The importance of having purpose

" Dear Pearlin,

My friend show me an article from your book, Sleep & Get Rich. Your book is simple to read and inspiring, though I had read many similar books like Adam Khoo and others. But your compilations are more practical in my perspective.
Because of your book, I had rekindled my blog again with a new theme focusing on lifestyle related. I had added your link to my blog too. Though my blog traffic had not attract much traffic yet but your book is good enough to get me started.
I hope that one year later, I can proud to quote and share with others of you too.

Thank you.
Sincerely,Willy Liang"

"Garrick Tan thks Pearlin for writing boss of me, i read the book everyday, very motivating, hope i can learn from these people's success...cheers!"

"Hello, Mrs. Siow,

My name is Irfan Adianto, I’m an Indonesian student in NAFA studying Fine Arts. I just want to say that your book Boss of Me is such a bundle of inspiration for me.. It made me realize that success is not reserved for those who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouths. But for those who believe that they deserve it. I also read The Four-Hour Workweek after reading your interview in the papers. And loved the idea of making a muse to support your income, without getting trapped in the 9-to-5 mentality. Yet, you are the only person i know who happens to practice the idea, so I want to learn from you as much as I can."

It's emails like these that I get from my readers that make my day, validate my purpose & push me to achieve more :)

Do you have what it takes?

"An entrepreneur is someone who works sixteen hours a day for himself (or herself) to avoid working eight hours a day for someone else." 

Laws of Boss of Me! individuals: 
1. Believe in yourself and always be nice.
2. Try everything as you only have one life - no rehearsals.
3. Always be the pioneer in everything that you do.
4. Help people passionately.
5. Thrive on challenges, not money.
6. Don't let adversity get you down, keep going forward.
7. Have an extraordinary idea...and the guts to pull it through.
8. It's better to feel like a million dollars than to actually have it,
9. Have passion and everything will fall into place.
10. Always give back more than you take.
11. Move up or move out.
12. Take risks and listen to your own judgement.
13. Never underestimate yourself and don't chase fame.
14. Never give up and don't be afraid to think big.
15. Hard work reaps rewards, there are no short cuts.
16. Make the most of what you have and think out of the box.
17. March to the beat of your own rhythm and exceed expectations.
18. Don't coast along, do everything to the best of of your ability.
19. Do well and you will be recognized and rewarded for it,
20. Be honest and stay true to your ideas. 

To find out more power secrets of successful people, check out my book, Boss of Me!, available at all bookstores (except Borders) in Singapore, Times in Indonesia, Books Kinokuniya in Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Amazon.com. 

Want to have your own autobiography? Check out my autobiography-writing service, Unravel, below.

Get your own autobiography!

Want to document your illustrious career?

Keen to leave behind a legacy?

Now you can, with my new boutique book writing service – Unravel.

This idea was mooted by a few of my interviewees when I was doing research for my books, Boss of Me! and Sleep & Get Rich!. Many of these successful people wanted to share their life story with others and inspire employees with their thoughts and beliefs, in short, they wanted an autobiography written but lacked the time and skills to do so. They asked if I was keen to do it for them. My focus back then was on my books, so I said, ‘Sure!”, but shelved the idea to the back of my head.

Well, now that my book is done and I am free again, I am raring to get started on this new project. Thanks also to Tim, my book-writing compatriot who opened my mind to a new perspective and enabled me to see a lucrative business in books.

Writing books is an addiction, think I heard this from Dan Poynter, a famous author with over 100 books, and I understand where he is coming from now…

Unravel will give you the chance to immortalize your achievements for posterity, and I know everybody wants to leave behind a little legacy.

Here’s how it works:

- My writing service includes three meetings. The first will be an interview and information gathering, this will be followed by confirmation of topics and the final meeting will be a review of book contents. I will help you structure the message and layout the book contents.

- Timeline will be three months.

- Book can be between 50 to 100 pages long and costs will be discussed when we meet.

Additional services:

- I offer consultancy for cost-effective design, printing and distribution. All this additional costs will be borne by you, the client.

Benefits:

- You get to tell your life story and be commemorated!

- Your book will be distributed in bookstores and will inspire readers as well as open new business opportunities.

- You can distribute within your company to motivate employees with your autobiography.

- Your book will be written by me, a national-bestselling author and ex-ST reporter.

Unravel – it’s time to immortalize yourself! Drop me an email at pearlins@gmail.com if you’d like to get your autobiography.

About my book, Boss of Me!:


The people you will meet in this book pursued their dream jobs with a dynamic combination of bravery, support from family and friends, and lots of drive and determination. What these achievers have done can be repeated in many different fields and you too can transform your passion into something gratifying and profitable. Their incredible stories and real-life advice will help you think big and get started on the path to the right job, right now.

Motivating and inspirational, this is a pocketbook of big thinking and serves as an unconventional career guide for people who are wide awake to the power of right thought!

CONTENTS
1. Aldrin Quek — Dance Music Ambassador
2. Geoff Ang — Fashion-forward Lens Man
3. Lincoln Cheng — Nightlife Maven
4. Alvin Giam — Pilates Healer
5. Ling Hao — Edgy House Builder
6. Wee Kok Wah — Business Mogul
7. Cynthia Chua — Marketing Genius
8. Louis Ng — Animal Renegade
9. Chris Lee — Creative Cowboy
10. Dr Georgia Lee — Aesthetics Glamazon
11. Chua Shenzi — Youth Trend-setter
12. Kathryn Yap — High-flying Headhunter
13. Dr Lisa Ng — Life-saving Scientist
14. Daniel Tay — Baking Maverick
15. Lee Wai Leng — Acclaimed Artist
16. Ban Yinh Jheow — Millionaire Toymaker
17. Tjin Lee — Events Extraordinaire
18. Indranee Rajah — Superwoman Lawmaker
19. Wendy Leong — Captain of the Sky
20. Royston Tan — Bad Boy Film Maker

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pearlin Siow cut her teeth as a journalist at Singapore Press Holdings upon graduation. Bitten by the dot com boom in 2000, she left to found an online barter site but was lured back to the corporate world by the prospect of travelling for work as a business development manager for CNET Asia.

Currently a pilates instructor, Pearlin has also gone back to her first love — writing, spinning out words for local publications like Her World, Shape and Maxim, as well as foreign newspapers like the Saudi Gazette in Saudi Arabia.

Praise for Boss of Me!

"Pearlin has produced a highly readable book in a remarkably short time. Her subjects are fascinating and inspiring, and will undoubtedly spur many Singaporeans into outdoing themselves! "

Peter Ong
Managing Director, Checkout Australia Pty Ltd

"This easy-to-read book is full of powerful wisdom of success from real, ordinary people who have achieved extraordinary results in their career and life…Take heed of the words of wisdom and you shall find true success in whatever you desire. "

Timothy Chan
Founder of Certified Consultants Network

A degree is not that important!

In paper qualification-driven Singapore, it is refreshing to see people defy convention and succeed on pure drive and determination.

As in the case of fashion photographer, Geoff Ang, a Primary school dropout who now earns up to $80,000 a day. See his inspiring story below:

Power secret – Try everything as you only have one life, no rehearsals!

Quote: Stay hungry as you can never have enough success.

● Drops out of school at Primary 6.
● Works as a basket cleaner and coffee boy at dad’s company.
● Picks up photography and shoots his first job at 16.
● Becomes a sought-after fashion photographer and earns up to $15,000 per day.
● Works hard to impress his dad and prove naysayers wrong.
● Geoff is shooting his first feature film now.

This primary school dropout now makes up to $80,000 a day as one of Asia’s most sought after photographers. Geoff Ang started his photography career at a young age, dropping out of Primary 6 and going to work for his dad’s production house. “My dad said that since I can’t study, I’d better pick up a skill and be damn good at it!” he recalls. As the resident basket cleaner and coffee maker at his dad’s company, Geoff took the time to cultivate his interest in photography and shot his first job – a full catalogue for Wilson Sporting Goods, at 16 years old.
After the army, Geoff started a small studio, called Geoff Studio, within his dad’s company. All he had were two lights and a camera from his dad and he started shooting everything from bottles and flowers to food, basically whatever he could get his hands on to hone his craft. He wanted to do fashion photography very badly, but he knew that he had to build up his exposure first, so he shot food and interiors, even specializing in office and hotel interior photography at one point, just to pay the bills. His lucky break soon came. “I had to take portraits of Daniel Yun (of Mediacorp Raintree Productions) for Dunhill and he loved his photos so much that he tasked me to shoot promotional pictures for their top 30 artistes in Mediacorp,” says this 34-year-old. Armed with his portfolio and an arsenal of ideas, Geoff blew everyone away with his stylised, avant-garde pictures of the stars which were publicised in 8-Days magazine. This forward-thinking lens man then ploughed all the profits he got from the job, all $38,000 of it, into a digital photography system which allowed him to tweak, enhance and make his photos into surreal-looking works of art. It was refreshing and never done before. It jolted the fashion industry and all the editors of magazines started calling him to do fashion shoots for them...

p.s. Bill Gates, Google guys, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs and Oracle's Larry Ellison were all school dropouts!

For more inspiring entrepreneurs, check out my book, Boss of Me!, out now in all major bookstores (except Borders) and on Amazon.com.

About Boss of Me!

I have always been fascinated by successful people and their magic formulas. I devour all their features in the newspapers and watch The World’s Richest People diligently on Discovery Travel and Living.

My heroes include stock market billionaire and world’s richest man, Warren Buffet, who filed his first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 for deduction for the bicycle that he uses to deliver newspapers, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who became the world’s youngest billionaire after a mere four years of setting up his social network phenomena and flamboyant Virgin CEO, Richard Branson who started out selling records out of a shoe shop.

In my view, a successful person doesn’t have to make millions, though most of them inadvertently do. He (or she) is someone who believes in himself and his dream. He pursues it, remains steadfast to his vision and emerges as the leader in his chosen field.

While I had endless books to peruse about self-made wonders in America, I could not find much on our local heroes - just bits and bops from newspapers and magazines. Taking matters into my own hands, I decided that I will unearth these amazing people in Singapore and immortalise their achievements in a book. They deserve to have their stories told and should get rightful space on the book shelves…and that was how Boss of Me! was conceived. I

n a way, I have always believed in being a boss of myself as I left a full-time job to pursue my passions and have now fulfilled one of my goals of being an author.

Picking the list of 20 to interview was a challenging task as I had to narrow my scope and pick only one outstanding person to profile in each industry. All of my interviewees followed their passions, worked hard and became outstanding leaders in their respective fields.

Once I started work on my book, everything began materialising like magic - I found my publisher within a day and by one week, 10 interviewees had said yes and I was frantically trying to slot them in for interviews.

Boss of Me! is my labour of love – done over three months of wonderful coffee sessions with my icons and I am proud to share with readers the power secrets and life stories of these 20 movers and shakers. Each of them lifted me up and showed me that impossible is possible - as long as you genuinely love what you do and go about doing it with your own set of rules.

I hope their stories inspire you as much as it did for me and serve as a reminder for everyone to stay on track to reach their goals. It is proof that you should not live out your life in a cubicle, if your passion lies elsewhere. Bite the bullet and follow your dreams - all you need is bravery, support from loved ones and lots of drive.

Table of contents:
1. Alvin Giam, Pilates Bodyworks
PILATES HEALER

2. Aldrin Quek, OneWithMusic
DANCE MUSIC AMBASSADOR

3. Geoff Ang, Geoff Studio
FASHION-FORWARD LENS MAN

4. Lincoln Cheng, Zouk
NIGHTLIFE MAVEN

5. Wee Kok Wah, Stamford Tyres
BUSINESS MOGUL

6. Ling Hao, Linghao Architects
EDGY HOUSE BUILDER

7. Cynthia Chua, Spa Esprit Group
MARKETING GENIUS

8. Chris Lee, The Asylum
CREATIVE COWBOY

9. Louis Ng, ACRES
ANIMAL RENEGADE

10. Dr Georgia Lee, TLC Medical Center
AESTHETICS GLAMAZON

11.Chua Shenzi, NewUrbanMale.com
YOUTH TREND-SETTER

12. Kathryn Yap, CTPartners
HIGH-FLYING HEADHUNTER

13. Dr Lisa Ng, SG Immunology Network
LIFE-SAVING SCIENTIST

14. Daniel Tay, Bakerzin
BAKING MAVERICK

15. Lee Wai Leng, Flee Circus
ACCLAIMED ARTIST

16. Ban Yinh Jheow, STIKFAS
MILLIONAIRE TOYMAKER

17. Tjin Lee, Mercury Marketing & Communications
EVENTS EXTRAORDINAIRE

18. Indranee Rajah, Drew & Napier/Tanjong Pagar MP
SUPERWOMAN LAWMAKER

19. Wendy Leong, SilkAir
CAPTAIN OF THE SKY

20. Royston Tan, Studio10Twentyeight
BAD BOY FILM MAKER

Chapter sample: Lincoln Cheng, Zouk



Power secret – Always be the pioneer in everything that you do!

Quote: Success to me is running a profitable business with happy employees.

● Attends Woodstock in 1979.
● Parties around the world in super cool clubs like Studio 54 and Hacienda.
● Introduces steel structures and luxury boating to Hong Kong.
● Lincoln proposes building a world class marina at Marina South in 1983 but is turned down by URA.
● Opens Zouk in 1991.
● Transforms it into one of the world’s best clubs.

Whoever says you can’t have fun and make tons of money at the same time has never met Zouk club founder and nightlife maven, Lincoln Cheng. Born in Hong Kong, he went to study architecture in the US and it was his chance encounter with Woodstock that forever changed his life. “I was doing summer school at Cornell University and Woodstock was being held just 30 miles away. Curious, my friends and I drove down to have a look. And once you’re there, with 250,000 people crowding around, there was no turning back and so we stayed for three days…but I shall not go into the details of what happened,” he recalls, relieving his hippie days with relish.

With his music interest fired up, he became a regular at legendary festivals like Summer of Love and Woodstock, as well as travelled around the world to party in uber-cool clubs like Studio 54, Paradise Garage and Hacienda. It was during one of his yearly jaunts to party island, Ibiza, where he caught DJ Alfredo, otherwise known as the godfather of Balearic house, a new blend of dance music that was very different from the usual pop tunes played commercially back then.

This new sound intrigued Lincoln’s savvy ears and he was hooked! “In the 1980s, dance music was very underground and it was only played in clubs for black or gay people,” explains this youthful looking 60-year-old. Recalling his early party days with much clarity, he says, “I hunted for secret rave parties that started at 6am and it was very exciting as we had to pick up clues along the way before arriving at the destination. We would make pit-stops at gas stations to call someone for clues or follow cars heading to the same party. They were fun times.”

When Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997, Lincoln decided to leave and chose Singapore because of its ‘English-speaking Asian society’. He ran a couple of businesses – from architecture to system furniture for the office, all of which did well, but Lincoln had a grander idea brewing. His dream came into fruition when he came upon an abandoned warehouse at Kim Seng Road. It was exactly what he had in mind for a super club. Together with four other investors, which he eventually bought out after a few years, Lincoln sank in $10 million dollars - an unheard of sum in 1990, to build his dream vision – a club called Zouk…

Boss of Me! is available at all major bookstores (except Borders) in Singapore and on Amazon.com for $15. It is also available in Malaysia, India, Hong Kong…and maybe Sydney soon.

My strange problem-solving ritual

I'm going to share a secret...

Whenever I come across a challenge and can't think of a solution, I'll take out a piece of paper and write this:

1. Challenge - list out the issue as clearly as you can.
2. Action 1 - leave blank
3. Action 2 - leave blank
4. Action 3 - leave blank
5. Timeline - usually a week

Then I will tuck the paper away and trust my mind to give me some ideas by the dateline stipulated. Letting my unconscious mind (before sleeping) run with the problem usually gives me pretty good ideas and somehow, even though the paper is hidden, my mind remains totally alert to it - drawing people, circumstances and events to provide solutions.

You'll be surprised at what you can come up with. Sure beats the other alternative of banging head repeatedly against the wall.

Ok, enough hocus pocus for now.

* Update: I have received requests for examples, here goes: My own case study.

Challenge: Sell truckloads of Boss of Me!

The solutions I came up with:

Action 1: Contribute to newsletters of business associations which goes out to 14,000 corporate eyeballs.

Action 2: Organise a Boss of Me! event to sell books in bulk.

Action 3: Book review in Think Big, an Australian magazine distributed in 2,500 news stands across Sydney.

Action 4: Guest blog on one of the highest ranking blogs in the world, http://www.johnchow.com/, http://www.problogger.net/ or http://www.shoemoney.com

Persistence is the Mother of all good luck...I didn't sit around and wait for the answers to fall on me. Instead, I researched online and one thing just led to another...of course having the thick skin to write to relevant sources helps.

I am very grateful and if all goes well, I am on my way to achieving my desired GOAL!

Do you have G-cred?

G cred (n.): Google credibility. What someone sees when they Google your name, business, product, organization or whatever. It’s an increasingly important measure of legitimacy and how seriously someone will take you.

As Google and the Web continue to mature, online visibility will equate to credibility on every level. It does now in this Web 2.0 world, through blogs and a myriad of social media sites that have become a respected, easily accessible and exponentially expanding source of cred. In short, word of mouth on steroids.

Respected marketing gurus like Tom Peters and Seth Godin have been preaching the value of building one’s “personal brand” for years. In The Brand You, Peters explains how career survival is not about blending in but about standing out:

“Regardless of age, position or the business we happen to be in, we need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

If you do a Google search on yourself and little comes up, or it’s dated, well that’s not good. If you happen to be someone in the marketing communications business and that happens, you’d better hope it’s not a potential client or customer doing the searching.

For more information on building your G-cred, check out John Follis' blog: http://thefollisreport.com/

I am building my G-cred via article contributions to:

www.Sellingbooks.com
Habla blog (www.wardspeaking.com/blog)
www.Smallbusinessceomagazine.com
Gurupak books

Ladies Who Launch partnership directory (http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/)
www.Ezinearticles.com
www.Articlesphere.com…and many more.

Exciting update: Think Big, an Australian magazine, would like to review Boss of Me!

About Think Big:

Think Big Magazine is published by Mindset Media Pty Ltd. Think Big has been developed to capture and reflect the values and tools of leaders, inspirational people, entrepreneurs and every day wisdom. We are interested in stories that inspire and motivate people. Think Big writers and contributors are leaders in their fields and include Chris Howard, John Demartini and Justin Herald plus many more. Think Big is published every two months and is the only magazine in its class that features a full online version. Think Big is distributed through 2,500 Australian newsagents and is available through paid subscription. Back copies are distributed through Universal and Chris Howard events and other events. Think Big also has a VIP subscriber list of over 1,000.

(Many thanks to Peter Shankman!)

Die standing

I died standing today. Not literally but figuratively, of course.

I had a meeting with a top trainer and events organiser for entrepreneuralism to explore ways to promote my book, Boss of Me! I was ill-prepared, inexperienced (in the events department) and sorely lacking sleep. The result: I asked all the wrong questions (even asking the same question 3 x!) and had no concrete proposal.

Luckily, he was a very nice guy and offered advice. The amazing thing is, he still wants to work with me! So, we are jointly organising a Boss of Me! event. This will be a great branding and sales platform for my book.

Despite my terrible show, I walked away with valuable lessons from our short one hour discussion. Events is a totally new direction for me and I am part excited, part filled with trepidation. But, what the hell! I'll rather die standing than live the rest of my life on my knees!

Wish me luck :)

Busy like a bee

How is it that I am working all day...and enjoying every single minute of it?

The website for my ebook is finally ready. WE'RE IN BUSINESS!

We will be launching our ebook, The Essential Post-pregnancy Weight Loss Guide through a private sale to a database of 20,000 pregnant women.

For a peek, go to http://www.exercisepostpregnancy.com/

I've also been working to promote my book, Boss of Me! stealthily online via article submissions to relevant websites, business blogs, online magazines and newsletter contributions. Am also, in talks with trainers of entrepreneuralism to see how we can work together.

A chronic workaholic, I'm midway through my second book, which promises to deliver a swift kick to the butt and teach you how to make money while you sleep!

Goodbye rat race, hello financial freedom!

Next up, filming my Pilates DVD.

But before that, some well-deserved R&R (well, not exactly since my itinerary says ADVENTURE!) to Nepal and Bali (www.balistreetdogs.com here I come!).

After this year's crazy schedule, I might just take next year off to sit around and contemplate my belly button lint…that is, until the next AMAZING idea hits me square on my head.

How to sell books by the truckloads

I agree with Mark Bennett, the self-published author who sold five million books to companies, that selling books in mass quantities is the way to go. Distributing to the book stores and waiting for individuals to buy your books is pittance. The big moolah is to go direct to companies.

I have taken the first step by offering to be a contributor to the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises’ (ASME) e-newsletter which goes out to 14,000 company eyeballs.
Some ideas:
1. Give Boss of Me! as incentive for motivational seminars.
2. Use Boss of Me! as case studies for business schools.
3. Use Boss of Me! to inspire employees at insurance, real estate and network marketing companies.
4. Give Boss of Me! to inspire incubatees of venture capitalist companies.

Now, how do I get 20 companies to each buy 50,000 copies of Boss of Me!?

Boss of Me! on Popular bestseller list!

Ha ha! This is so cool.

Popular Bookstore holds many great memories for me - it was THE place to go for school stationary and 10-year series assessment books.

It is still one of the leading book stores here and I'm thrilled that my book is doing well there.

Yakkety yak

I've just been asked to give a talk at a writer's conference next Tuesday at Suntec. As a pilates instructor, I've conducted courses on stage for big companies like CISCO, and have no problem. But this is the first time I have to talk about myself, and for 45 minutes too! Yikes.

How am I going to entertain over 100 budding writers? Will they even be interested to know about me? Maybe I should throw in a 30-minute pilates workout or impress them with my flexibility?

I know that giving talks is part and parcel for an author and I should start somewhere. Even if I flub, I will learn from it and keep improving myself. Ok, I'm going to go now and work on my speech.

*stressed*

Thank you for all your shout-outs!

Dear readers,

Thanks for sharing your kind words about Boss of Me!, for adding me on Facebook (especially Larry for advertising my book on your status to your 2000+ friends!) and for seeking my humble advice about writing a book. I hope I answered your queries in my posts below.

Keep them coming and my advice to all those who are thinking but not doing: If you wait until you have your entire plan figured out and buttoned up, the world will have moved on and passed you by. Sometimes, it's better to start then learn as you go along.

Case in point: Me. Ok, I am an exception as I develop tunnel vision when I have a goal and have a tendency to hurtle at breakneck speed towards it. But, if I had hesitated to weigh the odds, Boss of Me! may not have materialised.

So what if you failed? Every experience is a learning opportunity and I've had two major (and costly) setbacks before:

1. When I was 24. I founded a barter website called http://www.xchange141.com/ with a five-figure sum loaned from my dad. Timing was off and the dot com bubble burst. My investors pulled out and I lost my capital. Instead of moping around, I promptly got myself hired as a business development manager at CNET Asia, thanks in large to my eight months of start-up experience and valuable contacts gleaned from it. I was the youngest manager on board and my comfortable pay enabled me to pay my dad back (phew!). I regard this as my MBA crash course.

2. In my second year of teaching pilates, I was bored and had idle time, so decided to go into the financial services business. Very quickly, I learnt that I am not a sales person because I was not hungry enough. But, I stayed on for two years to learn all about investment and managing my own finances. When I left, I was adept enough to start and manage my own investment portfolio as well as my husband's.

Just do it!

* Please mention my book if you are adding me on Facebook as I usually ignore requests from strangers. Sorry if I have rejected you, please try again if you want :)

Sunday Plus feature

Sunday Plus has interviewed me for their Bookends section. This is a column where they get people to dish about their favourite books. Mine are:

1. The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, which is a fascinating book about the endless adaptability of the human brain.

2. Leaving Microsoft To Change The World by John Wood, which chronicles how the charismatic founder of Room To Read left a cushy job to set up schools and libraries in developing countries. His approach combines the management style of General Electric’s ex-head honcho, Jack Welch with the compassion of Mother Theresa.

3. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. The author condenses information from the best business management books, adds his own irreverent style and sets it on fire with an irrepressible energy that leaps out from the pages. It has the ability to kick you in the butt and cause inspired thinking. No wonder it comes with a warning that says, “Do not read this book unless you want to quit your job”! This book opened up a world of infinite options for me – from creating automated cash flows to taking “mini-retirements”.

Dear readers

A big THANK YOU for your support and I hope this book gives you the inspiration to follow your passion!

Please feel free to drop me an email at pearlins@gmail.com to share your thoughts or tell me how the book inspired you. Let me know which stories touched you the most and why.

Bonus: Some of the entrepreneurs in Boss of Me! are open to mentorship, so tell me who you aspire to be and maybe, just maybe, he or she will take you under the wing...

My motivation

http://www.balistreetdogs.com/

In the book, The Art of Happiness, by the Dalai Lama, he says that the basic fact is that all sentient beings, particularly human beings, want happiness and do not want pain and suffering, and if we are lucky enough to be living a good life, we should recognize this gift and thank God for it by looking out for others who need our help in breaking out of the cycle of poverty.
If we give something away, we actually get something back in return: happiness.

Latest update from my publisher: Boss of Me! has sold out its first run and we are going for a reprint! It is being translated for India and will also be selling in Hong Kong! All this even before media publicity has kicked in. Wow!

I believe that once you find your calling in life, everything moves smoothly, enabling you to achieve your mission.

$$$

Boss of Me! has sold almost 1,000 copies in less than a week...and we only hit bookshelves last Friday! What a great start...

We're going on air!

Watch out for our interview on The Living Room on Radio938, Monday, 14th July at 10.30am.

Participants:

1. Aldrin Quek
2. Chris Lee
3. Tjin Lee
4. and Yours truly

* Update: Main gist of my interview:

Q1. Why did you write Boss of Me!

A: BOM was born out of selfish reasons really. I've always been a big fan of biographies and realise that there are none on our local talents so I decided to round up 20 outstanding individuals in different fields and tell their amazing stories. I'm also a big believer of self-help. Some people may think of that as a dirty word but to me it simply means life long learning, and I want to write motivational books about business and philanthropy that will inspire people.

Q2. I notice that the word, "entrepreneur" has not been mentioned in your book. Is it because it is overused and why?

A: While most of my interviewees run their own businesses, there are a few that work for companies but in my view, they are still bosses of themselves as they are doing what they love and have emerged on top of their fields.

Q3. Was it difficult to shortlist 20 and how do you go about with your list?

A: It was difficult as there are many successful people I want to profile but due to time constraint, I went with 20. It was 18 at first but increased to 20 later. I wanted a wide variety of industries - from trendsetters to old school stalwarts and I just went for the first name that pops in my head when I think of the different industries.

Q4. Besides passion, what other traits do Boss of Me! individuals have?

A: I realised that successful people are very generous, not in the material sense but in terms of time and help. My interviewees willingly endorsed my book and referred their successful contacts to me, making it easier for me to approach them. They took time out of their busy schedules to meet up with me and share their life stories. Also, I learnt that luck is preparation combined with opportunity. Some people may think my interviewees lead blessed lives but not many of them are aware that beneath their success lies years of determination, hard work and grit.

Q5. What are your own secrets of success?

A: I follow the double T principle - have tunnel vision and a thick skin.

LAUNCH

- How do you transform your passion into something gratifying?

- What makes successful people tick?

- How do you overcome adversity and turn them into opportunities?

Find out all these answers and more in Boss of Me! Out now in all major bookstores and Amazon.com.

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Media coverage!

Boss of Me! has garnered quite a bit of media interest. Media coverage in August includes:

Vanilla magazine August

Valuable life lessons gleaned from 20 of Singapore’s movers and shakers.

Successful people and their magic formulas have always fascinated me. In my view, a successful person does not have to make millions. He (or she) is someone who pursues his dream, remains steadfast to his vision and emerges as the leader in his chosen field. I decided to find out what makes successful people tick by interviewing 20 local heroes and have compiled my findings into a book called, Boss of Me!.
All my interviewees pursued their dream jobs with a dynamic combination of bravery, inspiration, support from family and friends, and lots of drive and determination. What they have done can be repeated in many different fields and you too can transform your passion into something gratifying and profitable. Here are five key qualities that will help you succeed in the right job, right now.

1. Develop a clear sense of what you want to achieve

The mind is an amazing tool and if you have a goal in sight, you will achieve what you focus on. That was what happened for Wendy Leong, one of the only five female pilots out of 120 pilots at SilkAir. She knew she wanted to be a pilot when she was 10 years old after a family friend brought her onboard a light aeroplane for a joyride. Even though airlines did not hire female pilots back then, Wendy was undeterred and enrolled in a mechanical engineering diploma course at Singapore Polytechnic to learn about the construction and engineering aspects of aircraft. She knew that this would be an advantage for her when she became a pilot as she would understand plane engineers better.
After graduating from the United Kingdom with a degree in Mechanical Manufacturing, she returned to Singapore Polytechnic to be a lecturer. During this time, she continued to keep an eye out for the chance to pursue her dream job. She even saved diligently while she was lecturing so that she would have cash to tide her through the months of pilot training. Wendy’s wishes were finally answered when she was watching television one day in early 2002. “I saw the first female pilots in SilkAir and the Air Force being interviewed. Without wasting any time, I sent in a letter of application to SilkAir and was delighted to be accepted!” She is now Senior First Officer and has her sights set on being Captain in the next two years.

2. Think big and compete on an international field

Singaporeans tend to favour international brands over local ones. However, some entrepreneurs have overcome that hurdle by having an extraordinary idea and the guts to pull it through. Back when most day spas were medical or European-style spas that imported most of their treatments and philosophies wholesale, Cynthia Chua, managing director of Spa Esprit Group, revolutionised the spa industry by offering treatments, like hot stones massages, that were not yet available in Singapore. Today, she has a burgeoning empire of 30 shops and has also expanded to Dubai, London, Malaysia and Jakarta. “Going international is a big endorsement for my company. It is great when people acknowledge what you have done and want to have your business.”

Another entrepreneur creating waves regionally is Daniel Tay, founder of Bakerzin. From a small bakery in a low-key condominium in Sembawang supplying French bread and pastries to hotels and restaurants, he now has 20 outlets in Singapore, Shanghai, Indonesia and Malaysia, and he intends to expand to the United States in the next few years – giving global café chains a run for their money. “I want to have 100 Bakerzin cafés globally in five to 10 years time.” His business philosophy - “If Starbucks can do it, why can’t I?”

3. Don’t get attached to money

Face the fact that if you go into something purely to make lots of dough, chances are you will not succeed. Walking the talk is prominent animal activist, Louis Ng, who believes that feeling like a million dollars is better than actually having it. He founded and runs the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) - a wildlife research and education centre, and earns $1,400 monthly despite having a Masters of Science from an American school. So far, ACRES has helped in the rescue of more than 160 animals from the illegal wildlife trade in Singapore and it has also raised more than $700,000 in funds.
Another “giver” is well-known aesthetics doctor, Dr Georgia Lee. Known in the media for her penchant for designer labels, not many people are aware that Dr Lee is also renowned for her generosity - not in the material sense, but in her genuine desire to help people. She frequently organises “self-improvement” parties for her customers, like a make-up class conducted by famous make-up artist, Andy Lee, and she pays for these parties out of her own pocket. She also told one of her clients, a stressed-out housewife, to take time-out daily for herself, and if she succeeds, her next treatment will be on the house. It is no wonder there is a three-month waitlist to see her!

4. Reprogram your mind - paper qualifications are not that important

In Singapore, where it has been instilled that a degree is necessary to make a living, fashion photographer, Geoff Ang, has defied the odds. Bad at school, he dropped out of Primary 6 to be a photographer at his dad’s production house and now makes up to $80,000 a day as one of Asia’s most sought after photographers.
His lucky break came when he had to take portraits of Daniel Yun (of Mediacorp Raintree Productions) for Dunhill and Daniel loved his photos so much that he tasked Geoff to shoot promotional pictures for their top 30 artistes in Mediacorp. Geoff impressed everyone with his stylised, avant-garde pictures of the stars which were publicised in 8-Days magazine. This forward-thinking lens man then ploughed all the profits he got from the job, all $38,000 of it, into a digital photography system which allowed him to tweak, enhance and make his photos into surreal-looking works of art. It was refreshing and had never been done before. It jolted the fashion industry and magazine editors started calling him to do fashion shoots for them.

5. Being a pioneer will give you an unfair advantage

Use what makes you different to your advantage and embrace the unknown. That is what Zouk’s founder, Lincoln Cheng, did. A former hippy who was a regular at legendary festivals like Summer of Love and Woodstock, he travelled around the world to party in uber-cool clubs like Studio 54, Paradise Garage and Hacienda. It was during one of his yearly jaunts to party island, Ibiza, where he caught a deejay playing a new blend of dance music that was very different from the usual pop tunes played commercially back then. This new sound intrigued Lincoln’s ears and he promoted it at the newly-opened Zouk back in 1996. It caught on in a big way and Zouk is now touted as one of the best clubs in the world.
Lincoln had always believed in being the pioneer – he introduced steel structures for high-rise buildings in Hong Kong while everyone was still using cement, and started the boating lifestyle there by selling luxury yachts. In fact, he had the foresight to propose building a world-class marina on Marina South in 1983, but it was rejected by the URA. He was the leading system furniture supplier in Singapore and handled numerous turnkey projects for the government sector. “I’ve always liked niche markets and I like to be original, doing things that haven’t been done before,” says Lincoln sharing his success philosophy.

Her World magazine August

Interview in Women Now section: Three things I've learnt from my book.

1. Buy books that you have no interest in

That is how Ban Yinh Jheow, founder of multi-million dollar toy empire, Stikfas, keeps his mind active. “I have books ranging from Aids to quantum physics and this approach ensures that I never stop learning.” This constant cultivation of his mind has enabled Yinh Jheow to come out with innovative ways of promoting his business. For example, instead of going to the distributors, he went direct to the consumer by selling Stikfas exclusively online, creating a consumer push so that distributors came to him instead. He used another unique strategy to score a distribution licence with international toy giant Hasbro in 2002. “We placed a full-page teaser ad with our website address in Toyfair, a top US magazine. That caught the attention of Hasbro and they approached us.” From 2002 to 2004, Stikfas was licensed to Hasbro and this move saw a significant increase in its product range, distribution network as well as market recognition.

2. That you can make good money being an artist

Artist Lee Wai Leng commands an impressive $2,000 to $4,000 per artwork, depending on how intricate it is and has worked with branded clients like Levi’s and Chanel. “People have the misconception that artists don’t make a good living but we can. Like all freelancers, how much you make is dependent on how hard you want to work,” she says, dispelling the notion of ‘struggling artist’. She works hard for her money though, promoting her work via yearly exhibitions and handing out her namecards at social events, which she calls a “necessary evil”. To boost her portfolio with big-name clients, Wai Leng also works closely with advertising agencies who call upon her for her distinctive artwork. “I’m old-fashioned and believe that hard work pays off. I add value by offering my two-cents worth to all my projects. That is my edge and my clients appreciate that as an illustrator’s eye offers a different perspective to things,” she shares.

3. Don’t get attached to money

Face the fact that if you go into something purely to make lots of dough, chances are you will not succeed. Walking the talk is prominent animal activist, Louis Ng, who believes that feeling like a million dollars is better than actually having it. He founded and runs the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) - a wildlife research and education centre, and earns $1,400 monthly despite having a Masters of Science from an American school. So far, ACRES has helped in the rescue of more than 160 animals from the illegal wildlife trade in Singapore and it has also raised more than $700,000 in funds.