Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Tan Sri Dato Seri Lim Goh Tong, Chef Wan and Amber Chia. These are the few home-grown big names that I have always looked up to. And up till today, I am still amazed by the fact that these fellow Malaysians not only thrived in their professional careers but also in their personal life.
I find their success so admirable and fascinating! What do they share in common that made them so renowned to the world? How exactly did they managed to cut through the noisy world and shine like a star in their area of expertise? What was their success formula in turning their passion into multi-million profits? These were just some of the questions that were constantly playing in my mind during my flying days with Singapore Airlines. I must admit, it bothered me for a long time for not being able to be as successful as them.
Things took a turning point, when I got the chance to attend a gastronomy exhibition. During one of the live shows, Chef Wan made an appearance on stage and he said something that literally changed my entire life for good. I remembered vividly he said, “I may not be smarter than other chefs. In fact, some chefs out there are as good as me, or even better. But what makes the greatest difference between us is because I am daring enough to speak out, to be seen around and to be the expert in the culinary world. This is the reason why I am able to stand here, confidently before you today on this stage.”
His words immediately struck my mind. At that point, I knew I had two choices – I could either continue doing my best in the flying business or I can choose to pursue another area which I am passionate about. After giving much thought to the two options, I decided to live my passion and start anew. But before I could jump into a new career, I had to find out what I really like to do. I need a realistic passion that could sustain me for life. It took me quite some time to discover where my true passion lies and at last, I knew I was very keen in doing branding for people and helping them to look good in their market. I was really determined to go all in with this path and never looked back ever since.
At that time, I was aware that I had a lot to catch up in the areas of Personal Branding since I did not have much experience doing it. With only 8 years of flying experience, I was in desperate need to be the expert in my area as soon as possible. I began to study more famous celebrities and ace business magnates like Donald Trump, Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey. I found out that there were a couple of things that I need to do in order to reach to where they were and I summarized them into these six phases:
I have been in your shoes and gone through the same search you are in right now to be noticeable and recognized among the crowd. And because I have already done it with success, I can show you the right way to do Personal Branding without going through miserable pitfalls and recurring mistakes. That is why I am standing here today, to give you a chance of a lifetime to pursue the things you love and make profits out of it. Let me teach you how to play with your triumph cards and stand out in the crowd!