Tag Archives: international women’s day 2018

Dato’ Sri Rozita Ramelan Takes Azimut Beyond Luxury Yachting

Despite being heavily pregnant, the comforts of the Azimut 66 Flybridge makes the journey an extremely calming one for Dato’ Sri Rozita.

But there’s more to it than meets the eye, going by this interview. She and her businesses are not just about the opulent and the high life though the luxury and yachting worlds have a close connection.

Her spacious business premises spanning five lots at Solaris Dutamas in Kuala Lumpur is one of understated elegance. Subtle lighting including a pair of mini chandeliers, selected Italian furniture pieces and local artworks adorn the space.

She came from humble beginnings. Ever enterprising, the eldest of four daughters sold tidbits to schoolmates to supplement family income. Dad was a teacher and Mom a homemaker not in the pink of health.

One attribute of her late mother that she carries to this day is to complete what she has started. “Look at life positively and give your all in anything you do,” Dato’ Sri Rozita Ramelan says.

Always a top student, she wanted to be a doctor but turned down Dublin due to Mom’s inconsistent health condition. She graduated from local UPM in statistics and computer science and became a private banker and investment consultant with Citibank for 10 years managing wealth of high net worth individuals. She was also into upscale property in Europe and the UK.

She decided on a career in high-end niche markets after realising she’s good at selecting objects that can grow as investments and yet easy to dispose of.

But she also wanted freedom to do what she can do and still have a balanced family life while benefiting others like giving them jobs.

As she no longer relished living out of a suitcase anymore, using her savings she started Kabinet Prive with five Hermes handbags. They were sold out in just three days! Her “baby” has since grown its online presence spanning 18 countries in addition to the offline operations, including The Boutique showroom at the six-star St Regis KL.

This business is a nice fit with Azimut Yachts as a client shopping for a beautiful vessel may buy a watch for himself while his significant other may want a piece of jewellery, she adds.

After Kabinet Prive, she went on to found Pwetty4U which sells pre-owned designer bags and accessories via pwetty.com.my, and does her bit channelling the proceeds to charity and medical research.

She has high regards for her employees whom she says she doesn’t need to buy their loyalty. Besides Kabinet Prive and Azimut Yachts, her other businesses include asset management, construction, and interior design under Anjung Bintang.

Family is a top priority. She feels very fortunate to be in a position to support two sets of elderly parents, provide employment to her two sisters, take care of the children of another sibling who has passed away, and provide employment to their father.

Not one to sit still, the heavily pregnant Dato’ Sri Rozita has just returned from the Thailand Yacht Show in Phuket prior to this interview, sharing glimpses into Azimut Yachts and more …

What is Azimut about and why are you very passionate about it?

Rozita Ramelan: Azimut Yachts is part of the Azimut Benetti group, and has a long and proud history of building luxury superyachts.

Today, it remains the only family-owned and family-run (its founder Paolo Vitelli and daughter Giovanna) Italian production yacht builder among the top three, which are Azimut, Ferretti and San Lorenzo.

Being a very family-oriented person myself, this particular aspect of the brand resonates with me and my husband (Datuk Omar Mustapha).

How did the franchise come into being?

RR: Azimut Yachts was previously represented in Malaysia and Brunei by a large regional multi-brand dealer. We were looking for our first yacht a few years ago and decided on an Azimut.

We visited Italy and met with Paolo and Giovanna. We clicked instantly, sharing the same intense love for the sea. They asked if we could represent them exclusively here, and we agreed. The rest is history.

What is its success story?

RR: In the rarefied world of superyacht construction league tables, which take into account yachts built over 24 metres, Azimut Benetti has been ranked number one globally for the last 18 consecutive years. Last year, we had 77 yachts being built totalling 2,840 metres in length!

Azimut Yachts’ success boils down to a simple formula – crafting the most desirable, luxurious and technologically advanced yachts for the most discerning yachting clients around the world.

Pictured here with what is frequently labelled as the world’s most expensive handbag due to its rarity, Dato’ Sri Rozita takes pride in being able to get her hands on items that are almost impossible to get — the Birkin Himalayan Diamond, is rare in the handbag world.

What is the buyer profile?

RR: Azimut Yachts attracts only the most discerning of clients. We build lifelong relationships, often with owners acquiring multiple yachts over the years, passing on their passion from father to son or daughter. Our clients are chic, appreciate luxury and quality, and their love for the nautical lifestyle transcends generations.

How do Azimut yachts compare with others on the global market?

RR: Our latest evolution is LaDolce Vita “The Good Life” 3.0 where we are taking the next great leap forward in luxury yachting.

Take the Azimut 66 Flybridge, the first yacht in its class to have electronic power steering, carbon fibre foredeck and four guest cabins.

Or the Azimut Grande 27Metri, the only 27-metre, raised pilothouse, widebody five-cabin boat on the market.

We are the industry’s true innovation – leveraging our deep legacy, superyacht heritage and expertise to constantly push the boundaries of what is possible.

When you go through yacht magazines, every brand looks glamorous and wow.

But it is only when you have spent some time on board an Azimut, visited our facilities in Italy, shared an expresso with our craftsmen and builders, tasted the wind cruising along the Italian Riviera, do you truly appreciate why and how we are distinctive. Azimut speaks to you at an emotional level like no other.

How can Azimut Yachts Malaysia contribute to local communities?

RR: Malaysian waters and dive sites are beautiful. We are not here to just sell the boat.

We want to nurture the luxury yachting industry, not only by giving jobs to the locals, but by training them with skills and craftsmanship that earn good money. Such workers in Thailand’s yachting industry are paid high salaries.

We together with Azimut yacht owners and their friends want to collaborate with state governments to grow the industry and tourism such as build marinas and food havens, offer yacht charters and help market their products abroad.

This way, we hope to create good-paying jobs for the local communities. Salaries for workers on luxury yachts are not cheap. Luxury yachting is about services.

GoodKids Founder Koggelavani Muniandy Builds the Foundation for a Youth Empowerment Academy

Koggelavani Muniandy, or Kogge, as most people call her, was still a full-time engineer when she first started spending her lunch breaks volunteering as a facilitator for underprivileged student programmes.

Those many hours of volunteering led her to realise the importance of addressing the non-academic issues — emotional and mental health, as well as self-esteem building — that plagues underprivileged students, causing them to act out aggressively in school.

Her desire to close that gap is what spurred her to resign from her stable career at Cradle Fund to start GoodKids Malaysia, a social enterprise that facilitates empowerment and confidence-building in underprivileged students, via performance arts. Rather than a passive session of counselling, the GoodKids method requires a high level of interaction from the students.

“The three of us — my uncle, my cousin and I decided to come up with experiential learning methods that made more use of performing arts and acting,” Kogge says, referring to her co-founders: S. Balasubramaniam, her uncle and counselling psychologist, and Naaraayini Balasubramaniam, her cousin and a musician.

In 2014, they collaborated with another non-profit to run a 20-weeks pilot programme at SMK Taman Tasik Ampang, where selected students joined GoodKids as an after school activity. Sessions involved acting and role-playing, as part of the exercise to address behavioural issues like bullying and rule-breaking.

Upon seeing resistance from the more headstrong students, the founders knew they had to include other elements to help those students participate.

To break the ice, Kogge, a musician herself, implemented a Stomp-style drumming activity which proved effective, even in strengthening overall group dynamics. “This activity worked really well in a group setting,” Kogge explains. “Even the quietest, most timid student would be brave enough to try the drums because it’s basic buckets and sticks.”

What Kogge and her co-founders didn’t expect in pursuing their noble mission at first, was the profound impact it had on many of these youths, most of whom are from troubled and unstable backgrounds. “Once they became comfortable enough to express themselves in an open and honest manner, it made a tremendous difference — more so than what counselling was able to do.”

Perhaps this was the first time they were being told that “it’s ok to make mistakes,” and are taught how to take ownership of their newfound skills. Students make their own instruments, and the weeks of role-playing and drumming culminates in a community stage performance that is open to the public. It’s the kind of intrinsic altruism that one would rarely think to associate with money, let alone profit.

Yet, financing for such a programme has to come from somewhere. How are Kogge and her co-founders making it work? She shares with us the strategies they’ve used, and her plans for growing GoodKids.

Without investors or a source of revenue, was it a hard decision for you to quit your full-time job to start GoodKids?

KM: My job at Cradle Fund had very much of a startup environment. I saw how different it was for co-founders who were committed to their mission full time, from the ones who were part-time. Seeing how much more the full-time ones could deliver in results, was like a case study for me. I knew that if I quit my job and focused on GoodKids, I could give it 100 percent and take it to where we want it to be. For the first few months, there was no income coming in at all for GoodKids. I supplemented my income on the side with photography for events and portraits.

It is really fulfilling to be able to do this, compared to all the other stuff I’ve done.

How did you come up with the name GoodKids?

KM: We wanted the kids who were part of the programme to associate themselves with a positive name, rather than something like “naughty boy”. My uncle, who is a GoodKids co-founder and counselling psychologist, believed that if we don’t tell them that they are good kids, they will never believe it themselves.

The name works really well, because now we can see that many of them are truly proud to identify themselves as a “good kid”. We have a hashtag, and we give them a t-shirt that says #iamagoodkid.

You joined the MAGIC accelerator programme for social enterprise startups. How did the programme help to grow GoodKids?

KM: Being in MAGIC was very helpful, they brought in successful social entrepreneurs to share experiences and helped me think beyond my boundaries. Since I was already familiar with the industry, it was also easier to network and find those who could guide me, instead of waiting for introductions.

When we went into the accelerator programme in August 2015, we had zero funding, and even our training module was not complete.

But we had very good account managers taking care of my project, who helped drill it down and pushed me to my limits.

It was also through MAGIC’s networking events that I got connected to the ECM Libra Foundation, which gave us our first grant to kickstart the programme in 2016.

Tell us more about how you secured that first grant.

KM: The ECM Libra Foundation supports educational and children and youth empowerment programs. When I first met them, they could relate to the problem that we were addressing in GoodKids, but it took a little more convincing, as we were one of the first long-term programmes that they were going to support.

Our team, comprising of us three co-founders bringing different strengths to the programme, convinced them that our proposal was well thought through. Thanks to my account managers at MAGIC, we had impact measurement strategies in place, which pleased the team in the Foundation.

Still, they only support costs that go directly to our beneficiary. I realised that we have to be self-sustainable and create our own revenue for other organisational costs.

What are some income-generating ideas that you’ve tried out, to raise funds for GoodKids?

KM: I considered many ideas, like putting on shows, giving classes to the public, and even holiday camps. Our annual GoodKids League show, where we sell tickets for RM50 and RM80, brings in some money. But in Malaysia, you have to be super popular to get the numbers. We’ve also been selling t-shirts with the hashtag “iamagoodkid” made from recycled fabric. It’s friends and family of ours and the kids themselves who are very supportive and buy the t-shirts.

Can you share some of your plans for growing GoodKids?

KM: Hopefully, we can branch out to giving more types of classes that become the foundation of a full academy. Every student needs an extracurricular programme like this, be it performing arts, sports or cooking. We’re looking at collaborating with other organisations who want to do this on the side.

We are planning more classes for the public. This year, we kicked off performing arts classes for adults, which is going very well. Acting and music also helps adults express themselves, boost confidence and discover their passion. Many of them thank us for providing them an avenue to enjoy themselves, while reliving their childhood.

What is a key lesson you’ve taken from your journey thus far, that you feel all entrepreneurs should know about?

KM: You cannot be 100 percent ready before going to meet an investor. When I went to meet my first investor, I only had a deck, but the execution was not documented like a typical project management plan, with resources and a timeline.

I know people who’ve had an idea for one or two years, and they’re still waiting to execute, because they feel like they aren’t ready to speak to someone. But I would say, you’ve got to throw your idea out there. It’s ok to look stupid, because only then you will know that you really look stupid. If you make a mistake, you will learn to deal with it.

Calligraphy Artist and Illustrator Lihua Wong Draws Her Way Into the Fashion Industry

Fashion illustrator and calligraphy artist Wong Lihua. Photos by Shahrul Nizam Basri.

Lihua Wong is a unique artist in a world dominated by Photoshop-manipulating designers. While she may argue that both professions belong in different fields of varying practicality, her published works has put her in a league of her own when compared to her contemporaries in Malaysia.

Fascinated with women’s curves, the 28-year-old fashion illustrator merges Chinese calligraphy with digital techniques to translate the graceful features and gestures of the female form on paper. Aside from using traditional Chinese ink, her works also feature watercolour that add interesting dimension to her sketches.

This distinct style may have taken her to work with fashion brands in Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States since 2016. But it’s her deep sense of self-awareness and thirst for improvement will spring her to greater heights in the fashion industry.

Born in Kedah in 1990, the self-professed fan of Chanel and Dior believes that there’s only one way to carry an artist’s craft to the next level. And that’s through persistent assessment of one’s own body of work. It’s a never-ending learning process that she reveals, in an interview with Luxuo, she still undergoes long after her graduation at Birmingham City University in 2015.

Calligraphy-based art has put your style in the radar of fashion brands here and abroad. Can you tell us how it all began?

Wong Lihua: I learned a lot about Chinese calligraphy when I was 5 or 6 years old. My whole family was learning it together, and we all developed a habit of applying it in writing.

At first, I didn’t like [calligraphy] because I was quite young and my parents forced me into it. It was only when I was growing up that I began to appreciate it. I like the strokes and how they seem to go with the flow.

Did incorporating calligraphy into your artworks come naturally, or was it a conscious effort on your part?

WL: It was quite related to my line of work. After college, I taught painting for five years. I would usually take a break from all the traditional paintings I had to finish for my class. I would sit down and try to draw other stuff.

I remember having Chinese ink on my table and I used it with a flat brush on an A4 paper. When I finished drawing, it occurred to me that it was something that I was looking for. It looks easy and effortless even though it takes time and effort to complete. It matches my style, and that really helped when it comes to creating my own signature.

It also makes my artworks more intriguing, helping it stand out because fewer people are using the element of Chinese calligraphy in Malaysia. So, I try to fit it in my art because it makes me more unique as an artist.

Is calligraphy always going to be a key element in your illustration style?

WL: Yes. I apply it into whatever I’m working on right now. But the way I apply it gradually changes as I change my goals. I can’t say that I have a fixed one. You can actually see my style evolving from black and white to using water colour. I always look for the best tools to see how they respond to the paper and other surfaces. I always test new ways to see how it looks like and find out if it matches with my current mood.

Social media seems to have contributed a lot to your popularity in the local fashion scene. How important has it been to your career?

WL: I used to share my works on Facebook until its ads policies made it harder to manage. Then, I moved to Instagram. They’re important because I engage with a lot of clients through [Instagram]. That’s how people got to know me. It also helped me build my digital network, which I need, in order to gain an international following.

Brands like Gardens Mall as well as Hugo Boss and Dior both from Malaysia and Singapore contacted me through Instagram. The first big one to approach me was Chanel around 2016. It happened so fast.

That must be thrilling.

WL: But the first jobs I got weren’t really related to fashion. They engaged me because I can draw people in just a few moments. It’s something they could use as a form of entertainment or activity in their media events.

There are also some who want to use my art to promote their brands in Europe and the US, which I hope focus more in the future. It’s more fashion-related. Some of them would send me their outfits. And because they cannot draw it, they need my ink to interpret in a more artistic way.

What is your advice for artists who are in the process of learning how to become more business savvy?

WL: When it comes to creating a business, artists need to think not only about what they want to market, but also why a client would want to hire you. Understand what is currently in demand, but also identify how viable it is for you as an artist to fill that demand.

What was your strategy for making a name in the fashion industry?

WL: I used to accept every job that’s offered to me because I felt that I need to try out everything when I was younger. I needed to understand what I was good at. But now, I feel like I already know my strengths and the direction I want to go. So, it makes more sense for me to be more picky in the collaborations I want to be a part of.

How do you stay focused in the course of achieving your career goals?

WL: You must understand the direction you want to go.

You must also know how to ensure your growth if you follow that path. My goal was to work with fashion brands. So, I went to the right industry and tapped the right clients before I slowly expanded my network.

Where do you get your inspirations from?

WL: I always look for fashion shows and just watch them on Youtube every morning. I just let the clips play or I just look at online magazines. I don’t read through them but I look at pictures a lot. If I get stuck, I’ll go out and look for a masterpiece outside fashion. And when I travel, I go to art galleries or museums to look at paintings and study other people’s works, of course. I can spend my whole day there.

Where do you see yourself in the next two years?

WL: I’m still hoping that I can work with more fashion brands. I would like to have one of their outfits to be produced using my signature illustrations. To do that, I need to cement myself in this path to go that way and see where I end up.

Will we see you delving into other areas of art, like textile or even fashion designing?

WL: Seeing my designs on textile is a part of it. Let’s see how it pans out. If not, I want do more in ad campaigns. But I don’t think I will end up as a fashion designer. I’m not into crafts, and I’m not good in sewing.

What’s your advice on young artists who aspire to etch a name for themselves?

WL: Always look back and study your body of work. Look for ways to improve them. Don’t be afraid to play with different techniques because you will need to master them before you can take it to the next level.

See more of Lihua’s work on her Instagram account.

Fashion Designer Pearly Wong Lends a Helping Hand to Women Refugees

Pearly Wong, fashion designer and founder of Sze Women of Hope.

Pearly Wong is both a designer and the name of her independent fashion label.  More than that, Pearly Wong Sze Kwan (her full name) is also the founder of Sze Women of Hope (SWOH), a non-profit organisation that empowers women’s lives through vocational training, livelihood projects and education in Malaysia.

Her business has unique opportunities to give back to communities, to do social good, and has a social culture that lets employees know they are working for something that’s bigger than themselves, that it also cares for people and the environment.

Last year, Pearly Wong gave back through its partnership with leading Swiss watch brand CORUM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and presented Pearly Wong Sze Women of Hope Fashion Show in Kuala Lumpur. It showcased garments designed by Pearly Wong and accessories conscientiously sourced and produced, with the garments sewn and accessories handmade by refugee artisans at SWOH.

SWOH and UNHCR have teamed up to provide UNHCR-registered refugees a secure place that offers training courses and space for them to work on their projects to generate their own income.

The designer shares with LUXUO.MY that the key to running your own business is hard work: “There are going to be a lot of times when things don’t go your way. You can either let it get to you, or get back up and knock on more doors.”

Her definition of success is to operate a business with respect to the people and the environment, and every decision she makes is towards this goal. “Passion is the start of your career, then you need motivation, perseverance and a lot of hard work to succeed,” she says.

So, at the end of the day, does she feel ‘this is it’, having work/business satisfaction and a noble SWOH initiative? “A lot of times I do! But we still have so much work to do. Every day is a new challenge for SWOH. It takes a lot of hard work, determination and a lot of faith to run a social enterprise.”

More on the CSR initiative in this interview…

How did you decide that the cause championed by SWOH is a right fit?

Pearly Wong: SWOH and Pearly Wong are businesses that focus on artisanal crafts. Both enterprises value handmade, slow-fashion products made by artisans – one is clothing (PW) and the other is accessory (SWOH). Both businesses complement one another where the other is lacking.

Why did you start this CSR initiative?

PW: At Pearly Wong, we have been injecting small CSR projects into the business since we started in 2012. We have been conducting recycling classes at orphanages in Cheras, in the vicinity of our old office.

A lot of our CSR projects entail sustainability (recycling and upcycling) and vocational education (teaching the marginalised community women on handicrafts). Founding SWOH with some of my co-partners would be the right thing to do as we are ready to take our CSR commitment to the next level.

Do you think all local businesses ought to have CSR programmes?

PW: Yes, I think the trends in businesses are rapidly changing and evolving. One of the trends that never goes away is giving back to the community and the people.

When you give back to the community, a beautiful thing happens; you see people wanting, even more, to support your business because they appreciate your give-back effort and wish to be aligned with your cause.

How can CSR impact our society?

PW: A business must operate itself concerning the people, planet and to make profit sustainably. If every business has a small initiative or a CSR department for those who can afford it, it would make an impact on the world and increase the livelihood of our community and for the environment.

[For example,] I’ve worked with the CSR department of Uniqlo Malaysia for a project by UNHCR, and Uniqlo has been doing a fantastic job with upcycling leftover fabrics.

Assuming that every business operates this way, especially the garment industry, which is the second most polluting industry in the world, then our planetary boundaries relating to human-induced changes to the environment will be met.

Think of it this way … the human population is growing, and by the half of this century the human population is projected to rise to 100 billion, but our resources are finite. There’s an imbalance of how much resources we can take from this earth, which is finite. So it is crucial for every business to think about this urgency, and to operate itself by sustainable rules.

How do you feel about lending a helping hand to empowering women’s lives through vocational training, livelihood projects and education?

PW: It gives meaning to my work and benefits my label Pearly Wong at strengthening our CSR programme. So, in this regard, we have a healthy balance of operating our business with an active CSR initiative. Everyone working in Pearly Wong and SWOH believes in our cause, and we adopt a working culture surrounding it.

How are you financing and sustaining SWOH?

PW: Our group of partners from different backgrounds helped jumpstart SWOH, and we are currently sustaining it through sales of artisan products and donations from various organisations.

Is SWOH the only such CSR programme in Malaysia?

PW: There are a lot of businesses and social enterprises that are doing the good work around here. And if you look closely, there are a lot of great initiatives; some choose to assist the social community, some through environmental work and others through advocating equality for animals, etc. In regard to empowering women’s lives initiatives, I know many NGOs that help single mothers to get back on their feet (Bonda bonding) and Tanoti crafts is doing a great job helping the indigenous women to promote Malaysia’s artisanal crafts.

What are your aspirations, in both work and CSR, beyond SWOH?

PW: My aspiration is to be able to lift the lives of others through artisanal crafts, a passion of mine.

I wish for the women to achieve self-reliant skills and earn self-sustaining income. I also want to end gender-based violence in women, so giving them education and skills will be a good way to make them safe from the start.

How can women in need of a helping hand access SWOH, and how can the public help the SWOH cause?

PW: We currently open our hands to women in these categories – women refugees, indigenous people, and children from low-income families. We provide training and education to these three groups. They can reach out to us via our website and our volunteer will assist them to their needs.

The best way for the public to help is to go to the Sze Women of Hope website and buy the products made by the women. This can generate income for our women refugees to feed their families!

Serial Entrepreneur Datin Sri Joanna Lim: “One Business at a Time”

Serial entrepreneur, Datin Seri Joanna Lim, is now on her third ad-venture. Photo by Karen Sim.

One definition of serial entrepreneur is, the person often comes up with an idea and gets things started but gives responsibility to someone else, and then moves on to a new idea and new venture. It’s essentially one business at a time.

In her serial entrepreneurial pursuits, Penang-born Datin Sri Joanna Lim has launched businesses in industries of which she knew nothing and she learns along the way.

She manages to capture those “aha” moments when they happen.

When opportunity knocks, she opens the door, takes significant leaps of faith to believe that she can succeed, is not afraid to take chances, and thinks one’s never too cool to learn something new.

Datin Sri Joanna Lim’s first enterprise in Penang in 2006, in the bead and jewellery industry, was only the start of a promising and successful future as a serial entrepreneur.

The thrill of her serial entrepreneurial journey has not diminished one iota over time, evident in her third “ad-venture” embarked on, just recently.

Life may not be boring with multiple businesses as you’re building knowledge, marketing experience, networks and other resources but there are challenges and stress as well.

There can’t be a rainbow without a little rain, she says, revealing that sometimes it does rain pretty hard on her side.

According to the experienced, the first time you do anything, you’re barely hanging on. The second time you do it, you get a little bit better. The third time, you’re starting to develop confidence. By the fourth and fifth time, you feel like you’re getting the hang of it.

How does that sound to her?

In an email interview with Luxuo, she shares what it’s like to be a serial entrepreneur, the lessons learnt, the key takeaways and her latest project.

Your courage to change course from dealing with beads, crystals and costume jewellery to setting up an automobile business engaged in selling cars and car accessories, which is an entirely different industry, is inspiring. Tell us more.

Joanna Lim: In all honesty, everything came by as a chance and I just took a leap of faith. If you don’t take chances, you’ll never know how far you can go. I’ve been in the bead and jewellery industry since 2006. This year is my 12th year since it all started. It has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride on that journey as I started from not knowing how to string a bead to flying around the world picking up ideas and lessons to make jewellery. Now 12 years on, I’ve trained some really good help in store who does most of the designing and jewellery making.

As a mother of three now, I can’t really be in store all the time to create pieces of my own, so I’m truly glad having creative people around me. As for the automobile industry, I’ve my husband to be thankful for. Without him, I probably would not have said yes when the chance was offered to us.

What are the lessons learnt?

JL: To quote Richard Branson, “if somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later”.

You’ll never truly know how far you can go unless you take a leap of faith and push yourself towards that direction. There is never failure in learning to do things right; only lost opportunity if you don’t try.

In business, there are ups and downs, and some thrills. How do you control the ride?

JL: I’m all about going with the flow and learning from mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Why judge a mistake made? Learn from it and move on. Why dwell on the downs when there’s limited time on earth to do things right?

How do you motivate yourself to reach beyond yourself and live life that’s successful and meaningful?

JL: Live today like there’s no tomorrow. If today was your last day on earth, at least you know you’ve done something right today. Don’t wait for the moment to make it right because every moment is the moment, it’s just how you take it. Or your so-called right moment might not even come if you think it isn’t the moment.

Success is subjective to a person’s belief. Never settle for anything less but always appreciate the present moment. I might now see what there is coming tomorrow, for I think tomorrow when I wake up it might not be as what I thought it would be.

So seize the moment to do things right. If it isn’t, learn from it and do it right again.

What are your expectations?

JL: I live by the moment. I just want to see people around me happy.

There’s no point in making millions of dollars and have three business ventures while the family is falling apart. To me, having a balanced life is important. Time for myself, time for family and time for business. If one is able to feel “enough” with these things, life would be less stressful. I’m still trying to achieve that.

There won’t be rainbows without a little bit of rain. Sometimes it rains pretty hard on my side but such is life. I’m just hoping to cut the rainy moments by living more positively.

What’s your third business endeavour?

JL: I’ve just ventured into a retail business of a Swiss-made product with 80 years of history, selling essential oil-based spa and wellness products including herbal creams, hair care, beauty care, oral care and body care.

What inspires you to venture into that?

JL: This is a joint — I’d call it “ad-venture” — which my sister and I got into when we chanced upon this amazing product brought in by a mutual friend. We were “guinea pigs” who ended up loving the product so much that we decided to start selling it.

It appears that there’s no stopping at three enterprises for you. What is it like to be a serial entrepreneur?

JL: You wish for 48 hours in a day, three bodies and six hands.

Do share with us tips and principles you live by in order to succeed.

JL: Trust. Having people around you who you can trust is important. You can’t do everything alone. Letting go and don’t be too harsh on yourself. Learn from mistakes and move on.