M is for Mr Leslie Loh.

I is for Information Technology

S is for the shock of losing his first job after only three months.

Now, say hello to the man who took the "MIS" out of misfortune.

In 1983, all Mr Loh - then a fresh graduate - wanted to do was to write software.

So he joined a computer distribution company but promptly learnt that software writing was not what he had been hired for.

Three months later, the company folded.

Mr Loh borrowed $5,000 from his grandmother to start his own software company that same year.

In 2006, he sold it to a Fortune 500 company for $120 million.

Role model

His success saw him being held up as a role model by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore during Youth Infocomm Week from 4 Nov to 11 Nov.

So just how did Mr Loh, 51, turn misfortune to fortune?

Mr Loh started Systems Access, in 1983, specialising in writing software for business purposes using the money he had borrowed from his grandmother.

The $5,000 lasted him three months, but in that time, he managed to secure several assignments from various companies. Each assignment earned him up to $3,000, he said.

At the time, he worked from home, using his personal computer.

Although it was challenging, Mr Loh said it was an exciting experience.

"As a young entrepreneur in the '80s, I was enthusiastic and passionate about IT and its potential to change the business world.

"With the introduction of personal computers, businesses were starting to change the way they used computers and started viewing it as a practical tool.

"That was something I was very excited about, so even though I had to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week, I was happy."

Mr Loh's passion for his business eventually paid off as he saw it grow from a one-man operation to a 500-man organisation valued at $120 million when he sold it.

Mr Loh, who is married with a son, credits the company's growth to a combination of passion, luck, and willingness to take risks.

He said: "To succeed, it's important that you dare to go where other people don't, in order to stand out.

"For example, during the Sars period, we were negotiating a deal with a Chinese company. The pitching was supposed to be done in China, which got us worried that one of us would catch the disease.

"But we decided to push ahead anyway. It turned out that we were the only company brave enough to go into China to negotiate the deal, so we landed the job."

After selling Systems Access in 2006, Mr Loh remained with the company for two years to ensure a smooth transition, before letting go of the reins last year.

He admitted that he felt some sadness in letting go of the company he had started and led for 20 years.

"It's akin to raising a daughter. Eventually the time will come when you need to let her go and be married to a man who can take care of her.

"Of course, the financial reward was considerable as well," he said.

Mr Loh now invests in young start-ups as a private equity investor.

He said: "I see my role now as more of a coach than a player. When you're a young start-up, you have to do everything on your own, be it accounts, sales, support or programming.

"You're like a football player who has to physically be on the pitch and play the game.

Big picture

"As the company gets bigger, you have to learn to look at the big picture and leave the specific tasks to other people, like a football coach does."

Mr Loh also attributed his success to his ability to work with people.

"When a company reaches a certain size, it can no longer run just on your passion. You must have the ability to inspire the same passion in the people you work with," said Mr Loh.

This statement was echoed by Mr Krishnamoorthy Ramoo, 45, who has worked with Mr Loh for 15 years .

Said Mr Krishnamoorthy, who is now the chief operating officer for one of the companies Mr Loh has invested in: "Leslie is somebody who looks at your potential and gives you opportunities to grow. He is also very passionate about what he does."

-- Samuel Wee, newsroom intern

This article was first published in The New Paper.