In 2016, Loo Yen Teng had a brief conversation with an acquaintance but she had no idea how important that conversation would be to her life and how it would eventually lead her to where she is now.

Impressed by the story of her friend, who is a successful businessman dealing with construction sites, they both exchanged business ideas and shared each other’s experiences. Inspired by her friend’s success, Yen Teng decided to start her journey as an entrepreneur in the construction sector.

As the director of Nidki Construction Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd (NCEMSB), a company involved in interior design (ID) & structural work, civil and construction work, Yen Teng said her business meant everything to her.

“NCEMSB is managed by a team of people who have wide experience and expertise in their respective fields. Therefore, we look forward to participating and contributing on a larger scale to civil construction projects. Our commitment is to meet our clients’ higher satisfaction through our practical technical solutions, competitive costs and fast-track schedule,” she told Entrepreneur Insight in an interview recently.

NCEMSB (formerly known as Ninki J Enterprise) was established on March 5, 2016, and the business has grown particularly in sync with the significant growth of its development projects.

Yen Teng said with the expanding market, strong management team and support from the financial institutions, NCEMSB will be able to expand the business further.

“We want to provide better services while incorporating and continuously keeping abreast with the latest technology and quality workmanship. Among the company’s track record includes several sizable and prestigious projects that have been implemented in record time with high quality and to our client’s complete satisfaction,” she added.

The 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneur 2022 (100MIYE) recipient said similar to other entrepreneurs’ stories, she also learnt her biggest lesson when the Covid-19 pandemic hit globally.

“I now understand why financial flow is so crucial during trying times,” Yen Teng said, adding that despite any hurdles, she is committed to pursuing engineering work that uses cutting-edge technology and environmentally friendly concepts in the next three years.

Delving further into her entrepreneurial journey, she revealed that her inspiration for my work comes from delivering pieces that incorporate my clients’ ideas and releasing the finished product to the public.

“Regarding expectations, I have targets instead of expectations that the awarded job scopes will be completed completely and on time. To achieve these targets, planning and managing are vitally important in tandem.

“As the quote by Benjamin Franklin goes, ‘If your fail to plan, you are planning to fail’. Combining ideas, experience, and knowledge to run a project is what planning is all about. The planning must then be managed with quick decisions and effective action,” she continued.

When asked what kind of advice she would like to share with budding entrepreneurs, she said always be humble and never lose sight of your starting point.

“As for me, I will always remind myself not to forget my beginning and the first memory of my career steps as an entrepreneur. Such a memory has become my daily booster to help me move forward,” she said.