Mr. Rajakumaran Sundram, the founder of Sinar Jaya Air Conditioning and Electrical Works, was born and raised in Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. He started working upon completing secondary school and took an opportunity to further his skills training on a part-time basis at the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW), where he honed his knowledge and skills on air conditioning and electrical related works. After completing his training at NUPW, Rajakumaran left his hometown to work at an electrical company in Petaling Jaya, Selangor for the next 6 years.

He always harboured an interest to have his own business though and to pursue this goal he started doing part-time jobs to solve air-conditioning related issues for companies and home owners. As demand for his services grew, he decided to form his own company, Sinar Jaya Air Conditioning and Electrical Works by employing three workers for a start. Today, the workforce size under his company has risen to 40 staff.

In his line of business, he is often faced with the challenge of providing adequate skills training for his staff. He is sometimes involved directly in providing on-the-job training for his manual workers. in addition to formal training they receive from their principals each time there is a new product introduced.

He believes, as a leader, in the need to be hands-on and to be willing to "dirty your hands" together with your staff to solve many on-the-job problems. "When my workers show reluctance in completing a given task, I will not hesitate to get down on the ground and show them how to solve it. This is how I gain respect from my clients, staff and my business associates. I don't give room for excuses! Either you shape up or ship out! We are living in a very competitive age," says Rajakumaran. "I strongly believe in hard work and discipline. There is no substitute for hard work. If you are sincere and willing to work at what you do, success is within your reach."

A problem he sees in the new generation is their unwillingness to take on challenges or go the extra mile to help a client. "Customer satisfaction is very important for me. I will visit and attend to my client's problem and solve it no matter what time it is. This is where you are presented with the opportunity to build long-lasting relationships at a personal level with clients. At times when my staff are not available, I always make sure to substitute them to solve my client's problem." he SANTS "I would like to venture into a full-fledged housing development project as I believe my team and I have the ability and capacity to undertake development projects. We are need to carefully study our next move in this direction," says Rajakumaran. He would also like to provide mentorship to childhoods keen on venturing into air conditioning and electrical trading and services-based businesses. He says: "I owe a lot to my former employers like Luxor Trading and Sharp Roxy who have given me the opportunity to learn the tricks of this business when I was young. However, today's youth want to achieve everything fast and become millionaires. Success is only possible if they believe in the process and are willing to work hard and meet the client's expectations. They can't have the nine to five mentality. They must be willing to learn and build their capability first and also spend quality time with their family."