Coach Fadzil Hashim and Brainy Bunch – Raising A Salah Generation

Fadzil Hashim was adopted as the 11th child. His home was so tight that he had to sleep under a dining table instead of a bed.  

Today he is the CEO and Founder of Brainy Bunch – Islamic Montessori Schools. It is over 100+ schools today and they teach to 6000+ students.

It may seem far fetched, but there is a deep connection where he was raised and what he does today. Listen to the full episode to discover the links. 

I cried when I got email from a parent at one of our schools saying that my 4 year old girl said today “I want to pray because Allah loves those who pray”.

–Coach Fadzil Hashim

Show Notes

Brainy Bunch Islamic Montessori
https://www.brainybunch.com

Personal Website
http://coachfadzil.com

Ecommerce Platform for Muslims by Muslims
https://hayib.com

Interview transcript

Maruf:  Hey, assalamu alaikum. This is your host Maruf. And today we have a special guest. I would call him my brother, my mentor, my advisor brother Fadzil. Assalam walaikum brother Fadzil. Welcome to the show.

Fadzil: Walaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh. How are you brother?

Maruf: Alhamdulillah, I hope you are doing fine. How are things on your side?

Fadzil: Busy, busy, busy, as usual.

Maruf: As usual, Alhamdulillah. So, today it’s your turn, it’s your turn to tell us your story.

Fadzil: Thank you Maruf. My name is Mohammed Fadzil Hashim. Now, I use the name coach Fadzil to basically let people see me as someone that can be used as their coach actually on business. I started Brainy Bunch which is primarily a Kindergarten 9 years ago after leaving the multinational corporation I used to work as a sales director for the public sector. 

And in 2008 I invested in many small businesses and one of the companies or business that I bought was Kindergarten in 2008. And little change and update the kindergarten with own brand, own vision trying to offer International Islamic Montessori curriculum for children age 2-6. And Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed us from early 2010 one campus we have grown to 5,15, 38 and Alhamdulillah after 9 years we have grown to 109 branches.

Maruf: Alhamdulillah.

Fadzil: Which is 103 in Malaysia, we have 4 in Singapore, 2 in Indonesia. We have one Charity school in Gaza and back in 2013 we started one International School initially offering the first elementary Montessori in South Asia. I mean, of course, Islamic International Islamic montessori probably the first in the world in 2013 and we started very small in 3 classes. 

One of the small shopping mall in Malaysia and Alhamdulillah, Allah blessed us with the abilities to grow and we managed to build our own big campus in 5 acres land Cyberjaya moving in 2018 generally, this is our second year in our main campus and this is also I guess history of Brainy Bunch entire operation.

Maruf: Absolutely, I mean, that’s amazing. I went there as well. So, I mean, that’s Alhamdulillah. It’s very good successful. I think, I remember when we first talked, it was 2013. that’s when we got to know each other, right? it’s already 6 years.

Fadzil: yes, yes.

Maruf: Alhamdulillah. But today, I think what we are gonna do, we are gonna go way back to your childhood. Tell us what kind of family your upbringing was. How many siblings you had? Your father, mother, what kind of family you have? We would like to get to know.

Fadzil: So, everyone else you know, I was actually adopted. My birth parents, they given me up to the foster families. Initially, I think it is like my foster family care services, the home base and eventually become permanent. And I think my father kind commit to take care of me and my foster family decided to adopt me. So, I was living with my foster family. 

But I never see they are as something different, probably more than anyone else. They gave me unconditionally and alhamdulillah. We were not rich, we were kind of like poor family. When I was small, we didn’t have rooms you know. We only had materials to sleep. I used to sleep under the dining table. We didn’t have any proper place. We had a big family like eleven in the family. I am the youngest. That’s basically how I slept it most when I was small.

Maruf: Mashallah I did not know this. you see we never get to talk. Alhamdulillah, that’s good, get to know. So, here is the question, so, in your foster family you are the only they adopted or your Foster family adopted other children as well in the family?

Fadzil: That’s one thing amazing about my family you know. They are not rich but we have two other people like me, my siblings, sisters with different father different mother and have a  different story but almost similar. Parents took care of them and three of us we live in our family. My sisters not related to me but story similar to me.

Maruf: May Allah reward your family. I mean they have taken care of not only their own 8 but another three kids with yourself. Mashallah, you are the youngest one. May Allah reward your parents and family. That’s a very interesting story. So, I mean here is the thing, you know, sometimes we look at things only back. If you look at your upbringing and your family, what do you think about what kind of value that shaped like you as of today. Can you name some things like? Which is very important for us to know as a family.

Fadzil: Yeah, I think, When you learn from the beginning of your life journey, when someone who doesn’t actually have anything to give almost everything to a stranger. You know, my parents, I mean the family gave to us, we don’t see what they have right. They are not rich. My mother literally was a full time housewife. 

My father was a police officer, not even officer. He is just police lowest rank of police office, no rank you know. My father never even had a motorcycle. He only had a bicycle and imagine for me the biggest value that I get from him, from my mother, despite not having a lot but the gift is a lot which is they took us, the three of us and never question like how are you gonna survive. It was never an issue. The kind of love they have given us. I can see that in other families, I truly believe that how we will live, the child should get this from the parents.

Maruf: No I mean, what you are saying is in another word I guess is that from a young age you have learned, it’s not about how much you have but how resourceful you are and how grateful you are, isn’t it? Cause if you look at some kids, they blame their parents, they didn’t have this and that. But what you are saying is, it’s not what you had. It is much more important, what you can make, isn’t it?

Fadzil: Exactly, Maruf you know before you ask me this question, I never said that to anyone you know. In that perspective, if you ask me, I got this value from my parents. And that’s the reason why all my doing after that.

Maruf: Alhamdulillah, that’s why we talk. To get to know, right? You grow up in this amazing family who taught you these values which is amazing. So, tell us a little bit about your middle ages like where you studied. And you also mentioned you used to work at different large organisation ls as sales person but then your transition. So, we would like to get to know this middle process you know. Because what really happens to many of our listeners ,even for myself what happened is that when you are growing up, we have this question like why am I here, right? What we are gonna do? I want to find my purpose. We want to understand walking in your shows how it happened to you and please walk us through this, go ahead.

Fadzil: Thank you. My father kind of like ended his service in the police and we moved to my mother’s village which is not too far and then settled down there. In my previous school, it took one hour to go to my school. It’s not that far but back then it took a long time because there were no highway and shortcuts. It’s quite far from the place I moved to my previous school. 

But this enabled me to wake up early, like literally every morning I had to wake up 4:30 a.m. By 5 I took the bus so that I could reach the school before the school starts. And after that I went to boys school. when I was in primary school but literally when I was in High School in 1991, one of the things that changed my Islamic life. My family they are good Muslim but not really like you know, back then Islam even in our country was not that strong. Though my house is literally in front of the Surao. We pray but it’s not like now.

Maruf: Brother Fadzil, by surao you meant masjid, right? So, this is about 1991, right?

Fadzil: Yah 1991, I was 15 years old back then. At that time I stayed at the hostel, it’s a boarding school. And that’s where I was given the opportunity to learn practical Islamic living. You know like waking up for tahajjud. In the hostel they made us practice especially like all the teachers helping us to really have a strong ground of the Muslims and I got a lot of leadership training opportunities when I was 15. I cannot see that it my practices of being a Muslim is started from 1991. 

That’s basically really ground me even today. I can still relate to that. So after leaving the high school I have a very close relationship with my teachers, especially one of the teachers my personal mentor and I went to ITM. It’s a technology model. I took a diploma in accountancy in 1994 and graduated in 1997. I was the best student. I was not the best student when I was in high school. I was an a grade student. And when I went to orientation I was so inspired by the speech of the directors of the student councils. they challenge us to try to achieve the best in academy in ITM. I put some effort to be and suddenly, I am already in the list after a few semesters. I thought before that I am not that academically excellent. 

I just believed that I always thought math is difficult. It kind of locked in my mind that math is difficult but when I went to ITM, my roommate showed me that it’s not that difficult. You just have to understand thoroughly. Then I started to see things differently. It pushed me basically, I tried to excel in academics. Of course, I am super active when I was in high school and I was a member of modern society. When I was in ITM as well, I was a member of the student leaders, student councils from even if the semesters. I was very very active. I am doing my entrepreneurship, it is something that always loved to do. Even when I was in school I was like working in the canteen helping so that I can save my lunch money and get free meals, so you know that’s kind of deal that I did. I used to work in construction when I was 14 years old during the school in early days. So I did a lot of stuff, I did a lot of stuff.

Maruf: For example you mentioned like, so, what I am hearing is that in high school, Alhamdulillah you were practicing Islam then you mentioned that you went to study at the University. It was IT or accounting? Which one is that? I couldn’t get it properly.

Fadzil: ITM is just the name of the institute. It’s a college. 

Maruf: What’s the major in college, what was your major?

Fadzil: Accountancy. Diploma in accountancy.

Maruf: Jere is a question though. So what made you choose? This is an interesting question for a lot of our listeners and for me as well. Why accounting? There was some kind of interest in accounting or how did it happen?

Fadzil: Ok I have always wanted to do business even when I was in Secondary School I would be aiming for it. I know that we are not from a rich family, so I wanted to become rich so that I can help more people. It was always my motivation when I was small. So the quickest way for me to own my own business the options are either I become a lawyer or do accounting. During my study, even when I was 13, the secondary school I have always put some interest in accounting subject. 

So I put a lot of effort to study accounting. My math was not good but basic accounting was. It’s just basic business, right? Something that already excite me. so Alhamdulillah within my result, initially we have this SPM and IGCSE or O level equivalent exam. So, during the exam I managed to score the highest grade for my accounting subject. I should be taking accounting as my career to own a business because at that time I did not know about products. I did sell a lot of things, but to invent a product, you need to become an inventor. So the quickest way to me to business or services that I can learn and get certification and set out the businesses. That was the initial motivation.

Maruf: I see, I see so, what happened after you finished your college at that time? You were right into the workforce or what happened there?

Fadzil: Ok prior to that, every time during the semester break, I will do a temporary job to work in farms as account clerk and I would do consultations, literally almost every semester break, I will work. At that time I do not want to pursue accounting because the work is difficult and challenging, it’s very routine and I’m tired all the time. How do you work in a specific routine. 

It kind of killed my fire to pursue the accounting degree at the time I was taking my diploma. I think that’s one of the main reasons why I did not continue though I was referred to given the opportunity to continue my diploma to degree level. Back then my sister was the one, my parents already retired. One of my sisters took responsibility to fund my education. After my diploma I told her that I think she had done enough. I don’t want to burden her anymore but I am burdened her a lot after that. But It’s just decision I made that I have to go to work. After diploma I went to work for a while. Not while, really really a while.

Maruf: So what was your first company?

Fadzil: First company was a bank. So they came for the interview on campus and as an accounting student with spectacular academic record everyone thought that I will ask for department to do a counselor. But I am not interested to do accounting because it’s not challenging enough for me. So then I was asked what I want and I said I want to work in the creative department involve selling and marketing. 

Alhamdulillah, I got my criteria is, I want to work near my house and a position that I wanted. I got both and then when I went to work. I was not inspired with the assistant manager. They said you have to work office hour 8.30 to 5.30 but nobody goes at 5.30. That is ok, I am ok. they say, you work so hard, how much do you earn? That’s where the motivation is, right? Assistant branch manager said, if you work  like him then you will earn like him. I say how much do you earn so at that time the started salary 1,200 which is ok.

Maruf: is it in USA or in Ringgit?

Fadzil: Ringgit.

Maruf: That’s like 300 and 400 Dollars, I guess.

Fadzil: Back then it was ok. It was not that bad.  I know he worked so hard for the branch. so at that time he answered to me, if you work hard like me you will earn like me, about 3,000 ringgit and that doesn’t inspire me and I said if I work hard, I can earn more. A good friend of mine actually invited me to join him to start a computer business. 

I don’t know much about computers. I didn’t even know how to copy but I started business and I am a natural salesman, so, I can literally sell anything in the world. So, I join in and I quit from the bank in less than and pursue my entrepreneurial journey with my friend.

Maruf: What year is it? how old were you?

Fadzil: It is 1997. so I was like 21 years old.

Maruf: Your first job you didn’t like it because you were not feeling motivated enough, you could not find the right motivation, the right purpose. Then you went into your first business journey with one of your friends in computers. Even though you didn’t understand but you are really good at sales so you were like, I am gonna give it a try, isn’t it? Go ahead the story is getting very interesting, go ahead.

Fadzil: Yes, ok so it wasn’t easy as well. My friend is not an expert in computer. He was taking a business or something. Then he learned how to assemble computer from someone and started the business.

Maruf: So you were like assembling and selling computer? Something like that?

Fadzil: Yes. back then 1997 in our country, I think mostly in the world as well. Where people are not hiring, so, I quit at the time, you know. I quit at the time and so people think I am crazy but I still do it. The good thing is we get a lot of businesses but the downside is our technical capabilities. 

We have a lot of issues. customers coming back, we have to repair, we have to refund, you know those kind of things. And that process made me change my intention to I was literally like going to learn and study myself and do on my own. And somehow of course we had disagreements and myself and my friend split up.

Maruf: Sometimes it happens in some business. I guess sometimes.

Fadzil: Yeah, I actually lost a lot of friends during my early days of business. I mean not to blame anyone. I think it’s just a process of what makes you who you are. And if I were to advise anyone, I would say, be truthful from day 1, be truthful to everyone every time. The problem with a lot of us in our culture, we don’t want to see things that we don’t feel easy to see. We are not being truthful. Because of that we keep it to ourselves too much and by the time it becomes a problem and you want to solve it and then it’s too late already.

Maruf: Business is like marriage. You have to come up front, open the cards and tell what it is. If you don’t do that one day it just blows. which will not be good for anybody I guess. That’s very interesting lesson. I think I remember, you also mentioned, if I remember correctly you one of your last jobs you also worked before Brainy Bunch, was it IMB or?

Fadzil: Dell.

Maruf: Dell, exactly tell us more about that. You were a salesman. You were on the top salesperson of the company.

Fadzil: Before that Maruf, after we went separate ways, I did some per job. At the time I was trying to get back into employment because I was out of job. Of course, my friend he was the one that owned the company not me. So I was like partner in his company. so I was trying to go in the accounting world as accounting officer, at that time it was recession so every time they saw my resume, they were like oh! resume is too good for ours. So nobody hired me. 

Alhamdulillah, my other friend, at that time not yet my best friend who is actually senior of mine and you know that I can sell anything. So he came back from the UK, he was looking for or holiday and invited me to go to London to do business then not to study there to do business. And then I said, I never ever flew in a plane at the time we cannot afford to fly in the plane. So he wired me money from London then I bought a ticket and went to London.

Maruf: Interesting. So it was your first international trip in the plane.

Fadzil: Yes, it’s my first long journey to London and I stayed in London for 6 months and did a lot of stuff. Literally anywhere I can get my hand.  I mean we’re trying to setup a small PC market in London to sell computer hardware and so on. But didn’t manage to pull it through. We set up our companies, like we have a small company there but I was merely surviving by doing all these jobs. Because I sent newspaper, sent flyers. 

For six months I was working in indian restaurants, lebanese restaurant. But it gave me an overview because when Malaysian go to London with 6 months visa so we didn’t have employment visa so we can’t do the job. But I was literally making money like 200 pound net income per month. Back then it’s a lot of money. After 6 months, I came back. My father was not well. And then initially I wanted to stay in London and make my money there. But I came back and I get to work with a few smaller companies. before I make my way in  2001. 

I was offered to join one of the large companies in IT. That was basically the professional CS training platform for me to be able to learn on supplying to the government. These kind of business. So I was there for one year. They gave me 1250, salary was not that high. That my first offer, within one year, I hit the sale to over million. Though I was not happy with the revision but I got an offer to join NMC Computers after that.

Maruf: I see, maybe it was not for salary but it was your training ground, right? Where you learned the sales and it’s a good number. I see. Was it after then you joined Dell or?

Fadzil: After that I joined one of the largest IT companies back then. I was there for 3 years and that’s where I actually made my first million. I make my money when. I made my name in the industry when I was in this company I am just a salesman, but it when I joined I was actually part of this new department. It was not a new department. That wasn’t new. The department was set out 2 years already but didn’t have sales apparently.  So they were starting this new department, so when I joined, Alhamdulillah, within the three months we hit the first biggest deal ever in that group, 6.7 million. 

And I was the one who did the business plan, the strategies. So, within 3 years one we became the largest contributors in the group. My department and my business, mostly coming from my personal sales and that’s where I got a lot of attraction from many companies like Microsoft. Microsoft was trying to get me to join Microsoft and then Dell get to know because I sell a lot of Dell. Dell said it’s time for you to join Dell.

Maruf: Here is a question Fadzil brother. So, the way I understand is that you are going to this company and doing very good sales and some larger corporations like Microsoft and Dell begin to notice that but I just want to pause here for a moment, I want to ask, I understand you are one of the top performers in the sales. 

So if you look back from your background, what do you think that contributed to be the all achiever? You know like in sales. what was the motivator for you in that sense? why do you think that happened? Because there are a lot of salesman in the world, but you were an achiever. What was the result?

Fadzil: I think the one thing makes me probably a bit different compared to the rest is, whenever I joined any organisation or even my own organisation, whatever I do, I always  have the clarity of the goal that I wanted to achieve.

Maruf: Clarity of the goal, I see. 

Fadzil: When I joined that company, it’s a huge company they are listed company. But our department is small. When I come in and I still remember I told my colleagues because I was not the boss, I report to a manager. I told my colleagues that I am gonna put a target  of hundred million sales. Then this guy, of course he is now working in Brainy Bunch. So, he is previously from doing sale and he said, “we don’t even have a single dollar sale, how can you put 100 million target? Are you crazy? I was like, yeah we don’t have sale now, we just put the goal. If we don’t get hundred million we get 50 million, alhamdulillah. 

Maruf: You need to have a goal. You need to have the goal.

Fadzil: The challenge for most people that they don’t put a goal or they wait for someone to impose the goal. It doesn’t become their goal. I think that’s what makes me different than others. And when joined Dell at that time, after I left that company and then joined Dell. Dell is a multinational corporations, huge company in the world but my department at that time, the public sector department was losing market share. 

In the public sector space we were like over 24%. So I make it a goal when I joined Dell. I said within one year I want to be the number one in terms of market share compared to our competitors HP, IBM. and within 6 months when I joined the Dell, my department we didn’t have many. We only had two or three sales, myself and other colleagues. But within one year I was promoted to become the senior director, the team leader and we have grown to 15 in sales and  3.8 million per quarter, this is US dollar to 20 million per quarter.

Maruf: Wow, it’s like almost 7 times. 

Fadzil: Within a span of less than 2 years, I literally hit every number to the max heavy winners. So, the one thing that I think makes a difference is the clarity and the goal. When the goal is so clear you just have to come out with the right strategy. right? You just have to come out with a strategy then evaluate the result. There is always my formula to achieve what I wanted in my life.

Maruf: I see. Mashallah, so what you are saying is that have a goal and that’s one of the clarities. You have a clear goal and you have to take the action then. So I mean that there was if I remember, one of the your last corporate jobs before. So, tell us more I think Alhamdulillah, so now we got to childhood and then villages and your corporate world. But now I think we’re gonna go into territory which is very interesting picture not because of the huge success but also the nature of the work you do. You are doing amazing, right? You had a really good salary, you were one of the top sellers but you still left the corporate job. So why was that? What happened there?

Fadzil: You know, when I was in Dell, I was working for the public sector. You know, we are a direct company. So, we don’t meet the demands. However in public sectors we have to work with partners. Like Malaysian, we have this privilege given to Bumi Putra People whenever work for government employment, government jobs, you have to work with them.

Maruf: So for the people who are Malaysians will understand what Bumi Putra is. But can you please briefly explain what it is so that International audience who would listen to it?

Fadzil: Correct, international audience. In Malaysia we have this protestant to the aborigines of the country. You know like the Malayas mostly and we have like natives from Saba, etc.

Maruf: It’s preference for the natives, right? To have them.

Fazdil: Because the economy get between the non Muslims or the Burmi and the non Burmi is so huge and even till now it’s still huge. Despite all the policies still economy shares between the non Burmi and the Burmi is an 80 and 20. The non Burmi control 80% of the country’s economy compared to the native only have 20%. That’s one of the reasons why the government still imposing that we are out of nothing. But in my experience when I was working with them being a company at the time they didn’t have distribution they had no programs. 

I had to literally work on my own program. I have seen how struggle this Bumi Putra partners they don’t have financing, they don’t have the capacity to deliver. They can get the job but they don’t have enough resources. Alhamdulillah for Dell the we had all the resources. But I had to creatively create my ways to so things still hit my numbers so that my company is happy with me. At the same time the users who we supplied the computers to which is the government of Malaysia. 

Then I started to see despite having all the big deals, My boss always taught me you know the best business is small business. The small business is like you know, destroying your other foundation of a successful business. Even though I was given like you know some even few hundred millions of contract I know that it will not last forever, it is like we have the central contact we have all the contracts like huge deal but I know it will not last forever. Because the contracts can be given to someone else after this.

Maruf: But it’s not stable enough, right? The contract can be given to someone else.

Fadzil: Correct I have always wanted to go into retail. That’s why even when I was in Dell, myself and my wife, we got into Avon franchise, we ran a small Avon boutique shop. And I have always wanted to create enough opportunity for me to have multiple stream of retail businesses so that I can have the small businesses that provide my basic financial income. So, when of course being in Dell because of that doesn’t have distributed at that time. 

So, when I left Dell, I kind of like creating my own distribution company who is trying to for me which initially we did quite well. We got a contract not just from Dell but IBM other time they appointed as a service provider for the entire Lenovo laptops and computers. I do mostly IT, that was like my new business. Because I also wanted the retails, I also setup IT shops in Universities like five shops called black cube at that time. The brand was called blackcube because in order to become a successful IT distributor you cannot just be in projects. 

You need to have your retails and your own brand. Of course, normally like all this principles all brands are gonna give you quota for you to hit. If you hit the quota you may not get the right levels of partnership. However, of course, being involved in the government sectors you kind of are being involved politicians not just politicians some who are not that clean. I am not that clean also before. And one of the businesses I lead then in 2008 I setup my IT company. We are not involved directly but we know that someone is doing something there. When you are in you know, it’s hard to just close your eyes.

Maruf: So, something was not right.

Fadzil: Something was not right. Yes, but 2008 I started Nasi Lemak. Nasi Lemak is a coconut rice, you know which we set up in streets. After I left Dell. I did not run my IT company actually. I hired professional management to run my company and I went and pursue my passion which is helping entrepreneurs. 

So, what I did was, I went and took franchise course. I get myself to become a certified business coach with my exposure in Avon franchise and so I do those services. I do a lot of pro bono work and I do business seminars and so on. It takes two weeks extensive program to become a certified business coach

Maruf: So, this was in 2008, right? 11 years ago, I see.

Fadzil: Right, right and at the same time I bought a Kindergarten, That’s how it started. my main business is IT at the time. And then I went into training, I went into the bcs coaching and that’s like my passion. And then I also diverse it to  many businesses. I bought over kindergarten, I bought over cattle farm, I started leech farming, catfish you know, chicken farming, I do a lot of stuff.

Maruf: So, you went to many many businesses, right?

Fadzil: Many, many, many. Even to the streets business, I started this brand called my Nasi Lemak, coconut rice. I used to own like 20 street carts, you know. We even had the factory that produced our food on a daily basis. but it’s too difficult to continue running the business on the street because you don’t get the licence. Then when you have a licence, the City Council, they come after you they take away your equipment and so on. 

So, for me I was doing it like ok I was trying to create a small business for the Muslim to come so they didn’t have to worry about capitals, worry about products. I do everything for them, they just have to settle. However due to the licence issue, we officially did a presentation but nobody wanted to. So, I stopped the Nasi Lemak and slowly at the time in 2008, 2009, we haven’t started Brainy Bunch yet but the kindergarten that we bought was not islamic. It was just regular Malaysian kindergarten.

Maruf: So before you jump in, I just wanna ask, why were you buying kindergarten? There are so many businesses out there, right? Why Kindergarten?

Fadzil: At that time, actually we didn’t think that much on education business. Like I saw an advertisement. Because I was in business school, they taught us to create multiple stream of income. I saw an advertisement, business for sales, minimum income 10000 a month. So, at the time when I made that decision, it’s a small financial investment for me. so, I bought it and did not know anything about running a Kindergarten business any other business but when into the school apparently they are all muslims but they are not Muslims.

Maruf: What do you mean by they are all muslims and not Muslims? What do you mean?

Fadzil: No, I mean, there are no Islamic values.

Maruf: So, what you meant like most of the people are going there who are Muslims. But the way they are teaching is not Islamic. This is what you meant, right?

Fadzil: I mean they do the dua, they do the recitation, they have the Quran reading but it’s not Islamic base you know. You don’t teach them to take salah everyday, you don’t teach them the Sunnah of Prophet. It’s not the deen that we are supposed to do. So, I said before I do have that strong foundation from…

Maruf: The high school. you mentioned.

Fadzil: From the high school 1991 was the beginning. then I’m not a preschool teacher. I didn’t know much about what to do. We noticed this during the year where the performances were really non Islamic and nothing calling to Allah and so on.

Maruf: It was just the ordinary, you know, the regular kindergarten.

Fadzil: Regular secular School. But the quick thing I did is I bought Zain Bhikha CD and gifted them. Why not go and practice for the next concert and do Asma ul Husna. We started to give them all the islamic niche. They are good teachers. It’s just that because of previous owner probably did not think that it’s their way to do and they didn’t do. It was a successful 7 years old kindergarten when we bought over. Of course, we did some adjustments. The migration of the kindergarten from regular kindergarten to Islamic is kindergarten was done within that one year. 

And then in 2009 we decided to upgrade the Kindergarten to the vision of my children want to. So, I myself and my wife, we travel back and forth 3 hours a day. When Danish was 2 years old we traveled back and forth 3 hours a day just to send him to English and Islamic based Kindergarten. When we bought over that Kindergarten, It was totally a different system. We don’t know much about education, we just sent our children to that good school and the school that we bought was for us to own. But when we tried to upgrade the school, we approached the owner of Danish my son’s school. Somehow, I mean we initially bought their franchise, they only had one branch, they didn’t have any other branch. They were trying to grow but could not but somehow we signed in with them but few months after that the owner decided that I cannot continue because maybe I am too aggressive.

Maruf: Yeah, you are not easy to handle, I guess.

Fadzil: No, because we were actually giving her an option because she did not have anybody and no staff and so on. The school at the time was run by a franchise, which is also previous staff and she didn’t have anybody else. But anyway, Allah has his own plan. So, after 3 months we were not allowed to continue the brand that we just upgraded in 2010. So,in 2010 my tarika went from that brand to brandless. So I do not have any brand.

Maruf: I see, you had no name I see.

Fadzil: Yes, no names. During this process, we were just using Islamic Montessori. We didn’t have a name. So, Brainy Bunch pop up and I had no choice. Then we had to commit to the new changes because the kindergarten we just upgraded from Malay based non Islamic to full Islamic Montessori and English based. So once was born in April.

Maruf: Wait so, you founded the Brainy Bunch, right? So I want to understand like, how did the name came about? That’s what I want to know.

Fadzil: As we finalising, we had to create our own brand because we were not allowed to continue with the previous brand.

Then I was asking the teachers and one of the partners, she was the one with the experience with Islamic Montessori. She was actually the teacher and principal for my children in the school they went to. Apparently, later we found out that her franchise was not probably tied to me. We have to do something. So for me at the time I gave them guidelines and directions on the names I wanted as if to brainstorm. So they gave few hundred list of names. I went through the names and immediately when I saw Brainy Bunch, I said, that’s it.

Maruf: That’s cool. Yeah. It’s catchy, right?

Fadzil: It is catchy. If you remember during the 80’s, there was a sitcom named Braidy Bunch.

Maruf: No, no I am probably born a bit later. So I don’t know about that.

Fadzil: So we know that series and it’s catchy and it’s Brainy, right? It’s a Bunch of Brainy children. We believe every child is Brainy. And most of the schools back then like 9 years 10 years, most of the schools if they were islamic, they wanted to look and sound Islamic. Which is the opposite of me. It’s not like I don’t want to look Islamic. I just did not want it to look like the typical Islamic school. Because there is a perception of muslims that when you go to the typical Islamic branding, then your standard is not that great. Your quality is very poor. It’s not like that all schools are like that. There is a lot of great Islamic schools in Malaysia, in fact their islamic subjects are great. It’s just they have Islam but they don’t have English.

Maruf: So what you are saying is that they do the Islamic science well. But when it comes to English, math, or something they have this struggle. This is what you are trying to say, right?

Fadzil: Yea.

Maruf: I see. Interesting.

Fadzil: So that’s the reason why I purposely do not want to use like Arabic name or Islamic name. I use an international name and then I want to Perth during the year and saw a Bunch of kindergarten children doing their quick pray and I fell in love with colors.

Maruf: Where did you go.

Fazdil: I went to Perth, Australia.

Maruf: Ow perth that’s southern western side of Australia, I guess.

Fadzil: Yeah, yeah. So, then I saw the kindergarten children wearing the Ozy colour, I fell in love and took it as our corporate colour back then. Some thought that Brainy Bunch is from Australia because of the color. In terms of branding and color, the founder is not even western. He is from Malaysia.

Maruf: Interesting thinking.

Fadzil: So in 2011, I wanted to test the system whether or not we can produce the minimum standards of children. Islam is quite easy when we put like daily Sura practice, Dua the recitation and so on. This one is easy doing to all the Surah and dua. When we translate these in English, it’s easy islamically, it’s quite easy to do. But to produce an English environment Kindergarten, the fees that we are charging, that’s where the real challenge is on. To test it in 2011 which is a year after I upgraded to Brainy Bunch we launched a system kind of like teachers are not that great but the system to produce minimum standard of children quality. And to do that I sent my new children at that time. If you remember when you first came to see me, you know.

Maruf: Yeah I remember. I can’t remember exactly but it was a smaller place. Right? You showed me, go ahead.

Fadzil: Yah, but it at that time was two years old. So I sent him to that new school with the so called teachers. I am not that great in terms of the English abilities. But then again after we tested the system. We were quite satisfied with the formula we had to ensure we have assistant to produce minimum standard of education to provide Islamic and English based montessori school. So, based on that confidence in 2012 we set another 10 and in 2013….

Maruf: So, you are speaking like another 10 and 15 but  actually what happened behind the things are quite huge, right? You sound like it’s easy. So, I just want to pause and understand again, so you see like any other person, right? It all started as a side business. This is I’m gonna buy, you know, this kindergarten is going to be my side business. But what really happened is that, that’s interesting you are not offering islam and then your mind is shifting into franchising. Walk us through your experience. What was causing this way of thinking instead of letting it be your shifting, your testing, and you were doing product marketing as you said English. So, what’s causing all these experiences. I want to understand your way of thinking on this one.

Fadzil: Right. You know the one thing that motivates me when we bought the Kindergarten, it’s not the money because my main income at that time was still my IT business. It’s huge literally like 30 40 million revenue year. In kindergarten it was 200 thousand only. Like totally because of that it doesn’t really actually tickle us on the numbers at that time. So, for me I don’t see it’s big because when I was in when in Dell, even my IT business at a time was huge. So, I don’t see it as a big thing. But then again it’s not like we have a lot of money, it just open, we don’t know what to do. Money were the issues. It’s just that when we started the expression, Allah has sent us all these contractor’s who gave us ridiculous terms, they were like, you pay whenever you want to pay, if you don’t have money, it’s okay. 

You know those kind of things. Literally every campus that we open in the first 38, I literally do the marketing myself, met the parents and at the same time our capital just paying the School and then the opening. I do the talking to their parents. And the school is literally empty. There is no Montessori and nothing. After we get the registration then went and bought the equipment you know. The first 38 campuses especially, the first 15 we tested the franchise model to second year and after that we stopped the regular franchise model. We don’t have anymore. So, all campuses of Brainy Bunch are run and owned by us. We have investment module where investors can invest in particular campus but they have no operational right.

Maruf: I see. You have a control over the offices then.

Fadzil: All the things, teachers hiring. In Fact all the income and expenses is on me. We assume all the liabilities, if it’s not enough we release everything from my cash and requirement to set up everything using my own money.

Maruf: That’s amazing. So, I mean I remember you mentioned in the beginning in terms of the number of school is over 150, isn’t it?

Fadzil: Now, we have reached 109. But we are not focusing on extending the numbers. Now we are focusing on the capacity of campuses.

Maruf: I see, I see. Increasing capacity, I see.

Fadzil: Just to inform you and to get everyone understand the main motivation when I grew, it was not the money because we make money from other businesses as well. When I started seeing the results of the impact that our education system provides to the children and the parents. These are like two amazing things. In 2004 I have received an email from this parents who sent a picture of a child who is 4 years old, still wearing diapers and go to the mum and say Mummy I want to pray because Allah loves those who pray.

I literally cried when I saw the email and at a time she was mentioning inside the email we are not from the family who prays. We don’t actually practice Islam that much because of this child coming to us, my daughter, she was 4 years old during school holiday wanted to pray because Allah loves those who pray. The reason changed the entire family, they started to cover their awrah. We heard many of the stories and that motivation what motivates me to grow faster. We need to make sure that we grow our school and then we research and study about issues in the Muslim. 

Statistics show that 80% of Muslims do not pray 5 times a day. I think the poor quality of Muslim that we have today, mainly because most of us do not pray. Not to say about the fault, we are meant to be who we are. The environment of the upbringing and the society, so we have to have a sense of responsibility to take action on our own. That’s the reason why the motivation for me to expand Brainy Bunch to ensure at least the Brainy Bunch children, they will not miss compulsory salah. That’s the main motivation when we started Brainy Bunch. I started to see the benefit of the children and the parents. I have many, but one of the stories that I want to share about a child that is actually adopted, literally crying to me and said thank you, thank you very much mr. Fadzil. My son woke me up for fajr prayer.

Maruf: For the fazr prayer, Mashallah, Mashallah.

Fadzil: The kid was only six years old brother, only six years old. Allah blessed this family with that child with that abilities. And this kind of stories actually drive me and I believe that children who are raised to Salah to Allah( SWT), inshallah they have the best opportunity to be the best Muslim for the world.

Maruf: Inshallah, so you are after all of this, now you are with the Brainy Bunch with almost 6000, I think the last time we checked, what you were doing, Inshallah being a part of generating the future generations, generation of Salah, isn’t it? That’s amazing, like I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to say. So, actually I have two more questions for you, 1 question is, how would you define success for you?

Fadzil: You know because, success, we use this in our school tagline, our vision for the school, success in both worlds. This world and the hereafter. For me success is only when Allah bless in what you do. So, the truth is you didn’t know whatever you do Allah bless, but the indicator will provide you some signs whether you are achieving success or you are not achieving success. So what we normally think or what I normally think, whatever we are doing it bring people, us and me closer to Allah then I think it is a success. 

But whatever that we do pushing as away from Allah and Subhanallah you know, that definitely is not success. So it’s not the revenues, it’s not how much wealth you get. There is a goal that for you to achieve a small goal, the mission, sustainable and so on, but it was never the main motivation because whatever position that we wanted to aim,it’s not gonna motivate us consistently throughout our life. But if the goal is to attain success in the eyes of Allah, Allah said in the end of the day Allah will try to peak which of us is best in action. That is actually what we wanted to focus on. You know, my children grew up, they have a lot of other challenges, they started to see challenges in the neighbourhood. 

That’s why we come up with the idea to protect the children and now recently, brother Maruf, early this year I have launched a huge program trying to evaluate Islamic economy for Muslim community, not just in Malaysia or Indonesia. but not since you are reaching up to me, we need to go to the world and fix the current economic system that is being manipulated by the capitalists to some of the worst in the world.  Many kill so many children in the world and so many families. Today 29000 children die on a daily basis before reaching 5 years old. I have made a mission of my life now to fix this by trying to start a new ecosystem so that we can impact our values. You know the journey of Brainy Bunch, we are preparing children and the children need community. This is not enough if we don’t have the total ecosystem. So now we’re building the new islamic ecosystem, Inshallah.

Maruf: Inshallah. I have known you for now 6 years, right? I remember you told me about your, I’m just saying, wow man, I understand school but to be honest like truly difficult to believe in. But as you said earlier, it was this year or last year? When did you launch?

Fadzil: Officially, this year in april.

Maruf: You see, as you said Alhamdulillah, I mean I remember and I said, man! this is amazing. You have this vision, I remember like 6 years ago maybe even further, right? I had it a little difficult to believe in. To be honest, I call myself very optimistic right but still I said wow! this is beyond. But now Alhamdulillah it’s happening and I saw what happened in my own eyes. That’s why we’re telling the stories, right? You are not just anybody because you are one of those people I call advisor or mentor. When I need help sometimes I just call you no matter what. 

May Allah reward you always try to help me as much as you can.I saw those things with my eyes and wanted to invite you and get your life story. But today, I personally learned a lot of things I didn’t know about and you are adopted and about your parents, may Allah bless them. But somehow it seems to me that by not knowing you always come back to this thing right? You also mentioned yourself this is what you are doing kindergarten thing was related and also you said you discovered Islam. Malaysia Islamic country you said, you were not practicing, but in High School Mashallah you had this team of teachers who had this impact on you but now you are impacting. You are kind of living your Legacy, right?

 So, that’s amazing and all I can say is that may Allah increase you abundantly, may Allah increase Brainy Bunch all over the cities in the world. Not only you know, so we need more of this and all your ideas. So, I am truly thankful for your time, for sharing your story. Tell us where listeners can find you to know more about you and your projects. I think maybe we will get another time. Soon, we will see you again on the show and get more of your feedback, Inshallah.

Fadzil: Inshallah. The latest we have few projects that we have launched brother Maruf, I think you should seriously consider how we can work together. Actually we have not officially launched it yet but somehow even vital initial last two days, we set a platform e-commerce called https://hayib.com. It’s basically trying to do like alibaba and so on. You know last friday the Facebook follower was only about four hundred and it jumped to 10,000 in 2 days. And now it’s still being circulated and now we have more than 1,500 registered sellers on our platform. You know in Malaysia now there is a way of campaign called buy Muslim first campaign.

Maruf: Yes, I heard this.

Fadzil: Yea so, somehow I have launched some projects called like Muslim owned mall 100% Muslims. This is like offline and online in Malaysia. I have started this idea six months back but suddenly after the BMF this buy Muslim fast campaign, get like massive support from the people on the ground. Now all my projects being put on fast track. Especially, the www.hayib.com and we don’t even have an ads. It’s just a web based application that we built. We don’t actually built from scratch, It is some basic ads and do some customization. But now it’s becoming one of the most viral markrtplace for the Muslim market in Asia.

Maruf: Inshallah, No, it’s okay. So, what we are going to do is, we are going to share those things in the show notes. So I think people can find about BrainyBunch.com, right? If you want to learn about brother Fadzil, I think you are on Facebook. Do you have a personal website as well?

Fadzil: Yea, I have coachfadzil.com. 

Maruf: Okay, we will also share that on the link. So you can learn more about brother Fadzil and his projects. Having said that, I really wanna thank you brother for the opportunity and for your help. Assalamu Alaikum Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.

Fadzil: Wa alaikum assalam, Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.