Upon completing his O Level, as he was pursuing his A Level, Shaik realised that academics was not his forte and he had no interest to further complete his education. Shaik’s father, who has been in this line for 40 years and at that time managing a few different waste-management companies, then asked Shaik to start working instead. Only a handful of young people would be interested in working in the industry, as the job includes dealing with human waste and considered not attractive by many. Shaik was no exception, as he was also hesitant at first. “However, my father presented it as a challenge to me. Either I continue my studies and get a degree, or start working for him. I wanted to prove myself to him, so I took up the challenge. I went to my father’s office for the interview the very next day,” Shaik shares. At that time, he was only 17 years old and was only paid a measly $25 a day. “I had to pick up most of the skills on the job, as I went along. That was also when I realised that miscommunications sometimes happened between the contractors and the customers. I wanted to bridge that gap of communication, and that was how I found purpose in this line,” he further says.

Shaik went on to complete his National Service duty, and eventually took a Diploma course in Marketing. Despite enjoying meeting different people and doing sales, he chose not to finish his Diploma. At the time, Shaik’s father was working at a start-up company with his friend, still in the same line but specialising in the industrial side. Shaik then joined this company as an operations executive, slowly working his way up to become the operational manager. In just a span of 4 years, he was able to help the company grow, from having only 3 vehicles to 17 vehicles by the time he left.

In 2015, Shaik and his father both left this company. Equipped with years of knowledge and experience in the industry, he felt that he was capable of starting his own business instead of continuing to work for someone else. Shaik, only 26 years old at the time, was fortunate enough to meet an investor who believed in his vision and capabilities. Within a month, in August 2015, Jetters Incz was set up. The name of the company is derived from Jetters, the high-pressure water jetting that they specialise in.

Shaik has a clear vision for the company: to revolutionise the drainage industry through their image and service excellence. And true to that vision, he ensures that they always go above and beyond in serving their clients. “It is important for us to get to the root cause of the issue, and not just solve it on the superficial level. Sometimes that means choosing the harder route, like opening up the piping to properly analyse and diagnose the problem. It is time-consuming and requires more effort, so not many companies are willing to do that,” Shaik says. This is especially true for F&B clients, which sometimes can take up to 12 hours to rectify the blockage issue. That service excellence is reflected in the many positive reviews that their clients have written on their website--a testament to their hard work and professionalism. On top of that, Shaik also always makes himself available 24/7 to all his clients and his team is also ready to work around the clock. He believes their exceptional service is what sets them apart from the competitors.

His success did not happen overnight. At the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, Shaik faced his fair share of challenges. “The first two years when we started, I thought I knew everything but I was wrong. There were so many things that I had to learn at the beginning of starting up my own company. The turnover rate was high and we struggled with hiring manpower for the job. I also had to fill in and took on multiple roles. At one point I even thought of giving up,” shares Shaik. However, upon seeing how some of the clients trusted him enough to follow him from the previous company, he felt encouraged to keep on going despite the initial hurdles.

Another issue that they face is also the ambiguous sector that the government classifies them in. This results in lack of grants to grow the business. Hiring manpower is also another challenge for Shaik, as he notes that many Singaporeans are not willing to take up the job. “The stigma is true--it is not a glamorous job, and it takes a lot of hard work,” he explains. And even for those who are willing to do it, the cost is usually higher compared to foreign labour. Yet to get foreign labour in, slow issuance of the entry permit is usually another issue.

In March 2020, when the news of the Covid-19 was starting to become more worrying and yet the country had not gone into a lockdown yet, Shaik foresaw that getting foreign labour in would be difficult, and there would be restricted movements even within the country. He then made a wise decision to move all the workers from their dormitories into a temporary accommodation provided by the company. This move allowed them to carry on business as usual, while their competitors were not able to operate due to lack of manpower and cluster breakouts were happening at the foreign workers’ dormitories across the island.

To Shaik, this is not just a profession but a real passion. “At the age of 17, I already made up my mind that this is what I wanted to do,” he says. He has grown the company through the years, from a small team of only a handful staff to 25 employees today. To him, being able to maintain a close relationship with his clients over the years is an achievement. “It is not just about getting them to sign the contract, but actually keeping them onboard for long-term. It is an ongoing relationship. Some of my clients such as Royal Plaza on Scotts and TWG have been with me for over 10 years, and I am grateful for that,” Shaik says. In the future, he would like to incorporate new technology from German and the Netherlands to improve work efficiency and reduce the need for manpower.

Having to pick up calls and attend to emergency requests at any time of the day, Shaik is aware that his profession of choice is time-consuming and requires full dedication. He gives credit to his wife, who has been really understanding and supportive through it all. “I am thankful to my understanding wife, who has allowed me to dedicate myself to this business at the level that I do now. Having said that, I do believe that when it comes to the pursuit of success, we should not rely on external motivation. When you do something, do it for yourself, and not for your wife, your kids, or your loved ones. Because when the source of motivation is external, you could easily make excuses as to why you fail. Everyone should be accountable to themselves. Whether you succeed or you fail, it is on you,” Shaik shares.

To young aspiring entrepreneurs, Shaik has a few nuggets of wisdom to share. “Start from the bottom and work your way up, do not jump straight to management level. Because it is on the ground that you get to learn all the actual skills required for the job. When you know the job insideout, you will not be challenged by your staff, but earn their respect instead,” he says. “Running a business is not easy. There will be times when you are struggling with limited cash flow, being late on payments, and start questioning whether what you are doing is worth it. But as a leader, you have to think not only for yourself, but also for the people whose living depends on you. Your team always comes before you, and even your own family. Always lead by example.”