Will you pay $5000 for a workshop?

Tickets were retailing at $200++, and I got it for free, compliments from Spring Singapore. For a deal-hunter (ok, kiasu if you insist…) like me, I was thrilled! Hence despite touching down in Singapore from Bali at 12am, I was bright and early the next day at 9am.

This is the 3-day National Achievers Congress held at Singapore Expo. Keynote speaker, Mr Tony Blair was invited alongside heavyweights like John P. Cutis, Loral Langemeier and Jordan Belfort. To summarise this conference – Wealth Creation, Money and Investments. Does these three terms sound similar to you? I hope so because content in the conference is really the same.

Jason Tyne is, in my opinion, one of the best speakers at the congress. He imparts real tips and not fluffy, 'Yes you can be rich!' content

I went there expecting it to be 100% motivational with tips and stories. Sadly, it turned out to be 60% sales and 40% motivational. Attending it is parallel to attending a travel fair. Often, you go with high expectations of getting a cheap deal but get turned off by silly airport taxes which high costs are never justified. Let me explain.

Great Britain's media is one of the harshest on their politicians. When asked how he felt about the media, Blair replied saying that media is like the weather. Whether you like it or not, you have to accept it!

Every speaker there, apart from Mr Blair, has a hidden agenda. They reveal 10% of their secrets, enticing you to sign up for their full package workshop that typically costs between 2 to 5 grand. Oh did I mention that there are installment plans too? These workshops are reasonably priced in my opinion, given that thousands of participants have benefited. Rather, what turned me off is their ultimate sales message when I was expecting more practical tips.

In my following posts, I like to share a few quotes and ideas I gathered from these charismatic and smart leaders!

Why live for fixed income when my potential isn’t fixed?

In primary school, I had dreamt of running my own business. What business exactly? I didn’t know. I just knew that I kind of liked the term ‘businesswoman’ and loved wearing sharp power suits.

My brother and I. Not exactly in a powersuit but yeah, you get the idea!

Gradually, secondary, college and university groomed me to embark on the corporate track. My ambitions evolved from a social worker to a hot-shot banker. Entrepreneurial dreams were largely cast aside. So imagine my amazement on the last day of my exams – It was a nerve-wrecking science paper with ancient questions on Galileo, Copernicus and Issac Newton – when I officially welcome my occupation – ‘Self-employed’.

I hadn’t really set out to become a boss so early in life. It was just a hazy, fuzzy thought up in my head. Yet in some way or another, I grabbed opportunities that came along and landed here.

A candid moment with colleague at Shangri-la Yunnan. Despite earning less than $400 per month, shuttling between cities and OT, I wouldn't have traded this internship for another

To say that I have complete confidence all the time is a huge lie. There are insecurities as I see friends clinching stable jobs, earning good incomes. After all, we are frequently judged by the income we earn. What would people think if I told them that I am earning barely $2000 per month?

Self criticism is present and is perhaps the harshest too. I can foresee my worries if I cannot earn enough to offer my parents a good life. Questioning of self-worth will set in as well.

While these pessimistic thoughts are carved in me, I am gradually embracing my occupation. If I never start now, I probably wouldn’t in future. In a couple of years, stakes are higher and it gets more difficult to divorce your plush life for a bagful of uncertainties.

Finding a good business partner is perhaps second in terms of difficulty to finding a marriage partner. All the ingredients to a good partnership are almost similar to a loving marriage, don’t you agree? Chemistry, communication and trust. And if you found one now, why wait? Consummate the union by starting a business!

A picture taken after a networking session. Shannon and I reconnected with Professor Rani Tan from SMU

The most compelling reason is my burning desire to run my own firm, I like creating something from scratch (thanks to Lego and Monopoly I played as a kid) and able to call it my own.

What would you notice in a restaurant on a date? I would survey the menu layout, service standards, ambience and prices. What about a short getaway? I love understanding local market trends, find out what’s in and what’s not. What about in your sleep? I dream about Artyii hitting 1 million unique IPs. This is no occupation hazard, it is just build into me, like how every bungalow/apartment/condo has a WC by default (I just remembered a friend who says that this WC business is lucrative because every house needs it). You can say I’m workaholic, but I insist otherwise, because really, it isn’t work to me.

How many of us can really realise our childhood dreams? I have the opportunity now and I’m not going to let go without a fight!

Here at Beijing and thinking about valuations

I’m finally able to cast my school work aside, albeit temporarily. The past few days had been madness. Imagine a machine churning reports, fixing presentations, taking 6 hour exams. And that’s me. The final term in school isn’t quite the breeze I wishfully thought it would be.

Mom and Pop store selling police sirens? How is law enforcement possible at beijing??

I’m on my way to Beijing for a regional business plan competition and networking event. For the next 5 days, I will be strolling down Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China. There’ll also be hotpots, Peking ducks and street food. Plus I’ll get to meet people from Japan, Korea and Philippines. This is a nice respite too, since I can get work out of my sight! (ok, I try to at least)

 

Notice the four languages? They are Mongalian, Chinese, Tibetien and Manchu. Enthic harmony was highly emphasised during Qing Dynasty

It was almost 2 years since I last been there. Back then, the bird nest wasn’t in operation and I had to purchase paper tickets while boarding their trains. Back then, I had no intention of starting a business after graduation. Places change, people change too.

This blog has been dormant for the past few months but the business hasn’t! Shannon and I have been attending networking parties, finalising fund-raising process and monitoring the website development. There you have the classic case of too much to do, yet so little time.

Of these few months, the most memorable part was REJECTION. We had high hopes of clinching fresh funds from an angle, only to get a polite rejection. Funny, but I tend to think that it serves us right. We didn’t have a rock-solid financial plan. While we were clear on how much money we needed to raise, we didn’t have a slightest idea on our capital structure. Yeah, its valuation…

When you have only a business plan and a prototype, valuating your company is a nightmare and an extremely inaccurate exercise. You can have sheets of figures that you claim to be pegged to industry benchmarks. Yet aren’t they all just forecasts? Until your first investor comes in asking for a certain share for a given amount, valuating is quite much baseless.