Most nights, while doing his food delivery rounds across Kota Baru, Indera Aria Wee Jeeny keeps watch on the people at the roadside, and if he spots someone with a flat tyre, a dead battery, or a look that says things are not going well, he stops.
He is not paid for this, but he once came across a family that had not eaten for two weeks, and he helped what he could even though he is not well off himself.
“I have been at the bottom and lost hope, so I do not want others to feel the same. So while delivering food orders, I will also look around and help those in need. I remember the advice to never let a day pass without helping others. It feels fulfilling,” he said .
The man stopping on the side of the road tonight used to manage 3,000 of them
What he built from nothing
As reported by NST, Indera, 40, a father of two, did not come from a well-off family. Despite that, he founded a food ordering and delivery platform in October 2019 that grew to record profits of up to RM6 million at its peak and managed around 3,000 active riders across Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah. The company also operated as a strategic partner under the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
The day it started to fall
According to Indera, the business began bleeding in early 2021 after an Internet Protocol (IP) address was allegedly sold by an individual within the company to a competitor for personal gain. Profits fell sharply from millions to between RM40,000 and RM80,000 a month, and the decline did not stop there. As the losses mounted, Indera sold his own assets to ensure his employees continued receiving their salaries, right up until there was nothing left to sell.
When the company finally collapsed, the life he had built collapsed with it.
“It was not easy to get back up because when I first fell, I even had to dig for coins to buy food. I also had to walk long distances because I had no transport. At that time, I began to notice changes in people around me, especially those who were once close but started to distance themselves, possibly because they feared I would ask to borrow money. It was painful because when I was doing well, I had helped them.” he said. “But that is the reality I had to accept, and after self-reflection, I learned to accept God’s will.”
The RM20 that changed his perspective
At his lowest point, Indera said he was close to giving up entirely. What pulled him back was a conversation he remembered with a former food rider who had earned just RM20 one day and was genuinely happy because it was enough to buy food for his child.
“Those words gave me motivation and hope to rise again,” he said.
He has since rebuilt his daily life as an independent food rider, taking on small errand jobs for fees between RM5 and RM10 alongside his deliveries.
Where he is going
“I never expected to go through all this, but I will use the experience as a guide for the future. I am also determined to rise again as a successful entrepreneur and create job opportunities so I can help more people out there,” he said.
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Read also: ‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman – In Real Life
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‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman
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