Confident
Curious
Witty
Fast
Engaging
Gutsy
Interested
Intelligent
Tactful
Unintimidated
Funny
Smart
Eloquent
Connects
Stimulating
Unassuming
Focused
Present
Prepared
Insightful
Passionate
Emphatic

I’m an interview show junkie. I love watching and listening to talk-shows and Podcasts. We often neglect the importance of a great interviewer that makes a successful program, as the emphasis are often placed on the interviewees, who are the stars.

Below are some of my favorite interviewers. Their style couldn’t be more distinct from each other. Yet, they hold much common grounds (such as what’s been pointed out above). I bolded 3 points that I thought were the most important.

Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Piers Morgan, Ru Yi (Phoenix TV), to the lesser known in this region, Rove McManus (Channel7 Australia), Dick Gordon (APM- the story) and my super favorite George Stroumboulopoulos (The Hour- CBS).

I’ve just watched a superb interview on Tom Cruise. And thought, part of what makes it so interesting was the guy named George.

Being an editor doesn’t make me an authority in writing. I’m sharing this information from the perspective of a reader.

As an avid reader, I can tell how an article makes me tick, and why? This is the premise in which I start all of my writing. I hope it works for you too.

1. Why is this story Interesting?

Start your writing by asking yourself the above question. A good write up may not necessarily always be beneficial or even informative. But it certainly connects, triggers your emotion and touches your soul. For the lack of any tangible benefit, does your writing at least give your readers the pleasure of reading?

If you can’t convince yourself that your article is interesting, choose a topic you’re passionate about. Tell the story as if you’re talking to your best friend. Passion radiates!

Part of what makes a story interesting has a lot to do with the packaging of the essay. I.e the Headline, the Picture and the Length of the article – do not neglect these simple but crucial elements.

2. How is the article Relevant?

Continue Reading

Doing business is a lot like the North Pole expedition. It can be lonely, brutal and even fatal.

The odds are against you.

Your competitors and your worst customers can be just as unforgiving as Mother Nature.

But the reward is priceless.

Which is why so many people love to watch from a far, some dare to dream about it a little. But few ever go and make it there. The same reason why we crown the survivors, “Hero!”.

Are there parallel skill sets for surviving the both?

I contend there can only be no difference!

As I reflect through the many lessons I’ve learned throughout this year, most notably, through the launch of BHC Magazine, I thought it would be a waste not to note them down for my future reference. If any of you are starting something new, perhaps you could pick up a lesson or two through my experiences.

Of course, for those who want the best advise to start anything, pick up the book above by Guy Kawasaki, whom I stole most of the ideas from (Money back guarantee from me – I don’t even offer that for BHC Magazine!). Continue Reading

In the Editor’s Note of BHC September, I wrote about my hometown, KB.

In doing so, it caused me to reflect on how much I have changed (& aged) over the years.

I wrote:

Growing up in KB, I always wished that life could be more exciting. I used to imagine living in the big cities, where there would be countless activities, an interesting skyline and people from all walks of life. Like many of the young people from this sleepy oil town, I too outgrew the place in search of more…

Naturally, I didn’t get into my personal story in the magazine, but here’s my thought 20 years on…

The most beautiful skyline is an empty one.

It is infinitely more interesting to meet a familiar face who would reveal to you the embarrassing stories about your childhood and tell you what you don’t know about your mum and dad, than meeting the smartest, most ‘impressive’ people in the world.

And the only activity I look forward to, after a long day at work, is to hug my wife, walk my dog and indulge in my baby’s laughter.

Of course, every once in a while, I may wish to live life on the fast lane. But the thought soon disappear, when I have to choose between that and returning home to paradise.

I guess what was written on Freddy’s picture frame is right:

You can take a man out of KB, but you can never take KB out of a man!

Time Magazine recently featured a story on Why Nokia isn’t dead yet (here)? And it instantly captured my attention. Two reasons:

1. Most of the people I know, including myself have made the switch to an iPhone or a Blackberry.

2. Function wise,  Nokia is clearly losing out in innovation and it’s coolness.

The verdict of the article was simple. Just because you, your friends and your dog use an iPhone or a Blackberry, it is easy to assume that  the whole world has embraced the much loved gadgets.

The simple fact that was overlooked  by most people was that iPhone is not for everybody. Time magazine repeatedly used the description, ‘myopic view’ of the Americans in coming to this conclusion. I contend that it’s also a catastrophic view of the fellow students of marketing (me included), who are seemingly obsessed with the two buzz words: Innovation & Technology.

According to the report, smart phone has only penetrated 5% of worldwide sales in the mobile phone industry. As impressive as iPhone sales was (over 100 million units sold since March 2011, according to Wikipedia), the number is still a minority, compared to the 7 billion people of the world’s population.

My grand mother uses a Nokia, so do my mum and dad, the maid in the house, and also my 55 year old auntie. Gather the whole family in a room, and my wife and I are actually in the minority.

Before opening my shoe shop in Australia, selling cheap Chinese shoes with no brands, no affiliations (those that I wouldn’t personally wear myself), I used to think that my business was destined to fail because I thought that people would only buy Nike, Birkenstock and Timberland. To my pleasant surprise, our business survived for 3 years, and many of the cheap shoes sold beyond my wildest expectations.

What’s my point?

Not everybody aspires for a Porsche, a Private Jet and an iPhone. Ok, may be they do. But not everyone could afford one.

Do not despair if you’re not selling Apples, there’s always room for Orange, Watermelon and Bananas.

And one more thing!

Only fools learn from their own mistakes

It could have saved me 3 years of worrying, had I learned about this long ago.

Fake it Until you Make it!

Ten years ago, I was the typical boy-friend you find waiting outside the shoe store while their partner went in to do their shopping. I had no interest in shoes whatsoever prior to opening my shoe shops. During then, I had three pairs of shoes; one for work, one for basketball and a pair of thongs for the weekend. #at was more than enough for me.

Everything changed after the opening my first shoe store. I went from being the guy outside the shoe shop to the guy on his knees helping customers to “t on their shoes for three years. Truth be told, I had no choice but to fake my enthusiasm for the staff and customers about my love for shoes. I simply could not lead a team without any knowledge, love and understanding about shoes.

I started researching in depth into the fashion, the style and the make of a good pair of shoes. Not only that, I went to the extent of  understanding the basic about podiatry. I was at a stage where I could determine people’s shoe size by looking at people’s feet. I do not exactly remember at what point of my life did I start walking with my head facing the %oor, checking out on everyone’s pair of shoes. But that was the whole turning point towards my passion for shoes. I currently own more pairs of shoes than all the Levi’s jeans add together in my closet (I have many, many pairs of Levi’s). Not a number I wish to brag about, considering the fact that a good number of the human population in the third world countries still do not have any shoes on their feet.

My vocabulary of shoes went from Air Jordan to wedges, stilettos, pump, %at, loafer, Mary Jane to clogs and mules, from Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo to Manolo Blahnik (to be pronounced Blakhnik, with the K) and many more. Beyond a shoe connoisseur, I am officially now, a shoe addict! A break through lesson I learned from attending Anothony Robbins’ seminar 10 years ago was that behavior dictates emotion. You cannot remain in a depressed zone, if your body posture is straight, and you do funny faces in front of the mirror.
I guess the same principle applies in this scenario. When you fake passion long enough, you will catch on the love. Ask any of your grand parents who have been through arranged marriage to explain this notion further for you.