Musings of Eric Chong

As the Organizing Committee Chairman of Brand Entrepreneurs Conference 2010 which was successfully held and attended by more than 600 on 15/7/2010, I would like register a note of thanks to the incredible people who helped put this great show together, in one way or another. This conference was a collaborative effort between the Branding Association of Malaysia and SME Corp Malaysia. This marked the second year of a fantastic partnership between SME Corp and BAM. To organize an event of this scale required a great deal of manpower and resources. I would like to thank SME Corp Malaysia for giving BAM this wonderful opportunity to collaborate. I feel that we, the SMEs and SMIs in Malaysia are very fortunate. SME Corp, the government agency set up to look after the well-being of small & medium enterprises, is a most incredible organization. Led by its dynamic CEO, YBhg Dato Hafsah Hashim, SME Corp is an energetic and ambitious organization committed to nothing but helping the SMEs and...

I am not an admirer of Robert Kiyosaki. I actually once thought I’d become a fan of this guru of investment, but after reading his book, I knew I never would be. While I can’t argue with his financial philosophy, I have a great deal of difficulty swallowing the title of his book that propelled him into worldwide fame – “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”. In this book, Robert Kiyosaki talked candidly about his two 'dads'. First, he talked about his biological dad. His biological father was a government employee who served the Hawaii Education Department faithfully his whole life. However, as his father did not retire as a person of high net worth, Robert called his birth father, 'Poor Dad'. The other 'dad' that Robert referred to in his book was an investor who used his financial finesse to earn a passive income and led a wealthy life. Robert described himself as becoming close to this mysterious man and regarding him as a fatherly figure. Due to his financial prowess, this ma...

I read a news article this morning and it kept me energized for the whole rest of the day. It was the story of Marcelo Iriarte, an Argentinean, and how he became a lawyer after having been a newspaper seller, bus driver and street sweeper all his life. Marcelo never finished his primary education. When he was three, his parents got divorced. Due to poverty, he started selling newspapers in the streets at the age of eight. He became as a bus driver some years later. One day, a lady passenger changed his life. Apparently this lady, a passenger in the bus whom he had never met, said to him, "You should really continue your education. I see such potential in you." What she said struck Marcelo like a bolt of lightning. Nobody had ever told him anything like that. He thought he would end up driving a bus or selling newspapers in the streets for the rest of his life. For the first time in his life, he realized he could actually do something better. Marcelo decided to heed the advice...

. The size of the picture that one has directly determines the scale of achievement that one will attain. Some people have big pictures, some people have medium-sized pictures, and some people have small pictures. Sadly, some people have no pictures at all. Let's begin with those with big pictures. The "big picture" people understand what is most important for their success. They are usually not wavered by the little things that happen in their lives. Their direction towards their ultimate destination never changes just because one or two unexpected things have happened in their lives. These people hold fast to their vision and they pursue their calling relentlessly. They seem to be fearless and bold. They do things that defy expectations and the imagination of the common man. Even when a situation gets seriously tough, they are steadfast. These people never give up. And then, there are the "medium picture" people. These people also see a picture but their pictu...

. Success is basically an accumulation of all the little right things that we do each day. It is not the one big step that we take that will make us successful. It is the little steps that we take on a daily basis in the right direction that will take us there. It is unreasonable to get up one fine morning, decide to be successful and expect that success to take place instantly. Instead, should you wake one morning and decide to be successful, then set realistic expectations, formulate a plan, do little things right every day and work towards your ultimate success. Along the way, set yourself smaller milestones and achieve several intermediate successes. These will help to keep your ultimate goal within sight. What do I mean by doing the ‘little things’ every day? What are these ‘little things’? Those little things, to be honest with you, are nothing that will amaze you. They are not things that you will make you say: “Wow, I never thought about that! No wonder people are successful – ...

. Fifty years ago, my father was a young teacher teaching at a primary school. When he was posted to the minute town of Bidor, he was an instant celebrity in town. In fact, he was such a big celebrity that he was secretly admired by many young girls, and one of them was my mother. (Lucky me!) Why was he such a hit? Answer - He was a teacher, period. Decades ago, the teaching profession used to be something everybody admired and looked up to. Coming from a very poor family, my father had to struggle all his way through as a child. Finishing primary education was considered a luxury to most poor Malaysian children in the forties, so if somebody had a child who could move on to secondary education, it was something to shout about. Coming from a humble family of seven in the small village of Kampung Simee, my father became the most highly qualified member in the Chong family. He was the only member of his family who 'graduated' from a junior high school at Form Three. Further more,...

. There is a Chinese saying that states, "No matter how poor you are, your state of poverty must never be at the expense of education". We all know that education is the one single thing that can change lives. It turns fate around. Nothing can have more major or positive of an impact on a person's life than education and training. And nothing is more devastating on a person's life than the lack of it. History shows us that great men do not necessarily always graduate from great schools with high academic qualifications. However, history does show us that the individuals who demonstrate elements of greatness are always the most avid learners. They are not necessarily 'graduates', but they are all 'educated'. "So what is education?" one may ask. "And what about qualification?" another may add. Well, education certainly differs from qualification. Education can be either formal or informal. Most people go through formal education in pr...