Entrepreneur Insight July 2018

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JULY 2018

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JULY 2018

PARTNERS IN WORK AND PLAY MEET THE FOUNDERS OF COLONY: TIMOTHY TIAH AND AUDREY OOI

CAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP BE TAUGHT?

BUSINESS COACHING FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH

5 OCTOBER 2018 THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS (#100 MIYE) acknowledges bold, creative and innovative young Malaysian entrepreneurs below age of 45, who set the standards of Malaysia’s enterprising spirit.

If you are one of these outstanding personalities who run incredible ventures, we want to honour you at The 100 MIYE 2018 Gala Dinner with the publication of our book.

Open For

Nomination Now! SUBMIT YOUR SUBMISSION BY

31 JULY 2018

Nominate yourself or the deserving someone you know:

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For enquiries & sponsorships:

marketing@entrepreneurinsight.com.my 012 378 8683

Presented by

contents

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Creating A Coworking Revolution At Colony

Entrepreneurial Success Stems from A Strong Support System

Ace Of Accounting

Focus On Your Business Strategy

4 Things To Consider In The Hiring Process

How To Have Convincing Negotiations with Overseas Companies

Cultivate An Attitude of Gratitude In Order To Attract More Good Stuff Into Your Life

Beware Of Financial Scams

Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?

Applying Corporate Image Management To Enhance Profitability

A Good Emcee Can Help You Achieve Great Branding

Business Coaching For Accelerated Growth

Do You Need A Financial Planner?

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YVONNE YOONG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITORIAL

AGE OF CONTRADICTIONS

Publisher Dato’ KK Chua kkchua@propertyinsight.com.my Editor-In-Chief Yvonne Yoong yvonneyoong@propertyinsight.com.my

CREATIVE

Creative Director James Kua design@propertyinsight.com.my Designer Nasrul Nasri

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Sales & marketing enquiries support@propertyinsight.com.my +6012 3788 683

Armani Media Sdn Bhd (1032085-H)

No. 32-3, Jalan Pekaka 8/4 Seksyen 8, Kota Damansara 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Tel: +603 6156 3366 Fax: +603 6156 3399

PRINTER

Percetakan Osacar Sdn Bhd Lot 37659, No. 11, Jalan 4/37A Taman Bukit Maluri Industrial Area Kepong, 52100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

On The Cover

TIMOTHY TIAH AND AUDREY OOI Founders of Colony

www.propertyinsight.com.my

We live in an age of contradictions. Values of old have somewhat become corroded and diluted. In the quest for accumulating more and more including that of the almighty dollar – which seems to be the end-all and be-all of some businesses – promises may not be kept at the detriment of severing working relationships which is an irony all by itself. The truth is that short-sighted gain may in the end produce more harm than good.

The adage – “You reap what you sow” is momentarily forgotten and deeds can return in another form when one least expects it. And, such is the basis for businesses that want to continue to flourish – especially when it comes to the art of honouring promises.

One’s word certainly must be one’s bond, especially in an age of contradictions.

Ultimately, the equity of trust is an expensive commodity that businesses thrive on – be it working with external parties or internally.

After all, a bad experience in terms of a late promise of delivery for instance - may ward off trust in getting repeat customers and colour the perception of one’s brand.

The concept of win-win situations therefore is paramount in order to keep on winning. This is most prevalent in successful companies which have built a legacy of trust around their brands. Think of the household brands you have in your residence.

They all embody to a huge extent – an element of trust or what you perceive to be reliable brands that adhere to their promise to deliver products or services of a certain quality that would benefit homeowners.

In delivering one’s best, profit margins may be compressed a little – but this seed money of an investment for the future will likely lead to a more bountiful harvest later on - rather than stinging on giving one’s best only to result in the loss of customers in the near and long run. Eventually, the belief system that what goes around comes around, and following the principle of multiplication – the good you do would abound with an even bigger and more bountiful harvest in time to come would be proven true.

Entrepreneurs are a privileged lot in the sense that they get to address the needs of the market – and will get the ultimate reward not only in terms of profits – but also satisfaction in being able to do their part for the community and even nation at large.

It is in the sharing of our gifts and talents that more will be given to you. As the good book states:- “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” So, happy sharing your goodwill plus products and services.

Flip over to our cover story this month which features none other than Timothy Tiah of the Nuffnang fame who has created a luxe coworking revolution of sorts with Colony in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur alongside his wife Audrey Ooi. Already profitable, Tiah reveals that two other projects being planned in the pipeline, with Eco City in Kuala Lumpur being its next playground for coworking spaces that defy the norm to be followed by the other in KL Sentral.

Till next month - Keep reaching for your dreams in whatever form it takes!

Property Insight Malaysia

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PropertyInsight

Although every reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, neither the publisher, editors, writers nor employees or agents can be held liable for any errors, inaccuracies and/or omissions. The contents of this publication do not constitute investment advice. It is intended only to inform and illustrate. No reader should act on any information contained in this publication without first seeking appropriate professional advice that takes into account their personal circumstances. We shall not be responsible for any loss or damage, whether directly or indirectly, incidentally or consequently arising from or in connection with the contents of this publication and shall not accept any liability in relation thereto. The views by our contributors expressed here are their personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect Property Insight’s views. The publisher does not endorse any company, organisation, person, investment strategy or technique mentioned in this publication unless expressedly stated otherwise. The publisher does not endorse any advertisements or special advertising features in this publication, nor does the publisher endorse any advertiser(s) or their products/services unless expressedly stated to the contrary. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying and imaging without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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news & events Sun Life Malaysia and Al Rajhi Bank Inks

Ten-Year Bancatakaful Agreement Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad and Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia today signed an exclusive 10-year bancatakaful agreement that will see Sun Life Malaysia being the sole distributor of Family Takaful products and services to Al Rajhi Bank’s 150,000 customers nationwide.

Since its foray into the Malaysian insurance industry back in 2013, Sun Life Malaysia has been focusing on growing its core Bancatakaful business through exclusive partnerships.

The partnership with Al Rajhi Bank is an extension of its multi-channel distribution strategy to reach out to even more Malaysians to ensure they are adequately protected.

This is also in support of the Government’s objective to achieve an insurance penetration rate of 75% by 2020.

M101 Distributes 1,100 Servings of Bubur Lambuk M101 Holdings Sdn Bhd (M101) together with China Railway Construction Corporation Malaysia Berhad (CRCC) enlivened the traditional Ramadhan initiative by distributing about 1,100 servings of bubur lambuk to the people passing by Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur. Five huge cauldrons were used to prepare the bubur lambuk.

About 30 staff of M101 and CRCC took part in distributing the packs of bubur lambuk at around 4 pm until sunset.

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Maybank Establishes Wealth Management Academy In Partnership with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore The Maybank Wealth Management Academy (WMA) is the first of its kind offering by a bank in Malaysia, and Maybank is the first Malaysian bank to roll out a regional wealth management curriculum with Wealth Management Institute (WMI). It will offer a practice-based curriculum targeted at 1,200 sales staff, wealth specialists and managers across the bank’s three client segments of Private, Premier and Privilege Wealth in eight of Maybank’s global markets namely; Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Brunei and London.

The launch of Maybank WMA exemplifies the bank’s mission of “Humanising Financial Services” and its focus on talent development in partnership with leading institutions such as Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, a research-intensive university ranked 12th globally.

Mah Sing Chips In With RM3 Million Donation To Tabung Harapan Malaysia Mah Sing Group Berhad donated RM3 million to Tabung Harapan Malaysia at the Finance Ministry in Putrajaya recently. Its Group Managing Director Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum accompanied

by Executive Director Dato’ Steven Ng, Director of Group Strategy & Operations Jane Leong and Lionel Leong as well as Sr General Manager Lyanna Tew presented the cheque to Finance Minister YB Lim Guan Eng and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bangi YB Dr Ong Kian Ming.

“This is a corporate social responsibility effort above and beyond what we are doing with Mah Sing Foundation which is more focused on teaching the nations’ young via our educational programmes.

“For the first time in Malaysia’s history, we are seeing a groundswell of support to crowd-raise funds for the country. Everyone is inspired to help in their own way, and as a public listed company growing with the nation and serving the people’s needs, we are glad to be part of this effort,” says Leong.

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cover story

Creating a Coworking Revolution At Colony Meet partners in work and play - Timothy Tiah and Audrey Ooi - Founders of this luxe coworking space in Kuala Lumpur who are redefining the futuristic trend of how communities work and play

BY YVONNE YOONG

“Wow” is likely the very first impression formed in the minds

of those who step into Colony - tucked right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle on their maiden voyage of discovery to this luxe coworking space. Situated a mere stone’s throw away and around the bend from the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, just a short drive to the happening Bukit Bintang belt, Colony – iconic for its upmarket coworking space - remains secluded enough and yet conveniently accessible to where the heartbeat and pulse of the city pulsates.

Marble floors take pride of place at this gem of a discovery with black and white interlaced details commanding instant attention with its unexpected, somewhat eclectic and unpredictable ensemble. First-time visitors to the space would surely take more than a moment to readjust and acclimatise to the swanky surroundings that exude great taste and overwhelming comfort.

Timothy Tiah, Founder of Colony and of the Nuffnang fame – a company that he first established in 2007 after returning home from his studies majoring in Economics in the UK which introduced the cool concept of advertising on social media via Facebook and Twitter on our shores which has since then been public listed in 2015, explains the concept of this swanky coworking space in detail.

“At Colony, we treat this like an experience that caters to all of one’s senses for those who come here. There’s the smell, sight, what you hear, feel and touch - everything – so when the lift doors open and you come in here – the first thing you would smell is the coffee being prepared at the cafe,” says Tiah, giving a pictorial breakdown of what to expect when entering the coworking space.

And indeed, were we in for an experiential feeling at the first level of Colony where the scent of coffee and the bustle of activity courtesy of Espresso Lab whipping up a storm of culinary offerings took centrestage. On the menu that week was the café’s irresistible and deliciously varied spaghetti dishes – touting beef short ribs, meatballs, crabmeat and the like priced at a ridiculously low RM7 each as an opening discount to attract members and nonmembers.

And, that is just one of the many ways Colony aims to please as was evident when we adjourned on a tour of the coworking space

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that boasts a hammock nap room that is complimentary and massage area offered by Colony’s partner at discounted rates for its occupants. There’s also the concierge services, children’s and nursing rooms. That’s not counting the swimming pool situated on the rooftop of the Vipod Residences building plus Sky Gym facilities of which Colony gets preferred rates for.

Attributing much of the “wow” factor to the “really, really high ceiling”, Colony embodies the luxe concept from floor to ceiling to a tee. Everything it seems, works like clockwork and every detail pans out as if planned to military precision that is reflected even in the choice of the acoustic, semi lounge music that hums in the background for effect.

“Then, there is this huge, elongated corridor. At Colony, we treat it like an experience for those who come in here. People don’t expect this experience especially in a coworking space setting as most of the coworking spaces are all the same. Previously, this space was a serviced office that looked nothing like this but featured a plain tunnelled corridor which we turned into a feature corridor.”

Showcasing Objet d’art In Contemporary Cubicles Strolling along the corridor that looks as posh as it is inspirational – cubicles start to unfold on both the left and right aisle in an aesthetic display of form and function that looks more like a museum of possibilities with workspaces on display emerging like a collection of gems akin to works of art. The many workstations encased in cubicles certainly make for a spectacular display while taking pride of place with their distinctive unique branding as showcased in their respective different looks and feel.

“The inspiration I had wanted when people walk up and down the corridor is that they would look at these workspaces designed on the left and right – much like touring a MoMA museum. Selfridges in London has a display store where people stop and look. And, at Colony, every time guests walk the corridor – everything is just like a showpiece which is what I had in mind for Colony,” says Tiah.

“Colony is like a museum. When we first designed this space – it was like a workspace, an artery. So what we did was turn this area into a feature corridor complemented by very nice tiles. We punched holes on the sides to make way for the windows,” he adds.

The extravagant window displays that command instant attention is nothing short of inspirational.

Tucked on both sides of the elongated aisle or hallway that seems to stretch on forever – the sight of the multi-faceted cubicles with their different looks and styles form bragging rights in themselves with their respective branding elements.

Entering The Chamber of Luxe Offices The multi-dimensional coworking space that completes the giant jigsaw puzzle ensemble at Colony is at once fascinating and enthralling – much like entering Harry Potter’s Chamber of Secrets where explosion of surprises are the norm. Sandwiched in between the intermingled displays of cubicles are bookshelves showcasing thick columns of books.

Having adjourned into the heart of Colony where many high profile events have been held - various separated areas connect to form a coherent whole in an amazingly well-orchestrated symphony of spaces. The generously-sized lounge area showcases a stylish staircase without railings on one side leading up to another space for guests to relax.

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cover story

Meanwhile below, huge bean bags strewn all around allow for a relaxed setting with another dimension of the space looking out to the bustling city.

“Business setups here range from retail to technology, finance, trade and Multinational Corporations (MNCs). Our mission is to ‘Empower Life at Work’ so work doesn’t feel like work – but a way of life,” says Tiah, identifying competition as all office spaces – whatever form they take.

This motto of empowerment is something Tiah personally lives by. After all, who can forget how he heralded in a wave of social media advertising – connecting a community of bloggers less than a decade ago via his company in Nuffnang.

Despite being a newcomer to the real estate scene – Colony’s success resonates with it securing the “Best Luxe Coworking Space” title at the recent Property Insight Prestigious Developer Awards (PIPDA) 2018 held on 1 June at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur.

Trailblazing nothing short of a revolution, the remarkable accomplishment Tiah has achieved with Colony too is nothing short of spectacular. His midas touch in entrepreneurship is evident in that both these two business ventures have turned into nothing short of pure gold.

Already, eight months after establishing this setup since last year, Cornerstone Partners, a company that owns hotels around the region snapped up a 10 per cent stake in Colony at a USD15 million (RM60.45 million) to USD20 million valuation. In this record span of less than a year, USD5 million was raised from its second round funding to build more spaces.

Success seems to agree well with the business which is recording a continual growth trajectory that Tiah could describe as nothing short of a miracle with its March revenues and profits skyrocketing to new record highs and its monthly revenue growing some 300 per cent since the first month.

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Already, in less than a year, Colony has broken even which is a feat that has not been accomplished even by regional coworking spaces.

As proven by its results – Colony goes beyond superficial first impressions and looks set to continue to “wow” investors with its long term leases strategy and profitability.

With its multi-faceted 18,000 sq ft luxe coworking space in Bukit Bintang already operating in full swing - completing the giant Colony jigsaw puzzle ensemble is its second project estimated to cost about RM4.6 million. Spanning around 20,000 sq ft, Colony no. 2 will occupy five floors with a dedicated events space on one level that will be unveiled in July at Eco City in Kuala Lumpur.

For now, the market - already accustomed to anticipating another marvel from Tiah, awaits with bated breath for Colony’s second project which he describes as “really, really beautiful” - with a third Colony space already in the pipeline of being planned in KL Sentral.

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cover story All Roads Lead to Colony The mission to change the way people work is leading Founders Timothy Tiah and Audrey Ooi on a journey beyond themselves Only 34, yet Timothy Tiah, Founder of Colony’s luxe coworking spaces has already trailblazed a revolution of sorts with his fame in establishing the social media platform with its own community of bloggers under Nuffnang a decade ago.

Looking every inch a Malaysian version of Harry Potter, he has literally conjured these two iconic businesses from scratch. All the while wearing his entrepreneurial hat of tricks - having blogged as a hobby while missing home at university in the UK – his fascination in reading other people’s postings gave him the idea of establishing Nuffnang to promote the concept of getting clients to advertise via a community of like-minded bloggers. So huge was his maiden achievement that he got the company listed and is now one of the directors sitting on the board.

Today, Tiah can look back at his successful endeavours with a huge grin.

“I’m very lucky because when I left Nuffnang, many investors came and said, ‘Whatever you’re doing, let us know. I know some of them because in 2015, I won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the age of 31,” he reflects.

Armed with boyish looks and jet black hair to match - with Harry Potter’s famous rounded glasses complementing his features, the entrepreneur who is born under the gregarious Gemini sign is upbeat about the two new upcoming Colony spaces.

The next Colony coworking space he says, will be located in the vicinity of Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur and will even up the ante of expectations a few notches higher when it is unveiled this July.

And, the tower of amicable support comes from his wife Audrey Ooi, Executive Director of Colony who is an avid blogger writing under her “four-feet-nine” blog by virtue of her height. They met via blogger Kenny Sia way back when Ooi was blogging to catalogue the experiences she went through.

In a way, you could attribute it to a match made in social blogger’s heaven.

“My wife and I worked together on my inspiration for the design with a group of very good and talented designers. We kind of gave them the inspiration of what we wanted. They then helped us to come up with this whole concept and design,” shares Tiah.

According to Ooi, 33, though there were initial teething problems at the beginning, the couple got their act together fast enough and in record time, the returns amazed even them.

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“I didn’t know the company was going to take off so fast. The company was only barely a year old now and it has come to be worth USD15 to USD 20 million,” says Tiah.

Modestly stating that true success hinges on profitability, his approach is purely methodical as whether the company makes money at the end of the day he says, hasn’t yet been tested.

“Paper wealth is just paper wealth – it doen’t mean anything.

After the IPO listing for Nuffnang, my shares were valued at more than RM70 million – just the shares itself in 2015. It doesn’t mean anything – it doesn’t change anything. Positive cash flow that makes money is how I judge success. I’m very old school. I have no aspirations to build a Unicorn – a billion dollar company valuation - and for that reason, maybe I will never build a Grab or Uber. I only care about profits,” he maintains.

At the end of the day, Tiah says he wants to “grow the business modestly” - building upon Silicon Valley in the US where Google and Facebook offices have created ideal work environments.

“My prime target is just to have 20 Colony coworking spaces in very comfortable prime locations. We are looking at growing this across Southeast Asia and eventually, around Asia. So my aim is very much to do a corporate finance kind of thing to raise money and build a company that lasts, which generates good cash flow and profits,” says Tiah.

Operating with his feet on the ground while reaching for the starstudded skies – we have no doubt that driven by a head for business and an eye for profits – Colony will remain the talk of the town for many years to come.

Up, Close and Personal with The Wizard of Luxe Coworking Spaces – Colony’s Timothy Tiah What is your definition and understanding of coworking spaces?

The thing about the coworking space is that every coworking space looks nice. Each coworking space strives to achieve an attractive milieu and space that can stand out among the masses of coworking space littered everywhere. Basically, the space needs to look great in order to attract customers. Coworking spaces tend to have a typical open ceiling and the industrial look typical of cafes now.

What competitive advantage does Colony have?

So far, Colony is quite unique in the sense that we differentiate ourselves by distancing ourselves from the WeWork model. Most coworking spaces target freelancers and startups so they are very community based whereas here at Colony, it is very much about service and hospitality. Colony is designed to impress banking on its prime location. We aim for high-end clients – those from established small businesses and corporates as well as large multinational companies that need special project offices who are willing to pay premium for top-notch services.

What are the changes, trends and shifts occurring in offices?

During our parents’ generation – it was all about job stability and money to be earned to support the family. But for Millennials right now – the pressure is less because of the foundation laid by our Baby Boomers parents for us financially that enable us to pursue our dreams. Unlike our parents, we don’t have to worry about money too much. What we care more about is believing in the work that we do, learning new things and obtaining fresh experiences. And, one of the new things that we want revolves around an inspirational working environment like who we work with and what kind of office it is. Offices such as Google and Microsoft utilise open spaces, unique interior design and cool facilities in their work environment to attract and retain Millennial talents. Basically, this is the trend that increasingly, more and more companies will have to follow because when many companies follow suit - this basically translates into the tipping point – and becomes the expected office instead of the traditional old-fashioned office. Basically, this then becomes a new wave of the future that increasingly Millennials like.

The cons of coworking spaces vary for each individual. A private person would probably feel uncomfortable working around many strangers. Similarly, individuals who prefer a quiet working environment would dislike the scene at a coworking space as it may be more raucous than they are used to.

How would you describe Colony?

We aim to be known as the coworking space or serviced office in Kuala Lumpur with unprecedented levels of service and hospitality.

Our mission is to empower life at work and we aim to create the RitzCarlton of the workspace. We focus on hospitality and take pride in our services. Our community managers would go out of their way to make a guest’s day. Our competition is traditional offices - not other coworking spaces. At Colony, we have a team of people who are looking out for your every need. That’s something you’ll never get in the traditional office.

How do you and your wife complement each other?

I guess right now – I’m into the role of CEO. I do everything like raise investors’ money and operations. Audrey does something very specific in terms of project management on one end and working with the interior designers to come up with the workspaces so we separate our tasks. Actually, when we first started working, there was the adjustment period because at home, she’s the boss. At work, I’m the boss. Sometimes at home, I forget I’m not at work so I talk to her like I’m the boss and I get whacked for it (laughs).

In addressing the competition out there saturated with office space, how do you carve out a distinctive niche in the market?

I think we appeal to lots of businesses right now in companies that do not have the scale to do this kind of office or in terms of capital expenditure (CAPEX) so they don’t have or need any of that. We cover all of that and take away the pain of doing up the office.

You’ve set up Nuffnang. Do you reckon you’re somewhat like Mark Zuckerberg?

I’m very far from what Mark Zuckerberg has achieved in business success. It’s my pure luck that the first company I co-founded Netccentric, parent company of Nuffnang, managed to go all the way to be public listed in 2015. After I left, I started Colony.

The pros and cons of coworking spaces?

Coworking spaces allow one to worry less about basic charges such as renovations, cleaning, utility bills, internet installation costs and even the hiring of a receptionist. This has yet to even include hidden costs that may pop up in the future - mainly pertaining to maintenance charges such as plumbing, servicing and repairs. At coworking spaces, all these worrisome needs that make an office is handled by the coworking space provider. Aside from that, there are also opportunities to do some networking - either socially or professionally.

Advice to young entrepreneurs?

I’m not one to typically give advice as I don’t assume I know more than anyone else but I can only speak from experience. These are the three things I follow and live by in life. The first is – it is not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters. Secondly, my father taught me to always treat people well on your way up, because you will see the same people on your way down. Thirdly, my late grandfather taught me that “If you make money – always keep it and not spend it all because making money won’t always be easy. And, if you don’t have money - the world can be a very cruel place for people without money.

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entrepreneur of the month

ACE OF ACCOUNTING Armed with military precision when it comes to crunching figures - accounting and auditing come second nature to Datin Yap Shin Siang, Managing Partner and Group CEO of YYC & Co who was honed to take over the family business since young which she has grown exponentially – with the firm set to be listed

BY YVONNE YOONG

Don’t let Datin Yap Shin Siang, Managing Partner and Group CEO of YYC & Co’s petite looks fool you. Behind her soft-spoken persona is someone armed with steely determination to achieve whatever she sets her mind to accomplishing. Having inherited her father’s business which was founded in 1974, Shin, 42, recalls how she took over the company in 2000 when his health suffered a setback following an unexpected fall which injured his back.

“I decided to take over the business as my brother Yap Zhi Chau then was still young, helping my dad like the Disney cartoon character Mulan. Today, he is the Chairman of the firm while I’m the CEO,” she says animatedly armed with gutso and a smile.

“We decided amongst ourselves that one company should only have one boss and not two and the reason why we choose my brother to be the boss is because he is strategic and can plan 10 to 20 years ahead whereas I am very executional type – whatever he plans or strategises I see through to the end,” she adds.

Like the animated Disney character waging war, she likens the strategy of the firm much like that of employing military tactics to bring forward the goals of her team and employees which now ranks in the range of over 400 people spanning 18 branches.

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Her firms are mainly concentrated in hot spots like the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru – in locations which are near the business centres where her many Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) clients are.

Stepping into her cement rendered office space of which the whole building block belongs to the company was an experience in itself, with industrial looking lighting providing a light bulb moment point of reference of sorts on the walls complemented by plush sofas strewn around the space.

“We were actually in another location earlier on occupying two shop lots previously. The reason why we still chose Pudu is because the first generation started by my father was in this location so we wanted to remind ourselves about our roots so our headquarters is still here.

“Previously, it was very conventional and we were comparing other firms, we first said it was okay as the substance matters more than form but after a while, we found out that substance only can go so far. In fact, the exterior is also important. So this year, we moved into this new premise and for the ground floor, we wanted it to be café style,” she says.

According to her, they named the space the Accountant’s Café to conduct their meetings here in a relaxed environment.

“Strategic planning is one of the core tools that we use in the stages of our growth. Later, we met this mentor who had a strategic management programme. We invested in this tool and invested in our clients and ourselves. With this, we could identify where the next year’s target was headed and where the growth strategies were,” says Shin.

Taking over the family business was a natural progression for her she relates as her father had instilled in her since she was a kid that she would inherit his business after she grew up.

Both her brother who is the Chairman of the firm and her liken the top-tier management team as the “Winning 11” team as they all love a spot of soccer.

“Even though we have 12-13 in our Board of Directors, we have named our team as “Winning 11” as the other one or two players can be reserve players. Soccer is not only about defense but it’s also about fighting back,” she enthuses further.

She studied accountancy with her spending two years working as an accountant in a company upon graduating from university.

Relating that the most difficult part for her upon taking over the company resided in her not finding her position in the company.

She had to readjust her outlook that “being a tough leader” was what was needed to lead her employees.

Shin also recalls feeling “lost” and was always quarrelling with her brother at work. However, she is happy to note that she managed to resolve the first mentality business mindset of being in “attack mode” as she is the second generation in the business. The idea of being in “defense mode” was established and consolidated with the first idea as in business both methods have to be combined and married in with the vision and mission.

However, she persevered and through trial and error, managed to fine-tune her strategies at work and also work to adopt cohesive strategies at work.

“Talent management and execution were some of the hurdles I’ve had to overcome as I previously used tough methods to manage employees. Now, we use the new management concept of empowerment in order to stimulate creativity.

“We must maximise work efficiency in order to improve organisational efficiency. Only then can personal efficiency be brought into play,” she explains.

All in the family: (From left) YYC & Co Group CEO Shin Siang, her father Yap Seong Fatt and brother Zhi Chau

Elaborating further, she says the objective of having good management should not centre around the people – but the exact matter or task at hand. She adds that in promoting talent, good characteristics are prioritised. Furthermore, building a high performance culture is key in the organisation so that a healthy cultivation of a sense of belonging can be present amongst employees.

“We need all employees to work efficiently and need a clever execution plan backed by high efficient meetings,” she states further.

Moving Milestones Major milestones have been set in place for the company with the aim for it to be listed in 2020 in the ACE market. Currently, the firm has 18 branches with an outsourcing centre also being planned in other countries.

“Traditionally, we are very compliance based like most of the accounting firms in Malaysia but we have deliberately shifted to other area which businesses need such as business advisory, business school and our winning CEO platform – all mainly targeted at SMEs in Malaysia because we want to be the champion for SMEs,” she affirms.

In line with her organic growth plans for the company, she says new markets have been identified in line with cross selling strategies as well as leads generated from the business school.

In terms of the branch strategy, she aims to develop door to door leads this year as the company has not fully covered all the companies in the surrounding vicinity.

Her vision is also to enable SMEs to play a major role for Malaysia to become a high income nation. Recognising the need

JULY 2018

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entrepreneur of the month for professional accountants and advisors to contribute to the growth of the country, her aim then and now is for YYC to be SME businesses’ No. 1 choice when it comes to assisting SME businesses to grow and flourish as well as to maximise their fullest potential and contribute to nation building.

Candidly sharing that what she likes most about her job lies with the firm’s ability to help many SMEs deal with financial and tax issues besides helping them grow their businesses.

“YYC is everyone’s accountant. YYC is an expert who assists you in managing your company’s financial trends. Apart from managing your accounts and finances for your business, we also design business strategies for you to keep up with the times, provide efficient training courses and establish a digital marketing system,” says Shin.

Besides these, there are financing and listing consultants available to provide comprehensive services to fully meet the needs of the new era of business.

“In short, once you start your business, we will give you one-stop business services, provide the most professional guidance, and help you to achieve comprehensive development and the goal of excellence,” she enthuses.

Avoiding The Five Deadly Sins Auditing only takes up about 30% of the firm’s task as it is an all rounded accounting firm, relates Shin. In fact – as an accounting firm, it operates on the four pillars namely:- The compliance of audit and tax planning services, business advisory, business school and having a platform-winning CEO to helm the ship.

Touching on how it operates not as a traditional audit firm but to assist businesses achieving another level of success, she says a lot of business owners do not understand cash flow and they confuse this with profits.

So even if a company is making profit – it may not have cash flow because they may not be able to collect it. Vice versa, the company may be making losses but they are able to keep generating cash flow which is what is needed to sustain the company.

Expounding on the common mistakes by business owners, or the five deadly sins that some business owners tend to commit topmost on the list is not being able to generate profits for a long period of time. Unable to operate optimally due to this scenario, would result in investors not being interested in investing in the company.

Number two, a lot of companies cash are in other people’s pockets so a lot of SME business owners are not aware that the debtors are not paying them on time, and some don’t even go through their pay list. After a while, this can become bad debts, especially among friends.

Thirdly, she states that business owners tend to buy a lot of inventory but the turnover may not be fast enough or even selling at par. Some business owners keep inventory in one or two warehouses without even taking inventory of their stocks.

What’s more, when they generate cash, they buy even more inventory to put into stocks as opposed to putting the money in marketing and so on.

Fourthly, is over investment whereby instead of parking the money into marketing initaitives, they tend to buy a lot of properties and so one has to distinguish the priority of the business owner – whether they want to do this business or invest in properties.

Fifth, is over-diversifying the business so instead of concentrating in one business – they over-diversify into many businesses so the cash flow is spread very thin.

“In fact, many business owners don’t look at their numbers but business is a numbers game and it’s not about language – how flowery it is. And a lot of business owners are pressured by how much of profits they make as well as cash flow.

“Just like a Doctor takes a diagnostic or blood test – they would make their judgement based on numbers and likewise business owners should also make their judgement based on their numbers and their data and their accounts. But in business, cash flow and profits are two different games and cash flow is two times more important than profit because profits is like the heartbeat of the company and cash flow is like the blood. So without blood, it can be fatal,” she offers.

Shin Siang with YYC & Co’s with a few of the company’s top management

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The contemporary YYC & Co building that is owned by the company

Seizing The Dream Shin who operates YYC on Facebook appearing in a series of video clips to promote the firm says she owes it all to her father who sold her the dream since she was young.

“He sold me the dream. He said that to be an accountant and partner of a firm is very prestigious. One would be able to get good pay and earn clients’ respect but I didn’t realise that there was a lot of hard work involved so I thought it was good.

“So my dream is to run his firm since young. My father and mother who was taking care of the Human Resource story come to our office every day,” she says with a laugh adding that she shares her office space with her dad.

The turnover last year itself she says saw about a 70% increase in sales – which is about 10 times the growth of the former operations.

Not one to rest on her laurels, she lives by the saying that:- “To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often.”

Also a firm believe that leaders don’t create followers – they create leaders in parting, she dispenses some nuggets of advice to young entrepreneurs:- “Know your mission and be clear about your vision. You have to be very clear in your strategy and goals as well as you’ll need to have the power to execute to bring the company forward. Be efficient and brave enough to be No. 1 in your industry. Take massive action.”

YYC 1.0 Development Stage: 2000 – 2005

· Understanding how to care for customers · Learning how to manage employees · Gaining more expertise · Learning how to share new information and ideas · Discovering the right company positioning

YYC 2.0 Transformation Stage: 2006 – 2010

· S. F. Yap was rebranded as YYC · Exploring business courses · Developing business advisory services, bringing in business · Adopting strategy planning from Australia · Actively studying Goods and Services Tax (GST) issues to assist Malaysian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

YYC 3.0 Take-Off Stage: 2010 – 2015

· Innovative Management: People & Strategies · Conduct business seminars · Rapid expansion, setting up branches · Exploring digital marketing · Being a real leader YYC 4.0 Sprinting Stage: 2016 – 2020

· Continuous innovation, always expanding business territories · Developed business school and established a company specialising in digital marketing · Vast team of 300 people · Opening of 18 branches nationwide JULY 2018

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main feature

How To Have Convincing Negotiations with Overseas Companies –

4 Lessons Learned From A Recent Business Trip “Sincerity and trust respresent universal virtues in a language that can be understood when it comes to business”

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“Ding, ding, ding”, came the ever-familiar sequential sounds that resonated whenever I received the notification of a new e-mail making its way into my inbox. Getting e-mails while in the midst of business negotiations is usually nerve-wracking to a certain extent. You might never know whether your next e-mail is the bearer of bad news or perhaps something positive. However, what surprised me was the nature of this e-mail instead. “Invitation to visit 2018 Chungbuk Trade Business Meeting at Cheongju” was the title. Having some understanding of Korean related words from K-pop songs, my mind kind of grasped what this e-mail entailed:- I have just been invited to attend an annual business meeting in Cheongju, known to be the capital and largest city of North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. But how did this come to be?

A Business Meeting In South Korea?

Let me first backtrack a little on how this too-good-to-be-true e-mail came about. Apparently, my company was spotted online

by CNE Global through our Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) marketing efforts. Good SEO for websites do come a long way for searchability and discovery!

The first programme we had with them was conducted at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. We were invited to meet up with Korean companies that were relevant in line with our AR and VR industry.

The Unexpected Business Trip Experience Within one week of receiving the approval e-mail, my business partner Wesley and I were then flown over to Seoul, Korea.

With this being the first time ever I stepped on Korean soil, I felt uncertain about several things. As it is - even a typical holiday would already have taken many weeks of planning. It was great that the entire process handled by Zi Mei from the agency was of top-notch quality as most of my inquiries were answered without a hitch!

Upon arrival at the hall for the Chungbuk Trade Business Meeting, I was blown away by the massive scale of participants involved. This trade business meeting was on an international level with participants from multiple countries all over the world participating. We were also given a professional interpreter called Debbie and met with six different Korean beauty suppliers throughout the day. It was a fascinating attempt in striking a business deal with them as each Korean company that approached us had their own respective strategies and tactics.

Throughout my time speaking and interacting with them, I managed to learn various important facets with regards to negotiating business with overseas companies.

From that business meetup, I realised that CNE Global also has a wide selection of Korean beauty manufacturers looking to collaborate with Malaysian companies which is relevant and in line with our e-commerce beauty platform www.chericheri.co It was at this moment that I was reminded of a recent video I watched of Jack Canfield - the original Author and Founder of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series who said “Ask! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking.”

I then did my fair share of asking and managed to get a connection for our beauty e-commerce website, thus leading to the invitation to South Korea most unexpectedly. In business, it is always wise to ask and expand your collaborative efforts not only on a single matter but based on the perspective of an entire organisation as a whole.

(From left): English interpreter Debbie, Wesley and Low at the overseas event

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main feature The 4 Key Factors In Establishing Convincing Negotiations with Overseas Companies “Language can be a barrier but that does not mean a business has to have barriers!”

1. Showcase your company’s capability in helping to complement their brands locally: Your ability in being able to showcase past results plays a role in solidifying your credentials rather than only talking about visions and dreams. By including the portfolio of how various marketing campaigns or sales strategies were conducted, this gives high confidence towards your own professionalism in dealing with business operators overseas.

2. Provide as much information as possible regarding the local industry: Overseas owners are always curious and keen to understand how the local market works. How well do you know your target audience? How would you push their brand and products into the right customer’s hands? You will be surprised by how much overseas companies are unaware of the local industry and whether their products could accommodate local people’s needs.

Good knowledge sharing regarding the regulations and protocols found within our country will greatly benefit not only them but you as well as this will sometimes allow the opposite business entity to reveal certain facts not mentioned before. This will then provide you with crucial information on how to take this business negotiation forward and allow you to make the correct judgement.

3. Transparency is key: I have never believed in dragging business meetings therefore these 40-minute speed dating concept seems perfectly suited as everything discussed was spot on and direct. Apart from basic company introductions made by both parties, we were quick to dive down to the crucial parts of the negotiation.

Knowing the minimum order quantity (MOQ) of products with the margins involved right off the bat will save a lot of time in determining whether this business negotiation will turn out to be a suitable match or just a waste of time.

Understanding the efforts made by the current brand and their future plans will immediately indicate the seriousness of the owner of taking their own brand to the next level. Over glazing truths with honey will not take any business further as sooner or later, you will be found out within the due diligence phase.

4. Sincerity not only in your words but through your actions: Having an attitude of sincerity during a negotiation is something I could never stress enough on. We are used to being in situations whereby many unscrupulous dealers try to get away with deals that will only benefit them. This is even more important when you are dealing with overseas parties who speak in languages you cannot understand. In situations like these, actions will indeed speak louder than words.

A couple of companies we met really gave their all during our short 40-minute session. They not only provided a short demonstration of their products but even went as far as giving us product samples to bring back which really highlighted their efforts in attempting to strike business deals with us.

Afterthoughts This trade meeting was a one-of-a-kind experience which opened my eyes towards how other countries conduct their business meetings. The speed dating style has its merits by pushing both parties to be right on cue and not waste time on other minor necessities which may plague many unfruitful business meetings in the past. By always being prepared not only in terms of knowledge but also a thorough understanding of their market and yours, you will then appear to be a business owner with high credibility. This gives confidence towards both parties - local or overseas regarding the trust that they need and seek for in doing business with you.

JASON LOW

is the Founder of Malaysia’s first Augmented Reality merchandise and is a Director of integrated marketing agency.

Visit: www.jasonlow.my or email him at jason.low@cap360.co

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feature

Can Entrepreneurship

Be Taught?

Are entrepreneurs born or can their innovative characteristics be trained?

Now, let us revisit this classic question of whether entrepreneurship can be taught? The traditional view is that entrepreneurs are born and there are innate qualities like leadership, propensity for risk, creativity and passion that an entrepreneur is born with, and people with such traits are deemed as entrepreneurial.

However, I beg to differ. I’m of the view that entrepreneurship can certainly be taught, and in fact, be nurtured along the way.

In this fast and changing digital era, there are three required characteristics in order for one to be a successful entrepreneur - that is being adaptable, astute and keen to acquire new knowledge.

These three characteristics are acquired ones and we are not born with them. During our early to adolescent years - our initial foray into the commercial world as well our friends and our family all play a pivotal part in shaping who we are and more importantly, enable us to pick up on the three traits as mentioned above.

So, how do we start becoming adaptable and being astute? Firstly, there is no scientific formula to instruct and measure these.

However, from my observation, many successful entrepreneurs have a mentor behind them, much akin to the traditional apprenticeship scheme whereby an experienced “sifu” will guide and mentor the new apprentice.

In this case, the entrepreneurship mentoring process is very much less formal and operates continuously while being bidirectional. Therefore, in this sense, the mentor and mentee learns from each other and will be able to share the latest updates, experiences and good practices in a two-way street.

The successful model will be a “guide from the side” approach rather than a traditional “sage on the stage” approach.

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A “Guide From The Side” Instead of “A Sage On The Stage” A good mentor will be able to impart valuable experiences and knowledge to the mentee, and the mentee will have to absorb, digest and pick out what are the lessons to be had.

The commercial world is very much more dynamic as compared to the previous generation, and moves at lightning speed. What happened two years ago may be obsolete by now.

Adaptability and astuteness can certainly be honed by learning with an open mind from the mentor’s experience and then have this contextualised into the current settings.

RICHARD TENG

runs his higher education and leadership training company and provides strategic development consultancy for universities/colleges. Email him at rtengh@gmail.com

No one is born with the knowledge to do everything! The new digital economy has made available plenty of free resources like Massive Open Online Programmes( MOOCS) for any budding entrepreneur who needs to pick up new skills and knowledge.

The World Wide Web also has plenty of free resources available 24/7 and should there be anything we are unsure of, we can always spend some time reading and finding the answers online.

Add these to the current Government’s initiatives to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs and businessmen - and, there has not been a better time for anyone who is keen to embark on the entrepreneur journey to begin now.

In terms of learning, there are plenty of advocates for enrolling in an MBA programme to learn about doing business. I have nothing against MBA but to me, it really boils down to personal costs and benefits analysis.

Another excellent way to be adaptable and astute is to often travel and expose ourselves to different cultural settings and ways of life. During my earlier career years, I have been based in a few countries such as the Fiji Islands, Nepal and Thailand, and this has greatly benefitted my own sense of adaptability and astuteness in different situations.

Many entrepreneurs will have great stories to share on how they started off as a “Jack of all trades”. When they first started, they are everything - the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Finance Manager, front line staff, office assistant and cleaner all rolled into one.

Therefore, there has to be an impetus to keep on learning and acquiring new skills and knowledge.

There are some really excellent MBA programmes around but they are costly and academically demanding. And, on the opposite end of the spectrum, some really mediocre programmes that in my personal opinion, are a complete waste of money and time.

From my personal observations, most of the MBAs have lecturers with little and/or no commercial experience teaching while some MBAs have an entrepreneurship module which is ironically always being taught by someone who hasn’t started a business before.

Having an MBA does not necessarily transform you into a successful entrepreneur and similarly, the opposite is true too.

In a nutshell, entrepreneurship can be taught. It is a continuous learning process and the more adaptable you are, the more astute you will be and the more knowledge you possessed will more likely than not, be the anchor point in your journey as a successful entrepreneur.

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strategy

A GOOD EMCEE CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE GREAT BRANDING Even as a child, we were enthralled with grandeur and splendour.

We got excited over huge birthday parties and extravaganza school events; and when we are at the organising end of things - the measure of success was based on the accolades received.

Success, as with everything else, is paramount.

Awards nights, property conventions, sports events, product launches and charity concerts are all geared towards having the company name branded as synonymous with the type of events being held. It is an opportunity to strengthen the community that the company aligns itself with.

In today’s world, there seems to be an infinite number of events held during every calendar year organised by various bodies both corporate and otherwise. And, for very good reasons, too.

Seminars, for example, would be a great setup for companies to brand themselves as the ones that establish thought leadership.

Government bodies, agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and corporates hold events for a plethora of reasons.

Chief among them would be to achieve brand recognition.

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Events would also be a great excuse to have face-to-face connections with stakeholders while strengthening their network capabilities. All of these would also invariably lead towards the possibility of income or revenue for the organisers.

ADI AFENDI

is a TV personality, Master of Ceremonies, Protocol Consultant, Voice-Over Talent, Emcee Skills Trainer and/Coach.

Internally, corporates organise annual dinners and family days with the mission to recognise and celebrate the hard work being put in by members of the staff as well as to boost morale and productivity.

So, why wouldn’t the success of these events be paramount?

A lot of money goes into organising an event. Venue, décor, food, entertainment need to be top-notch and organisers are likely willing to pay top dollar for them.

However, there is an important facet of every event that some organisers do not put much thought into – the Emcee.

An emcee is not someone who is merely there to get the show moving along or just make introductions and announcements.

Having a good Emcee for your event will indeed go a long way towards helping you achieve great branding for your organisation. And, here are the reasons why:An Emcee manages events. The word “emcee” derives from the moniker Master of Ceremonies, a title not easily given to anyone but only to those with the ability and responsibility to take charge of the entire event from start to end, and in ensuring that it closes with a resounding success.

Essentially, a good Emcee is vital to the success of any event.

An Emcee is the organiser’s Ambassador. He or she is the representative that is a bridge between the organiser and the audience. They set the tone for a particular event, determine the energy level throughout and are responsible for keeping things on schedule.

The Emcee often wears as many hats as the situation dictates.

They can be the Event Director, Protocol Consultant, Venue Coordinator, Stage Manager, Stagehand, Sound and Lighting Consultant, Introducer, Community Builder, Pitch Person, Timekeeper, Troubleshooter, Energy Barometre, Hype Gatherer, Caretaker, Entertainer, Nerve Calmer, and Cheerleader.

And, they must wear each hat with grace and charm. It is an important and demanding job which requires a high level of energy and skills.

One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that anyone who can speak well can be a good emcee. Which is why some companies would rather utilise a particular employee who has shown a fair degree of competency in language skills to be the Emcee, instead of hiring a professional one. Free service, to boot.

Indeed, being a good Emcee goes far beyond being able to deliver impeccable lines and keep people hyped up. A good Emcee must have a worthy personality worthy of carrying your brand name. A good Emcee must also understand other facets of event management such protocol, equipment management, venue management, time management and, most importantly, crisis management.

A good Emcee will cost the organiser at most only 10% of the entire event budget and yet, is the most visible and influential part of any event.

At the end of the day, you want your event to be a resounding success. Be it an international conference or internal annual dinner for your staff, success is paramount. So, is that 10% worth losing sleep over?

A good Emcee can take a lot of pressure off the organiser. If the Emcee does a fantastic job and made your event a memorable one, your participants and stakeholders will be showering praises on you and your organisation.

Your event will be the talk of the town. They may not remember who the Emcee was, nor would they care, but they will remember your fantastic event for a very, very long time.

Conversely, if the Emcee does a dismal job and throws your event off-kilter, your participants and stakeholders may be less impressed about you and your organisation. Your event will also be the talk of the town, albeit in a negative light.

They won’t remember who the Emcee was nor would they care, but they will remember the failure that your event was for a very, very long time.

The question then lies on how the organiser wants to be branded – as a success or a failure? A great deal of that depends on who they choose as their Ambassador.

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strategy Entrepreneurial Success Stems from

A Strong Support System Entrepreneurship can be tough to many because before they overcome the challenges on the field, they first need to overcome objection and the lack of support from parents and family members who may not like the idea due to the potential risks involved.

In conjunction with Mothers’ Day in May and Fathers’ Day in June, I would like you to pause for a moment in whatever that is keeping you occupied to acknowledge your support system in the form of your parents, relatives, friends or guardians who assisted you during the start-up stage. Here are a few simple things that have made me feel thankful for. This is something I hope all entrepreneurs receive from their support system in one form or another.

“Love comes in many forms, see it, hear it, feel it!”

(P. 241, Now or Never – Start a Business with only RM199) Love is when she likes almost every one of my Facebook post and shares all my Facebook achievements’ related posts.

Love is when she visits me in Kuala Lumpur and when she leaves my place gets cleaned.

Love is when she goes shopping she would buy a shirt or a pair of pants for me and somehow they always fit me nicely.

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LOVE

IS I N TH E

AIR

MARCUS TEOH

The Author of “Now or Never” – MPH Bookstore’s Top Ten Bestseller for 21 weeks & Best Business Nominee for Year 2017 alongside books by Richard Branson and Jack Ma books runs Facebook Marketing workshops

Love is when on her birthday she said, “You don’t need to buy me any birthday gift for now. You can buy it when you are making good money.”

Gratitude To Parents Love is when he said to me “One fine day, I’ll be gone. By then I believe you would no longer need my money. If you need it now, please do not be shy to ask.”

Love is when he shares my sales poster promoting my workshop.

Love is when upon seeing a Facebook post where I spoke at an event, he commented “I am proud of you, son!”

Love is when they would travel from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur to spend time with me knowing that I have a hectic schedule.

Every love expression shared would not have happened if I was still gainfully employed. Being an entrepreneur put me in situations where I really needed understanding, help and support from my loved ones. I am truly blessed with the best parents ever.

Hopefully, all parents and family members of aspiring entrepreneurs or existing entrepreneurs would be more understanding, helpful and supportive.

Entrepreneurs Need Understanding Entrepreneurs often we get misunderstood. Here’s to help those who haven’t understood us for them to see things differently.

An entrepreneur could proudly share: I am not stubborn – I am just determined

I I I I I

am am am am am

not not not not not

greedy – I am just ambitious busy – I am just hard-working unrealistic – I just dare to dream big emotional – I am just human crazy – I just see something that you don’t yet

If you have not received the support and love you have always wanted, give your loved ones some time to digest and accept your decision. It was not smooth for me at the initial stages of my entrepreneurial journey. Perhaps your loved ones need to first tolerate, and then hopefully accept and finally support you in your chosen path. You will be more convincing when you are able to deliver some results so do it with joy!

After all - you’re embraced your calling to do well in your entrepreneurship journey rather than take on a duty to get support from others. Perhaps we can initiate the love cycle by giving support and love to our beloved parents first by doing our part and experience the positive change in the family!

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strategy

Focus On Your Business Strategy Staying focussed in business is probably one of the most common challenges for entrepreneurs - especially those hailing from the younger generation. Instead of discovering how to stay focussed, perhaps we should understand why we can’t stay focussed in the first place? In short, what are the “distractions”?

1. Multitasking If you notice the way we work today, we are using many gadgets or multiple functions within a gadgets. For example:- listening to music from Spotify via our tablet while replying to e-mails from our laptop while whatsapping friends using our mobile phone from time to time. Or, we could be working on a powerpoint presentation using the laptop while at the same time playing music from Youtube via the Internet, and not to mention many other social media apps which pop up with notification from time to time. With all these distractions, how do you focus?

2. Opportunity Entrepreneurs are sensitive to opportunities and they smell opportunities faster than others. Nevertheless, these opportunities need time, effort and money to materialise.

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And, while you are busy building your business - you just won’t have the luxury of using your existing resources. By trying to juggle both your existing business and new opportunities without careful plan, will result in you collapsing. The idea of becoming a business owner who owns many businesses is not a good idea especially when your existing business needs your full attention.

3. Over-Focus Yes, you heard me right:- being over-focussed on details is a distraction by itself. As an entrepreneur, you are suppose to focus on setting goals, building required resources, planning your cash flow, deploying your people, strategising your marketing and responding to the call for action etc. Being over-focussed on any one of these items simply means that you are going to reduce your attention on other matters, which is equally bad.

GAN TECK HOOI

is the Founder and Managing Consultant of ICFO Solutions Sdn Bhd. Email him at: thgan@icfo.my or www.captainamerigan.com

Losing focus is not entirely due to one’s personality. Sometimes, you just need some skills. Let me give you some useful tips here:-

5. Don’t Have A Plan B Have you come across this situation whereby you are working on your plan, and at the back of your mind, you keep being reminded that that failure is okay as you already have Plan B as backup. And, you ended up using Plan B instead of focussing on pushing out your initial plan? Plan B is definitely not giving you the best outcome. If not, it won’t be a Plan B, right? Therefore, why settled for second best when you know the initial plan is the best one for you?

4. Ask for Help You are not Superman. Therefore, if you can’t solve your business issues, call for help.

Drilling into the issue for far too long will destroy your confidence and focus so you may just end up ignoring the issue altogether which is really bad. If you can’t get your friend to help out, then outsource the issue to the professionals.

1. Sleep Well

3. Settle The Small Issues First

Feeling tired is probably one of the biggest reasons why you can’t stay focussed. Having good quality sleep is essential as it helps you to recharge yourself. You would feel refreshed the next day when you wake up, and not just be able to stay focussed on your work but you are likely to be more creative after a good night’s sleep.

Big issues are more complicated so you could often get stuck and run out of ideas and start to lose focus. So, in order to get the easier tasks solved, grab these low-hanging fruits before moving to the big issue.

2. Cut Down On Entertainment Focus on getting your backlog settled instead of spending time on unnecessary entertainment which you can cut down on unless it is really necessary. You won’t enjoy the entertainment when you know that you have a long outstanding pile of work on your desk waiting for you to complete.

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strategy

Cultivate An Attitude of Gratitude In Order

To Attract More Good Stuff Into Your Life There’s a saying that goes like this:- “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!” This simply means that we have to set goals in order to achieve our dreams, objectives and goals.

Yen Le, the owner of a company that produces corporate uniforms and T-shirts attended my Law of Attraction (LOA) workshop last year.

Having goals in life is very important - whether they are personal related to business. Have you ever experienced the scenanrio whereby you have set your goals in the beginning of the year?

And recently, she shared with me that she had achieved her goals in a shorter period of time. In addition to this, she has discovered that it had taken her less effort to achieve her goals when spending time having a sense of gratitude for what she had already achieved.

During the first half of the year, you may witness some positive results but along the way, you may begin to find it difficult to achieve the desired optimal results.

Sounds familiar? So, what do you focus on when you are not getting what you want or wish to have?

The difference between a successful entrepreneur and a notso-successful one is that one would have goals and a sense of gratitude for their achievements whereas the other may have goals but spends time looking at what they are missing out on.

Gratitude is a feeling of being thankful for the things you now have. Oprah Winfrey has shared on this nugget of wisdom:- “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever, have enough.”

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I asked her if she had set her goals “lower” than last year. And, what I have discovered is that she has set more goals as compared to those she targeted for herself last year.

To date, she has achieved 80% of her goals in June this year and has planned to have additional goals met encompassing the second half of this year.

I am quite sure you yourself wuld have come across entrepreneurs who keep on concentrating and talking about the negative part of their lives. Day in and day out, they will tell you, “Previously, by this time, I would achieved my desired goals but now, it is so difficult to have it - it almost seems elusive!” Does this sound familiar? Their focus is what they are missing out on.

So the question begs itself - Can more good be attracted into one’s life by one being grateful?

When you are appreciative of the things you now have - in reality, it increases the “there is” energy. You would therefore subconsciously be sending out a message of abundance to the universe. Feeling abundance is indeed a positive vibration!

Now, the job description of the LOA is to match your vibrations.

The LOA responds to your vibrations by giving you more of the same. When you do that, you will attract more and more of the things of which you are thankful for. We should be equally grateful for other good things such as spending time with your loved ones and watching your children grow up to succeed in their lives. Well, there are many more things to be thankful for besides the usual good things like money, health, family and house – Challenges!

CHIN KANG WEI

is a certified LOA facilitator passionate in teaching business owners in Perak so Perakians won’t need to search for employment elsewhere.

Be grateful for all the challenges that you are facing now. Stop complaining of the challenges that you are going through right now! Instead, you should view challenges in a positive way from today onwards. Accept them as something that will mould you into who you are today – a stronger, more mature and capable person to “battle against” anything in your life. Wouldn’t you want more?

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strategy

APPLYING CORPORATE IMAGE MANAGEMENT TO ENHANCE PROFITABILITY Introducing one of the most overlooked key elements to building profitability for your business that has been proven effective

Every aspect of the business sphere and industry is undergoing accelerating and rapid changes in terms of both philosophy and technological know-how.

imperative social and economic needs. In essence, the corporate image itself should be constantly and effectively promoted to encourage profitable businesses.

There are more rapidly changing business functions too.

In the fast paced digital economy, every business and industry including both the tangible business of property development, retail brands as well as the intangible business of professional services from estate agents, architects, designers, legal advisory, academia to investment institutions, may need to engage in its respective corporate image programmes and promotions.

One of the most overlooked areas relates to the rapidly changing nature of business that includes public attitudes towards how an organisation does business and its concern for consumer welfare as well as that of its employees including its visible response to

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The idea of corporate image however, is not merely just related to how companies adopt institutional advertising and sophisticated public relations, or any other significant kind of effort to build up goodwill for a firm.

The concept of corporate image instead, has given much more meaning in terms of intelligent effort. The critical importance of corporate image becomes apparent when consumers protest for faults they are accused of - thus, it must be given the same order of priority it gives to finance, marketing, or other research efforts.

Otherwise, it will be difficult for it to command public respect and customer support in the market place. To progress towards greater profitability and grow, the corporate image must be more than just a byproduct of public relations.

It is wise not to entirely leave your company merely in the hands of a public relation agency. However, it would be prudent to implement effort into establishing and maintaining the company’s corporate image as a process of economic planning in style.

Thus, establishing and maintaining the corporate culture should be the responsibility of the top management and indeed, every member of the staff.

This implies that image management should be part of the overall planning of the company’s future. Whether it is Government-owned, private, small or large - the achievements of the company should be properly presented to the public to acknowledge its trusted image. Thus, corporate image is an integral part of corporate policy decisions that would indirectly lead towards greater sales and profits.

This is a fundamental objective that management should ensure in that all of its activities should be programmed towards achieving the ultimate profitability goal.

The concept of image is often considered to be an important determinant of long-term sales and profits. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider the use of image as an objective - not only for an advertising programme but for the overall marketing programme in the organisation as a whole.

The value of intangible resource which in this case relates to corporate image - should not be underrated. Indeed, in many service-oriented companies - for example - estate agencies, these intangibles form the key assets of the company.

As a given - many companies have significant strength in intangible assets, such as “image or brand name”. And, potential investors are often willing to pay substantial sums of money for these “goodwill, underlining their real value”.

Therefore, good corporate image planning is the secret formula for many organisations that are successful in the world today.

In conclusion, effective corporate image management is highly recommended as a strategy for enhancing profitability and to encourage adequate care for customers, employees and public needs.

TERESA DIAN CHEW

is a Principal Image Consultant, Author & Founder of Teresa Chew International (M) Sdn Bhd. Email her at: teresa@teresachew.com or www.teresachew.com

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strategy

BUSINESS COACHING FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH

You would probably have heard of the term “coaching� in one way or another. Historically, this term has been around for more than 100 years since the first Olympics was held way back in 1896.

Over the years, coaches and coaching have become increasingly entrenched in the lives of sports people. Without their support, many sports people would become helpless and lost - almost like a sailing ship will behave without a sail in the open sea!

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DR MICHAEL HEAH

is an ICF Master Certified Coach who works with top leaders internationally and train them to be coaches too. Log on to www.corporate-coachacademy.com or call 03-62054488.

The “tidal wave” of coaching broke into the non-sports world sometime at the turn of the 21st Century. Its well-kept secrets and powers finally became available to support anyone in every facet of their lives - be it for business growth, strong leadership, good relationships, finding happiness or discovering life purpose, etc.

Dealing with the “intrinsic” details entail exploring one’s inner world whereby one’s deeper emotions, feelings, underlying issues, roadblocks and other “shadow issues” reside. When these aspects can be corrected or removed, it frees one from a self-imposed prison to do what he always wanted to pursue.

The non-sports world realises that the key principles of “coaching” which are related to close partnering, goal setting, overcoming challenges, game planning as well as tracking and monitoring progress are indeed very useful and also pertinent in this competitive and fast-moving world.

Taking this approach, the coach supports the person to “win his inner game” whereby he finds the mental strength of courage, self-esteem and determination, etc. to fight off his self-limiting beliefs of fears, anxiety, and doubts, etc.

Behind-the-scenes today, more and more forward thinking organisations and people are increasingly working with coaches to accelerate their performance in many areas.

When coaching is successfully done to remove these selfimposed limitations, this means that the critical prerequisites of high performance related to self-esteem, courage and selfconfidence are being strengthened very well.

Even US President Donald Trump, serial entrepreneur Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs are just a few examples of distinguished people who have worked with coaches.

With this, the person is now on his way to experience the freedom of a better world. If he’s a entrepreneur or a business leader, this means achieving far greater success in his ventures.

“Coaching” essentially entails a “deep learning partnership with systematic steps to empower a person to attain courage, capabilities and commitment to achieve (and fulfil their) goals”.

The key outcome of “coaching” lies with accelerating people’s performance to achieve their respective goals. This can be done because the power of “coaching” works on both their “inner self” (intrinsic) and “outer self” (extrinsic).

Working on the “intrinsic” part of the person is perhaps the greatest feat that a coach can achieve more than any other helping professionals.

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strategy

Things To Consider In The Hiring Process Fresh graduates can be considered among the talents to be incorporated into the hiring game so here are some tips on what to do when roping them in for employment

If you are a business owner or a hiring manager, you probably would have, at some point in time, debated on whether to hire fresh graduates or a professional with a proven track record. As far as I can remember, this “dilemma” has been a very hot topic that is applicable to all industries.

On one hand, experienced professionals are seen as a very attractive hiring choice due to their experience, skills and abilities. In addition to this, they are often seen as being able to harness a very promising and stable Return On Investment (ROI) – despite their high salaries.

On the other hand, fresh graduates - despite offering higher commitment and having more flexibility in terms of working hours (because most do not have a spouse or children), new ideas and a lot of energy - are often seen as a risky hiring choice, even if they come much cheaper than professionals, mainly because of their lack of experience and skills.

Personally, I view fresh graduates as precious assets to my

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business. As an employer who has worked with countless graduates myself, I have seen and experienced firsthand the brilliance of fresh graduates and the value they add to my business – especially since the core of my business here at Talentbank specifically functions to connect employers to toptiered fresh graduates.

The fresh graduates I have had the pleasure of working with have amazing work ethics and are often than not - more willing to give in more hours at work. They are also flexible to adapt, learn at a very fast pace and can grow quickly in their understanding of the work at hand. They have helped add value to my business by helping the work at hand to be more appealing to the younger generations while bringing new and fresh ideas to the table and by being dependable in times when I need them.

Now, despite how much I “wholeheartedly endorse” fresh graduates, you though may still stand firm with your opinion that hiring fresh graduates is a risky hiring choice– especially when there is a chance you might end up hiring a bad egg instead

of someone like the amazing fresh graduates I have personally worked with.

Do note that as a business owner myself, I understand completely.

After all, hiring is not an easy decision to make considering the fact that the cost of a bad hire is an expenditure to your business or organisation.

However, the risk of hiring a bad egg fresh graduate becomes almost non-existent if you practice some of these steps. In fact – should you practise these steps when interviewing not only fresh graduates but any applicant.

This is because you may find yourself with a hiring choice that will bring amazing ROI and add immense value to your business down the line.

As you are interviewing fresh graduates for what could very well be their first job, here are some things you can do to make sure you make the right hiring choice.

1.

Do Not Decide “To Hire” Or “Not Hire” Too Early

According to data from a survey by the Society of Human Resource Management, 63% of interviewers make their decision on whether to hire or not to hire a candidate in the first three to four minutes of the interview.

While this is something common to practice with experienced professionals, coming to a verdict this early on can be a huge error with fresh graduates. Please do keep in mind that it will most likely be the first time the fresh graduate is putting himself or herself out there and may not know how to highlight their true skills and abilities properly like experienced professionals.

That being said, if you judge a fresh graduate too quickly, you may miss out on the qualities he or she may not know you care about such as critical thinking, leadership and creativity.

What I personally encourage you to do, is to give the fresh graduate some time to properly shine. You can try holding the interview in a non-traditional setting or over a cup of coffee to get them comfortable for them to really open up.

2.

Judge Them Based On Their “Drive”, Not Their Skills

Considering the fact that most graduates may not have either the most vast or best skills, deciding whether or not to hire them solely based on their skills would be an injustice.

Instead, I encourage evaluating them based on their drive and passion. Are they on time for the interview? Did they take the effort to prepare the relevant documents? Did their conversation with you over e-mail prior to the interview inspire your confidence? How serious are their answers? Do their answers

convince you that they are truly passionate about the job? What have they done during their free time to hone their skills and prepare them for the job?

The reason I have asked you to judge fresh graduates based on their drive and passion as opposed to their skills is because skills can always be taught and nurtured over time, whereas drive and passion can never be taught.

Be sure that your candidate is driven, and willing to learn. Then, given some time, with grooming and proper guidance, you will have in your business operations - an extremely driven employee with a high level of skills to contribute to your organisation.

3.

Ask Them Questions That Test Their Critical Thinking

Fresh graduates are very much like “blank pieces of clay”.

Without proper work experience, they would not fit into the preset mould of any industry which is why they are perfect to be mended and moulded to meet your business’s needs and create a talent succession pipeline.

If moulded correctly, the fresh graduate before you can very well be a future manager– should he or she have the level of critical thinking required to become a manager.

One way to test out if a fresh graduate has the critical thinking ability required to become a manager in the future, is by asking situational “trick questions” that don’t involve any knowledge of your business or the industry. (This is because fresh graduates that do not have prior experience will not understand an overly technical question, and you won’t get a proper answer).

The following are some questions you can use during the interview to test their critical thinking abilities:Question 1:You are driving a car on one big stormy night. You pass a bus station. There are three people who are waiting for the bus:- One, an old sick lady who is dying, old friend who once saved your life, and the perfect man or woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there can be only one passenger in your car?

The ideal answer would be:“I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the man or woman of my dreams.”

Question 2:You have been competing with two of your colleagues (Colleague

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strategy A and Colleague B) for the same promotion at your company for over a year. Now, your manager comes and tells you that out of the both of you, you have impressed him the most and you are going to get the promotion.

Then, after hearing the news, Colleague A comes and begs you to give him the promotion instead of accepting it because he is being bullied by another colleague, and he needs the promotion to stop the said colleague from bullying him any longer.

Then, Colleague B also comes to you and begs you to give him the promotion instead of accepting it because his wife has a baby due in a few months, and he needs the promotion to pay for his baby’s delivery.

How would you handle the situation?

The ideal answer would be:“I would accept the promotion, and then fire the colleague who was bullying Colleague A, and give an increase in salary to Colleague B so he can pay for his baby’s delivery.”

Should the fresh graduate or any candidate for that matter, answer the questions correctly, then he or she has good critical thinking skills and would be a great choice for a leadership position in the future, and would most likely be a worthwhile investment.

BEN HO

is a CEO & Founder of Talentbank, An Award-Winning Graduate Recruitment and Employer Branding Specialist.

Visit www.talentbank.com.my.

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4.

Be Nice Even If The Interview Didn’t Go Well

Like working professionals, not all fresh graduates are good– and if I am being completely honest, you are bound to come across a few that will leave a sour aftertaste. When that happens and things go south, please try as much as possible to still be nice. Do remember that your interaction with a fresh graduate may very well be their first in the working world.

If you do not treat a student with respect during the recruiting process by speaking down to them or subject them to harsh e-mails, the impression you have given them will scare them.

This will likely result in them telling their peers (who are also hunting for jobs) about their sour experience with your business and to stay away which in turn may tarnish your business’s image and keep promising fresh graduates away from applying for a job with you. You will be surprised at how far and fast wordof-mouth spreads among the younger generation.

Take it from me and everyone here at Talentbank - graduate recruitment may be a tiring process at times but it is definitely a fulfilling one, especially when you come across or discover amazing fresh graduates who can add immense value to your business.

Give these suggestions a try be it with fresh graduates or experienced professionals, and you will most likely end up making the right hiring choice.

finance

BEWARE OF FINANCIAL

s M SCA

ILLEGAL DESPOSIT TAKING

Reinvest

Only a portion would be reivested

Look for members

INTERNET INVESTMENT SCHEMES

To make online Investments

Do not have licence from Bank Negara Malaysia or Securities Commission

Offer opportunities above market rate

ILLEGAL FOREIGN CURRENCY TRADING

Guaranteed Returns

Overseas companies will not need licence to operate in Malaysia

Initial returns are lucrative

CREDIT CARD/DEBIT CARD SCAM

Receive calls that card is being used

Asked to lodge complaint with Bank Negara Malaysia

Using victims card with information received

FINANCIAL SCAMS

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finance When investing your hard-earned money, be very, very careful of get-rich-quick schemes. Such schemes promise that you will get very high return with little risk. They also promise that little skill, time or effort is needed to get the high return, and that you can obtain wealth by working at home.

Type of Financial Scam

• Ponzi-schemes : Promise high return for fixed term of regular investment • Pyramid Schemes : Promise large profit based on recruiting others to join • Advance fee scams : Perpetrated through email, phone or social media offering a large sum but you need to help to pay them “small fee” • Inheritance scams : Unclaimed inheritance but you request to pay them “small fee” • Fund Transfer scams : Through an advert or email to receive a payment into bank account These get-rich-quick schemes are frequently advertised in magazines and newspapers, while the truly illegal ones (scams) are often promoted on the Internet through spam and e-mail and offered via cold calls and SMS.

Some of the features of these schemes are:

• Promise of high returns of 20-30% a month with little or no risk.

• The offer is for a limited period only so you are asked to sign up immediately.

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• The scheme is in another country and you cannot check on its office or confirm its status from the website of any regulatory body.

• You are asked to give confidential information such as your bank account number.

What must you do when you come across an attractive offer to make you rich?

• The golden rule is do not be greedy and make instant decisions.

Always check with friends, family and professionals whether such investment opportunities are genuine or not.

• Find out more about the offer before you decide to invest.

• Be suspicious with an investment that offers high return, low risk and free of investment costs, as it is unlikely that a business can provide all these.

• Even if the investment offer is being introduced or recommended by someone you know very well or a family member, always be mindful of the intention behind the offer because no investment is easy and can make you lots of money quickly.

• An investment that is not legal is not the type of investment that you want to make. Such an investment is risky and you can be caught for investing illegally

Where to check for Potential Financial Scams:-

BANK NEGARA MALAYSIA LINK Ground Floor, D Block, Jalan Dato’ Onn 50480 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 1-300-88-5465 (1-800-99-LINK) Fax: +603-2174 1515 Email: bnmtelelink@bnm.gov.my

KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI, KOPERASI DAN KEPENGGUNAAN No 13 Persiaran Perdana Persint 2, 62623 Putrajaya Hotline: 1-8000886-800 Tel: 603-8000 8000

SECURITIES COMMISSION No 3 Persiaran Kiara Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur Tel: 603-6204 8999 Fax: +603-6204 8991 Email: aduan@seccom.gov.my

Fax: +603-8882 5983 Email: e-aduan@kpdnkk.gov.my

Conclusion

We wish to accumulate wealth fast but sometime we overlook the risk exist. Therefore, before investing in any investment scheme, we have to be extra careful especially some investment scheme is too good to be true. If such investment really come and offered to you, just ask yourself these question before make the decision: 1. Why me? If I can get it, why others wouldn’t get it 2. Why now? Time restriction and why must decide now 3.Why payment required, why not free?

Lastly, there are still people believed FIFO (First in First Out) to make money from financial scam. Just remind them that people who invited by you to participate in the financial scam is the people who trusted you from the beginning. Do you want to betray their trust in you?

DR DESMOND CHONG KOK FEI

is a Trainer with Agensi Kaunseling & Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK) and has over 25 years experience in marketing and management.

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finance

Do You Need A

Financial Planner?

I guess it goes without saying that without proper preparations and planning, we will never achieve our desired financial dreams.

Planning for our finances can be a tedious effort because it involves not only our financial status but also our abstract details such as dreams and desires in life, i.e. to travel around world during retirement, starting up a new business venture or even getting married.

The truth is, you do not need a financial planner if you are capable of taking up the role and being a good financial planner for yourself.

The question though is this:- How many people are acting as his or her own financial planner? Let us explore some of the pitfalls of trying to be your own financial planner:-

1. We only have so many hours in a day Most of us will have to devote at least eight hours a day for the job that we derive our income from. We would be busy trading our time in order to maintain our lifestyles. In between that, we may also have at least spent two to thress hours on meals as well as one to two hours spent on commuting from place to place. In addition to this, six to seven hours’ of sleep is also needed in order to replenish our energy levels. When we are not doing the above, we would either be relaxing, socialising, or enjoying our lifestyles and doing what we believe in. Then, there may be other tasks or agendas that require a share of one’s time. So, where do one get the time as a capable person to keep track of one’s personal finance that is dynamic and ever-changing?

2. We make decision mostly based on emotions and rarely use logic Is it easier to decide what to do for yourself or help someone else to decide what they should be doing? Throughout the history of financial crisis, we would see asset bubbles before the onset of the crisis. People mostly ended up buying a particular investment when it was priced high, and sold it when the price was low - when ideally, we all know that we should be buying low and selling high. Next time, before you are about to act irrationally, try to delay that decision for some time to let your conscience regain some influence over the effect of fear of missing out (FOMO).

KEVIN K.M. NEOH

is a licensed Financial Planner with the Securities Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia. Email him at KevinNeoh@vka.com.my

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3. We tend to be more short-sighted Studies have shown that mankind tends to prefer something more reachable and nearer to the present than having to wait for a better outcome. This could have an impact on our ability to make good, quality decisions when it comes to our personal financial future, and make decisions that neglect long term needs.

Research has shown that the primary source of information for people when it comes to personal finance will likely stem from friends and families. However, a growing trend is also observed in that people are starting to seek such advice from professionals in order to obtain more qualified and impartial advice too. During times whereby volatility and policy changes are at their “peak” perhaps it is also time for us to start asking this question:- “Am I qualified to be my own wealth manager?”.

Note:- It is a normal thing to see someone who carries a business card with the designation stating “Financial Advisor”, “Wealth Planner”, “Financial Consultant”, “Financial Planner”, “Life Planner” or “Life Planning Advisor” who would assure you that he or she is a competent Financial Planner whom you can trust.

However, the truth is - in Malaysia, the giving of financial advice and financial planning is a regulated profession within the industry, and a consumer can get protection as provisioned by the law by engaging a legally licensed Financial Planner who holds professional qualifications.

The next time you come across a person who tells you that he or she is a professional Financial Planner or any designation that intends to suggest the same, you can validate that claim by visiting: http://ers.seccom.com.my/public/Default.aspx?menu=1 (enter his name as per NRIC, or IC number, and the answer will be revealed).

Disclaimer:The information contained in this article has been obtained from public sources believed to be reliable and the opinions, analysis, forecasts, projections and expectations (together “Opinions”) contained in this presentation are based on such information and are expressions of belief only. This article should not be construed as an offer document or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any investment. Readers are advised to consult professional advice before deciding or making any decision to invest as investment is a long term process and past superior performance is not indicative of future performance.

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FEBRUARY 2018

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TAN SRI DATO LIM SOON PENG CHANGES HIS DESTINY FROM RAGS TO RICHES, POVERTY TO PROSPERITY

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KING OF RETAIL

MRCA President Dato’ Garry Chua’s insatiable appetite for the F&B business and building sector is inspiring

AZIZAN OSMAN

Inspires young Entrepreneurs with his Midas Touch in training

FLYING HIGH IN THE AVIATION ENTERPRISE

GTA CEO Dato’ Nonee Ashirin shares her insights as a woman in the aviation and aerospace industry

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

WIEF spotlights the business trends of the future

ALAN KOH RISES TO STARDOM WITH STAR RESIDENCES

DANIAL MA OF VRDT GROUP

THE MAN WITH THE MIDAS TOUCH BRINGS A CELEBRITY FEEL TO HIS LATEST PROJECT

PLATFORM FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Revamping Current Business Models

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE MONTH:

Paul Yung Sets the Stage for Success with FitLine Landmarc Founder

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