As the only son of a single mother, Syed Ashraf bin Syed Ali had to help support his family. Guided by his determination, core values, and faith, Syed Ashraf also had an innate instinct for entrepreneurship. In an interview with Top 10 of Asia, Syed Ashraf spoke about his journey in establishing his now successful steakhouse chain.
Growing up in Malaysia as the only son of a single mother with four other siblings was tough. Wanting to help his family, he started work at the age of 13. Syed Ashraf’s natural drive to excel then led him to pursue a degree in quantity surveying. It was in university that he set up his first company in 2004.
In 2014, he started a business with his partners, Palace Butcher Resources, with the initial idea to gain extra income for his wife and kids so that his wife could retire from the banking industry.
Upon the opening of his sixth outlet in 2019, Me’nate became the largest halal steakhouse chain in Malaysia. Presently, there are nine outlets all around Malaysia with plans to expand overseas.
For those who want to start their own business, Syed Ashraf advises them to be daring in taking risks but making sure that they are calculated risks. “Besides that, youngsters need to focus and have patience – patience to wait for the results which will not happen overnight,” he says.