Talentpreneur Hub Events

Media Feature: Business Times, July 28 2009

2009-07-29T09:56:00.002+08:00

Ken Koh, Managing Director of Talentpreneur Hub was featured in Business Times, sharing his views about the entrepreneurship environment here in Singapore. Ken feels that the government has provided adequate support in encouraging Singaporeans to be entrepreneurial, but society's mindset is still crucial in shaping Singapore's entrepreneurial environment.

Young Entrepreneurs' Summit YES'09

2009-07-10T17:53:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, Donnie was invited to speak to than 200 entrepreneurs, professionals, teachers and students at the Young Entrepreneurs' Summit YES'09.

Sponsored by Lee Foundation and jointly organized by KESUMA and Ngee Ann Polytechnic; students gained valuable insights into the world of entrepreneurship from successful entrepreneurs who sh ared their ideas and experiences at the YES'09. The event was also in support of Make A Wish foundation, where 30% of ticket sales were donated to the foundation; granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

Having trained students from more than 50 schools about entrepreneurship and being part of a dynamic team of successful entrepreneurs coaching aspiring entrepreneurs at Talentpreneur Hub; Donnie shared his expertise and experiences with the audience at the conference. The speech was especially well-received and served to inspire many at the conference. The presentation also generated inquiries and interest for the book, The 3rd Little Pig.

Talentpreneur Hub would like to thank KESUMA for inviting us to speak at this meaningful event and as well as to all those who showed your support for us at the YES'09.

Media Feature: ZaoBao Comma, Issue 21, 1/7/09 - 7/7/09

2009-07-01T17:12:00.003+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub’s publication ‘The 3rd Little Pig’ has been featured in ZaoBao Comma;“你是第几只小猪？"

The book documents the experiences and success stories of 8 young entrepreneurs; ‘The 3rd Little Pig’ aims to inspire youths in Singapore to be more entrepreneurial. Peter Draw and Serene Yeo’s stories are also featured.

Media Feature: MyPaper, June 29 2009

2009-06-29T19:10:00.002+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub was featured in today’s MyPaper, “创业的8大须知'’

Ken Koh, Managing Director from Talentpreneur Hub, offered readers “8 IMPORTANT TIPS” when starting a Business.

Media Feature: Horizons, March/April 2009

2009-06-29T18:36:00.001+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub has been featured in the March/April issue of Horizons; a official bi-monthly publication by MDIS. “Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship”.

Ken Koh, Founder and Managing Director of Talentpreneur Hub, gave a talk to 200 Diploma and degree students from MDIS to promote and spread the spirit of entrepreneurship.

Cost-saving tip for start-ups and local SMEs: Freelancing

2009-06-24T15:17:00.005+08:00

Starting a business can be rather costly, hence it is crucial that all businesses should constantly look for ways to drastically reduce your business’ overhead costs in order to increase profit margins. One of these ways would be to outsource and hire freelancers to cope with certain aspects of your businesses.

So what are the benefits to hiring freelancers?

Save on your monthly overheads by hiring help or outsourcing only when you need to

Freelance professionals may boast skills that your full-time staff may not have

It's easier to swap to another freelance professional if needed, as opposed to firing and hiring

How to hire freelancers?

http://www.freelancezone.com.sg/

Websites like Freelancezone.com.sg allows companies to post jobs, search through databases and manage projects.
Visit www.freelancezone.com.sg today and discover the benefits of freelancing!

Media Feature: LianHe WanBao, June 18 2009

2009-06-22T16:47:00.003+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub was featured in LianHe WanBao,"经济不景,创业者反增, 更多人上课学创业". There is a rising trend for people to be entrepreneurial. Applicants for Talentpreneur Hub's entrepreneurial programs have increased significantly despite the recession!

Media Feature: Beritan Harian, June 5 2009

2009-06-22T16:36:00.003+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub's Startup! Accelerator participant, Fadirah has been featured in Berita Harian. "Azam teroka pendidikan prasekolah" Experienced Pre-school Teacher; Fadirah intends to start a pre-school education business after attending Talentpreneur Hub's Startup! Accelerator program.

Media Feature: Berita Harian, March 21 2009

2009-06-15T18:17:00.002+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub was featured for the second time in Berita Harian "Tawar kursus amali untuk jadi peniaga". Are you interested to be an entrepreneur? Local organization Talentpreneur Hub offers a 10-week long course dedicated to professionals and adults who want to start their own business.

Media Feature: Beritan Harian. Friday, May 15 2009

2009-06-15T13:24:00.001+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub was featured on Berita Harian in article "Buku papar sikap jaya usahawan muda". Mr Ken Koh started a project of documenting the experiences of young entrepreneurs below 30 years-old who are in eight different industries.

Talentpreneur Hub Helped Young Entrepreneur Started a Business

2009-06-15T00:35:00.005+08:00

Recession sees more interest in Talentpreneur Hub’s startup programme. With the help of Talentpreneur Hub’s Startup! Accelerator programme, Mr Muhammad Razy successfully started his own fashion business; Costume Di Amour. Despite being called crazy for wanting to start his own business in this current economic climate, Mr Muhammad Razy thought it was in fact an opportune time since costs are lower.

Managing Your Small Business Finances

2009-06-09T11:20:00.003+08:00

If you want to succeed in a business you're running, you need to know about financial management of your company. No matter how skilled you are at creating a product, providing a service, or marketing your wares, the money you earn will slip between your fingers if you don't know how to efficiently collect, keep track of, save and spend or invest it wisely.

When poorly managed, financial management become a number one reason that lead a business to a failure -- no matter whether it's new or established business. In many cases, failure could have been avoided if the owners had applied sound financial principles to all their dealings and decisions. Financial management is not something that you can leave to your banker, financial planner, or accountant — you need to understand the basic principles yourself and use them on a daily basis, even if you plan to leave the more complicated work to hired professionals.

These are some of financial management tools that are most used, in general, by small businesses.

Basic bookkeeping helps you recording daily transactions, working with your accountant and banker, and, for the do-it-yourselfers, how to close the books and draw up financial statements.
Credit and collection records helps you overseeing the pros and cons of accepting credit cards or offering trade credit, and tells you when you need to more quickly and effectively collect the money your customers owe you.
Having a cash flow statement helps you managing your cash flow to reduce the lag between cash outflows and inflows, and prepare you to make decision to invest the surplus cash you'll soon have on hand.
Records of major purchases and projects helps you to evaluate larger investments in capital equipment or business facilities, by using some of the same financial tools used by accountants and other financial professionals.
Analyzing your current financial position arms you with sophisticated ways of examining your financial statements and other aspects of your business, and identifying trends, spot emerging problems as well as comparing your business to others in the same industry.

Business Idea in Health Industry: Dietitian

2009-06-04T13:32:00.003+08:00

First thing first, you need to be an accredited dietitian for starting this business. Although there's no regulatory board or council protecting the titles of Dietitians and Nutritionists. The Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association (SNDA) implemented an Accreditation Scheme in 2005 for Nutritionists and Dietitians who are members of the association.

From SNDA website, we understand that "Accredited Dietitian of Singapore (ADS) and Accredited Nutritionist of Singapore (ANS) are recognised professionals who have credible qualifications and expertise to provide expert nutrition and dietary advice to the healthy population. ADS have additional knowledge and skills in clinical nutrition and are trained to work with various diseased populations in various settings."

As a new accredited dietitian, you could sub-contract your services out to numerous businesses such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes and (which is popular here in Singapore) weight loss clinics and fitness centers. Being a smart entrepreneur, you shouldn't only think being an average dietitian but also working toward your personal branding as a successful dietitian. Build long lasting relationship with your customers and use referral technique to boost your sales of services.

Potential profit for diet consulting services is promising and annual income of $50,000 or more in your first 2-3 years is certainly not impossible given Singaporeans' consciousness towards importance of diet and healthy living. To survive in a competitive industry like this you have to focus on increasing business revenue by developing your own exclusive diet programs, videos and software, books, which can be sold through the company website, as well as to national retailers on a wholesale basis.

How do you think the potential of this business?

Starting Home Based Business with Affiliate Marketing

2009-06-01T12:38:00.004+08:00

Whether it's in good or bad economic times, everyone is looking for the next big idea or business to come along. Unfortunately, not many people are willing to spend significant time to build a legitimate business, especially when it comes to home-based business. People who are serious about starting a home based business need to examine the facts before jumping on the band wagon with all the get-rich-quick gurus who claim to have secret, proven business system. A real long lasting business takes a lot of work.

What is so difficult? Well, getting your website up and running to sell products sure help, but that alone will not good enough to draw people into your business. Think about the cost of doing business, not only in term of dollar amount but also time you spend to acquire or keep a number of costumers. Although it is cheaper to do business online than a traditional brick-and-mortar business, one must keep in mind that you are not free from traditional concept customer service concept such as provide add-on service, gather feedback about your service, foster open dialogue with your consumers and maintain relationship with them along the way.

Always keep your lines of communication open -- emails, voice chat or phone calls are great, but face-to-face conversation is always better. What you want is to keep the consumer happy, let them spread the word, and your business will grow with lesser effort on marketing part. Look at your customers as free advertisement for your business. This means having phone number they can call to ease their concerns about your product and keep them informed as well as updated on new products or discoveries through mailing list or corporate blog.

If there are seems many things to do, especially as a home-based business owner, but don't be discouraged. You can start small while riding your learning curve. For instance, you can sell other people's products or service and get paid for it. This is called Affiliate Marketing, a years-old internet/online marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts. Most of these program accept people who want to sell others' product for free. On the other hand, they take care of all the customer service system and reply quickly to your customers' concerns.

These days, there are many affiliate programs or networks -- which works locally and globally -- that that pay people quite well for selling their products or services. Instead of spending all your initial capital and time on a business that doesn't guarantee any success. You can start small with affiliate marketing, sell others' products or services and find a business that meet your interest -- a business that you believe can lead to satisfied customers so that they will keep coming back. When you're confident with your ability to sell on the internet, you already have enough knowledge set of the industry to start you own business.

4 Rules of Leadership in Tough Times

2009-06-01T10:55:00.004+08:00

World's economy has never been this worst in recent years. Uncertainties seem follow your everywhere you go. Bank credits are tightened, corporate layoffs are announced almost every day and a shaky stock market is followed more closely than ever.

I'm not trying to write an article that will put your spirit down, instead I want us to learn the lessons apply to any challenging time we and our organization may be facing. Whenever and for whatever reason times might be tough, consider these things you can do to create better results for yourself as a leader, to be a better leader your organization or team.

The right attitude rules. The attitude and mindset you bring to workplace is important and infectious to your team, but it has never been so in tough or challenging times. Never fail to fill your mind with ideas and thoughts that help you maintain a positive mood and an upbeat attitude that keep your entrepreneurship spirit going. Whether attending motivational seminar or reading self-improvement book, you should do whatever it takes to maintain that attitude for yourself, knowing that your attitude is contagious.

Communicate organizational goals and vision. When things seem uncertain it's especially become more important than ever to focus your team on the big picture. Does your team see the vision of organization future or just do whatever it can to survive the crisis? Do your people know the most important and meaningful organizational goals? Do they just try to make a living out of your business? As a leader it's your responsibility to all individuals in your organization get the right answer. Spend more time communicating, sharing and engaging people in your picture of the future and their place in it. Not only will it help people see past today, but it will focus them on something positive and helpful for the whole organization.

Keep the good results coming. Don't allow people to become victims of the environment and always expect optimistic results beyond your standard performance. Your industry might be off by 25%, but that doesn't mean your sales have to be off that much. Challenge your team to do more, and to do things differently -- remember there's always a winner in worst situation. You shouldn't deny the current tough environment, but you shouldn't accept it as end of you effort either. Expect the best of team, fully support them and give encouragement whenever is needed, and help them succeed. It starts with your expectations.

Engage your top talent. You may not have much attrition in these tough times; on the other hand, your people may not be looking to move somewhere else. If that's true, it can be easy to take people for granted or rest on your laurels. Don't do it. The economic conditions will change and when it does, you want to be with your top talent who are most open to making a change and are ready to run your organization to its peak performance. Use the current situation as a chance to develop and engage your people as well as to assess their skills set which required business needs. When people are fully engaged they are less likely to leave. Keep your focus on engaging your organization - especially your top talents.

5 Ways to Make Your DIY Press Release Stand Out

2009-06-01T09:18:00.004+08:00

In a connected world where information spread seamlessly, one of the most popular ways for a business to receive free publicity is by attracting (printed or electronic) media attention through Do-it-Yourself (DIY) press release. Most of the time, it takes time and work to get noticed by journalists especially if you run small business. However, the basis of a first-rate public relations campaign is your business press release. If you have established positive relationship with news editors, or hired someone who can catch them during their busy schedule, news press release is the most efficient way to get into the media.

Getting your press release into media's page is not always straightforward though. With limited space and attention given to promote so many businesses, most of press release sent to the media wind up in the trash. If you want members of the media to call you regarding stories you pitch, or the stories they are already working on, you have to send the right message in your press releases.

Get your five W's and one H of Reporting Correct.
For journalist, facts are the foundation of every news article, thus, when basic factual information is need they often turn to press releases. This is the why who, what, when, where, why, and how of your story are so important. When creating a press release, take some time to note the facts about the news you wish people notice. This information is vital for the entire story, and you should reinforce them in the lead paragraph of your release so that news editors don't have to read much to get the gist of your message.
Write a brief-yet-catchy headline
When writing a news, journalist always think from readers perspective. Therefore, headlines of your story should communicate the main idea of the story while capturing the attention of the reader with minimum number of words words possible. Headline of your press release should present the news in in a catch, but keep it in a informative manner, such as "The Many Hidden Costs of High-Deductible Health Insurance" and "Music Industry Sees Nightclubs as a New Source of Revenue".
Get readers' attention, hook them
Once you've gotten your readers' attention, it's time hook them. Think about something that compel the reader to continue reading, such as a surprising fact or statistic, or a common problem faced by readers or a compelling question. This hook often communicates a common problem and a startling statistic, such as "Cancer Death Rate Dropped Nearly 20 Percent in 15 years" or "Is Living in a High-End Suburb Worth It?"
Quote experts' opinion
As you go into more detail about the five W's and one H of your news, giving as much detail as you can in as few words as possible, you will beginning developing the body of your press release. In doing so, you should include experts opinion that the reporter can pull directly from your release. The media loves getting quotes directly from the source of the news and by giving them a quote or two. By including quotes from the first source, you make the their job easier while greatly improving your chances of getting mentioned in the paper. If possible you should use quotes that really highlight the impact of your news.
A Call to Action
After you've gotten all your main points in, last thing you need to close your press release with a call to action. If you want reporters to call you for an interview, you should say so. If you want them to cover your event, make that your call to action. Don't forget to include your contact information.

Video: Seth Godin on Standing Out

2009-05-21T12:45:00.002+08:00

In a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to just ignore the ordinary stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones.

"Seth Godin may be the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age," Mary Kuntz wrote in Business Week nearly a decade ago. "Instead of widgets or car parts, he specializes in ideas -- usually, but not always, his own." In fact, he's as focused on spreading ideas as he is on the ideas themselves.

After working as a software brand manager in the mid-1980s, Godin started Yoyodyne, one of the first Internet-based direct-marketing firms, with the notion that companies needed to rethink how they reached customers. His efforts caught the attention of Yahoo!, which bought the company in 1998 and kept Godin on as a vice president of permission marketing. Godin has produced several critically acclaimed and attention-grabbing books, including Permission Marketing, All Marketers Are Liars, and Purple Cow (which was distributed in a milk carton). In 2005, Godin founded Squidoo.com, a Web site where users can share links and information about an idea or topic important to them.

Source: www.ted.com

Starting a Craft Business, Tips and Tricks

2009-05-21T11:53:00.005+08:00

Singaporeans and expats living in Singapore are not strangers of simple -and-sweet things in life. Collectibles and gifts that have been popular these days such as fresh flower hand bouquet, soft toys, home decorations, unique handmade jewelery (and fashion accessories), cards and handcrafted arts of all kinds.

If you're skilled at making particular craft, having a crafts business is a good way to satisfy others as well as yourself. One trick to succeed in craft business is simply to sell your crafts for enough money that justify your time and materials. First, you need to think about are you going to sell. From there, you can to measure how long time will be taken and money to be spent on making each item. Don't forget to include your marketing cost to cost per item.

To showcase your product, flea markets, bazaars and crafts shows are some of the best place you can pay a visit; but you know that people who attend these events tend to only buy if your crafts are inexpensive. In solving this problem, you can sell your products to sales representatives who understand the industry and who will turn around and market them to retailers. Alternatively, you can also sell them to retailers themselves, place your crafts on consignment in retail shops, or sell them yourself through online shop (or "blog shop") and send via mail order.

What makes this business is popular is because the barrier to entry is relatively easy to tackle; start up costs are low, special licenses and certifications are nil (but just to make sure, you can ask someone who have been in the business for years), you can even start part time if you like and work up to full-time earnings. While you don't need a first class honor bachelor degree in fine arts to be an artisan or crafter, you'll need a genuine love for your specialty, talent and short courses that enhance your crafting techniques. At the end of the day, you get to earn a living doing what you truly enjoy!

Your first customers might come from groups of friends and neighbors. You can then extend your customers-base by offering people from community who attend shows where you display your crafts, or the world at large reached through wholesalers and sales reps. Some artisans have had success selling their products through Tupperware-like home parties.

If you plan to go the wholesale route, hook up with reps at gift shows, which you can locate by calling local and regional chambers of commerce and convention centers, reading gift-industry publications or contacting associations. In Singapore where people appreciate arts, selling crafts shouldn't not be difficult when you understand what exactly they want.

5 Smart Ways to Cut Cost While Being Eco-friendly

2009-05-20T18:27:00.005+08:00

There is no better time than now to to streamline your business. With the global economy faltering, business are forced to reduce cost dramatically since decrease in sales has not been matched by a decrease in overheads. But this is no reason to worry there are many ways that you can counteract the downward trend.

The current global focus on environmental-sound development is also beneficial to your business, if you haven't noticed that. There are now a wide range of recycled products and services that are focused on reducing the cost to the environment whilst the resulting increased competition is reducing costs for businesses.

However, outside sources will not help you that much to go through these times. It's smart purchasing combined with a thorough review of the services and equipments used can make your business far more efficient so that it can continue to grow whatever the economic climate. For example buying office furniture and equipment is unavoidable expenditure and can be a significant outlay, but if you spend a little bit more time to shop around you will find cheap alternatives without having to sacrifice quality, such as second hand goods.

Below are just 5 more ways to simply and effectively reduce business costs:

Get the best prices
Energy prices have spiralled so switching utility providers may save you a significant amount of money. There are many websites that offer comprehensive comparisons of what is available. Alternatively, try to get special packages or bundles for your suppliers designed specifically around your business needs -- in doing so, you need to list first some immediate requirement of your business.
Buy the right equipment
Buying I.T. equipment is always a costly-yet-unavoidable exercise. But there are other options to cut cost such as buying re-manufactured equipments that still have good quality. For example, printers Laserjet are a leading provider of fully warranted, up-to-date re-manufactured printers. The stock primarily comes from demonstration models, factory excess and loaned models. It is returned to good-as-new standard by manufacturers and then sold to you at a discounted price.
Reduce waste
Reduce waste which result in reduces costs for both purchasing and disposal. If possible -- always use less packaging and re-use paper and envelopes. Also, use of electronic communication rather than paper where possible has the added advantage of saving on postage too.
Save beyond the office
Ask your accountant, lawyer or insurer and see if they can find way that you can reduce your overheads. Sometimes just changing small details, particularly with insurance, can save you a lot of money on your premiums. A fresh perspective may be all that you need to save money. Ask your accountant if there's new regulation that can result in tax incentives from government by following environmentally friendly initiatives.
Join Industry Association
Join association that is relevant to your industry might help you to reduce certain costs. You will probably find that they offer a number of incentives to be a member. For example, many offer reduced insurance rates or discounts on equipment and specialist products; and special rates for corporate training and networking events. Of course, knowing what happen in the industry is always good for your business

Self-employment: What to Think Before Starting a Business

2009-05-20T15:25:00.005+08:00

For many people, working for oneself holds great attraction, especially those who are entrepreneurial minded. Some view self-employment as a chance to advance professionally by becoming their own manager, earning more money (not limited to salary cap), or gaining new status.

Others seek the personal advantages it may provide, such as the ability to work from home, have more flexible working hours, or create profitable ventures from activities they enjoy. Indeed, we have heard many entrepreneurs turned their hobbies into profitable businesses. It's important to understand what is your need for starting your business and evaluate periodically that your on the right track to achieve your goal.

Nobody can guarantee success for any business, even those already successful entrepreneurs. But they can increase their chances to succeed by taking steps before starting one. I will focuses on the importance of preparing for self-employment by making informed choices, exploring business and personal suitability, and planning carefully; not so much about day-to-day management and operation of a business. For those details and additional information, we have program called Startup! Accelerator which is designed for first time entrepreneurs to understand operational needs of a start up company.

Many people told me that they pursue self-employment because they would like to develop some area of expertise into a full-time business. Those who decide to start a new business or buy an existing one must first determine if it holds enough appeal for them to invest their time and money into making it work.

In addition, some occupations and industries are more conducive to self-employment than others. Choosing a business requires attention to both your interests and the realities of the occupation you choose.

After choosing a business you want to pursue. What you need to do next is determining whether you understand — and can manage — the business and personal demands that are required for success. Most new businesses fail because the owners do not have experience that prepare the to face challenges in starting a business.

Enlisting the aid of experts, especially those who have worked with other business owners, will help you analyze your capabilities. That knowledge should reveal gaps between your expectations and the reality of succeeding with a business idea, allowing you to rethink your plan before your livelihood depends on its success.

Are you the right person to start a business?

Successful entrepreneurs share common traits. Most of them are hard working, persevering, have ability to handle a great deal of responsibility and and capable of honest self-appraisal. These people understand that self-employment usually involves the pressure to perform, long hours, and irregular income.

To decide whether you should bother to become self-employed, you must examine your motivation and commitment to start a business. Then, you need to honestly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Once you identify them, you can capitalize on your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.

These are just few questions to ask to yourself, whether you are the right person to start a business: Will becoming self-employed meet my career goals? Am I willing to work long hours every day? Can I make my own decisions? Does my family support my endeavor? Can I afford the financial and emotional risks if the business fails?

Media Feature: Business Times, May 11 2009

2009-05-15T15:39:00.001+08:00

Managing Director and founder of Talentpreneur Hub, Ken Koh provides readers of Business Times with 10 important tips when starting a business.

Inspire Your Team to Achieve Organizational Goals!

2009-05-14T13:33:00.008+08:00

As an entrepreneur, you are essentially a business leader in your company. Leadership is about inspiring others to achieve organizational goals. Thus, your challenge as a leader is to push everyone to attain their individual targets so that organizational goals can be achieved in the end.

However, there are some problems faced by the team leader in an attempt to push the team to perform at its best. Each team member might not be able to contribute fully as everyone has their own priorities in life. Enforcing your own set of rules on your team members may not be the best way to solve the problem. In fact, this may possibly create a backlash since no one likes to be forced to do something. So then, how would you; as the leader persuade your team to work towards a collective goal?

"Inspire" is the key. A leaders' ability to inspire others is a vital skill in effective leadership in people management; it's a skill that can be practiced and learned.

To motivate a team you need to share organizational goals, which will benefit each member. A manager needs to enforce a monthly target on its staff members and explain to them how to achieve these targets. Without this process the team will fail to perform. Inspiring your team to achieve your organizational targets is more important than just setting targets alone.

One way to inspire; is to paint a positive picture of organizational goal. It is about selling a vision with a positive outcome, rather than a negative one where goals are unachievable.
For instance, it's more inspiring to say
"I want us to be the best performing company in the industry and gain market share by 20%", rather than saying
"We are not going to see this company lose market share to our competitors this year".

Paint a very clear picture of the target goal. Your team members should be able to visualize it clearly. Use achievable figures, if possible, and make the incentives or rewards attractive for team members when goals are met.

For example;
10% increase in sales growth – Company dinner for team members
20% increase in sales growth – A cash bonus of $XXX
30% increase in sales growth – A paid holiday trip

These are just some of many ways to inspire others. What other ways can you think of; that can inspire your team? Who are some of the inspiring leaders that you know and what set them apart from the poor leaders?

How to Get Customer Referrals to Boost Your Sales

2009-05-14T13:27:00.003+08:00

One of the best (if not the best) way to boost your sales is by having customers to endorse your products or services. It's important for any business to capitalize on goodwill generated by properly servicing customers. Satisfied customers who share excellent service with their colleagues and friends are likely to be more powerful than any well-planned marketing campaign. But how are you going to get their referrals?

In business, there is nothing wrong in asking for a referral -- even big companies do that. In fact, you should always remind yourself and encourage your sales team to ask for referrals once you ensure that your products and or services have helped your customers to solve their problems. You might come again to your customers after one month or two for a service/product feedback and additional service (if any) together with your permission to have their referrals.

Now remember this: going the extra mile can pay off big time. When you provide excellent services that meet (if not exceeds) your customers expectation it's make sense that your clients will inevitably end up completely satisfied. A recent study conducted by NRS Consulting, research firm based in Madison, Wisconsin found that service providers that are rated 91% (or better) in customer satisfaction received six or more referrals from previous buyers. On the other hand, those who received ratings of 67% or less received no referrals. It pays to put extra effort and always over deliver. When have you get positive feedback from your customers, be sure to ask for a good recommendation.

Not everyone referred to you is going to need what you are selling. Rejection might still happen but potential customers who are introduced to you through their referrals are more likely to welcome you than those who are not. Many people believe that when you are doing a good job and your customers are happy, other people need to know your service or products. Thus, you deserve referrals.

One more tip, you can implement a system that includes seamless customers referrals as part of your marketing plan. For instance, you can reward a customer who provide referrals or make it effortless for them to provide you with referrals. Naturally, customers would to pass along business contact -- when they are satisfied -- to people they know. Not only helping you to get new customers, they are also helping their colleagues and friends to enjoy your excellent services.

I hope these tips work well for you.

3 Ways to Generate New Business Ideas

2009-05-09T13:23:00.004+08:00

Always Ask and listen
Successful entrepreneurs understand problems and aspirations of people better. By understanding a person’s needs, you will think of products & services designed to help others. Understanding comes with simply asking and listening to the people around you. The process of always ask and listen will generate business ideas, and evaluate market demand; rather than inventing sophisticated products or services that people don't need.

When listening to others, be aware of unsaid hopes. Sometime people don't explicitly tell what they need or want simply because they never thought such products or services exist. Before budget flight become popular, people never said they want to fly overseas by paying only half of ticket price; they only said they wanted to travel overseas but not having enough money to do so. Smart entrepreneurs understand what people desire and provide solution for people to realize what they want in life.
Learn something new every day
Ask and listen to other people are just two ways of learning something new for business idea generation. There are, however, many ways to learn new things to spot underlying opportunities. Browsing websites, reading newspaper, magazines and books will expand your knowledge and you will keep to current trends, problems faced in a society and where opportunities could arise. Even working for other people could be one way to spot on business opportunities in an industry which your company belong to.

If your budget allow, you might want to go for short courses or classes to learn in-depth about certain industries in fastest way possible. Alternatively, you can have group discussion with people from different profession, educational and social background. The key is to commit to learn new thing everyday no matter how busy you are with current activities.
Synthesize ideas
Synthesize ideas means putting two or more unrelated things together. I'm sure you have witnessed some of the biggest inventions when someone combine two or more things to come out with single solution. Combine camera and mobile phone, you get camera-phone. What other innovation based on synthesized ideas that you can think of?

However it does not mean you can put two ideas together and succeed, but synthesize is still a popular process to generate ideas. The key thing is to run trial-and-error experiment; be willing to change your ideas from its original stand and collect as many input as you can to improve raw ideas into final product or services.

Importance of Having Online Presence or Company Website

2009-05-09T13:10:00.002+08:00

Whether you're running a small enterprise or home-based business, having an online presence is important these days. Benefits of having online presence -- in this case, a "company website" not just profile on MySpace or Facebook -- goes beyond placing your company profile in a public venue. If you don't have a company website, you should consider having one.

So, why having company website is important?

There are approximately 1.5 billion world wide Internet users with about 3 millions users* are accessing from Singapore. With users demographics vary in term of age, place of residence, occupation, social and education background -- Internet provides you with opportunities to reach potential customers no matter what product or service you sell. And not only customers; your future business affiliates, partners and investors might find and learn about your business through company website.

Promoting your company through a website is much more cheaper than doing so on printed brochures and booklet. Domain name registration cost you about $10 per year, web hosting cost starts from $10 per month while one-time web designing cost you from just $500 or lower depending on design quality. Total same amount you spend on brochure or booklet will give you less marketing reach. Although I don't suggest you to build a website using free website builder service, many some businesses with very low budget started with these services.

Your business card is too small to place all information about your business; and so your company booklet and brochure. On the other hand, your website can always be expanded to include everything you need to tell about your business; from product or service information to job opening in your company. With open source content management system (CMS) like Wordpress and Joomla; plus broadband Internet access, updating website content is now as easy and as fast as updating file documents in your computer with word processor. This will be at your advantage when you need to immediately inform public about latest updates, upcoming events, etc. from your company.

In recent years, media used on the Internet has become richer than ever. Not only text and picture, now video broadcast and podcast have become alternative ways to deliver information to internet users. Imagine when you can record a video of product demonstration, upload it to company website and let people view it from their desk; you will save a lot of time and money introducing your product to the public. You can forget about door-to-door sales tactic, or inviting just limited number of people to watch your product demonstration.

Having a website means your business is open 24/7 and reachable round the clock. Even when you sleep, you can literally "sell" your product or service when your website provides customers with necessary information that help them to decide if the want to buy from you. It's possible that when you wake up tomorrow morning, you already have another customer!

Talks Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes

2009-05-01T11:26:00.002+08:00

Why do people succeed? Richard St. John compacts seven years of research into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success. Richard St. John knew how he had found success -- through his marketing company, the St. John Group, which boasted clients like Nortel and BlackBerry/Research in Motion. But he couldn't get away from the question: Why him? He thinks of himself as an average guy, not talented at school, not terribly handsome or particularly lucky. So he spent more than a decade interviewing 500 people he defines as successful -- from architect Frank Gehry to non-celebrities successful in their own lives.

The resulting book, Spike's Guide to Success: Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and RICH, has spawned a new avenue of success for St. John as a motivational speaker and talk-show star. His newest book is 8 to Be Great: The 8 Traits that Lead to Great Success.

source: www.TED.com

Hey Pet Lovers, These are 3 Business Ideas for You

2009-04-30T10:16:00.009+08:00

Not everyone is gifted with ability to understand pets and interact with them. Combining your talent and passion in pet grooming and entrepreneurship, you can start a pet business today! These are just some ideas to get you going:

Online One-Stop-Information Center for Dog Owners
One stop information center is a website (or blog) that gives information for dog owners information such as tutorial to train and communicate better with their dog, directory of places to take their dog for a walk, review of dog/pet shops in Singapore. Media used can be in text and picture but video tutorial should be better. To build online community of dog owners, you can start online forum where dog owners can discuss and share info related to dog grooming; and organize meet up off the line.

So how do you make money? There are lots way with profitability depending level of your website traffic visitors and readership. Your revenue sources are varied from selling advertising space on the site, paid review of dog grooming products to selling exclusive dog training programs, books or video tutorials and charging dog trainers and shops a fee to be listed in your directory.
Fish and Aquarium Rentals
How does it work? The business is simple providing rental of fishes and aquarium to public waiting room such as in clinic and hospitals, hotels, restaurants, business offices, etc. Aquarium filled with beautiful tropical fishes can be an alternative entertainment for people to keep them occupied in a waiting room. They can also be rented for specific occasions such as for wedding and cocktail parties. Of course, this service can be provided to home owners who have no time taking care of their fishes and aquarium. Once you establish a regular clientele base, potential yearly profits to be earned could be exceed $50,000 or more.
Pet Photography
Like any other family member, pet in our house want to be rewarded with photos of themselves in special occasions. However, not all pet owners a good photographer and this could your opportunity to provide such service. Unlike normal photography service, pet photography service requires someone who have passion for pet and not allergic to all kinds of pet. From dogs, cats, to reptiles, birds, to fishes; they all can be your potential photo models.

You can operate this service in full-time or part-time basis, from a home based studio (rent if you don't have one) or from pet shops. Don't forget to make photography session a fun experience for pets and the owners. Depending on your initial capital, you can consider add on services to liven things up such as special effect of photos, unique pet costumes, custom themed backdrops, videotaping services, etc.

Image courtesy: Joe Shlabotnik

In Becoming an Effective Leader

2009-04-30T00:38:00.003+08:00

You are a leader once you decide to take entrepreneurship path. Whether you are working in small or big team -- you will be faced with situations that require your capacity as a leader. The question is how to an be effective leader? In the following paragraphs, I'll share with common traits that are shared among effective leaders hopefully I can give you some ideas in becoming an effective leader. Of course, I'd like to know your view as well.

Many people follow their boss because of the job structure in a organization. The truth is just because you are the boss does not mean people trust in what you do whole hearted -- they may follow you simply because you pay them and provide job security. It will be tough to get people to move toward this direction without right dose of trust. Thus, it's important to gain people's trust before you take the charge.

Communication skills is important for every effective leader. Effective communication skills help you providing clear picture to others of your vision; and how you are going to achieve it together with them. Combining trust and effective communication, you will be able to erase other people's doubt in achieving organizational goals and motive them to work toward it. Effective communication also help you in building organization values which involve all components within the organization.

Often, leaders are faced with the situations where every decision seems to be risky and invites negative feedback from others. An effective leader must always have the courage to do the thing they believe in. In situations where decision-making is critical for organization, a leader should examine other people's thinking and rationale before making the final decision. Again, good communication help effective leaders when encounter other people's reaction.

An effective leader knows when to say no and stick to what s/he believe. As a leader, no one expects you to agree on everything because it everyone has different view and interest toward any issue. Learning to say no is an effective way to stay focused, show your consistency, and commitment to decision that has been made. Indeed, there's a time when you need to take other people's feedback and not isolate yourself from valuable inputs.

These are just some aspects of what make an effective leader. From your experience, what are other traits required to be an effective leader?

Things to Consider before Launching a Social Media Campaign

2009-04-25T13:04:00.005+08:00

Social media has been seen lately as modern marketing tool that is less costly and yet having wider impact that traditional marketing channel like newspaper, TV or printed magazine.

However, social media marketing without proper strategy placed at the top of execution will cost you a lot of time. Without plan, many small businesses can't keep up with sheer volume of marketing activities using social medium since there are always new tools, techniques and disruptions along the way.

So, what should be considered in planning-phase of social marketing? First, you will need to decide -- with limited resources you have -- which channels you are going to focus on. There are social networking websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace as well as online forums. Or, you may take advantage of the use of company blog and blogging as your primary weapon to reach potential and existing customers and business partners. Second, you need to decide how much effort you will need to put on each channel.

One common problem shared by small business entrepreneurs is that tremendous amount of background research required. Channels used for your social media marketing will be highly based on where your targeted audiences spend most of their time. Your audience will be company stakeholders and element social media eco-system such as customers, bloggers, Internet directory and website owners, your "friends on the Internet" and millions of anonymous Internet users need to be maintained on a regular basis.

Forget about one way communication, your social media campaign is nothing without meaningful feedback from them. Your products or services need to be put in front of as many people as possible and as often as possible without being labeled as "spam". It's about how you engaging your audience to help you to build your brand which result in continuous sales flow in long term. Thus, it requires a lots of time and serious commitment once you take off from planning phase.

Unfortunately, there's no agreed formula to measure Return-On-Investment of the social media marketing. While online visitors traffic to your website or number of sales generated could be one way to measure your campaign, the real impact (which is about branding and relationship building with public) is hard to measure.

So are you ready to start your social media campaign? You have to be ready anyway.

3 Important Elements of a Good Business Card

2009-04-24T15:49:00.004+08:00

No matter how catchy your company name is, it will not market itself without pro-active effort from you. Business card is a non-expensive way for small business owner to build company's brand. So, do make nice business card for your company and spread it around to friends, family and potential and existing clients.

Your business card could be one way to introduce brand name to people you meet. These are elements of a good business card you need to take note before you go to business card designer and make one for your business:

Logo and Company name. A well-designed business card give prominent place to company logo as it's an important element for strong company brand. And the stronger the brand of your company, the easier the your business to expand. No wonder that big company often spend a ton of dollars to design the company logo. As small business owner, you might want to spend less on designing company logo which is fine. However, you should consider that you will carry your company logo for the next 5 to 10 years, or even more.
Information contained. Your name, job title, company's address and contact details like phone number and email is a must. But people communicate with many ways these days so consider other ways for people to reach you like Facebook, Skype and LinkedIn. If your company has a website and blog, which is great, don't hide it from your business card.

Another essential thing is to give people a clue about what your company provide. I will avoid having one brief paragraph of company history on my business card. One line should do well. Can you tell people what your company is doing in one sentence?
Look and feel. Don't spend your money on average business card, people will just forget. While people tend not to pay attention on other people's business card, well-designed business card will impress people which is at your advantage if it's the first time they heard about your business. Element of business card design including, colors, shape and size, fonts type and size and content layout.

Check out the following link for inspiration of cool business card designs:
http://dzineblog.com/2008/06/cool-business-card-3.html
http://creativebits.org/cool_business_card_designs

5 Time Management Tips to Boost Your Productivity

2009-04-24T11:57:00.002+08:00

Understand your preferences. The best way to get the most of your time is by scheduling your work base on your preference. People have different preferences over their working style. For example, some people work faster at night, others focus better in early morning. Working preference also include like communication tool, office condition and type of work. While you need to follow your working preference, don't forget synchronize with your colleague and client
Don't multi-task, do one at a time. In contrast to popular belief, multitasking does not actually give you effective result for task management. You won't save time by doing all at once, instead you'll get yourself in trouble of losing concentration for each task. This is because, you spend most of your time trying to refocus on which task that need to be prioritized over another.
Plan, plan, plan. Take about 10 minutes to plan your work everyday or every session. To-do list with estimated time spent on each task could be one good tool to plan and organize your work. Use the list to help you to avoid procrastinate and keep your schedule on track. Allow 10-15 minutes buffer for each task and give yourself one minute rest in between of the tasks.
Get an assistant. Stop doing it all alone. If you're better at talking than writing, then you should focus on make calls and get someone to help you with task that requires writing skills and vice versa. You will be amaze how much benefit you can get by just focusing on your strength instead of trying to do all by yourself. You may also need to get an assistant to help you to manage easy-but-time consuming tasks such as data entry, managing emails, etc.
Take a rest. Spend 3 hours working non-stop will give you much less result than if you take 5 minutes rest every half an hour over the span of 3 hours. This is because you will lose your concentration over time and take a rest will help you refresh your mind and avoid mental block. In longer term, having rest in between your work will help you prevent health problem such as back pain and fatigue

Have you tried any of these method to boost your productivity? How do you manage your time in a workplace?

Entrepreneurship Talk at Millenia Institute

2009-04-15T10:29:00.002+08:00

On 8 April, Our Managing Director Mr Ken Koh gave new insights on being an entrepreneur to Millenia Institute Entrepreneurship Club. The session was very interactive; the students agreed that the entrepreneurship talk had beneficial insights on the current world job situation.

Many were shocked to find out, about technical knowledge education learned in the first year will not be relevant by the time they graduate. Students learned that being an entrepreneur takes much more than just owning a business. Some key characteristics to success is passion & innovative spirit. Ken highlighted that future graduates cannot depend on the economic market or job opportunities when planning their career growth. To pursue their dream job & financial security, students need to start paving the road to entrepreneurial success now.

Below are feedback from the students:

Young Entrepreneurs' Stories

2009-04-13T17:18:00.006+08:00

Are you feeling to young to start (a business)? Then, you shall think again. Jake Fisher and Weina Scott, both age 17, started Switchpod in 2005. The company provide basic podcasting package that covers hosted space on their servers, costs as much as $30 a month. And by the time Switchpod's product had generated 800,000 downloads, a company named Wizzard Software came in.

Wizzard Software makes speech-recognition and text-to-speech technology and was looking to add podcasting to its product mix. Wizzard Software's CEO, Chris Spencer, recalls that it took a while to realize that the students he was negotiating with were in high school rather than college. What funny was Scott and Fisher met face-to-face for their first time that time! Both live 1,440 miles apart--she's in Miami, and he's in Rochester, Minnesota.

Later, they signed paperwork transferring ownership of Switchpod to Wizzard in an all-stock transaction worth $200,000. The sale includes agreement of annual salaries of $40,000 for a 20-hour workweek. Good thing is the contract acknowledges that Jake and Scott's schoolwork comes before business.

But Jake and Scott are not only young entrepreneurs who launched their ventures after school-hours. Laima Tazmin, 17, is finishing her last college semester while overseeing her web design business continues to expand. Omar Faruk, 18, earned Youth Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young for helping nonprofits with limited resources through his Web management company, Blue Stream. Read more of their stories on "A Portfolio of Young Business Owners"

Let's have enough of US young entrepreneurs. Who are young successful entrepreneurs in Singapore that you can think of?
YES! Startups was launched on 18 November 2008 by SPRING Singapore, provides funding support for youths to set up their innovative start up with S$4 for every S$1 raised by the applicant through self-funding, schools or any other third-party sources (maximum S$50,000). Do you think this fund will increase number of youths who are willing to take risk and start their business? I do hope so.

Ted Turner's Reflection of Entrepreneurial Journey

2009-04-13T13:29:00.006+08:00

When flipping through the Inc.com's Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Journey (slide), I found one interesting story of Ted Turner, the founder of CNN cable news channel.

Ted Turner for revolutionized the media industry when he launched CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel in 1980. Already a mogul in the television business -- he started Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) in 1970 and later Turner Network Television (TNT) -- he went on to lead Turner Broadcasting through a merger with Time Warner.

When Time Warner subsequently merged with AOL in 2001, Turner's stock in the company collapsed and so did his position as an executive at the company.

Undefeated, he returned to his entrepreneurial roots and started Ted's Montana Grill, now a nationwide chain of 55 restaurants. Looking back on his rise and fall, he said this to Inc. in 2004: "I got fired. I was over 60, and it's hard to get a job when you're over 60. People don't want to give you insurance. I thought: I better get a job! Hell, I lost $8 billion!"

It might be true that Ted is still richer than us even after losing his $8 billion; and so you think, it's easy for him to start another business. But I believe it takes more than initial capital to grow a nationwide restaurant chain. It must be knowledge (of starting and growing a successful business) and execution that enable him to run totally different from what he -- not counting his ability to fight back from financial crisis! These are traits of successful entrepreneurs, like Ted, that differentiate him from any other man in the street.

3 Online Businesses You Can Start Today

2009-04-12T11:20:00.005+08:00

Internet Trainer
There are still lots of folks—including many senior citizens and retirees--who don’t have a clue how to access and use the internet. If you spend more than 50% of your day time online -- then you can teach these individuals to learn how to navigate the information superhighway with ease as an internet trainer.

Service you can provide including seminars and workshops, day-long to week-long courses or provide one-on-one assistance and tutorial senior centers and in individuals’ homes. And you can teach the basics or tailor your programs to the specific types of internet use your clients want to know like web browsing, online shopping, or even using Facebook.

The advantages to this business are that--assuming you already have a computer--you can start on a shoestring. Trust me, while internet’s been around for a while, not everyone is internet-savvy, so there’s plenty of room for growth. Plus, you get to play on the internet every day!

Online Researcher
If you caught yourself spending a lot of time surfing the web, why don't you consider an internet research service so you can get paid for the time you spend surfing?

Not a long time ago, this business opportunity was once called "information brokering" and with the introduction of the internet, the name has changed. However, how the business works is still remains the same. Thanks to search engine technology, information that was once researched and compiled from newspapers, trade magazines, and business and industry journals may now be found online.

An internet research service operates in two ways. The first is to collect data and relevant facts of a specific topic or topics, and sell the compiled data to individuals and businesses that require this information. Second, business owners can also enlist their services as internet researcher to source specific data and facts relevant to their particular business, industry, or market.

Bargain Hunter
People love bargain, why don't you help them to find to ones? As bargain hunter, you compile an e-mail address list of people that would like to receive your weekly e-bargains newsletter that features discounts on a wide variety of consumer products and services. You should not introduce membership fees or costs associated with receiving the newsletter. It’s absolutely free of charge. Income and profits you will earn are from selling a very limited number of advertising spaces to online shops and service providers that want access to your newsletter subscribers.

In addition to paying the advertisement fee, these shops and service providers must also agree that the products and service that are advertised in the e-bargain newsletter will be at least 10-20 percent cheaper than the normal retail price. Securing just five advertisers per week each paying S$50 will create a monthly income of S$1,000. All this can be accomplished with a part-time effort of less than 7-10 hours of work each week.

What any other online business you can think of? Never underestimate your technical skills because they might be valuable for other people. Once you know how your skills can be your advantage to help others, it means "business"!

How to Combine Excitement with Honesty To Grow Your Start up

2009-04-12T10:12:00.005+08:00

Many entrepreneurs tend to exaggerate, especially when talking to investors about success of their business. Funding your business without exaggerating isn't easy, however one need to understand a clear line between optimistic exaggeration and outright fabrication. These are some guidelines to help you kick start your start up without selling your soul or spinning a web of lies.

Create excitement and exclusivity among investors and business partners
Even if your product isn't ready, you can use a similar approach to raise funding for your business by getting investors and business partners -- who can provide financial support -- to compete to be first. There's a certainexcitement in being part of the first group of investors, partners or customers to help launch a business.

You can create the feeling of exclusivity by spreading limited invitation to use your "beta-version" product/service and generate buzz about your product plans among blogs that investors read. There's less need to exaggerate if you can set expectations that your product is still being tested among early adopters.

Develop financial projections which based on verifiable assumptions
Investors and VC firms tend to see financial projections that shoot up like a hockey stick. And thus, entrepreneurs often feel compelled to exaggerate projections to look like their businesses can reach a billion dollars of market value in just a few years. But justification need to be made. There's no point fabricating a set of projections that aren't based on reality.

One way to build a set of realistic projections is to start with business drivers that can be discussed and debated with investors. Let's say, if you're selling bread that depend on the cost of each ingredients, develop a set of financial projections that link selling price to the number of bread you plan to sell and the changing price of ingredients. This will show how much market value and allow investors to understand what assumptions you're basing your growth on.

Write paychecks that increase the business grows
One of the most difficult tasks for entrepreneurs is to convince talented employees to join the team and stay on the team before company is profitable or stable. As a start up owner, you have to option of paying you employees: Pay your employee a market salary and take a bet that you can grow the business to justify the salary, or share risk with your employee by paying a below-market salary plus equity incentives.

Many experienced entrepreneurs agree that it makes more sense to share risk with employees, at least until you have funding or until your product line gets market traction. While this makes sense, it often puts the entrepreneur in the position of having to recruit employees by exaggerating about how developed the company's strategy is, or how popular the company's products are.

Employees are among the first to know when funding prospects dry up, strategies fail and products don't sell, so it's better to be upfront about the risks of joining a young company. But enable new recruits to share in the rewards of business success immediately rather than waiting for their equity to appreciate.

Do you have any experience of creating excitement for your business? How did it work for you?

Entrepreneurship Talk at HomeTeamNS Balestier

2009-04-07T12:37:00.004+08:00

March and April saw the first collaboration between the HomeTeamNS Entrepreneurs club and Talentpreneur Hub. Managing director of Talentpreneur Hub, Mr Ken Koh, gave us two wonderful talks from which participants gained a better knowledge into opportunities to start one’s own business.

During the sharing session, participants agreed that they would like to achieve financial and career stability. Many wish to pursue a career they are passionate about; Mr Poh Chong Wee, who has been working in a logistics company for 11 years, added “I would like to achieve freedom in expressing myself, my own management ideas and work style.”

Another participant, Mr David Han plans to start his own company, but is afraid of financial risks. As such, he brought his wife, Joanne, along for the talk to learn more from Ken on spotting opportunities, which will be especially useful during these difficult times. The couple feel that entrepreneurship is a feasible way to achieve financial stability.

The Startup! Accelerator Programme by Talentpreneur Hub is an intensive entrepreneurship training course designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs, with a step-by-step practical curriculum to create a sustainable company. The programme is uniquely tailored to help participants understand everything they need to start their business. This 10-week course consists of business training, incubation and mentoring, after which budding entrepreneurs will pitch their business plans to Talentpreneur Hub’s network of investors.

Ken assures, “as long as you are committed to start on your own, we can help aspiring entrepreneurs to generate viable business ideas and take action to turn those ideas into sustainable businesses.“

“Through Ken’s guidance, I now have information that can help me start my own business”, quipped Ms Esther Liow. Stop fighting for jobs, create your own has truly been an insightful session for one and all. HomeTeamNS hope to have the opportunity to work with Talentpreneur Hub again in the near future, promoting and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs to create a vibrant entrepreneurial community.

Few Tips on Delegating Tasks Effectively

2009-04-02T17:09:00.004+08:00

Learning the art of delegating is essential as an entrepreneur After all it is an integral part of leadership. Whether you are a leader of an organization, or the manager of your small business, you need to be able to successfully delegate tasks in order to be able to develop your staff and get the job done.

Many bosses obsessively hang on to tasks as they think that only they can do them successfully. Too often, they feel that they must have control of everything in the company. However, that defeats the purpose of having other staff employed at all. Learning to delegate can be difficult, especially if it's your first time. You can give your staff the most difficult and most menial jobs. Neither it is fair or fitting to give your staff "too easy" jobs which me demotivate them.

Be fair in delegating tasks. Try to match the talents of each staff member with the task in hand. It is no good if you assign a duty to someone who is not motivated to even think of doing it. If you can match their talent to the delegated job, it would be easier to identify the training needs of your workforce and enable you to organise such training. If someone does not feel confident with a particular task make sure that they get the necessary training.

You can also ask the staff in a professional manner to do the job desired. Don't just throw tasks at them as if they were no-one. If you do you, will end up with a demoralised workforce that is little use to anyone, least of all you. Thank them for getting the job done, assuming that it has been. Credit were credit is due after all and it will motivate them to do better job in future in more efficient manner.

Encourage staff to feel part of a team and to feel useful. Try not to ask staff to do something which you would not be happy to do yourself. Basically I think that you need to use your common sense when delegating and put yourself in your staff's shoes. By thinking how you would react to certain methods of delegation, and how you would like to be treat, you should be able to delegate in an appropriate and successful manner.

Grant Helped Start up to Develop Warehouse Management System

2009-04-02T12:21:00.006+08:00

With 20 years’ experience in the industry, Benjamin Koh could see both the problems and the opportunities. It's why he set up Addicon Logistics Management (S) Pte Ltd, he knew he had to try something new.

Benjamin explained his initial thought for the business (quoted from Business.gov.sg):

“I wanted to be different,” he said. “The conventional business model of logistics businesses being mere transporters – in the sense that we simply move all sorts of goods from point to point – is not sustainable because of low profit margins and intense competition.”

Benjamin decided to focus on fashion logistics, a niche industry segment that provides integrated transport, storage and ancillary services for fashion manufacturers and retailers.

He said, “People in Singapore and the region are becoming more educated and informed. With this increase in sophistication comes more refined tastes. Naturally, people also want to wear nicer clothes, which would drive demand for fashion products.”

Prior to fund raising through SPRING, his team prepared business proposal elaborating how the project would help the business to create new value-added services for clients. Business proposal also demonstrated innovation in developing new service concept to create a new market niche.

A month after his submission, Addicon's application was approved. He received S$300,000 under Logistics Capability Development Programme (LCDP) grant. This fund covered half of consultancy fees, manpower expenses as well as equipment and material costs for the project. It also helped his company to increase its budget and incorporate all desired features into its project.

Read the full article at Business.gov.sg

Learning Sources for Entrepreneurs

2009-04-01T21:16:00.004+08:00

The best education for entrepreneurs are the learning plans they design for themselves (sometimes without even realizing it) to fit their needs and personal situation. This can be a combination of formal education, reading business-related materials, mentoring, and trial and error of his or her own ideas.

Formal Education (College and University)
Formal education is important, but even it should not be taken passively. Courses that encourage creativity, brainstorming, and problem-solving help establish a thought process that is very beneficial to entrepreneurs. On the other hand, courses that focus entirely on memorization and recall are not necessarily bad but are limiting.

College and University definitely help an entrepreneur gain necessary knowledge (such management or accounting theory) and skills to help them with their business ventures. However, one main mistake some people make is believing that a college education and degree alone is a gold-key of business success when it should be treated as one part of an overall educational plan. While it is sometimes hard for many people in their late teens and early 20s to know what they want to do as a career, focusing on skill development can actually open up possibilities of several different career and business paths.

Mentors
Having experienced business mentor is literally better than someone handing you a million dollars because if you listen to him or her, they'll make you a lot more than that over your lifetime. Mentors usually come from different backgrounds in any situation. Some people have parents or family members who own businesses. Others meet a mentor through an employment situation – such as church, or through friendship and social connections. You may have one business mentor in your life or several. The main thing is usually you have to seek a mentor out, as opposed to them coming to you.

Literature
Business books, magazines, articles, CDs, DVDs, and seminars also have educational value. If for some reason you feel like you can't or don't want to pursue a college education, designing a self-study program from your local library and bookstores can be very economical alternative. The best thing there is book for every problem, so books won't limit you to learn necessary knowledge given different needs of your learning process

Lastly, after all of your preparation and learning you still have to do the work, and this is where you will learn valuable lessons from your own experiences. Starting and running a business is a challenge, but it can be very rewarding and could change the way you see yourself as an individual.

Entrepreneurship Talk at HomeTeamNS Bukit Batok

2009-03-31T17:06:00.005+08:00

On 28 march, Our Managing Director Mr Ken Koh gave new insights on being an entrepreneur to HomeTeamNS members.

During the sharing session, every participant agreed that they would like to achieve financial & career stability. Many wish to pursue a career they are passionate about.
Mr Poh Chong Wee, who has been working in a logistics company for 11 years added, "I would like to achieve freedom in expressing myself, my own management ideas and work style"

Another participant, Mr David Tan planned to start his own company, but is afraid of financial risk. Instead, he advises his wife Joanne, to start her own business. The couple feel entrepreneurship is the only way to reach financial stability.

Top 10 Reasons to Start a Business in a Recession

2009-03-28T00:04:00.004+08:00

Continuing from previous posting on new start ups optimism in US, I want to share with you a great write up by Brad Sugars. "Top 10 Reasons to Start a Business in a Recession" should give you enough reasons not to wait to kick start your own venture today. In anticipation of the next period of growth, this is probably a good time to start pursuing your (business) plan.

Those 10 reasons are:

Everything is cheaper.
You can hire more and better-qualified people.
People are looking to change suppliers.
Ownership equals tax incentives.
Family and friends don't want to (or can't) invest more money into the stock or real estate markets.
Suppliers are giving better credit.
You can get good PR by showing you are going against the trend.
You can buy everything you need at auction.
You can find great "low money" or "no money" down deals.
And finally... You've lost your job, and you have to do something.

Although this article seems under estimates the difficulties of starting up during bad time, I believe it gives you some sense of optimistic you need as aspiring entreprenerus. Read more on this article on Entrepreneurs.com

Despite Economy, New Startups Retain Optimism

2009-03-27T23:36:00.002+08:00

Despite global economic recession, not all entrepreneurs are giving up their plan to start new venture. Thanks to advance technology like web 2.0 and cloud-computing that result in less cost of starting up a business. The following are written by Rachel Metz for AP.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) - With many established businesses just trying to survive, you might not think it's a good time to start a company, let alone ask anyone for money to help get it rolling. But if a series of presentations from fledgling Silicon Valley startups is any indication, innovation is not braking for the recession.

Over three hours Wednesday, more than a dozen startup founders - most of them in their 20s - gave rapid-fire talks to a group of peers, journalists and potential investors about their companies.

Many of these startups are just a few months old, and some have not yet launched. Those on display ranged from an online marketplace selling gourmet treats to a company offering Web-based voice conferencing. Another is developing dating applications for the iPhone.
The presentations comprised "Demo Day," an event held twice a year by Mountain View-based Y Combinator, which provides startups with small amounts of initial funding (usually $5,000, plus $5,000 per founder) in exchange for small ownership stakes. Since its inception in 2005, Y Combinator has funded about 40 startups each year; it hopes to use a recent $2 million infusion from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and other investments to bump the number up to 60 per year.

Get Laid off? It's Time to Start a Business!

2009-03-26T02:03:00.004+08:00

During recession time, many companies start cutting cost by letting go some of their employees. One of them could be us. But you don’t have to worry because there are alternatives out there aside waiting to return to work again.

Starting new business is one of them. Although we are now in the turbulence era, there are still plenty of opportunities that we can explore.

There is maybe one question in our head, how can we start a new business while big companies collapse? Instead of listening to doubtful voice on our ears, why don’t we start to look around and learn other people's success story, how did they start their business with small or no capital?

Learning from successful entrepreneurs, you will notice that there are millions of opportunities out there. If you don’t know what kind of business you want to pursie, you can start by looking what you have done in your previous jobs. Alternatively, there might be one thing that we want to do for a long time but have not chance to realize that. Many successful entrepreneurs are doing business based on their previous working experience. For example, if previously we worked at a bank, we can set up a financial consultant firm.

But there are other people who do something that is completely irrelevant with their previous background. I know a lady who worked as assistant manager before she chose to start a boutique and became a fashion designer because she felt that she has talent for that.

So what are you waiting for? Is it lack of knowledge that hold you from pursuing your dream? If so, you can start to ask around and searching for counseling to provide you with advices about starting and running a business. At Talentpreneur Hub for instance, we help aspiring entrepreneurs to generate viable business ideas and take action to turn those ideas into sustainable business.

Stop worrying and take action today!

Business Board Games

2009-03-23T11:19:00.005+08:00

The business board games at Talentpreneur Hub are organized by Business Board Game Meet Up Group. They are business board game enthusiasts and meet up every second Tuesday of the month to play business board games.

Building a Winning I & E Club

2009-03-23T11:02:00.001+08:00

The programme aimed to equip educators with the skills to manage and grow I&E Clubs in schools and to develop I&E initiatives that will benefit their students. Through case studies of successful I&E Clubs in other schools, educators learned about some of the best practices to implement in their own clubs. Educators were also trained on how to create and grow a dynamic I&E Club with the resources available in their schools.

ExoroGame™ for Facilitators & Educators

2009-03-18T12:39:00.005+08:00

ExoroGame™ is a business simulation game which focuses on the managerial and operational challenges of running a company. At the end of the day, facilitators and educators were able to:

Learn how to play ExoroGame™
Identify and understand the dynamics of ExoroGame™
Learn key concepts in business management, product management, marketing, the importance of innovation in business, risk and value assessment
Be a trained ExoroGame™ facilitator for future ExoroGame™
Identify the teambuilding, leadership, decision making and entrepreneurial elements of the game and bring out the desired learning values for participants when facilitating future sessions

Check out some photos from our ExoroGame™ activities

Startup! Accelerator

2009-03-18T12:39:00.004+08:00

The first session of Startup! Accelerator was held on 12th January 2009. It kicked off a series of 12 sessions aimed at equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to start their business. The second intake of Startup Accelerator is on 14th March 2009.

NUS Entrepreneurship Week

2009-03-18T12:21:00.007+08:00

NUS Entrepreneurship Week was held from 19 – 23 January 2009. Talentpreneur Hub & NUS Entrepreneurship Society organized a talk titled “Online Business 101”. The talk had entrepreneurs in the e-commerce industry sharing their experience in starting up online business and how they proceeded with expanding it. Participants learned how to start an online business and hear useful tips and advice on starting and growing their businesses into possibly the next E-bay!

Below are feedback we received from our attendees for each speaker we invited

Feedback for Mr. Rod Low's presentation

Feedback for Mr Xu Weiming's presentation

i.JAM, Turn Your Ideas Into Reality!

2009-03-13T20:28:00.001+08:00

From the website of Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Singapore:

The IDM Jump-start And Mentor (i.JAM) initiative aims to grow a self-sustaining capacity for continuous grassroots innovation in the IDM sector. Individuals and start-ups with breakthrough ideas that can be developed into innovative products and services will be matched with appropriate mentor support and funding, to bring about their realisation. The i.JAM initiative marshals support from industry players, business mentors and technology suppliers to provide bottom-up support to the transforming of innovative ideas into useful applications and breakthroughs.

IDM Office will appoint incubators to identify and nurture startups as well as to help them with funding on behalf of the IDM Office. These incubators will also advise the digital media entrepreneurs on the uniqueness of their ideas, aggregate startups with similar ideas, offer networks, and provide guidance on securing additional funding and general business advice.

In short, incubators help entrepreneurs nurturing their ideas into real business. These incubators are expected to take 10% to 25% ownership (or "invest", in another word) of the project cost of the startup.

Some ideas that are funded by this initiative includes: SharedCopy (an online service that allows its users to markup and annotate any website with a simple bookmarkelet), Spree2shop (aggregator of user reviews and owner replies of blogshops and sprees) and Comiqs (web based tool for creation of comic strips online) and so forth.

Find more detail about this initiative on IDM website

Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Stop thinking like an employee!

2009-03-12T16:05:00.008+08:00

One of the main reasons most businesses don't succeed is because people don't understand the difference between an entrepreneur and an employee. A true entrepreneur doesn't work in his business. A entrepreneur creates jobs for other people. An employee works in the business. That's the reason why there are so many business failures today. We have too many employees who don't know how to be an entrepreneurs attempting to run businesses. You cannot run a business with an employee mindset.

Employees and entrepreneurs are two different people, although none of them are better than another. You can't compare them because their thought process is different.

Employees look for jobs, entrepreneurs create jobs. I've been talking to entrepreneurs recently and all of them share a common thing. They refuse to work for anyone. Employees feel comfortable getting a steady income and they "have to" work for that. They work because they have been taught that working is the only way to enjoy Singapore's 5 Cs (Cash, Credit Card, Condos, Car, Country Club membership).

On the other hand, entrepreneurs understand that there are people who are willing to work for steady income and so they create jobs for these people. It's then entrepreneur's job to create a team who runs the business for them. They go out and hire the smartest people who can run their business. Entrepreneurs hire the best managers and these managers hire brightest employees. Managers run the business as entrepreneur tells them to. That's why managers are paid higher than employees. Although the truth is, a lot of managers are actually smarter than the entrepreneurs.

Can you see their mind set? You don't have to be the smartest person in the world to be an entrepreneur. I read in one article that Sir Richard Branson cannot read financial reports, even after years being successful entrepreneurs. Of course, he has hired smartest Accountant to help him understand the even most complicated financial reports. Entrepreneurs need only to know how to create and demand respect -- and being risk-taker along the way.

Let's think about all the top paying jobs all over the world. The owners of these companies created and demanded respect. They created something of their own. People respect entrepreneurs. And now we know why they work for them. Let's take Steve Jobs for example. If he came to you tomorrow and offer you a job, surely you would take it -- will you? The reason you would take this job is because you respect Steve and his company, Apple. I'm pretty sure there are so many people working for Steve Job and Sir Richard Branson that are smarter than him. He gained those smart people's respect and now they are continuing to build his business.

Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Here's how you should tune your mind set.

You never want to work for anyone. you hate the word "job." Every time you think about working you get frustrated. As an entrepreneur you going to have to work but not like an employee works who work for steady income. you will have to work my brain to create my business and get people to work for you.

I will continue to post on this topic. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what do you think.

7 Expectations of First Time Entrepreneur

2009-03-11T15:24:00.001+08:00

Expectations, most of the time, have a bigger impact on business development than many first time entrepreneurs realize. Many advised that it's better to set higher expectations over the areas of a business which we can control and be more conservative in other areas that are market driven. In staying with your expectations, you may need take away a lot of unnecessary worry and stress while keeping yourself from making impulsive decisions out of frustration.

These are 7 expectation you need to think through as a first time entrepreneur:

Nobody starts off perfect, it's your attitude that matters.
I remember when I first started exploring my online publishing business ideas, I wasn't very confident. Just like with anything else you do that's new, there's going to be lots of learning and mistakes along the way. It's important to keep reminding yourself that you should learn from failure instead of letting it bring you down or cause you to quit trying.

No one else around will share your expectations of your business.
You're the only person who best understand what you are doing. You should not let everyone else's expectations have too much control over your decisions. When you seriously decide to run your own business, you're no longer normal in this current society. You have the potential to make it big, but at first you often have few “nay sayers” telling you that you're not going to make it.
And it's normal. Some are well-meaning and really care about you, while most of them just don't want to see change and dislike the fact that you're beginning to grow personally.

Stability is your primary financial goal! (When you're starting out)
Getting your business paying for itself is even more important than ever when you're starting out. Your profit may come immediately or take you several years, every industry has its own standard. Thus you may want to see the other players in your industry. Over time, however, your business should make progress with increased profits and decreased expenses.

Results in business are not like results in a job
One of the things that first-time entrepreneurs need to realize is that results in businesses take a lot longer to show up than a typical employment situation. It can be months or years. However, the trade off in being patient is usually a much higher income over time. Unfortunately, most people give up before they ever really get started as they think business results should be like those in a job.

Borrowed money is not always the best solution for growth.
Impatience gets a lot of people at this stage, especially when it comes to debt. Most first time entrepreneurs have expectation that what their business really needs is simply a burst of money. But once the money is used up, interest payments take up all the increased profits (and sometimes even more). Get someone who understand in what you do to put their capital in your business. Alternatively, do search government support in funding like SEEDS funding or YES! Startup capital from SPRING Singapore which is less risky than loan.

That's 7 tips from me for those first time entrepreneurs, do you have any tip and advice to share for first time entrepreneurs? Share with us here!

BlueSky Enterprise Day 2008

2008-07-21T17:37:00.007+08:00

The BlueSky Enterprise Day 2008 has been jointly organised by the Action Community for Entrepreneurship, Talentpreneur Hub and the Youth Enterprise Academy to dedicate a half-day event running entrepreneurship related programmes for youths. It was held on Friday,18th July 2008, at the Hwa Chong Institution. Students and teachers from more than 20 primary and tertiary institutes were invited to participate in workshops, board games and exhibitions. These programmes were aimed to engage youths in various activities to inspire them to realize the possibilities of creative ideas and turning them into avenues of wealth creation.

The BlueSky Enterprise Day is part of the BlueSky Festival which is held annually to run initiatives that encourage and foster the spirit of enterprise amongst Singaporeans, namely the youth.

Gracing the event was the Senior Minister of State for Education, RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, acting as Guest of Honour and took a brief tour of the exhibition area.

At the exhibition, various schools also held exhibits side by side along with other business companies supporting the event such as Now Asia, Microsoft and KooBits. Talentpreneur Hub and the Youth Enterprise Academy were on site to present business development and education programmes which are in line with the vision of Spring Singapore’s initiative to integrate youths into the culture of enterprise.

Student booths on the other hand, presented business programmes and activities that have been run by their respective entrepreneurial student clubs and co-curricular activities. There were also those who tried their hand at setting up and running their own shops selling soft toys and bookmarks among others. Most importantly are exhibits which showcased exemplary Singapore start-ups such as Charles and Keith detailing their humble beginnings to the successful businesses they are today.

Also gracing the event were educational albeit fun filled games held by Settlers Lite, also a local start up. Set in tables laid with board games, groups of students were treated to the fine but essential skills of networking and negotiating. Strategic game play was also evident in “Dividends” where players engage themselves in the trade of financial literacy. Central to the purpose of enterprise, these would prove to be invaluable skills in business and lay the foundation of enterprise in seamless and interactive activity.

Workshops were at hand to foster creative ideas and grease the wheels of innovation. In a series of talks, students participated in discussions with speakers, shared ideas and mapped out concepts in business. It presents a wonderful avenue for them to learn and interact with others to inspire potential entrepreneurs by planting the seeds of business acumen.

2008-07-01T14:31:00.004+08:00

Connection Night (June 2008) :
Social Enterprise
Organised by: Talentpreneur Hub and Central Singapore CDC
Location: Toa Payoh Hub, Bizlink Three
Number of participants: 56
Target Audience: Aspiring Social Entrepreneurs

Internet Business Hub (September 2007)

2008-03-03T17:38:00.003+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Hermitage Wines
Number of Participants : 18
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Internet Business Hub (July 2007)

2008-03-03T17:24:00.003+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Hermitage Wines
Number of Participants : 21
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Internet Business Hub (April 2007)

2008-03-03T17:01:00.003+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Hermitage Wines
Number of Participants : 25
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Connection Night (October 2007)

2008-03-03T10:22:00.006+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 30
Targeted Audience : Young Entrepreneurs

Speakers :

Mr Eo Chee Siang
Managing Director, Homebizgears.com Pte Ltd

Mr Jerome Ang
Managing Director, Earthworms Marketing

Mr Nicky Teo
Managing Director, Funeral Solutions Pte Ltd

Connection Night (August 2007)

2008-03-03T10:12:00.006+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 55
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Speakers :

Mr Johnson Tan
Founder, Out of the Box Pte Ltd
Creator of “Anything & Whatever” drinks

Connection Night (June 2007)

2008-03-03T10:04:00.004+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 25
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs
Theme: Members’ networking night at Frujch, SMU

Connection Night (May 2007)

2008-02-29T10:46:00.009+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 40
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Speakers :

Dr Dennis Wee
Founder, Dennis Wee Group

Mr Felix Yeo
Founder, Skateline Pte Ltd

Connection Night (April 2007)

2008-02-29T10:07:00.006+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 45
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Speakers :

Mr Peter Tan
Chairman, D&D Financial Services Pte Ltd

Connection Night (March 2007)

2008-02-29T09:59:00.007+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub and Settlers Cafe
Location : Settlers Café (Clarke Quay Branch)
Number of Participants : 45
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs
Theme: Members’ networking at Settler’s Café

Connection Night (February 2007)

2008-02-29T09:55:00.007+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 57
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Speakers :

Mr Tony Seow
Founder, Purple Sage Pte Ltd

Mr Gary Loh
Founder, Clayan Consulting

Connection Night (January 2007)

2008-02-29T09:46:00.009+08:00

Organised by : Talentpreneur Hub
Location : Singapore Management University
Number of Participants : 55
Targeted Audience : Entrepreneurs

Speakers :

Mr Colin Lim
Founder, Settlers Café

Mr Leonard Lin
Founder, Purple Click Pte Ltd

GreenField 06

2008-02-29T09:41:00.003+08:00

And the Creative Event of the year is here!

We're proud to be the marketing partner of GreenField 06!

GreenField 06 is a huge showcase of the Creative Industries here in Singapore, featuring showcases, open houses, interesting workshops and spectacular performaces from companies and organisations from the animation, film, drama, art, dance, music, innovation sector and more!

For more details, check out the website here!

Or simply send an email to events@talentpreneurhub.com with GF 06 in your subject to sign up for the GreenField 06 email updates!

GreenField 06

For those who dare to imagine.

GreenField Express (GFx)

2008-02-29T09:39:00.000+08:00

Talentpreneur Hub would like to invite you and your students to take part in GreenField Express(GFx), an exchange platform which provides opportunities to interact and learn from professionals in the Creative Industries. Students will also gain a better understanding ofa career in the creative industry.

Admission is free. So hurry and register now! Seats are limited.

Date : Friday 29th September 2006
Time: 6.30pm - 9.00pm
Venue: Singapore Management University, Lee Kong Chian School of Business,
Networked Seminar Room 1.2 (NSR 1.2)

You can register by emailing Donnie at events@talentpreneurhub.comor SMS 'thub GFx NAME EMAIL' to 9767 3663.

For any enquiries, please call me at 6222 5672.See you there!

Global Entrepreneur Summit 2006

2008-02-29T09:35:00.001+08:00

Dear friends and associates,
Talentpreneur Hub would like to invite you to the entrepreneur event of the year - the Global Entrepreneur Summit 2006.

Global Entrepreneur Summit (GES) is an annual summit gathering together entrepreneurs, innovators and influential business leaders in the Asia Pacific region to share information, discuss relevant business issues and acquire practical entrepreneurship tips on doing business.

GES is a full one day conference featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, Q & A sessions as well as knowledge sharing opportunities.It will also feature a Business Exchange Showcase, an ideal platform for budding entrepreneurs from schools and institutions to showcase their innovative business products and services.

Talentpreneur Hub is the supporting partner of Global Entrepreneur Summit 2006 and we would like to welcome you and your business associates to come down to GES and experience a whole new level of business networking!

How you can benefit by attending GES:
- network with key and influential entrepreneurs from all over Asia
- learn from the most successful entrepreneurs in Asia
- be informed on the business scene and opportunities in Asia

Talentpreneur Hub is an entrepreneur hub for aspiring and budding entrepreneurs to find support and help in developing a business and/or career around their talents. Our growing community of young entrepreneurs gather regularly to explore business ideas and gain support from one another in their pursuit for self-development and entrepreneurship.

As part of our continuous efforts to help our members to be connected with the business world in the region, members will enjoy a special rate of $65 nett from the published price of $188 if they sign up for GES 2006 by 15th September 2006 .

Anyone who is interested to attend GES may contact Donnie Seet at 6222 5672 or email him at events@talentpreneurhub.com

We look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,

Events Team
Talentpreneur Hub

Wine Appreciation @ Esmirada

2008-02-29T09:32:00.002+08:00

Wine Appreciation @ Esmirada was the first of our Lifestyle Series and was held on Saturday, 29th July for

Talentpreneur Hub members. Around 20 members and guests attended this maiden event, each eager to receive tips on how to better appreciate wine.
Fellow member Soo Hoo is an experienced wine connoisseur and has hostednumerous wine tasting and wine appreciation classes, he and his team from Hermitage Wines kicked start the Wine Appreciation Class with an introduction of various wines and its origins.

Talentpreneur Hub members learnt about the basics of wine tasting and were intrigued by the difference between red wines and white wines, the quality of wines, grapes, taste, facts and other useful tips in wine tasting.

The Esmirada Wine Bar was the perfect location to host such a class. Cosy, with dim lights and excellent service, one might easily forget they are there to attend wine appreciation class.

Members all agreed that the delicious food, coupled with good wine and a relaxingambience went a long way to ensure that everyone had a good time learning and interacting with each other.

Talentpreneur Hub would like to once again extend a big thank you to Hermitage Wines, Esmirada and all members and guests who helped made this event a great success!

World Cup referee Shamsul Maidin inspires students

2008-02-29T09:30:00.000+08:00

An inspiring article I got from Yahoo Singapore, Inspiring, especially the last sentence. Enjoy reading!

Shamsul Maidin made history when he became the first ever Singaporean to officiate four World Cup soccer matches.

Singapore's only referee at the 2006 World Cup Finals received special mention at PM Lee's National Day Rally on Sunday.
Mr Shamsul was widely acknowledged as the best referee of the tournament by fans around the world, a point highlighted by the Prime Minister.
"I didn't expect to be mentioned in such a big occasion. I'm really grateful," said Mr Shamsul.
"He (PM Lee) gave us words of encouragement and I felt that is something very personalized. After the National Day Rally, he came to speak to all of us and said that we should try to do better things and achieve higher levels," added Mr Shamsul.
The referee was at Montfort Junior School on Monday to meet the young soccer fans.
Two of Mr Shamsul's sons, who attend Montfort Junior School, say they are extremely proud of their father.
So is it going to be a case of 'like father, like son'?
"No, because it's very tough and have to do a lot of training. When I grow up, I want to be an artist instead of a referee," said one of Mr Shamsul's sons.
"No, it's very tiring," said the other son.
"If they don't like to become referees, I can't stop them. But as long as they excel in other sports, it's fine for me," said Mr Shamsul.
Mr Shamsul will be going to Saudi Arabia next month for the Asian Cup qualifiers.
He has one key message for the kids: Dreams do come true

Weeee.....We Are Nominated For Spirit Of Enterprise 2006

2008-02-29T09:29:00.000+08:00

Weeee.....we are nominated in this year's Spirit of Enterprise award.

Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) hope to promote and advances entrepreneurial spirit in Singapore by honouring local self-reliant entrepreneurs who operates small and medium-sized businesses. It also serve to inspire Singaporeans, especially the young, to become entrepreneurs by facilitating interaction, communication and knowledge dissemination between students, the entrepreneurs and the general public.

There are 200 nominees in this year's SOE award and only 41 winners. We are nominee no. 87 so do visit us and most importantly, vote for us. Here is a little section of our profile in SOE nominees homepage.

"Talentpreneur Hub is established by entrepreneurs for young entrepreneurs. We believe that every individual possesses unique talents which hold great potential to be realized and developed into viable businesses. Entrepreneurship is an essential life skill. At Talentpreneur Hub, young entrepreneurs receive training, networking and funding to learn, build contacts and gain support to start a business. Supported by Singapore Management University (SMU) and Spring Singapore, Talentpreneur Hub has a network of over 300 dynamic entrepreneurs who are building a career around their talents."

Visit us and view the full interview and most importantly vote for us!!

The Making Of Entrepreneurs

2008-02-29T09:25:00.000+08:00

Recently I was reading an article from a section of the Business Times, Views From The Top where they gathered a few CEOs to talk about how Singapore could create more entrepreneurs, below are the excerpt of what their responses are:

“I feel that what is needed to make entrepreneurs is to make opportunities for youths to immerse themselves in business or create a mentor system for budding entrepreneurs.”

Tan Ser Giam
Chairman , Eastern Navigation Pte Ltd

“Every society needs entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is the propulsion mechanism of economic growth. Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. It was the entrepreneurial spirit of Thomas Edison, which brought his innovations to the world and created today’s General Electric.
Actually, entrepreneurship is a mindset, which can be inculcated and nurtured. Entrepreneurship can be encouraged at three levels: governments, society, and individual.”

Vikas Goel
Chairman & Managing Director, eSys Technologies, Singapore

“A conducive environment for risk-taking and entrepreneurship must be in place first before entrepreneurs can be created.

Singaporeans are too used to taking the ‘safety first’ route. They worry about the risk of failure and the social stigma of bankruptcy. Most importantly, society’s mindset has to change to a ‘noting ventured, nothing gained’ mentality.

And what better way to encourage entrepreneurship than to start with our youths? Our secondary schools can include stories and case studies of entrepreneurs that the youths can relate to. For example, Bill Gates, in their curriculum. They can also do projects like running a small business, etc. Schools can also invite local entrepreneurs to hold talks and discussions with the students.”

Wee Piew
CEO, HG Metal Manufacturing Ltd

“In Singapore, everybody aims for a formal education and looks forward to a good job in the civil service or in an MNC after graduating from university. From young, they do not strive to have their own business eventually. This is where we are quite different from Hong Kong and Taiwan. When I met the young engineers in the two places, I found that they are actually planning for their own business. The purpose of working for the company is basically to learn the skills of doing business and to build contacts.

Education is something we need to redesign the programme. The mindset of Singaporeans must change if we are to get out of our comfort zone.”

John Lee,
Executive Chairman, Dayen Enviromental Ltd

“Entrepreneurs are a rare breed. They sniff out opportunities and take risks to transform opportunities into successful business ventures. To me, entrepreneurs embody both inborn and nurtured qualities. Guts, determination, adaptability and having the entrepreneurial spirit are inborn qualities. Learning to take calculative risks, building teams and motivating fellow employees are nurtured qualities.”
Ong Yew Huat
Country Managing Partner, Ernst & Young

“If we want to boost Singapore’s success in creating new entrepreneurs, it has to start with education. We need to educate our current and future workforce that becoming an entrepreneur is a real option – all it needs is an idea and determination to pursue the vision. The education system itself should de-emphasize conformity, encourage innovative problem-solving, and send a clear message that it is ok to fail, as long as you learn and adapt.

Fear of failure is the greatest enemy of entrepreneurship. We need to give our youth ample opportunities to fail without de-motivating them, and this needs to become an integral part of the learning process to encourage entrepreneurs for the future.”

David J Nishball
Senior Vice-President, Asia Pacific Orange Business Services

“Entrepreneurship is a mindset – arising from a burning desire to change, to make money, and to be yourself. The success of an entrepreneur depends mainly on his vision, his timing and his opportunities and connections. He must take risk, compete and triumph.

First-generation entrepreneurs emerge mainly because of circumstances, bad times, lack of job opportunities, and a starving family. They are propelled by some opportunities, some connections and some family savings. And they succeed through hard work. Classroom training and degrees are unlikely to create the similar circumstances.”

Tan Kok Leong,
Principal, TKL Consulting

After reading the article, I felt that what we are doing is more than just building a better business person, its building a better person.

Three Things that Destroy a Person

2008-02-29T09:24:00.002+08:00

How are we managing each of these three things within us?

How To Be Annoying

2008-02-29T09:23:00.000+08:00

A little just for laughs for those who are feeling stress at work or with their business...Cheers!

Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page
Repeat everything someone says as a question
Leave your turn signal on for 50 km
Name your dog “Dog”
Ask people what gender they are
Reply to everything someone says with, “That’s what you think”
Invent nonsense computer jargon in conversations and see if people play along just so they won’t appear ignorant
Sing along at the opera
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.

T-hubber

Nine Things More Important Than Capital

2008-02-29T09:21:00.000+08:00

When starting any enterprise or business, whether it is full-time or part-time, we all know the value of having plenty of capital (money). But I bet we both know or at least have heard of people who started with no capital who went on to make fortunes. How? You may ask.
Well, I believe there are actually some things that are more valuable than capital that can lead to your entrepreneurial success. Let me give you the list.

1. Time
Time is more valuable than capital. The time you set aside not to be wasted, not to be given away. Time you set aside to be invested in an enterprise that brings value to the marketplace with the hope of making a profit. Now we have capital time.

How valuable is time? Time properly invested is worth a fortune. Time wasted can be devastation. Time invested can perform miracles, so you invest your time.

2. Desperation
I have a friend Lydia, whose first major investment in her new enterprise was desperation. She said, "My kids are hungry, I gotta make this work. If this doesn't work, what will I do?" So she invested $1 in her enterprise selling a product she believed in. The $1 was to buy a few fliers so she could make a sale at retail, collect the money and then buy the product wholesale to deliver back to the customer.

My friend Bill Bailey went to Chicago as a teenager after he got out of high school. And the first job he got was as a night janitor. Someone said, "Bill, why would you settle for night janitor?" He said, "Malnutrition." You work at whatever you can possibly get when you get hungry. You go to work somewhere -- night janitor, it doesn't matter where it is. Years later, now Bill is a recipient of the Horatio Alger award, rich and powerful and one of the great examples of lifestyle that I know. But, his first job -- night janitor. Desperation can be a powerful incentive. When you say - I must.

3. Determination
Determination says I will. First Lydia said, "I must find a customer." Desperation. Second, she said, "I will find someone before this first day is over." Sure enough, she found someone. She said, "If it works once, it will work again." But then the next person said, "No." Now what must you invest?

4. Courage
Courage is more valuable than capital. If you've only got $1 and a lot of courage, I'm telling you, you've got a good future ahead of you. Courage in spite of the circumstances. Humans can do the most incredible things no matter what happens. Haven't we heard the stories? There are some recent ones from Kosovo that are some of the most classic, unbelievable stories of being in the depths of hell and finally making it out. It's humans. You can't sell humans short. Courage in spite of, not because of, but in spite of. Now once Lydia has made 3 or 4 sales and gotten going, here's what now takes over.

5. Ambition
"Wow! If I can sell 3, I can sell 33. If I can sell 33, I can sell 103." Wow. Lydia is now dazzled by her own dreams of the future.

6. Faith
Now she begins to believe she's got a good product. This is probably a good company. And she then starts to believe in herself. Lydia, single mother, 2 kids, no job. "My gosh, I'm going to pull it off!" Her self-esteem starts to soar. These are investments that are unmatched. Money can't touch it. What if you had a million dollars and no faith? You'd be poor. You wouldn't be rich. Now here is the next one, the reason why she's a millionaire today.

7. Ingenuity
Putting your brains to work. Probably up until now, you've put about 1/10 of your brainpower to work. What if you employed the other 9/10? You can't believe what can happen. Humans can come up with the most intriguing things to do. Ingenuity. What's ingenuity worth? A fortune. It is more valuable than money. All you need is a $1 and plenty of ingenuity. Figuring out a way to make it work, make it work, make it work.

8. Hearts and Soul
What is a substitute for heart and soul? It's not money. Money can't buy heart and soul. Heart and soul is more valuable than a million dollars. A million dollars without heart and soul, you have no life. You are ineffective. But, heart and soul is like the unseen magic that moves people, moves people to buy, moves people to make decisions, moves people to act, moves people to respond.

9. Personality
You've just got to spruce up and sharpen up your own personality. You've got plenty of personality. Just get it developed to where it is effective every day; it's effective no matter whom you talk to - whether it is a child or whether it is a businessperson - whether it is a rich person or a poor person. A unique personality that is at home anywhere. My mentor Bill Bailey taught me, "You've got to learn to be just as comfortable, Mr. Rohn, whether it is in a little shack in Kentucky having a beer and watching the fights with Winfred, my old friend or in a Georgian mansion in Washington, DC as the Senator's guest." Move with ease whether it is with the rich or whether it is with the poor. And it makes no difference to you who is rich or who is poor. A chance to have a unique relationship with whomever. The kind of personality that's comfortable. The kind of personality that's not bent out of shape.

And lastly, let's not forget charisma and sophistication. Charisma with a touch of humility. This entire list is more valuable than money. With one dollar and the list I just gave you, the world is yours. It belongs to you, whatever piece of it you desire whatever development you wish for your life. I've given you the secret. Capital. The kind of capital that is more valuable than money and that can secure your future and fortune. Remember that you lack not the resources.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Failure List of The Famous

2008-02-29T09:20:00.000+08:00

Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak.

Iassc Newton did poorly in grade school and was considered "unpromising."

When Thomas Edison was a youngster, his teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. He was counseled to go into a field where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality.

F.W. Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21, but his boss would not permit him to wait on customers because he "didn't have enough sense to close a sale."

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.Bob Cousy suffered the same fate, but he too is a Hall of Famer.

A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he "lacked imagination and had no original ideas."

Winston Churchill failed the 6th grade and had to repeat it because he did not complete the tests that were required for promotion.

Babe Ruth struck out 1,300 times, a major league record.

Bill Gates failed twice while designing the first edition of windows OS.

A person may make mistakes, but is not a failure until he or she starts blaming someone else. We must believe in ourselves, and somewhere along the road of life we will meet someone who sees greatness in us and lets us know it.

T-Hubber

You Will Get Back What You Give, How True, How Very True

2008-02-29T09:19:00.000+08:00

A child is lost in his neighborhood and while looking for a way home, came to a well decorated home. Feeling hungry he picked up his courage and knock on the door. A young lady opened the door and greeted the little boy.

The boy was embarrassed and instead of asking for a meal, he asked for a glass of water. The young lady went in and got him a glass of milk instead. After drinking the milk, the chubby young boy asked "How much do I owe you?" The young lady smiled and said, "My parents said not to accept gifts for kindness".

Several years later, a famous professor is researching on a vaccine of a terminal illness. A research team sent in a patient for observation. Upon hearing the name of the town she was from, the professor went to the bedside to take a look. It was the young lady who gave him the glass of milk.

The professor did all he could to save the lady, and he succeeded. When the bill came to the lady, she was anxious as to how much her medical bill could come to. She open up the bill and it stated:

"Paid in full, with a glass of milk"
Professor Howard Keller

T-Hubber

Never Lose Your Value

2008-02-29T09:17:00.000+08:00

A speaker is speaking to a large crowd of about 1000 students. He looked at them and pulled out a $50 dollars bill. He asked the crowd, "who wants this $50 bill?". Almost everyone raise their hands.

He suddenly crush the bill and crumble it. He showed the untidy $50 bill and asked again "who wants the dollar bill?" Again, everyone raise their hands.

He then put it on the floor and step on it. In fact, he jumped on it creating a blank stare in the crowd. He picked up the bill and asked for the third time "who still wants the bill?"

Not surprised, everyone raised their hands. He then asked, "Why, dispite i crumble it and step on that bill do you still want that $50 bill?"

Someone in the crowd shouted "No matter what, $50 is still $50."

The speaker smiled and said " Yes, the bill will not lose its value dispite being crumbled and step on. You too, should not lose your value when you are down because your true value will always be your true value no matter what adversities you face."

He did give the $50 away to a student, but before he did, he said "Life will not give you what you want unless you take the effort to collect it yourself. Life can give you everything you asked for BUT will never come to you."

A student finally realize its meaning and rush down to the stage to collect his rewards.

When you asked someone if they want to be rich, they will raise their hands to signal the desire. But when asked what effort did he take to attain it, he just sit there looking at you.

T-Hubber

2008-02-29T09:14:00.002+08:00

Take this quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners
3. Name the last five winners of the miss America contenst
4. Name the ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Price
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Amard winners for best actor, actress
6. Name the last decade's worth of world series winners.
How did you do?

Here is anotehr quiz:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?

The Lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Start appreciating them and let them know you care too.

T-Hubber

A Lesson in Developing People

2008-02-29T09:09:00.000+08:00

A journalist (I believe it was Napoleon Hill) was asked to interview one of the richest men in their time, Mr. Andrew Carnegie. A classic rag to riches legend who built his business empire around steel.

One question the journalist asked is this:
Journalist: I was told that you had 43 millionaires working for you, how did you hired so many millionaires and why are they willing to work for you?

Andrew Carnegie: Before I hired them, they are not millionaires. It was after working for me did they became millionaires.

J: Then what is your formula for turning so many of them into millionaires?

A.C: You see, developing people is just mining gold. You get one pound of dirt for every ounce of gold. Here is the thing, you don’t look for the dirt, you look for the gold.

One of the easiest ways to develop a person is to constantly catch him do the right thing and constantly praise him for it. Always try to look for the ‘good’ of the person.

T-Hubber

Introduction

2008-02-28T22:24:00.000+08:00

Inspired by a late night sharing session with Ken and Rod, I decided to start an online journal that could impact youths in a very positive way. What you can find here is stories of how people whom, against all odds achieve what they set out to accomplish. What went into the mind of these people and how did they do it. Won’t you want to pick up some tips from these timeless stories?

You will also be able to read about the experiences the staff and members at T-Hub went through, their take on business, success and life itself. Events, which will be carrying out often will also be shared with everyone around the world of its learning value and the fun we all had.
To add spice to this online journal, I would love to invite those who have inspiring stories to share to write to me either via email or comment. If you believe great minds think alike, then this online journal will be your first step in meeting them.

T-Hubber

2008-01-02T17:05:00.002+08:00

2006-02-19T18:55:00.001+08:00