would’ve thought, three generations later, that his family would continue to preserve his legacy, and in fact, turn it into a million dollar-worthy business?

For Ms Samsiah Suliman, taking the reins on her husband’s family-owned satay business was the start of something incredibly new and daunting, yet, her interest, coupled with her sincerity, resilience and innovative spirit, helped make the business grow beyond what any of them could have imagined. Today, Jumain Sataysfaction is known as one of the oldest and most innovative food businesses serving authentic traditional satay.

But more interesting than the success story of the business, is the story of its CEO and boss lady Samsiah Suliman. Despite starting off with zero knowledge about satay-making, Samsiah dove deep into the business with unwavering passion and determination, keeping it running even after becoming a new mother. What challenges did she face and how did she overcome them? And how does one juggle motherhood and career at the same time?

What does it take to sustain a million-dollar business? Founder of POS TKI Logistics Mr Anwar Tahar continues to share about his life after making it big, from nurturing good relationships with his staff to maintaining friendships, helping out others in need and being a proud mummy's boy.

How does one make a profit of over a million dollars from selling boxes? The story of the Founder of POS TKI Logistics Mr Anwar Tahar is truly a fascinating one to listen to. An outspoken, self-proclaimed champion of the Indonesian domestic worker community in Singapore, Anwar struggled for a time to make ends meet as a modest taxi driver before he was offered the opportunity to help manage a logistics company. From there, Anwar found his calling in the field of logistics. However, it would take some years—and even betrayals—before he finally found his footing and opened his own company.

Anwar’s story proves that life is oftentimes filled with trials and errors, but also course corrections and miracles. Anwar also discusses the importance of honouring one’s mother and the blessings that come with faith, honesty and filial piety.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

For the bold and ambitious Hafiz Alkhatib, the answer was simple. He wanted to become a successful businessman…and to earn his first million dollars before the age of 30. But the journey to achieving this goal was far from easy.

In the season premiere of Rags to Riches, Founder of Malayan Council Hafiz Alkhatib recalls his tough journey to becoming a millionaire whilst fighting to free himself from the burden of a $150K debt that almost caused him to declare bankruptcy. Hafiz’s story is a testament to how success comes from a place of sincerity, resilience and gratitude.