A WISE man once said persistence was not something we were born with, but a state of mind created in ourselves in order to achieve our goals.

This is the story of a man who had the courage to leave a dream job and pursue the job of his dreams.

Mohammed Hakim Khan — a father, a husband and an entrepreneur.

He is originally from Saweni in Lautoka and had a poor sugarcane farming background to which he was the youngest of the seven children borne to Mohammed Jan and Vadulan.

Mr Khan received his primary school education at Pundit Vishnu Deo Memorial Primary School and later went on to Pundit Vishnu Deo Memorial Secondary School.

The family lived a humble and simple life and this is reflected upon him despite his achievements.

After he completed high school, Mr Khan worked at Westpac Bank as a teller and remained there for 25 years.

During his time at Westpac, he gradually climbed up the ranks of office until he reached the pinnacle of his bank career holding the position of branch manager for the Western Division.

His responsibilities was to manage all of the Westpac branches from Sigatoka to Rakiraki.

Over that time, Mr Khan met Tamarisi Sopa, a woman who would be his future wife.

She would later play a major role in his life as his partner, his friend and whom he considers the backbone of his company, All Make Auto Spares Ltd.

This gives truth to the saying, “behind every successful man is a strong woman”.

The couple lived on Kennedy Avenue, Nadi and had two children.

In 2006, he resigned from Westpac and started a business of his own.

In the same year, he rented a small office space in Vatuwaqa with four workers.

This marked the turning point in which his dream of running a business began to take shape.

Mr Khan said in the beginning it was challenging for him and his family.

“Necessary sacrifices were made and believe me many risks were taken in terms of investments made regarding the business,” Mr Khan said.

He said he knew the odds were stacked against him, given he was in uncharted waters and that he had no prior experience in terms of running a business.

Over the years, the business grew and connections were established, thus the need to expand was inevitable as this led him to purchase a warehouse at Lot 6, Jaihanuman Rd in Vatuwaqa.

Despite the fact that the business was flourishing, he said, it did not mean that it would be all sunshine and rainbows because they were in competition with the other major auto-part supplying companies who had been in that line of business for decades before them.

Given the situation, he said, some would be intimidated, but not him because he wanted to take up new challenges in whatever form they appeared to be.

He said the challenges and hardships were all just part and parcel of the choices in life and only sheer determination, dedication and hard work would determine a favourable outcome.

Years passed and the business gradually progressed. In order to cater for customer demands, the company opened a Nakasi warehouse in August, 2011.

“This did not mean that we could relax. All this meant was that we had to work harder than before as it gives truth to the saying with great power, comes great responsibility,” Mr Khan said.

He said it was a family-owned business and had grown to be a multi-million dollar business through hard work, dedication, honesty and understanding the market.

“What people must understand is that hard work, hard work and hard work is the key to success in whatever we choose to do in life,” Mr Khan said.

“I did what I did because I know and I believe that I can do it.

“Many people know that they have the potential to do greater things than what they are doing now, but it’s the doubt that lingers in the back of their mind that hinders them.”

Doubting is natural because it is a part of us, but it is the ability to keep these doubts under wraps and have the courage to chase your dreams that make the difference, he said.

He concluded that he came from a poor background and that he was not doing all this for himself but for his family’s future.

“I would like to remind all Fijians that nothing is impossible if you are dedicated and put in the hard yards when and where necessary,” Mr Khan said.