Making a difference in the "hi & bye" world

Two Sundays ago, after church, at one of the high-traffic escalators in busy busy Suntec City, I came across an ex-colleague from my newspaper years (1986-89). We remember each other well, spoke for a few minutes, exchanged contacts and agreed to stay in touch.

A few days later, I followed up with an email, suggesting "kopi or teh?" because I wanted to find out more about her part-time job, getting paid to edit travel stories.

She replied today, suggesting a time, a day and a place to meet.

Her opening remark though made me think and "blog": "Hi Eng Hai, real glad to hear from you. I thought it is one of those where the hi and goodbye ended at Suntec ..."

We do live in a "Hi and Bye" world, where we often talk about catching up over lunch or coffee but almost just as often fail to do so.

I'm sure the failure to follow up with those lunches we often talk about on the fly is not for lack of sincerity. Most likely, it is due to a disease (read dis-ease) of a lack of time - often real, but sometimes imagined, in which case, the fundamental issue may simply be a clash of priorities, where non-core relationships get neglected. That, refers to most relationships with the thousands of people each of us know.

I must admit that if not for the business that I do, I would likely suffer from the same disease too. It wasn't that many years ago that I was living and operating under the "hi and bye" syndrome.

So, am I glad that I am in the business of meeting people ... finding out as much as I can, and as they'd let me, about them; then helping them get whatever it is that they're looking for - either by suggestion, connection or action; and where I discover a good fit between what they're looking for and what I have to offer personally, well, I'll make them an offer and invite them to consider.

Only yesterday, I was at it again - going beyond hi and bye. After a catch-up lunch with one of my business partners in the financial district, I walked past two familiar faces seated at a sidewalk cafe. In the past, I'd have taken a mental note and walked on. Yesterday, I turned back, said hello, and took a seat in between them when invited to do so.

One of them asked if I have time for a chat. I said, "Sure, I'm my own boss, working at my own time and for my own target." And she said: "How nice. We're still only employees, working according to other people's time and targets...." Incidentaly, these two happen to be friends from my journalist days too.

Later, after a good chat, finding out the latest from each other - from work to family, ane exchanging contact cards, we shook hands, parted company and on the way to the MRT, I was tapped on the shoulder by somebody whom I had said hi and bye to only last week - but only because she was coming out of the train to go to work, and I was stepping in to go somewhere else.

This time, I offered to walk her back to her office, and she agreed. We enjoyed a good long chat. She's just happily become a grandmother, enjoying the newborn grandson in Sydney from afar, with the powers of the Internet - at least until she visits in September. At 59, having wrestled with the troubles of being diabetic for years, and living with a husband who stopped working years ago because of mental depression, she's philosophical about life, talking nonchalantly about death and disease. She's working 5-hour workdays because she needs the money for her modest lifestyle and her second mortgage. I've known this charming, energetic lady since my newspaper days too, when she was a valuable news source, and I a rookie reporter out to make a name for myself in the world. I was even happier to listen to her yesterday, in our new capacities, until in the end, she had to excuse herself. "Hey, I better run, or we'd go on and on."

It feels real good to have the time for people, to really hear them out, especially in a world where people are generally too busy for each other, and have little time beyond the hi's and the bye's. It feels even better to know that eventually, I will get paid for that ability to listen to people, for that is now my vocation, my lifestyle, for life.

Back to the ex-colleague whom I met at the Suntec City escalator. I look forward to meeting her because in her brief email, I get that she's looking for advice and I may be able to make a contribution.

"Maybe you can help me plan my retirement with the pittance I am getting each month. I need to save up to book myself into an old folks home!"

In my reply, I said: "Perhaps, when we meet, I can really help you with your retirement planning. I believe we can do better than prepare to end up in an old folks' home, unless that's what you really want ;-> See you next week!"

Smile :) We're in Showbiz!

Show and tell, show and sell.

Presenting my family and some of my business partners, coming together happily for two days on 17 and 18 Dec 2005 to show off our franchise and a few flagship nutritional products at the Pandan Valley Christmas Fair.

Standing left to right are Julia and husband Kian Seng, Annie Tok and daughter Joyce, Sunny (the one who prompted me to get this blog going), myself and son Jia Wei, Kelly and mom Lola. Seated at centre are two Christina's - one my business partner, Christina Lee and the other, my wife, Christina Chan.

Out of the scores of products that our corporate partner Unicity has to offer, we chose to feature two fast-moving healthy drinks - alfafa-based Super Chlorophyll and Bio Reishi Coffee.

From showing and selling these drinks, we got to share our business opportunity with customers and fellow Fair participants who showed interest in what we were doing. More than the products on offer, I believe it was our generally cheerful disposition that was a major draw :)

While for most stall operators, business began and ended with the two-day fair, for us, business has kept growing.

With the seeds planted during the Fair, we've extended our franchise and market reach within the 623-household Pandan Valley community in the past 6 months. The most inspiring recruit has been the enrolment of 21-year-old speech and hearing impaired Stephanie, with the full and enthusiastic support of her retiree-parents Margaret & Leong. Margaret, who operated the stall at the next lot, has been looking for a business suitable for Stephanie, given her handicaps.

So, Kelly introduced her to the book, How to Make $4000 a Month Working From Home. She asked to borrow the book, read it on the spot - finishing it within an hour, and bought a bottle of Super Chlorophyll to try and check us out. The conversations continued after the Fair, with Kelly following up closely on interest.

Fast forward to today ... Through the steady enrolment of relatives and family friends to use the products or to do the business, Stephanie has since been recognized as a Senior Manager, having achieved the rank in 3 months, and within 5 months, made it to the exclusive Business Builder's Club for having recruited 10 people within a 3-month period.

Her success has inspired many others, including her sponsor/upline, Christina Lee, who was encouraged to step up her efforts, overcoming personal limitations to also climb the ranks to become a Senior Manager herself in May.

Julia, who witnessed the initial approach and subsequent partnershipping, had this to say about the success of these two ladies:

"I can't help but be touched by yet two more success stories of how the company and the team transform lives and build people ... I am in awe of how our business builds people, transforms lives and changes the world."

Well said, Julia. Indeed. What a blessing this experience has been, and will continue to be, for us.

Let the Filipino children have their mothers back

Yesterday morning, I sent off a departing Filipina domestic worker (a.k.a. maid) at Changi Airport.

She is happy to be leaving her S$320 a month job and very excited about her future back in the Philippines.

She can't wait to reach home and to get started with her home-based business, where she gets to build a business of her own, "be my own boss", and work from home, close to the family she loves.

She has a personal franchise with an international reach, with backers providing coaching by Internet and committed to fly in to her hometown when she is ready.

The franchise allows her to 1) buy a wide range of nutritional supplements and personal care products, with a wide range of budgets, and sell them wholesale for a 20-25% profit, and 2) sponsor other people to do the same, whereby she'll get to earn a 3-10% commission of their sales, and the sales of their people.

The first phase of her business involves moving US$50-100 of products every month and bringing in at least 5 people who will do the same - moving US$50-100 of products a month and bringing in 5 people of their own.

She is not limited by geography, and is not confined to her hometown or even the Philippines. Already, she has someone in the USA who will be opening an account under her - the first of her First Five! Her brother!

With this franchise, she expects to achieve a monthly income of US$1,000 a month in a few years. The first, more immediate, objective is to make US$200 a month and inspire others to do the same - stay home or close to family and build a personal business worth hundreds or thousands of US$ a month.

With that kind of money, Filipina moms won't have to leave their children behind in the care of relatives to take care of other people's children in faraway lands. We can start worrying less about the implications of an entire generation of Filipino children growing up without the nurturing and psychological support of their mothers.

I've been looking for a long time for one right person to lead this mission. I've been looking for someone bright, with ambition, a burning desire to be in business for himself or herself, and a willingness to learn and most importantly, to stay the course and never ever quit till the mission is accomplished.

I am optimistic for my Filipina partner, who left Changi Airport with about S$250 of products; five copies of the book "How to make US$4,000 a month working from home"; and one simple advice to always remember and abide by: Whatever the odds or difficulties, NEVER GIVE UP.

All the best "Abigal".