Write a story about someone you know who took a big risk and had a good result. Begin your story with: "Everybody said that the plan would never work. It was far too risky ..."

- by Jessica

SMK Sentul Utama,

Sentul, Kuala Lumpur

Everybody said that the plan would never work. It was far too risky. However, my brother Liam was determined to succeed. He decided to realise his dream despite the mood of pessimism.

Liam enjoyed cooking very much. He spent most of his leisure time cooking and sharpening his culinary skills. Thus, the food he prepared usually turned out great. Even though cooking was his passion, he took up an engineering course as our father wanted him to be an engineer. At first, he enjoyed being an engineer but one day, he saw a food truck selling a variety of food. As cooking was his real passion, an idea struck him. He thought of owning a food truck as well. He talked to his best friend about the plan and asked him for his opinion.

His friend was sceptical about the whole idea. He was worried that Liam would make losses. He suggested that he do some research on the business first. After the research had been carried out, he was delighted to discover that the chance of succeeding was quite good. So, he decided to invest in the business.

Liam then approached our father, hoping to get some loan as a starting capital. Our father asked him how he planned to run the business. Liam replied that he would quit his job as an engineer and run the business full time. Unfortunately, our father did not like the idea and refused to offer him any loan. Despite the fact, he did not give up and tried to take out a bank loan. Luckily, he succeeded in getting the loan. His ex-colleagues and friends thought that he would fail. Our father said that Liam had made the biggest mistake of his life. He was bound to fail and regret his decision. But Liam was unaffected by their points of view. He was full of optimism about his business venture.

After consideration, Liam decided to sell pizza. But it was not easy in the beginning as sales were very poor. In spite of the stumbling block, he did not give up. He experimented with different marketing techniques and created unique pizza recipes in order to stand out among the rest. He also requested his siblings, including me, to help him and we gladly did. Gradually, the business picked up and it turned into a huge success. It was even featured in a local business magazine.

I am proud of my brother as he has shown me that if I have a dream, I should not give up. I should persevere, overcome all hardships and work diligently until I achieve my ambition.