The Pandemic Has Led This Founder Join This Company To Pay Off His Debts

Green Matrix, a leading car rental provider, was at its peak around 2011-2019. With total sales of RM5.9 million in 2019, the car rental business was thriving and expanding rapidly. However, when the government imposed travel restrictions in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the business began to slow down. Wahi Abd Rashid, the founder of Green Matrix, initially believed it would be a temporary setback and that they would recover once things returned to normal.

Unfortunately, the outbreak, which was initially thought to be temporary, dragged on. At this point, panic set in for Wahi. The company had to deal with numerous car rental cancellations, resulting in refunds being issued to customers.

The toughest time for Green Matrix.

During the Movement Control Order (MCO), the company’s revenue drastically declined by more than 95%. We started to lose staff one by one because we had no money to pay for their salaries,” Wahi tells WargaBiz.

Everything started to become blurred for him. He couldn’t grasp what to do next. He never thought this would happen, and they were not prepared for the worst. As a founder and a leader, he had to do something to save the company he built from zero.

“We tried to survive by selling other people’s products online. But it did not go well because I had no experience in online selling. Well, we were comfortable with our life before, and I never thought I would have to do this.”

Everyone is leaving Green Matrix, his debts piled up.

As the new venture didn’t go as planned, the company was at a loss, resulting in all ten employees quitting in December 2020. Will it be the end for Green Matrix?

“I celebrated New Year with my car rental business not making any sales. I lost all my loyal ten employees. My savings were all gone because of the food products that did not go well. The worst-case was my company got summoned because I could not pay back my debts. I was at my lowest point, stressed out, and lost – I didn’t know what to do next,” he shares.

It took him a few months to finally start a new page with a new spirit. Thankfully, his wife and family are so supportive. He believes if he keeps trying, he can do something to change his life.

“I’m not a quitter, quitting is not in my vocabulary. No matter how hard life is, I believe it won’t last forever if I do something.”

A new venture for him

As he finally mustered up the last of his strength and spirit to change his life, his friend introduced him to Eskayvie. His friend told him that he had made more than RM5 million since he joined Eskayvie. He was even amazed that the business was thriving and growing even during the pandemic. He finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel – Eskayvie is the answer he had been looking for.

The biggest challenge for Wahi is that he never had experience in direct selling. He had to learn from scratch, and the new venture is completely different from what he had done before.

From managing a company to selling products for others

It has been a humbling experience for him. The new venture taught him to expect the unexpected and to always be prepared for challenges.

“I have gained valuable lessons from this new adventure. I am grateful for the opportunity and humbled by the experience. If my friend had not introduced me to this business, I don’t know where I would be today. There were moments when I felt like giving up, but now I am in a much better place. I am still working on paying off my debts, but overall, I am content with where I am in life.”

When asked about his next move and what had happened to Green Matrix, Wahi explained that he had entrusted the business to a friend to run. He clarified that for the time being, he wants to focus on his new venture.

As someone badly affected by Covid-19, his advice to all entrepreneurs is: “Don’t give up. Every problem has a solution. Don’t be ashamed to work for others. Forget that you were a founder or a boss, join a stable company, and gain experience. This is the fastest way for you to bounce back after a business failure.”

“For those interested in joining Eskayvie, they can contact me via this link,” he concludes.