Shaz Elyza Mohd Khamil, Shaz Elanie Mohd Khamil and Shaz Lydia Mohd Khamil are young, brainy and creative sisters who share one dream, to bring fun and happiness to children and parents. So, when the eldest sister, Lydia, 29, a lawyer by profession, thought about opening a space theme children’s indoor playground, they gave the go-ahead.
The lovely ladies who studied at Garden International School dreamt big and decided to go for it. The siblings poured in efforts to do market research and found out that the city centre lacked of such facility although the demand was promising.
“There’s a massive gap and so we thought why not,” said 26-year-old Elanie who studied International Relations and Politics. They then began looking for a good location and made a deal with Avenue K Shopping Mall to run the business. Branding the centre “Star Light Kids”, it spans over 5,000 square foot and could accommodate up to 60 persons at one time. There are private rooms to organise birthday parties and dancing classes such as zumba and yoga are available for adults.
“We grew up playing in indoor playgrounds and we just loved it. And we want children and parents especially new mothers to come and explore the fun together in a safe and hygienic environment,” said Elyza, 22, a Social Anthropology graduate.
“Being a parent now myself, I know what I want for my children when they’re playing and socialising and with that I can relate to other parents and implement that into our business,” said Lydia.
“Parents could opt to enter the playground and have fun with their children or drop them for a couple of hours while shopping. It’s fun and for some parents, a place where they could distress in a way,” said Elanie.
“While we’re of different personalities, we understand one another. We’re on the same wavelength and share the same goal so we could make decisions pretty well. We consider ourselves lucky because our brother-in-law, a lawyer, is a walking encyclopedia. Whenever we have questions and need advice, we’ll go to him.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t that great in Business Studies but thanks to Miss Jones and Mr Kendrick who were my Business teachers in GIS, I learned from them that business is about what the consumers want and we hit it right,” said Elyza.
“GIS allowed us to interact with all sorts of individuals from different cultures that I think helped create a foundation of understanding within us, and in turn for our customers,” she added.
“What we’ve learned back in school has taught us a lot, to be creative thinkers, independent enquirers and lifelong learners. These are among the useful skills our school teacher had taught us,” said Elanie who had spent a decade of her younger life with Garden International School.
Despite being newly established, the sisters’ charisma and professionalism have garnered a pool of regulars since the centre’s opening in last July. However, their dream isn’t confined to just one centre.
“We want to expand Star Light Kids and bring it to a higher level of success,” said Elanie while Elyza nodded in agreement.
Asked on advice for young entrepreneurs, Elyza replied: “Whatever you want to do for your future, just do it. Nothing shall hold you back.”
“There are bumps along the way, but be patient as success doesn’t come overnight. Keep your future in mind. At some point when the time is low, you might start to doubt yourself but always remember why you want to do it in the first place.” advised Elanie.
At Garden International School, it is always great to know that our students excel in their chosen field. We are always proud and stay true to educating students to ultimately be Effective Global Citizens.
Background
Shaz Lydia Mohd Khamil
– Lydia is a lawyer by profession and was from Class of 2005
Shaz Elanie Mohd Khamil
– Studied International Relations and Politics was from Class of 2007
Shaz Elyza Mohd Khamil
– Elyza, a Social Anthropology graduate was from Class of 2011
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