The Man Who Built DSY the Hard Way
Some people inherit success.
Others earn it scar by scar.
This is not a glow-up story wrapped in luck.
This is pressure, pain, and an unshakable decision to rise anyway.
This is the story behind DSY.
And the man who refused to stay small.
From Kampung Floors to Iron Will
Yakaya’s story doesn’t begin in a boardroom.
It begins in a rented kampung house in Perak.
Nine siblings.
A lorry-driver father.
A mother holding everything together.
Then tragedy struck.
His father died in a road accident.
Overnight, survival became the family’s full-time job on RM300 a month.
As a child, Yakaya worked wherever work existed:
Dishwashing.
Selling nasi lemak.
Flipping roti canai.
Fixing motorbikes.
This wasn’t hustle culture.
This was hunger.
And from hunger, discipline was born.
Struggle Was the Training Ground
By day, he studied at Coronation Park and later Anderson School, Ipoh.
By night, he worked as a motorcycle mechanic.
After SPM, he didn’t chase dreams.
He chose responsibility.
Johor Bahru.
Then Singapore.
For nearly nine years, Yakaya worked as a semiconductor operator at Infineon / Tech Semicon.
Same routine.
Same machines.
Same ceiling.
But while others clocked out mentally, he leaned in.
On off days, he studied at RIMA College.
Full-time work.
Part-time degree.
In 2008, he graduated with a Business Degree under a New York joint programme, earning a strong CGPA.
That’s when it clicked:
I’m built for more than survival.
One Café. One Stranger. One Life Shift.
In 2009, Yakaya was freshly graduated and unemployed.
Another rejection.
Another closed door.
Sitting alone in a café, a stranger approached him.
Not with a promise
but with a question about insurance.
He said no to the policy.
But yes to the opportunity.
“Sell once, earn for six years.”
That single sentence changed everything.
Within the same year, Yakaya became Malaysia’s No.1 insurance producer.
Not luck.
Momentum.
He Didn’t Chase Titles. He Built People
Instead of chasing MDRT glory, Yakaya chose leadership.
2011 — Unit Manager
2014 — Agency Manager, the highest rank in the industry
Under AmMetLife, he built one of Malaysia’s strongest agencies:
- 14,000+ clients nationwide
- Champion status
- Recruitment powerhouse
But the real transformation wasn’t external.
It was internal.
The Mentor Who Changed His Mindset Forever
Enter David Koh.
From him, Yakaya learned a simple but deadly framework: Y.O.U.
Y — Your Big Why
O — Opportunity (say yes before you’re ready)
U — Underestimate Your Potential
Because most people don’t fail due to lack of talent.
They fail because they never believed they could go further.
That mindset turned:
- An introvert into a speaker
- A factory operator into a leader
- A survivor into a strategist
Today, Yakaya doesn’t just win.
He multiplies winners.
DSY: Built Like an Ecosystem, Not a Job
With systems and passive income in place, Yakaya thought bigger.
Not companies.
Ecosystems.
Under IGP Group, he expanded into:
- IGP Realty (Real Estate)
- IGP Fitness (24-hour gyms with thousands of members)
- Coolblog franchise ownership
- IGP Funky (Entertainment & Production)
In 2025, IGP Funky executed a 9,000-person international concert in Johor Bahru — a first of its kind.
Finance.
Fitness.
Food.
Culture.
Different lanes.
Same philosophy:
Never depend on one income stream.
Power Without Ego
Despite the titles, wealth, and rooms he now walks into — Yakaya stays grounded.
Same tone.
Same respect.
Same values.
He believes success should never erase your roots.
Titles impress rooms.
Character keeps them.
What’s Next?
DSY isn’t a destination.
It’s a trajectory.
The next chapter is about scale with soul:
- Community impact
- Financial education
- Platforms that help others rise — professionally and personally
Because legacy isn’t what you own.
It’s who you lift.
Final Word
This isn’t a story built on awards.
It’s built on context, contrast, and character.
Some stories inform.
Others transform.
This one does both.
And it leaves us with a question that defines everything:
“If you’re not challenged, how can you change?”
