Brothers set up café at college

BROTHERS Matt Zailan and Khair Zailan have set up a sibling partnership that would be the envy of many.

Still students at the Laksamana College of Business, they ply a small café at the lower floor of the college every Wednesday, and the response from fellow students seemed impressive as their café gained popularity with a diverse range of coffee products, pastries and cakes for the college community.

After completing his secondary school in Chung Hwa Middle School a couple of years ago, Matt had an idea in setting up a small business with his brother Khair.

He decided to put his studies on hold to set up a small coffee business at home, with limited variety of coffee drinks.

“As we progress further into the business, we made a small but important investment in the purchase of a coffee machine, that made making drinks for customers much easier and more efficient,” Matt said.

Zailan brothers with their Koppe café. – ISHAN IBRAHIM

Over time, the brothers learnt some business skills with a learning curve full of invaluable lessons, and they took advantage of this to the fullest.

The brothers also took the opportunity to set up a small business at Laksamana College of Business, and the lecturers are very helpful and supportive.

He added that Laksamana College of Business encourages their Business students to set up small businesses every Wednesday to see for themselves the reality, albeit in a college setting, and gain hands-on experience that cannot be obtained in a classroom.

Every Wednesday, the hall is busy with students plying their small stalls selling sandwiches, cakes, drinks and other varieties of tasty food products and delicious drinks for the staff and students.

Matt said the hall designated by Laksamana College of Business is similar to a testing ground for budding entrepreneurs.

“We studied Hospitality Management at Laksamana College of Business and the knowledge we gained is invaluable and really helped us a lot,” he said.

So what is next for the Zailan brothers? Matt said they are planning to set up a café outside of the college environment, where they will learn more on independence and entrepreneurial skills and what matters most for a small successful business.