The Cycling Culture of Japan

Posted by shaunhoon on October 25, 2011
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The Cycling Culture of Japan.

One of the most surprising discovery on the sidewalk of Tokyo was the amount of bicycle usage on the street. Bicycle and the city do not mix, unless you are the messenger boy in New York. Consider the amount of people that could potentially get hit by a bike, let alone by motor vehicles. A city where image is everything, the idea of Bike and the City is simply uncool.

Not in Tokyo! Japanese have a tendency to make anything looks cool, and that includes the bicycle. What is even more startling is that most of the bikes on the street are rather old fashion looking, yet extremely practical! You can always see a basket on the front of the handle plus even a back carrier for the kids! The side walk is filled with bicycles parking, commuting on bikes is simply a lifestlye, a natural means of transportation.

To me, it makes perfect sense. Not only does it save you taxi money,the amount of time you get to save between bus stops, and waiting for the train are very tangible benefits too. On top of that, its good exercise!  Speaking about saving the world, this is the most practical way of being environmentally friendly by all measures. Apparently, the Japanese have had it all figured out, long before this essay.

Meeting With The Stars

Posted by shaunhoon on October 25, 2011
Posted in: Cool People. Leave a comment

A friend of mine recently met her icon. An experience she described as life transforming. One week on, she is still invigorated and has not stopped ranting about it (I don’t blame her, I am still bragging about my Bill Clinton moment ten years on. That eye from the far right of the photo is me, I swear!). So impressed, my friend stole the Star’s toothbrush, three strain of hairs and a used tissue paper and framed them up on her wall. Ridiculous!

My friend’s enthusiasm was so contagious that it brings back memories of the famous heroes I came across. I saw The Venerable Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan last year, but because I was too busy I never got to talk to him (ok, it was the other way round, actually).  In the spirit of name-dropping, I also witnessed the thumbsize live images of Leslie Cheung, Michael Jackson (twice, I might add) and Robbie William in their concerts. However, I never had a private 3 hours of intense exchange with any of my idols, unlike this friend’s encounter with possibly one of the biggest star on the planet right now.

I couldn’t be happier for my friend, and it further reaffirms that there is a God, who knows that she has had a rough patch recently, hence organized for this audacious surprise.

I know what it feels like to meet one’s biggest idol, because I have flirted with the idea of meeting some people whom I deemed unimaginable, while reading their books or watching them on TV. Well, sort of. I met my idol, Guy Kawasaki, (the man in blue in the picture; and the man in black was me – I was young once) the Michael Jordan of Marketing, but I was too star struck to have any meaningful conversation with him. That said, months later he was featured on the front cover of Asia Inc magazine, being interviewed by yours truly(very few people knew that it was only an email interview until now). It was and still is the highlight of my humble career.

Needless to say, it has been a while since I met anyone I truly admire. Celebrity commands a presence unlike ordinary people. Which is why they are paid big bucks to do the things they do.

The conversation with this friend inspires me to dream about which great person I would like to sit down with for three hours, and think about the kind of questions I would ask he or she?

There are so many of them; there is a list which would be cool to brag with your friends about, and there’s a list that would really satisfy your soul.  It is important not to confuse the two.

I have indulged in the former list in this entire essay, here is my list for the latter:

  1. Super Star: The Rock
  2. Celebrity Chef: Jamie Oliver
  3. Great People: Tony Campolo
  4. Sport Star: Kobe Bryant
  5. Business person: Tony Hsieh (It changes too often)

However, if I really really have to narrow down to only one person, it would have to be Tony Campolo. He is old, bald and the kind of grand father figure whom you would pass straight by on the street. Most of you would probably have no idea who he is. Neither did I, until 10 years ago, when I attended a talk by Tony that changed my life forever.

I describe him as the greatest communicator I have ever come across. One who challenges your moral value, whose stories have the propensity to shape a your character and the person who redefines the Christian Faith to me in the most tangible sense. Not only that, he is also a man who walks the talk; Tony raises on average $10M a year for charity and kept next to nothing for himself.

The last time I saw Tony was 5 years ago, when he did a charity talk in Perth. We had a brief conversation, when I caught him returning from the toilet. I told him how his messages made a blueprint in my life, and gave him a bear hug.  What I should also have done (and have regretted until today) was to have taken a photo with him and had him to autograph my book. I was too chicken!

I do not know if I would stutter if I was ever given a 3 hours session with him. I don’t even know what I’m gonna ask, I would have been too in awe of Tony that I would have missed a photo op with him again. However, this is what I will probably do; I will gather everyone I know, my family, my best friends, and even my enemies alike and have him to repeat his story of the Birthday Party he arranged for Agnes.

Unlike the other four idols that may or may not disappoint, I know deep down inside, I would walk away challenged and enriched to become a better person. This, I believe is the ultimate responsibility of a great person, a celebrity or whatever label you bestow on these special breed of people in the planet.

Stumbled

Posted by shaunhoon on October 25, 2011
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As part of my business strategy to promote Catalyst, my newly formed marketing agency I started two months ago, I put together a module on all my experiences in customer service, and decided to share them for free with anyone and everyone willing to listen. I have also documented my thoughts in an e-book, which will be made available free on my website that is due to complete in the next few weeks.

To date I have done more than a dozen presentations, one went better than the previous one.

Tuesday night, I was invited to a second presentation to the first company I ever worked for, after my initial presentation with their administrative staff the week prior.

I was excited and happy to be there to catch up with old colleagues, who gave me the warmest reception. There were about 40 people, old and new listening my talk.

Because I have done the same presentation repeatedly many times, and because the time frame given for me was half an hour, I decided to forfeit on using my power point slides and planned on telling 3 stories, which would leave my presentation short and sweet.

You know what was coming. One thing led to another, I stumbled and could not recover. Most of you would not understand the unforgiving minutes of standing before 80 eyeballs, thinking of you as an idiot unless you have been in the situation. This is the kind of embarrassing moment that I do not wish on anyone at all.

There was no graceful exit on my part, however hard I tried. From the scale of 1 to 10, my self confidence reached an all time low of minus 5 that evening. You can understand why, my reputation, my company’s brand was destroyed beyond measure to the eyes of these audiences.

They say, word of mouth is a powerful advertising tool, I say word of mouth will be equally as catastrophic in ruining one’s reputation in this instance. Thank God for my wonderful wife and my dog who loved me unconditionally, that I could go home to.

Instead of burying my head in the sand, I did it with the blanket all night. For the record, I did not shed any tears. But it was painful.

The story does not end there. I had an appointment with a bank the very next morning, to discuss about a proposal that I submitted a while back. By the way, I also sent the marketing guy a brochure about my customer service talk, which I did not anticipate was going to form the agenda for this meeting.

There were 6 bank officers surrounding me eager to hear about my presentation that I stumbled the night before. Even I wouldn’t have wanted to listen to myself at that point in time. I was able to draw energy from one of the kind faces among them and pulled off what would have been the most difficult presentation of my life. There is a God out there, and God had mercy on me that morning.

The bankers would have felt my rocky confidence that morning, but was probably won over by the substance of experience I had to share. I was invited for a second meeting to discuss further on the subject.

Yesterday, I provided another presentation with every ounce of my energy. In my book, I executed it to my satisfaction. You do not just bounce back from a minus 5 to a 10 over night.

It is still a healing process, I am still beating myself up over that night, I wish my very short term memory would spare me the recollection of that night’s ordeal, and I would be able to burry that one day.

I document this because in every failure, there are lessons to be drawn from. Here is what I learned, I hope you will not repeat my mistake:

On Presentation:

· Be over prepared. I could have drawn from the rescue of my power point presentation. · Avoid evening presentation whenever possible. At least for me, my energy level drops low come the evening. If I really have to, I will take a power nap to allow myself to bounce back.

On Life:

· Stand up from where you fall on. In hindsight, I am grateful for the ‘surprise’ arrangement the next morning. I would never have been able recover otherwise.

I wish to thank the following people whose kind words have helped me to stand up again. Deon, Maki, Sebastian, CY, Paul, James, Azlan, Nana, Vincent and Izan.

A wise man (Paul McNamara) wrote me this note: “screwing up is the single most important part in learning new things” to that I will always carry along in my mind.

I’m Back!

Posted by shaunhoon on October 25, 2011
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I spoke to a group of 30 in a company this morning. 3 hours long, ok, about 2 1/2 hours. It was nevertheless, long. I had a few bottles of drinks in between, called several timeouts for the toilet. My throat needed it. My bladder needed the relief too.

Happy to report that the talk went well. At the end of it the body language of the listeners were the best signs of approval.

This was a speech I practiced for a long time. One I dragged the most to face, because of the group size and dynamic, which was identical to the one I failed two weeks ago.

I left nothing to chance. I was there a lot earlier, not only that, I even checked out the place yesterday. I doubled the number of slides in my power point, so I do not miss any thoughts. Yes, I brought my laptop along! I practiced to who ever that would listen. I even rehearsed the entire speech to Maki while walking her this morning.

It must be noted that it was not entirely my own credit to stand up from where I fell. Thanks to you, who cheered and lifted me up. You know who you are.

I’m back!

The Gentlemen’s Experience…

Posted by shaunhoon on October 24, 2011
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The kid and his mum that appeared in the mirror behind me did not look happy at all. He was involuntarily put on the heightened stool atop the barber chair, with tears quickly filled up half his eyes. I knew exactly what was going through the boy’s mind, while the barber was cutting his hair; “touch my fringe, I promise I will punch you in the face”. It did not help when the mum was standing right beside, commanding short and shorter.

I saw much of the boy in me. A point in time when the selection of the salon made as much a statement as the hair style you receive; as long as it looks like all your peers, who aspired to look just like Aaron Kwok.

One day, the boy will come around telling the world that the Indian barber shop experience is his very favorite pass time, just as I am doing now. That one day will come, when image no longer means anything, when the amount of hairs remain on your head no longer makes good economic sense for you to patronize with the salon that offers $50 per hair cut that includes hair dressers with an attitude, plays cool music and offer free soda in the upper class shopping mall. The realization for some people WILL come sooner than anticipated, so savor them while you can.

That said, let me justify my favorite Gentlemen’s Experience. I paid $3 for the happy combo yesterday at the barber next to mum’s tailor shop in KB. Such involves the hair cut [#2 on the side, slightly shorter on top], the shave, one that I pointed to the Sultan’s picture and said “macam itu”, [for the sake of hygiene, DO NOT let them use the decade old smelly shave brush on you, ask them to hand wipe the shaving foam on your face instead], and man to man massages on your head, neck, shoulders, hands and back.

The whole experience lasts between 20 – 40 minutes, depending on the mood of the barber, and also largely depend on how busy the shop was (for the best service, go early in the morning or at 3pm during weekdays, when its not busy). There is really no justification for any complain at that price!

I average 2 to 3 visits to Indian barber per month. Mostly for haircut, occasionally I would go in to get my regular lunch time massage for two dollars. It is especially rejuvenating, when you allow them to crack your neck and enjoy the thrill of the second chance in life through the merciful hand of the Indian barber.

The layout of the Indian barber shop I visited since young has not changed in 20 years. Still as clinical, still the same portrait hanging down the wall. It is visible that the leather barber chair withstand the test of time, and the shaving knife has not improved with technology. It even smelled the same too! What changed, was the Indian Barber, who has put on a few more pounds, slightly more gray hair, and perhaps a bit more money in the pocket to be able to afford some younger staff to sweep the floor the same way that he did 20 years ago, while waiting for the next poor victim to execute.

God bless the Indian barber next door, God bless all the Indian people in Brunei! I only wish my hair could grow quick enough for my next Indian barber experience.

End Note:
>>> Indian Barber Pricing:
>>> Hair Cut – No more than $4.
>>> Massage – $2 to $4
>>> Shave – $2 to $3.

Normally the whole combo would cost no more than $10. Some shops even offers in-ear cleaning as well.

I was charged $3 because we have long lasting relationship. 25 years to be exact. He’s done my dad’s hair, my uncle’s hair, my brother’s hair and all my cousin’s hair too! He has seen me with hair, he has seen me without. Hence the buddy buddy price tag. You can however, start sending your kids to him, over time, he may even give you a discount!

Veronica Colondam

Posted by shaunhoon on October 24, 2011
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The Glamorous Social Servant

The beautiful lady in blue is the Woman of my life, Deon. The lady in Red is the strongest tiny woman I have met in my life yet, Veronica Colondam aka Vera. She wouldn’t be too impressed with this title, but I call her a Giant!

Vera instantly captivated the heart of every woman in the luncheon; relating some of the biggest ordeal that happened to her this week – concerning two of her three precious children battling major illnesses, while staying committed to her speaking engagement to spread her cause across to Brunei. Mothers in the room felt the pain, the guilt and a great sense of gratitude for her showing up.

Hence, whatever she had to say following that story carried weights and empathy with one after another woman holding back their tears(I ensured I concealed every bit of emotion being one of the 6 guys amongst the 250 women in the grand ballroom). Vera did not pass on the chance to give glory to God, in a room full of Muslim women, wiping out all potentials for “sensitivity” because women to women, they connected.

In her presentation, Vera uttered out an impressive score of stats and figures in a mind boggling fashion almost too much for my simple mind to comprehend. Just as I was about to switch off, she threw in videos of real people and real stories of those impacted by her organisation. A masterful performance by an extraordinary woman, worthy of the Princesses’ presence.

I felt that the presentation wouldn’t be complete without questions addressing her credential of being too elegant for the street, hence threw in my unsolicited two cents just before the wrap up:

“You are obviously an intelligent, objective and pragmatic CEO. How do you connect to people on the street at the grass root level looking as glamorous as you do?”

Of course Vera does not dress up the way she does on the street, while setting herself up to dine along with the Princess of Brunei, at the same time giving keynote address to the most influential women in the country. But she understood my question beneath the question.

Whether or not she addressed it fully, I do not remember. I was too consumed with the eloquence of my own sentence that I neglected to hear her answers…

End notes:

>>> I do not believe Vera brought up the sensitive topic of religion to create a stir. She is way smarter than that. On the other hand, any concealment of her full story would have been an insult to the intelligence of the Brunei’s women. Looking at the overall context, Vera’s achievement will not be complete without the mention of Divinity which plays the central role of the founding and ongoing support of her organisation.

>>> The Gospel said: “Whoever that acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my father in heaven.” Matt 10:26. It is easy to preach to the choir. It’s quite another thing to proclaim your faith to a room full of Muslim sisters. I learned more about courage between the lines than what was spoken that day.

>>> Quote of the day: “Looking at the problem often discourages you. The key is looking through the problem.” Veronica Colondam, Women’s Forum 2010. Amen. She not only said it; she walked.

>>> YCAB’s KPI (Key Performance Indicator) measures the amount of people who gets employment having gone through the program. While most organisations measure quantity, this is an organisation that cuts through the core of the problem and demand the tangible. As a marketing person, I know these numbers are no where near as attractive as those, say the number of people remaining drug free having gone through their program (which would be way higher). This spells courage, pragmatism and integrity to me.

>>> I had the privilege of interviewing Vera before Andrew stole the show on stage. Visit Asia Inc Forum’s newsletter here.

>>> Oh, the unpublished Q&A on my issue with Vera looking “too posh” for a social worker is below. Written rather light heartedly, but she put my stereotypical view to rest once and for all.

Continue Reading

Be that other Hotel Thief…

Posted by shaunhoon on October 24, 2011
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I visited Kota Kinabalu last week together with my wife. Before Deon could even open the newspaper, we were ready for landing. So close, and yet so far, it’s almost like Singapore (Brunei) and Johore Bharu (KK). Except that KK is exciting, vibrant and far more fun than JB and Brunei could ever be. However, the poverty level is still very much prevalent in KK as it is in JB.

One Borneo, the island’s biggest shopping mall exposes you to the world’s super brands, Starbucks, Levi’s, Nike, Adidas, Mac, FCUK and even MNG, which makes completely no sense at all, as the word Borneo rhymes with Jungle and Rain Forest!

The highlight of the trip was never One Borneo or any of the pleasing sales associates. Nor were the two (proper) massages in four days, although one per day would have been perfect (my body simply couldn’t handle that). Seafood was brilliant, even that would have to rank third comparing to #2, which was finding Nemo in Manuka Island.

The highlight of my KK’s trip was each morning when I walked alone to the river bank to watch stall keepers setting up little shops, and be captivated by the early morning breeze while enjoying the crisp of fresh air when it is not too polluted by on going traffic, yet. (Disclosure: some places I pass by could smell the direct opposite of this description, but I choose to share my experiences half full.)

That of course, is just part of the story. The fun part comes when I get to talk to seemingly homeless children (apparently their mum would leave them hanging out at the stalls for the better part of the day, while they make a living) and watch them be kid, trying to con this foreigner (me) the little money he has in his pocket. Nothing gave me more joy than seeing their face lit up when I treated them to a stall to pick up whatever they want. For RM 9, I managed to buy each of them a coke, some snacks and some little toys that would probably give them enough satisfaction for the entire day, compare that to my rich cousins who wouldn’t have cared less.

They say football connects the world, this statement was tested with the kids, non of whom their name I remember. But each of them is a masterful impersonation of Brazilian, German, Argentina and Spainish star. Christiano Ronaldo of Portugal & Torre of Spain were the most popular, followed by Messi and Kaka. I visited the same kids three of the four mornings. Twice they were still sleeping on the crate. Not wanting to disturb them, I left some cakes I bought for them from the coffee shop on day #2 and passed some pictures that I took of them on the day I left. It must have been the boy’s first time to see his own photo, the intense starre on the piece of picture was like nothing I’ve ever witnessed before. How do you forget that?

I also made friends with the family that have a hut facing the river. They survived by trading water with Islanders, and have been living in that condition for 15 years. Each day, I will do what Robin Hood does best, “taking” the shampoos, soaps, coffee and teas from hotel room and gave to them. Need I elaborate more on their appreciation?

Seeing these people, makes one wonder where is God? Does Jesus not care as much for them as he does for me? Why then the double standard? It dawn on me that perhaps God is giving the opportunity for we as Christian to shoulder on the responsibility in showing God’s love through our action. There is no other explaination.

I do not have the answer, but those few morning were sacred for me, as there was an overriding joy that came from connecting with these people, as Campoloso poignantly pointed out in his messages, we often find God in the least of these, referring to Matthew 25:40.

My mum would not have accused me of not going to Church that Sunday, I doubt I would have connected with God the same way as I did with Ronaldo, Torre and Kaka, if I had been to church that very Sunday.

I am in no intention at all writing this to impress you with my little acts, as they are truly miniature. But I hope to leave you with a couple of departing thoughts:

A/ It doesn’t have to cost much to make a difference, it takes heart.

B/ Connecting to God doesn’t need to be in church. Confessing to God, does.(Just kidding, what do I know?!)

C/ The next time you travel, try stealing from the hotel in honour of me, and give to the needy(while saying this, my brother just got burglared in a hotel in Jakarta just yesterday, that is a whole other blog)!

D/ If you can, do not just take pictures of people on the street. Develop the pictures and give it to them. Watch their reaction – which may make a much better Kodak moment.

The money I spend on the needy was pocket change comparing to the 2 Puma Shirts I acquired at 50% off sale, or the spending on massages and finding Nemo, let alone the exquisite Seafood I enjoyed. I should have and could done a lot more.

The point is, non of the above gave me as much lasting joy as my early morning experiences. I am truly at the receiving end in the privilege to make a small difference that Friday, Saturday and Monday.

End note:

>>> If you want to be a thief, be that other thief of the hotel. Not the one that impersonates the hotel guest, open and empty one’s safe box and steal one’s laptop and take away one’s Ipod. Yes, you, the guy who stole from my brother!

>>> This blog is dedicated to my sister Janet, who shared with me the walk to KK’s wet market some 10 years ago. Wish you were there, sis.

>>> Tribute to the genesis of this idea, Gwen. Since we last spoke, I’ve also tapau-ed from wedding banquet left-over to give to the Thai construction worker near home. The act may not look good, but it definitely feels fantastic doing it!

The Next Generation of Entrepreneur

Posted by shaunhoon on October 24, 2011
Posted in: Entrepreneurship. Leave a comment

On the third floor of an old shop next to an alley in Kuala Belait lies an art shop that represents more than what it turns out to be. To me it is a ray of hope for a country town like many others, where young people move away to the bigger city for growth and development.

Operating the gallery is a twenty something entrepreneur named Kristen who left her well paying, secure job with the government and poured all of her life savings to pursue a dream that she believes in.

Kristen’s business has been going for over a year and a half now, and is doing very well. Half of the premises are dedicated to both local and foreign artists to exhibit their art, for which she acts as the middleman. The other half has an extended long table, that stretches beyond many arm’s length. A place where many of the country’s future Picassos are developed.

Kristen was proud to announce that most of the furniture is made of raw materials, which she and her colleagues spend hours assembling. They even made up their own black board with by their own painting. If your mental picture gives you an impression of a decorated garage, I would have done her gallery little justice. Jadyn’s Art gallery resembles the chic unfinished warehouse look of Melbourne’s art galleries. It virtually transports you to another world, during the brief moment you are in there.

Ten minutes in conversation with this stranger, and I almost get to know the cost of her shop’s rental, the profit margin and the names of her suppliers, but she is not worried. Chances are, she is and will be the only person doing what she does in the entire town, may I add, with flair.

Welcome to a new generation of entrepreneurs in Brunei; confident, transparent and more importantly passionate. Kristen’s energy is invigorating, her customer service, superb. I ended buying some coloring sets from her not out of obligation, but as a vote of support. Kristen called me back before departing the store to hand me the difference in discount which both of us had overlooked.

Kristen’s example fits right into all of the three principles describe in this book; Culture, Passion and Relationship. She did not attend any of my courses. She does not need to.

Need I say more; go check it out for yourself.  Buy some art pieces from Kristen, to preserve the audacity to dream, the development of future artists and, to preserve arts.

Tell Kristen I sent you.

The Audacity of Hope… (in a toilet lady)

Posted by shaunhoon on October 24, 2011
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A Caucasian friend once described the act of charging for toilet entrance as Barbaric. I digress.I tested the notion of human kindness by begging the toilet lady to let me enter for free. I told her how “miskin” I was, and pleaded with her about my pregnant wife, my dog and a grand mother to support. When all that failed, I pulled off my Oscar Winning motion to convey the true urgency of the matter, yes I hopped!

I did it for three reasons:

1. I was bored while waiting for Deon do her shopping,
2. I wanted to be reminded of the importance of 20 cents*,
3. I was determined to make the toilet lady feel good about her job.

I could feel the instant shift in power. All of a sudden, I was at the mercy of the toilet lady. Her posture changed, her tone deepened. Me? I looked much like my puppy.

She knew I was tricking her, despite of my rustic demeanor, I could afford the 20c (I really could!).

I got a free entrance not because she was stupid enough to believe in my white lies. I closed the deal because we connected. I treated the toilet lady with dignity and respect. I looked her in the eyes, and bestowed to her a sense of pride and significance for a vocation most people overlooked. That or because it made her feel good in allowing a poor fella through for a nature relief.

I don’t know if I made the lady’s day through my toilet incident, but she certainly made mine. Through her empathy, it gave me a reason to believe in human kindness, a hope for a better Asia that is indeed very much within reach. That, and also because I triumphed in a negotiation! (Secret to happiness: Celebrate success, be it 20c or 20M!)

Lessons learned:

>>> Never underestimate the power of 20c.
>>> Perseverance and a bit of good acting goes a long way.
>>> Be nice to the toilet lady, she has more power than you think(really!).

* Disclaimer, the photo I took showed 50c per toilet entry. That was taken in a upper class shopping center. When you pay a premium, make sure you demand free tissue paper on the way in! Market price is 20c in Malaysia, or free, if you follow my steps. Don’t get ripped off!

End notes:

>>> This particular toilet lady wouldn’t spill to me about her business secret. It didn’t deter me from interviewing the other toilet ladies about toilet traffic.

>>> On a weekend, there could be up to 80 people patronizing the public toilet in any given hour. Average of no more than 5 per hour on a quiet day.

>>> Do the math, you will discover that on their best day, they earn RM 16 per hour. That equates to A$ 5.50, three times lower than the minimum wages set for Australian workers.

>>> People in the developed country would question: whats the point? But this system generates clean toilets, employment and above all, an economy that actually adds up. If toilet is a retail business, it would easily have been my most visited shop in the 4 days of shopping trip. What opportunity then, would this represent?

100 days

Posted by shaunhoon on October 24, 2011
Posted in: Entrepreneurship. Leave a comment

 

Catalyst, my newly found company, is into its 100 days in operation in a week. Time flies when you are enjoying yourself. In this case, the three months felt more like three days.

We knew from day one that setting up a Marketing Agency is a step into an uncharted water, especially in a territory that is unaccustomed to paying for ideas.

What we have is the bliss of ignorance and the enthusiasm of a youthful mind, a perfect combination coupled with the relentless perseverance. While there is still much to do, I am happy to report that we are making positive progress.

Below are some of the lessons we learned along the way, we hope you will benefit from our learnings:

Sale is a Number Game

On an average day, I send out twenty to thirty emails to introduce our business and solicit interest for our projects. Of the twenty emails I normally get one or two responses. On a lucky day, I will get a few more. Over time, I have learned that phone calls are a lot more effective than emails. Hence, as much as I hated the phone, I make some ten to fifteen cold calls and follow ups.

Peter West, a legendary life insurance salesman once told me that sale is a game of numbers. It takes a big number of prospects to filter down into one sale. Nothing should be taken personally.

I didn’t think that it would apply to my line of business ten years later, I am glad I took note on this lesson.

Selling Ideas

There is no simple way of describing my job. My standard explanation is that, if I was to explain to a six year old what I do; I am in the business of helping other businesses to make more money. Quirky as it may sound, there is actually a difference between a snake oil salesman and my line of business. We deliver results.

I learned in the last three months that no one has the patience to listen about your ideas. The irony is that without convincing people to listen to your great ideas, your idea will not go any where.

Through tons of experiments, we came up with a solution to this chicken and egg dilemma by giving away my years of experiences for free.

I have since developed a module on Customer Service where I provide complimentary one-hour presentations to any organization that can spare me the time to listen. I have since given talks to more than a dozen companies, and met tons of people.

In the midst of it, I turned my speaking notes into a book called The Heart of Service, which is available for free (just send an email to book@catalyst.com.bn and you’d receive a copy). This strategy has opened doors for my business, which led to unplanned territory.

Network like Crazy

My strength as an outsider from Brunei for almost a decade; is my fresh of eyes and the ability to identify new business opportunities others neglect. This strength however is also my weakness. Being away for so long, I have lost touch with the business community here.

A primary goal of my role is to establish network as quickly as possible. I have to get out of my shell from being an introvert to putting myself in front of strangers week in and out, exchanging name cards and making small talks.

On an average week, I would attend a networking event or meet at least 3 new people that could potentially lead to future opportunities. To date, I have been to all three of the Asia Inc conferences (thanks to Stuart’s free ticket) in the last three months, two BBBF events and an FBBA forum.

I am one of those people who drag participating in ‘networking’ with total strangers during coffee break and lunch breaks. But for business survivor, I would talk to anyone and everyone who is keen to make eye contact with me during those punishing moments. Sure, there would always be those people who takes a look at you and decide that you’re not worth their time, and then move on. Occasionally, you’d meet some like mined people, with whom you would establish long-term interest, be it personal or interest. I am still waiting for the latter to come through.

Oh one more thing, I found that one of the most effective ways to get free publicity during conferences is to ask questions. The convener would often ask you to introduce yourself and your company before your questions. That way, people would get to hear about my company’s name, without having to fork out huge money for your logo to be on the banner. Of course, you must be tactful in asking relevant and interesting questions, or you’d look foolish and get backfired.

I try to limit myself to no more than one questions per conference, because like you, I get annoyed with those people whom unashamedly try to steal the thunder.

A stranger approached me once and asked if my company could help with their CSR strategy, after learning that I have a consulting business by raising my hand.

Kepala Batu

One of the most essential elements to succeed in any start up is to be stubborn! In Malay, we call it Kepala Batu. It is important to have the ‘head of a rock’ together with unwavering commitment to see your vision through.

There are no shortages of nay-sayers that I meet on a daily basis. These people include those who have been there and done it and of course, failed. And there are also those who cannot imagine anyone would want to buy ideas off thin air because of their lack of exposure. The doubters are the impetus for us to work extra hard to prove them wrong.

I must clarify that most doubters are those who are well intentioned and are genuine in sharing their experience and their much appreciated wisdoms. We just have a different set of values and share different path.

Of course, stubbornness will not be nearly enough to pull you through if you do not have a solid team who believe in you, who back you up on good days and the bad. This will be a long very list if I start naming each of you. You know who you are. Thank you and God bless.

Innovate and adapt

One of the key success factors that will determine the future of Catalyst is our ability to experiment with various ideas and pursue them with zest. Some will work, and other won’t. From there, we will craft out a niche and focus in being the best in that area.

True to our prediction, some of the noblest ideas we had from day one fell short of delivery; on the other hand, others took off and surprised even myself in providing a stream of revenue.

We are small enough to be flexible, and will keep on experimenting different avenues in the next few months. With a bit of luck, your continuous support and a lot of hard work, we will get there.

Resilience

My avid blog readers would have read about some obstacles I faced along the way. I mentioned earlier that I provide talks to a dozen of companies. Not all of them went well. I am glad I stumbled early in one of the talks, and made a pact with myself never to repeat the same mistake again.

It is quite all right to fail, what is not acceptable is for you not to pick yourself up. You can learn more about my failure on this on the blog; Stumbled (www.visionforabetterasia.com).

Making a Difference

If Catalyst ceases to exist tomorrow, will the community miss our service? The answer very frankly is, NO! Not now, anyway. We clearly understand that in order for us to thrive, we have to provide a service that makes a difference to the society.

Ken Blanchard, a respected management guru once said, every organisation needs to follow the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) formula in setting their goal. Our BHAG is crystal clear from day one. To Spark The Economy by empowering individual businesses to do well.

We are determined to be committed in this area, starting with infecting customer centered mindsets one person, one organization at a time through our corporate presentations.

Next, we are embarking on several initiatives to stimulate the economy. One that we are excited announce upfront is our partnership with BiG Magazine to drive their business development and growth.

The very first thing we do  is to pull together all the restaurants, spas and entertainment venues within Brunei to provide irresistible discounts that we can advertise within the magazine. Voucher marketing is a proven strategy that worked well throughout the West, with a 90% record in attracting first time customers. If you have a restaurant, and have not thought of a strategy to tackle the off peak period between January and March next year, we must talk!

Not only will the restaurants benefit from new businesses, as a frequent diner, you and I will benefit from the discounts we help negotiate!