Nelly Maa

“Your arm is handicapped. You are not.

Make the best out of it. Keep trying, keep going.”

(Excerpt from an interview with Liong Mah, Entrepreneur & Knives & Cutlery Designer, former Chef)
Florida, USA

My mom grew up in a household where working hard was normal. Her parents had a restaurant in Malaysia and she and all her siblings worked in the kitchen. While working in the restaurant they went to school at the same time. That’s how it was. And everybody knew that if they didn’t work, it had an impact on the business.

I was born in Malaysia and my parents immigrated when I was 8 years old to the United States. They had actually put in the application before I was even born so when they got the application approved, they were mentally and financially prepared. They took all their savings and moved our family. For most immigrants who do this, they start over in life. My dad who was already a business owner in Malaysia started working at a restaurant as a dishwasher and made his way up again. My mom cleaned homes as a start. It didn’t matter what it looked like starting a life in the US as long as they were able to put food on the table for us. They worked hard for the long term, bigger picture which was to provide the best for their kids.

From cleaning other people's homes, my mom transitioned to being a cashier in retail, then she became a teller in a bank and became a specialist selling bank products like annuities and CDs. It was all out of her motivation and commitment to be better. In her 40s and 50s , she went back to school and took courses so she could keep moving up. She was always motivated. And that was the role modeling I saw from her.

I have a handicap called Erbs Palsy which means my left arm is weak and has loss of motion. And as a young boy, when I felt sorry for myself, she instilled in me this advice “Your arm is handicapped. You are not. Make the best out of it. Keep trying, keep going.”

That advice and seeing how hard my mom worked really got me going. So when I was a teenager with a left arm handicap, I carried grocery bags at supermarkets to make money. I didn’t just want to rely on my parents to give me money. I wanted my own money. I started working when I was 11 and I also did paper delivery routes. I was a cashier at grocery stores and I was a math tutor too. My parents made me use all my abilities, and especially my arm so I am not related to myself as someone who is handicapped. I learned how to type on a typewriter, I type better than most people with both hands. And I became a professional chef because I really loved the art of cooking. It was a way for me to express my artistry. I even got a full scholarship to college for cooking. It was a proud moment for my parents, and my teacher Mrs. Gonzales who encouraged me to compete. I was good at it and I loved it. I get to make great food and I get to eat it and I get to share it with people. I mean, what's better than that? I was a chef in New York City, and I've worked as a chef for about 15 years but started cooking since I was 15.

My creativity and passion led me to a different career today where I design pocket knives and cutlery and tools, and they're produced everywhere in the world. My experience as a chef working with knives for 15 years combined with my creativity allowed me to make the products I have. I sell them to dealers and also also available on my website. I've been doing this professionally for over ten years. And as a designer, I've been designing for well over 20 years. That’s just me still going, trying, and not making my handicap an excuse from my entrepreneurial and design pursuits. Just like my mom taught me.

I am a professional chef and a creative who turned into a business owner with no professional training in business. I didn’t need to. I’ve learned critical aspects of thinking like a business owner and operating a business from an advice I got from my mom when I was a teenager. She said, “When you want something, you have to plan for it. Plan out all the steps” and this was the advice she gave me when I told her I wanted to learn and drive a car in NY city just like my friends. She sat me down and taught me to identify the steps I need to take, how to protect myself (like insurance), what to save and what I can spend, map out a timetable, and really see the impact of each step affecting the next. This advice from when I was a teenager has helped with customer service, finance, forecasting, budgeting, and marketing my business.

Thank you Mom for everything!