In the School of Business's final entrepreneurship lecture of 2004, a Honolulu businessman originally from Egypt encouraged BYU–Hawaii students to look everywhere for success.
"Every single day when you wake up, there's an opportunity to make it successful," said Ash Matar, CEO of VIP Car Rentals, VIP Transportation, a substance abuse rehabilitation clinic and about 30 other businesses.
"Look around you for win-win opportunities. A lot of people will stand there hoping they could have a business, make money and be successful in life; but that's all they do. They don't take any actions to make that dream come true. You have to take action," Matar stressed. "Failing is not the end of the road. It's part of the process of being successful."
"I'll give you briefly some idea of how easy or how difficult it is to succeed in business," Matar continued, recounting how he moved to New York in 1981 soon after graduating as a marine engineer in his native Egypt. He soon moved to San Diego for about six months.
"When I came to the United States, I didn't have any money or any experience. As a matter of fact, I didn't know how to speak English," he said, adding he saved every penny until he had about $5,000.
While in California, Matar's friend inspired him to move to Hawaii. "After arriving, I felt I would have a better opportunity here. I needed a place to feel welcome, and I felt the aloha. I was very comfortable here," Matar said. He explained he used his savings to buy three used cars and rent a small space in Waikiki. VIP Car Rentals now has about 800 cars and four locations.
"At the time, I remember I said, I can't start a business with three or four cars; but I wasn't paying myself. I was getting just enough money to pay the rent on a small apartment. A lot of people find excuses for not starting a business, like, I don't have the money."
His first break came when a man rented a car for three months in advance. "I took that money and actually bought another used car. He came back and picked it up. I did that over and over again, and it was good. I found a way [to succeed], and I did not let lack of money stop me."
About 10 years ago Matar started VIP Transportation, which today has 95 vans and buses that transport about 5,000 people a day; but he started with only three or four buses. "In the first four months, we worked very hard but we were not making any money. We were depending on tourism."
"When you start a business, you're going to have obstacles. Look at it like you're in a war, and you have to do everything you can to win," Matar said, explaining he decided to focus on airline crews. "Every plane that comes in has a crew, so I was guaranteed passengers every time."
Of course, he first had to convince the airlines to use his services. He said it took him persistence and about two months to sign with United. After that, he eventually signed up all the major airlines at Honolulu International Airport.
In another example, he told of seeing an old run-down hotel for sale on Maui that he felt would make a good opportunity, although he didn't want to buy it. He ended up renting it for $7,000 a month, on a month-to-month basis until the owner sold the property.
Matar soon turned to a youth hostel operator in Waikiki who took over the property for $20,000 a month. "I made $13,000 a month for five years because the property didn't sell [during that time]. Banana Bungalows was very successful and also made about $10,000 a month, but he worked very hard."
In a similar example, Matar took a comment a friend told him about how unhappy the man's daughter was with Honolulu's only private abuse treatment clinic at the time to launch Comprehensive Health and Attitude Management Program (CHAMP) about 12 years ago.
Not knowing anything about that business, he ended up hiring the competition's doctor by giving him 20 percent of the business. "Still, it was very difficult," he said of the many hearings, background checks, and other entry barriers. "It took us a year-and-a-half to start, but since then it's been very profitable, and we're also helping a lot of people. We've treated thousands of people. I only go there once a week."
"It's not what you know, it's what you're willing to know and what you want to achieve in life," Matar emphasized to the students. "If you want to achieve success, you've got to find opportunities. There are opportunities all around us, every single day."
Asked what his greatest achievement was, Matar responded, "In general, I spend a lot of time with my two sons, and they've turned out to be very, very good in my eyes. They hate smoking and drinking. They're A students in school, they play music and act. I take them to Europe every year. To me, that's my biggest achievement, so far ... more than the business."
"Being happy and having peace of mind is not only having money. Being healthy, contributing to your family, and being able to help out are also achievements."