Anniversary Charm Bracelet

To celebrate a 40th anniversary...four pretty little charms, made of pure silver and coated with platinum, stringed onto a matching bracelet that would daintily adorn any woman's hand. 
   

The piece is designed by NAWEM-PAN member Amee Philips (photo at left) of the famed Penang jewellery house. The award winner and internationally known designer collaborated with Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang to create a special something to commemorate the ruby anniversary of this Penang foremost resort and spa.




 What is the charm of the bracelet?

Well, simply wearing and flashing it while visiting the resort will earn you discount at certain outlets. What's more, the bracelet with the little charms depicting Rasa Sayang outstanding features is to be given away free to resort customers.

The details will be available at the official unveiling of the 40th anniversary charm bracelet this Saturday Dec 15. There will be a jewellery show by Amee Philips , too.


Come along PAN and show support to our fellow member!










The party starts at 2.30pm at the resort's Spice Market Cafe terrace, where you may enjoy its scrumptious Scone High Tea while drinking in the lush green ambiance of Rasa's manicured gardens...just like the one below. COOL, huh!

   
 

December Entrepreneur Events

Dec 29
PAN final business meeting of the year + holiday gathering with lunch sponsored by madam chairperson. Attendees are encouraged to bring a gift each (worth minimum RM20 or more, if you wish) for the holiday gift exchange and to spread cheers.

We shall be meeting at PAN new shared premise in One Precinct Penang in Bayan Baru.
The address is: 1A-2-02 @ One Precinct (1147),
                        Lengkok Mayang Pasir.

The sharing session at noon shall feature member Linda Cheoy, speaking on 'choosing a good loan.' Come learn some tips...most businesses can benefit from loan at some point in time :)

The agenda is as follows:

10.00am - 12 noon  Committee meeting

12 noon -12.30pm   Sharing by member/guest (non-members welcome)

12.30pm - 1pm        Q & A

1pm - 2.30pm          Lunch-cum-networking

Dec 13
NAWEM has 20 seats at today's Chairman Power Breakfast with the Prime Minister in Kuala Lumpur. NAM Institute for the Empowerment of Women (NIEW), an agency under the Ministry of Women, Family and community Development, is the event organiser.

Dec 7
Inaugural Meeting for the "Staying Connected" Committee of the Malaysia In-Country APEC Forum 2012 in NAWEM office at Rumah Puspanita in Kuala Lumpur.


Dec 4 - 6
8th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in Johor Bahru. NAWEM has 5 complimentary seats for the WIEF Business Women Forum on Dec 5 that features several intriguing sessions including on:

Women in Technology: Fostering Interest and Overcoming Obstacles.

Business Innovation: Chasing Success on a Shoestring

CEO Panel Women Entrepreneurs: Catalyst for Change


Dec 1
Full day seminar titled ‘Merancang Kejayaan Perniagaan dari Aspek Kewangan dan Undang-Undang’ in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. NAWEM has invitation for 20 members. This is a Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism event, organised together with Peniagawati Malaysia.

Sharing by Women Entrepreneurs

For November sharing, PAN member Jacqueline of La Herballe beauty care will relate her company's experience participating in numerous expositions.

This is Jac

Most recent, La Herballe was among the exhibitors at last week Gift, Premium & Stationery Fair as well as the Penang Career & Post Graduate Expo held at the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA). By now, for sure her team are experts at getting the most out of such events, what are the do's and dont's when you are promoting products, building brand and franchise, etc.





New PAN member Jace will also be sharing on the topic of 'choosing the sex of your baby.' Jace is the director of Choice Baby Family Planning, a company that provides baby gender selection services.

Jace Lim

The company uses what is called the 'Choice Method', which Jace said is simple, safe and 100% natural for both mother and baby, without genetic manipulation, any clinical or surgical treatment. It has been used by thousand of mothers with over 98% success rate.

Aren't you curious now?
 




We all can learn much from these two growing women entrepreneurs. Come and meet them.

Kindly take note that NAWEM-PAN sharing session follows its monthly committee meeting, held every LAST SATURDAY of the month, and the Agenda is as follows:

10.00am - 12 noon  Committee meeting

12 noon -12.30pm   Sharing by member/guest (non-members welcome)

12.30pm - 1pm        Q & A

1pm - 2.30pm          Lunch-cum-networking with guests

Note the venue below and be part of PAN sharing & networking. 

C-5-1, Bay Avenue, Lorong Bayan Indah 3, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.

(next to Eastin Hotel, near Queensbay Mall)

Also, starting December PAN official meeting venue will move to One Precinct Penang - a new seven-storey office-cum-retail complex in Bayan Baru (near Suntech). Our shared premise is at Precinct East 2nd floor. The address is 1A-2-02 @ One Precinct (1147), Lengkok Mayang Pasir, 11950, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.

November Events

NAWEM-PAN member Wendy Wong at PenExpo Events is super busy nowadays with two up coming back-to-back expositions her company is holding at PISA (Penang International Sporst Arena) this month.

A tired & still smiling Wendy at the last expo.

PenExpo is known for its big expos that draw crowd of 20,000 - 30,000 people, and the exhibitor booths cost several thousands Ringgit each. Thanks to PenExpo and Wendy, women entrepreneurs from NAWEM often get to participate for free in such expos.

The two coming up events are the second Gift, Premium & Stationery Fair 2012 from Nov 15-17 and to be followed by the 12th Penang Career & Post Graduate Expo on Nov 17 & 18. Come find us among other Malaysian and international exhibitors at the events ya!

Participating PAN members at a previous expo.

...and the visiting crowd

Of course, you can just come for the expo daily top lucky draw prize of the new iPad, and to earn one or two of the 10,000 free Firefly Air tickets on offer.

If you or someone you know is looking for a job or want to change career, the career expo brings to you some 10,000 opportunities including for overseas postings...there must one or two that meet your preference.

If you rather take a break from work and go for further study, the expo post graduate section also let you easily browse through the different options available.

Company functions normally peak towards the year-end. Some functions require that you prepare unique gift items and souvenirs. Pick and order yours at the Gift, Premium & Stationery Fair.

Details of both expos, the list of exhibitors and their detail offerings are posted on https://www.facebook.com/penexpoevents and www.penexpo.com.my. Btw, PenExpo will also hold the Johor Career & Post Graduate Expo on Jan 12 & 13 next year.

* * *

There are more up coming events that offer business opportunities and learning, networking, training, etc. Some are free to eligible entrepreneurs while others charge substantial fees. However, many of them have free seats allotted to NAWEM members via our secretariat.


Nov 20
Half-day Street Smart 'MBA' for Entrepreneurs (SME CEO Forum 2012) in Petaling Jaya - for clearer understanding of how business works holistically, how to take complex decisions and operate in fast moving and competitive environment. NAWEM has 2 complimentary seats.


Nov 25
Entrepreneurship Programme with SME Bank in Kuala Lumpur - provides exposure and information about the role and financing opportunities offered by SME Bank to women entrepreneurs. NAWEM has 25 seats. 

Nov 26-30
Women as Creative Tourism Players, a regional course organised by NAM Institute for Empowerment of Women (NIEW) and to be held in Bali. NIEW is sponsoring the course except for air fare. NAWEM is allotted three applicants. 

 
Nov 28
Incoming Buying Mission: Intrade Malaysia 2012 in Kuala Lumpur for new and active Malaysian exporters. It is organised by MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation) with expected presence of some 500 international buyers.

Nov 29
Creativity & Innovation 
Key to Survival & Growth of SMEs
HRDF-sponsored programme in Petaling Jaya.

PAN is 3 Years Young!

Come November 2012, Penang Affiliates of NAWEM will be three years old and members had an early anniversary celebration in Kuala Lumpur recently, together with fellow women entrepreneurs from NAWEM headquarters.

And what a celebration it was for PAN members during that three-day two-night trip! We much appreciate that many NAWEM members, busy business women that they are, had made time for us and on week days too. They graciously became our tour guides, committee meeting coaches, lunch and dinner hosts and party pals.

We felt their generosity, camaraderie, warmth and sisterhood, which made me think of bunch of proud mamas showering gifts on her only child's birthday. Ah! it's good that PAN is NAWEM's first child, so to speak :)

At the end of the trip we were left feeling like children pampered on their birthday; from the various treats, bagful of wonderful souvenirs and fun prizes to take home and the warm, happy memories made. There were also lessons learned and inspiration taken, friendship forged and strengthened.

NAWEM President Sarojini Ruth addressing the gathering.

Fun and camaraderie at the Monkey Bar... anniversary dinner party hosted by NAWEM deputy president Puan Sri Dr Susan Cheah.

We sang, we danced, we had fun contests and won prizes, talked like only women could and made friends, ate and drank...and waited for the host to turn up. She was held back by work and bad traffic and couldn't make it. We had loads of fun anyhow!

Puan Sri Susan felt bad for having missed the party and made it up by treating us the next day to lunch. Awesome. A relaxed and leisurely meal, plus great conversation, at the Atrium, Sunway Pyramid certainly left many in joyous mood.

PAN chairperson Swe Ee was especially pleased that, with this anniversary trip, all in her committee had finally visited NAWEM Secretariat. The office is very cozy and has a feel of that of a home especially in the kitchenette.

It was serious business though when come to the meeting proper. We thank president Saro and her exco for sitting through the meeting with PAN committee, and for the coaching so as to better standardise the procedure. Also, thank you Mayi of the Secretariat for the professionally prepared minutes. We all learned and shall strive to do better.

Perhaps the greatest learning curve during the trip occurred while visiting Ken-Rich Chemical factory in Shah Alam. 

This CEO dresses very comfortably to work.

NAWEM member Hooi Lai Lin fascinated and inspired with recount of her success story; building the business with just RM5,000 in pooled capital amidst the mid-80's Malaysian economic crisis.

Her factory makes household and personal care products and today it supplies, among others, the house brands for international supermarket and retail outlet chains. Ken-Rich Chemical has also recently expanded to Penang to start making new personal care product lines.

Waiting for lunch to be served at South Sea Seafood in Subang.

 After feeding our mind and soul, Lai Lin took us out and fed our tummies as well. She sent us off with bagful of goodies each. 




Like Wendy said, the generosity we received was very encouraging, made us want to achieve more and grow as entrepreneurs, and take our turn at being gracious host and equally encouraging to other fellow women entrepreneurs.

For now, it has just gotten easier for the PAN members to answer that question of 'How have I benefited from NAWEM?' : ) What say you, gals? Comment below or leave some words in the cbox at right.

Business Grants to Beef Up Your Company?

Beauty care entrepreneur Jacqueline Goh started her business from a single table in a Penang shopping mall. Five years later, the La Herballe brand she created had begun distributing products throughout Malaysia, and even the world via online mall.

This year the brand celebrates its 8^th anniversary with Jac as the company group managing director and licensor for the La Herballe skin/beauty salon, which uses Japanese products first formulated over 30 years ago. She studied business in Japan as well as trained as a skin therapist and beauty consultant there, and naturally had since moonlight as a Japanese translator too.

La Herballe currently has 1 outlet on Penang Island, 2 in Seberang Prai and 2 in Selangor. It also actively distribute products through clinics, pharmacies and other salons.

The brand differentiate itself as the natural skin care/facial quick fix for urban lifestyle, attracting people with its effective, light and easy facial/spa experience at affordable prices.

La Herballe's latest concept of beauty kiosk

We are proud to have Jac as vice chairperson of NAWEM-PAN since its inception. Last year she was a recipient of NAWEM-HSBC skill training grant worth RM30,000. This allowed 10 eligible women in Penang to receive La Herballe beauty care training to enable them to at least start a home-based business, beauty kiosk or salon.

Certainly Jac has under her belt enough business experience and acumen to inspire other women. She had a regular job when she first started her business. “I would get up in the morning and go to my normal job as a PA/translator in factory uniform, and in the afternoon change into my skin therapist/consultant attire... in high heels.” For La Herballe, it had taken courage, effort, determination, belief in the products and the right image to succeed, Jac added.

A proud sponsor of Star Walk 2012...Jac @ centre

She recently applied for another NAWEM grant and hopes to train the next batch of deserving women entrepreneur wannabes. Jac has also been mulling on writing a women entrepreneur's guide titled 'The Warrior In Me...in High Heels.' We only wish she would get to it soon so more women can benefit from the La Herballe experience.

Meanwhile her company has, through NAWEM assistance, also received a SME Corp grant for La Herballe to obtain Franchise licence and ISO 9001 certification. For some immediate sharing with Jac, come join PAN sharing session this month on 'How to maximize your benefits being a member of NAWEM?' 

Jewellery talk, not on gold, this Saturday

The topic for PAN July sharing session has changed from gold to jewellery; both are favourites with us women, entrepreneurs or not. The earlier designated speaker, PAN member Monica, has a family emergency so another member Amee Philips has step up to take over the rostrum.

Yes, the speaker is the Amee Philips of the famous Penang jewellery house that has gone national as well as international as of this year. So free up your Saturday afternoon tomorrow to listen to and spend some personal time with this rising entrepreneur.

At the 6^th Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards earlier this month, Amee won the Most Promising Entrepreneur Award 2012. This particular award requires for the nominees to be entrepreneurs leading a registered business for no less than one year, and with a turnover of no less than USD1 million in the past one year.

The Most Promising Entrepreneurship Award is for entrepreneurs who have displayed promising accomplishments in the past and present and have the vision and potential to advance their companies to be leading businesses in the near future. They are deemed to hold the potential to make it big and inspire the young minds to follow their footsteps in becoming successful entrepreneurs in the future. 

Amee (L) receiving her Most Promising Entrepreneur Award

And Amee has been judged to fit that bill. So come prepared with questions to ask her over a cuppa. PAN sharing session is normally quite intimate with just 20 women or less chatting together.

Here's some Amee's basics to entice you further. 

She hailed from Nibong Tebal and got into the jewellery business by accident. She was in Germany and received a gemstone in the mail from mom, who asked Amee to send home more of the same.

At the time Amee could only afford costume jewellery to wear. “I didn't even know what gemstone my mom had sent. I took it to a crystal shop and look for its look-alike and bought some to send back home.”

Her mom shared the gems with friends and soon was asking Amee to get more, who then started sourcing them for much cheaper from wholesalers.

That was how her gems wholesaling business took hold, supplying to the jewellery shops along Pitt Street (now Lebuh Masjid Kapitan Keling) in George Town. “I walked door-to-door asking them to buy but they only agreed to sell the gems for me on consignment.”

“I develop good eyes for the good gem stones as I go through thousands of them daily. And I started designing jewellery too and was lucky enough to have sold every piece.” She opened her jewellery production studio in 1992.

 

With the 1997 Financial Crisis, the wholesaling business took a dive. Amee shifted her focus entirely on producing jewellery and hasn't look back since. Year 2012 brought the Amee Philips brand to the international arena through a smart partnership with Zhang Toi, a fellow Malaysian who is now a world renown fashion designer based in New York.

Amee Philips became an international brand overnight with Zhang Toi, she said. It all began with them meeting as participants in the George Town Festival 2011. She counted that among the lucky moments or breakthroughs in her business.

 

Amee Philips is looking forward to become a world renown brand in no time because, she said, “I'm the best in coloured gem stones, I love them, I believe in innovation and creativity, I'm a big dreamer, a doer, and have no worries about making mistakes.”

Awesome words and resolve; don't you wish to hear more from her in person?

 

July Sharing: Gold Intrigue

Are you noticing that lately gold is talked about quite often?

Yes, the shiny yellow metal has been gaining more attention than usual, at least for the past two years that I've noticed in Malaysia:

• My friends sell gold bar and promote the gold dinar and coin on FaceBook.
• Banks offer free gold wafers when you open an account and gold coins to win when you grow your balance.
• You can open gold account easily at any bank; two years ago only 2 or 3 banks have such facility. You have option to keep your gold bullions in the bank or take them home.
• There are also new companies dealing in gold bullions.
• 'Cash for your gold' event held in major city hotel and advertised in major papers.

PAN sharing session this month shall present some answers to the gold intrigue. Member Monica Toh wants to spread awareness of gold bullions as a good hedge against inflation and preserver of wealth.

People place their savings mostly in the bank, property or stock market, hoping to grow their wealth. Is now a good time to diversify and put some of your savings in the precious metal too?

Monica had joined the manufacturing sector right after school. After more than 20 years there, she left to go into financial planning and unit trust investment. Two years ago she expanded into trading of gold bullion.

She said gold bullion is providing her income regardless of the market movements, and helping others to do the same has been very financially rewarding as well.

 

Other Upcoming Events

26 & 27 July: NAMWEM  has 2 complimentary seats at the 16th Malaysian Banking Summit. Themed 'Charting the Future Direction of Banking and Finance in a New Era', the event is organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI) and held in Kuala Lumpur. Register with NAWEM Secretariat by noon, Friday the 16th, if you want to attend.

Sept 11 & 12: Join some 1,400 employers at the HRDF Conference & Exhibition 2012 this coming September. This annual event by Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB) will take place at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The Human Resource Minister will give the keynote address. There will be other prominent speakers plus information-packed workshops to intensify information exchange pertaining to theoretical research and practical developments in HR development.

For details, contact NAWEM Secretariat at 03-2142 3325 or email secretariat.nawem@gmail.com

or visit www.hrdf.com.my.

Earlier Events

July 11: NAWEM is alloted 4 seats at a full day "International Population Conference on Population Ageing : Issues and Challenges" in Kuala Lumpur, held in conjunction with World Population Day 2012.

Expected attendance is about 230 representatives from government agencies, private sector, universities, international agencies as well as non-governmental organisations.

They are to discuss issues and challenges of the ageing population in Malaysia and other ASEAN countries in general. There will be Malaysian and international speakers, presenting a total of 13 papers.

Their top task is to evaluate the financial needs and family support for the older persons in view of the changing family scenario and current social economic situation.

Apart from sharing of information and experiences internationally, the conference would help programme managers and policy makers in the formulation of a more comprehensive policy for the
older persons.

The Social Security Research Centre, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya (UM) is jointly organising the conference with the National Population and Family Development Board under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

July 5 & 6: NAWEM had 2 complimentary seats at the e-commerce workshop "Versatile Innovation in Doing Business in the Global Market” held in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised it in collaboration with the Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry & Secure Online Shopping Association, Taiwan.

July 2-8: NAWEM had 2 complimentary seats at the forum and networking session held during the Economic Cooperation Development In Private Sector Between Malaysia & Iran in Kuala Lumpur. The organiser was SME Corp.

June Sharing

Polly Kheong will share her life passion for flower craft, which also has been her business for over 5 years. Join us and find out how to turn your passion into business that you love, can sustain and grow into your own unique success story.

Wish Flower Creation, her shop in Butterworth, offers better designs and arrangements of pretty stuff like...

fresh flowers hand bouquet and hamper,

everlasting bouquet,

flower basket,

gift & flower,

fruits & flower basket,

congratulatory floral stand,

clay flower & toy.

As you can see, Polly's arts extend to clay flowers and toys, patchwork and drawing as well as teaching them to children and adults, boys & girls, men & women.  

clay flowers that look like the real thing

Other June events

June 28-30:
SME Solutions / Entrepreneurship Expo in Kuala Lumpur.

NAWEM members have 15% discount on booth rental. Contact the event coordinator at 603 7880 3511 ext. 102 or mobile 6012-6129351.

June 28–30: Women Economic Forum at St Petersburg, Russia.

Join the Malaysian delegation to this regular event under the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which has theme of 'Women and Innovative Economic Growth'.

The forum is expected to attract some 300 high-profile participants from the public, private, NGO and academic sectors. There are 3 main elements of the forum:

1. APEC policy partnership on women and the economy.
2. Public-private dialogue on women and economy.
3. High-level policy dialogue on women and the economy.

To participate, register with the International Relations Division of the Malaysian Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Telephone 03-8323 1403/1407 or email tanbeechin@kpwkm.gov.my or farahsalma@kpwkm.gov.my.

June 26: NAWEM invited to a luncheon business talk 'Creating a global brand; the Lewre Success Story' in Kuala Lumpur. Lewre is a Malaysian brand of quality footwear for men and women, marketed globally especially to Europe and the Middle East.

June 21&22: ASEAN-India SME Conference with the theme 'Breaking Barriers, Building Success' in Kuala Lumpur. NAWEM was given 30 complimentary seats.

June - NAWEM Exco member Jacqueline Francis is on a business trip to London and US, visiting women business association in the region as a spokesperson for NAWEM, and passing along business-related matters from other members.

May Events

The 2^nd Conference on Greater KL in Kuala Lumpur

3 Complimentary seats given to NAWEM

3-Day 'Women & Money Asia Convention' in Kuala Lumpur.

10 complimentary seats reserved for NAWEM members.

Fully sponsored course on 'Sexual Harassment at the Workplace' in Shah Alam. 2 Reserved seats for NAWEM members.

NAWEM Sarawak trip, scheduled for Friday, 18th May, has been postponed to a later date. 

Know Your S&P Agreement

PAN legal advisor is to speak on "Understanding your sale & purchase agreement" at our May sharing session that follows the monthly committee meeting.

Do come join us. The sharing session, open to all, starts at 12noon and includes Q&A time. More questions and/or extended discussion can be done over lunch that starts about 1pm. Let's have some women time together and enjoy!

Date: 26 May 2012
Venue: C-5-1, Bay Avenue
            Lorong Bayan Indah 3 (next to Queensbay Mall, Penang)


Curious about who is PAN legal adviser?

Catherine is 2nd from left.

Catherine Heah has accumulated extensive knowledge and practical experience in her seventeen (17) years in legal practice. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree (Honours) from University of East London, United Kingdom in 1992 and later also passed her Certificate of Legal Practice examination prior to being called to the BAR.

Currently, she is the head of the conveyancing department of Messrs Othman Hashim & Co.Advocates & Solicitors and the said Department comprises of three(3) other lawyers and together they are ably assisted by eight (8) clerical staffs. Her area of specialization covers General Conveyancing, Banking & Finance instruments including Corporate & Retail transactions, Probate & Admninistrative Law, Small Estates, Wills, Landlord & Tenant and Leases. To enhance her knowledge in companies and business sectors, Catherine recently took a Company Secretarial course so that she can be conscious of the legal impediments on one hand and on the other hand take charge of the legal assignments with dedication by ensuring the service level and quality of work rendered to the clients are not compromised.

Messrs Othman Hashim & Co. was established in October 1983 in Kuala Lumpur and has expanded beyond the city limits of Kuala Lumpur to Sepang, Wangsa Maju, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kota Bahru, Sibu & Kuching in Sarawak. In addition, the firm has close association in Shenzen, China and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The firm continues to grow at a steady pace to 53 lawyers to date.

As the firm undertakes litigation and non-litigation work, its vision has always been to provide its clients a wide range of legal services and strongly believe that there is strength in diversity .

Catherine is an active member and a Past President of the Lions Club, known to many as the largest service organization/NGO in the world with more than 1.7 million members. For more than ten ( 10 ) years, she gave freely her time to serve the less fortunate in the community by participating and organizing many meaningful projects/activities with the aim of raising funds towards humanitarian efforts.

 

Heart of a Mother

For all those who are and have a mom, entrepreneur or not, in conjunction with the coming Mother's Day, I'm sharing this... beautiful, beautiful words, sound and images that just touch the soul and draw warm tears to the eyes.

It begins like this...

"The moment a child is born,
   the mother is also born.

She never existed before.
The woman existed,
   but the mother, never.

A mother is something
   absolutely new."  - Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

"Making a decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide
   forever to have your heart go
      walking around outside your body."  - Elizabeth Stone


"A mother is she who
   can take the place of all others
      but whose place no one else can take."  - Cardinal Mermillod

"The heart of a mother
   is a deep abyss at the bottom of which
      you will always find forgiveness."  - Honore de Balzac

"It's not what you do for your children
   but what you have taught them to do for themselves
      that will make them successful human beings."  - Ann Landers

"A mother holds her children's hands for a while,
   but their hearts forever."  - Author unknown

"A hundred years from now it will not matter
   what my bank account was,
      the sort of house I lived in,
         or the kind of car I drove,
   but the world may be different because
         I was important in the life of a child."  - Forest E Witcraft

"The greatest gift you can give your children
   are roots of responsibility
      and wings of independence."  - Denis Waitley

And it ends with...

"Before you were conceived,
   I wanted you.
Before you were born,
   I loved you.
Before you were here an hour,
   I would die for you.
This is a miracle of life."  - Maureen Hawkins


Now for the full beautiful effect, go to Heart of a Mother. And don't forget to turn up the volume. Wish I could just have the video embedded in here. Sigh, the life of a non-techie...

Sharing on Health and Wellness

Children, adolescents, adults and the elderly have different nutritional requirements. Knowing what they are is especially important to women as the main care giver of the family.

Thus we are delighted to have someone shares on this topic at PAN sharing session this Saturday. Pauline Cheah will speak on 'Your Health Is Your Greatest Asset' starting at noon, following PAN committee meeting.

Pauline's favourite saying is "your body is like a car."

"If at the beginning we don't know how to maintain it well, until it breaks down one day as part of the aging process, then we panic to repair it. Even if the situation improves, it will also leave irreparable regrets."

So why do people get sick? What is the ideal life style? Explore some of the answers with Pauline, whose credentials include below list:

   

Pauline Cheah, a BSc (Maths) graduate from University Malaya, started her career as a consultant for Statistical Engineering and Process Control Systems in the semiconductor industry in Penang for 15 years, attached to two giant MNCs, AMD and Intel respectively.

The year 2007 marked a turning point of her career from an employee to a freelance trainer-cum-consultant for Quality/Process Improvements courses and project consultation for MNC, SMI and local companies in Northern Region and KL.

Concurrently, Pauline has also established herself as an Independent Business Owner and Consultant to provide global business opportunities to individuals who seek financial independence and time freedom to pursue their dreams in life. Pauline’s Free Enterprise business is affiliated with Britt WorldWide (BWW), which is one of the biggest business education and training company in the USA, to provide a systematic business education and mentorship.

In addition, as Brand Ambassadors of Nutrilite and Artistry, part of her role is to provide consultation and service in wellness and beauty.

In 2011, Pauline had the opportunity to attend a training workshop in China to enhance her knowledge in Traditional Chinese Health Therapy for prevention of most of the chronic diseases. 

Women Entrepreneur at Work

An exhibition celebrating women and creativity. "Femme Flora" is a tribute to women, by women. A dazzling display of womanhood.

It is held till the end of this month at the Malaysian Tourism Ministry Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, in celebration of the International Women's Day 2012.

NAWEM president Sarojini (in purple) was among the VIPs at the exhibition opening.

Here is the guest of honour, Malaysian Tourism Minister (at right), giving a finishing touch to a painting.

The exhibition is presented by Penang-based Alyssa Galeri.

Alyssa (in red) is an E&E engineer by training but she grew up surrounded by art, exhibitions and galleries.

"My dad is an artist. When small, I was often the girl carrying the tray that holds the scissors for ribbon-cutting ceremony to open art exhibitions."

So after being retrenched from her engineering job, she founded Alyssa Galeri in 2010 and never look back. Nowadays her tasks include visiting potential client's home or office to propose suitable artworks.

She also started the ArtMalaysia Photography Club that within two years attracted 29 members including foreigners. As such her 3-storey gallery also houses a photo studio on the top floor.

Alyssa is soon-gonna-be PAN member. As we move along, this space shall showcase more PAN members and their businesses. Women are an enterprising lot! Do you know one with an interesting story to tell?


In the mean time, below are some events you can look out for and participate, to grow yourself and your business.


 Upcoming activities:

April 26
A one-day E-Learning Mini Seminar & Exhibition at Pacific Hotel, KL. NAWEM has a booth for display of members' training programmes, modules and brochures. Those who are registered trainers with Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB) can participate, and are to register with NAWEM secretariat by April 23 on first-come-first-serve basis.

Also, a visit with PSMB Deputy CEO at 11am. Participants are to register with the secretariat by April 23.

May 8
A visit with Malaysia Tourism Minister and participants are to register by May 2 with NAWEM secretariat.

May 12
NAWEM visit to Sarawak. Registration closed.

May 22-24
Inaugural SEA Women Entrepreneurs Conference in Kucing, Sarawak.
Participants to gain insights into the vibrant economic opportunities within Southeast Asia. Excellent opportunities to share, get inspired and seek business collaborations. Some 500 women entrepreneurs from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines are expected at the conference, hosted by the Women's Wing of Sarawak Chamber of Entrepreneurs (Dewanita DUBS). Details at www.seawec.com.

June 19
National associations dialogue with Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and registration is by May 31. This event was postponed from April 21.

July
The 6th Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award 2012 in Kuala Lumpur.
Nomination is now open. More info at http://enterpriseasia.org/apea/my/. NAWEM is the supporting partner for this event. 

Sharing Is Laughing Together

Sharing is Fun!
Let's just have some fun today...together.

It is simply so nice to catch up with friends, even if it is just once a month, to let off steam, relax and be womanly happy, especially when all are hard working and overworked women entrepreneurs. As women, they say, we wear many hats, sometimes too many, and therefore can be exhausting.

See, it's working already, the mood is changing.
PAN is a serious endeavor and there to assist women entrepreneurs but the members are not necessarily serious all the time. They know how to have fun!

When some are slow to pick up, the others are there to encourage them and give some pointers.

In managing business, the boss is told to share only good news to the employees / down-lines. The bad news and problems are to be shared among the management / up-lines so as to be resolved and the business gets to move on as smoothly as possible. PAN is here to grow as a 'collective mastermind' for women entrepreneurs to tap on to help nurture and grow their own individual business.

And wallaah! Problems solved. Everyone is energized to go back and focus on own business for another day, week, or month. PAN is always there for them to re-group and support one another.

Of course, the women in PAN too resort to good food to help lift up the overall mood of the group, and the tired spirit and mind of the individuals. This is our friend Kyree (right) before the food arrived :)

We were at an organic food restaurant in Bayan Baru near Queensbay Mall.


Organic food and organic friends make for an unbeatable combination for a good living! Take a close-up look to share in some of our culinary pleasure for that day.

Signing off for now...

Sharing by Art Entrepreneur

So you want to be an entrepreneur. But what kind of business would you do? Most gurus would say to do something that you love, so to carry you through those times when it gets tough, as it surely would during any journey to success.

Alyssa Khoo operates Alyssa Galeri. Is she a lover of art? Well, come find out when she does her sharing at PAN monthly meeting this Saturday starting at noon. The venue is PAN office at ADA Shared Services in Bay Avenue, next to Queensbay Mall. The story of art entrepreneur is not commonly told. It should be interesting!

Alyssa Galeri is the force behind the “Femme Flora”, an International Women's Day Art Exhibition 2012 now going on till April at Galeri Kementerian Tourism Malaysia in Putrajaya. It is a showcase dedicated to celebrate women throughout the world.

Pretty poster of the Femme Flora exhibition.

The exhibition particularly celebrates that unique bond between flowers, the feminine, and woman as a positive force in the world. It features the works of some 30 women artists from Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Iran, Thailand, Finland, Singapore, China and Korea. Details at www.alyssagaleri.com.

Other sharing opportunities coming up

• The Entrepreneur 101 Nationwide Franchise Roadshow 2012 is coming to town near you and admission is free. NAWEM members are invited. A stop at Concorde Hotel Shah Alam is scheduled for this April 4.
  There will be notable industry professionals who will share with the participants the practical tips of business operations and the ways to penetrate franchise industry. En Saharudin Sahad of Smart Franchise Partner will speak on The road map to franchise your business.
  A representative from Perbadanan Nasional Berhad is to speak on “Roles in developing franchise industry in Malaysia.” Several franchisers will also be at hand to share their experiences.
  
  
• SMEs & Overseas Trade (Import & Export) seminar is on April 10, 2012 at the Shah Alam Convention Centre. This one also offers free admission. The speakers are experts from Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). The organiser is Malaysia SME^TM. 
  
  
  NAWEM 4S Workshop is on April 13 at Villa FELDA in Kuala Lumpur. This is a full day workshop on sustainability. It introduces the Pyramid concept used worldwide by businesses to generate sustainable idea and actions.
  
  
   

Empowering Women

“Women: the engine of economic growth” is the theme for the Global Summit of Women this year, scheduled from May 31 to June 2, and is expected to draw some 1,000 women leaders.

NAWEM-PAN members have the opportunity to attend this event in Athens, Greece – currently known more for its financial troubles than anything else. Perhaps this would be better for sharpening the business sensitivity of participants.

The summit promises to, among others, provide a window into the European economies, affording information on doing business with Greece and the Balkan economies in particular. You'd get an insight into the women driving business growth in this region as consumers and business leaders.

The three days will have numerous sessions to help grow leadership skills, your business and network. You would learn from featured best practices in partnerships between business and government to advance women and to promote green initiatives.

A briefing on the global summit was already held on March 1 in Kuala Lumpur, organised by SME Corp. Malaysia.

PAN chairman Ong Swe Ee views the summit as a great networking opportunity among successful women and urged members to take up this rare opportunity via NAWEM secretariat. She added: “To apply for 50% trip subsidy, those owners of Sdn Bhd company should enrol with MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation) – the registration is free and can be done online.”

By the way, NAWEM members can also keep up-to-date through email with MATRADE Online News, which provides market alerts from its trade commissioners overseas, product market studies for exporters as well as its various programme announcements.

NAWEM 19^th Annual General Meeting

If you are not making it to Athens, then go for our AGM, scheduled for Saturday, 24th March 2012. The first 50 to register will receive a token of appreciation from the Exco. Last year's AGM recorded attendance of 49 members.

The venue this year is again at the secretariat at Rumah Puspanita in KL. It will start with catered lunch and followed by the meeting starting 3pm.

NAWEM does provide women entrepreneurs ample opportunities to network at local, national and international levels. A recent gathering was the MAFa Country Conference 2012 on March 14-15 in Shah Alam. The organiser Malaysian Association of Facilitators (www.myfacilitators.org) allowed NAWEM members special rate to attend the event.

Earlier on March 4, four PAN members made it to the “KARISMA NGO with the Prime Minister” programme at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development organised that gathering of non-governmental organisations. 

Amidst the KARISMA NGO crowd, NAWEM members are easily recognisable in their pretty blue batik baju kurung.

President Sarojini and other NAWEM exco up on stage.

 

 

One for the album... with other participants.

On April 21, the National Council of Women's Organisations will hold a seminar in KL on crime prevention for parents - “SEKATA (Keselamatam Keluarga Tanggungjawab Kita), Edisi Ibu Bapa”. Two seats are reserved for NAWEM.

If you need to re-charge, consider the Women Leadership & Coaching Retreat in Langkawi on April 20 to 23. Directly contact Puan Masitah Babjan at mbmasit@hotmail.com for details and to register.

Property Consultant Genny Tse

“I know I work hard. I was looking for something with bigger reward for my effort.” That was how this woman became an entrepreneur; wanting to work hard for herself rather than for someone else.

Genny's first job was as a PA, which she remembers as one that always required her to do overtime but rewarded her with little money.

Today Genny very much enjoys her career in real estate that afford her flexible hours and good reward. Her Penang-based real estate agency, Elite Properties, deals more in industrial properties with some 50% of her clientèle are foreigners.

Clients also seek her out for high-end condominiums, landed properties and commercial properties that include retail outlets and vacant land. Her most recent deal was being being appointed by a an international hypermarket brand to handle its retail lots in northern Malaysia.

The entrepreneurial journey has not always been easy. “It took seven years to obtain my property licence, and I gathered 15 years experience as an agent before opening my own company,” Genny said, adding that she is also thankful to friends who gave her courage to start her own business. She has no regret and is excited to keep moving on.

Elite Properties was initially stationed at Krystal Point Corporate Park in Bayan Baru and later moved to the sea-fronting e-Gate commercial complex in Gelugor. Take a peek into Genny's work at www.eliteproperties.com.my.

She has another business that she built together with her husband and brothers - KT Overlander, a motor vehicle service in Alor Star, Kedah. This rice bowl state of Malaysia is where Genny's family hails from.

The capital city Alor Star, Genny said, is showing increasing potential as good area to invest in properties, and she has invested in a 5,000 sq ft bungalow there. Of course, Penang is way ahead in the game. “I wouldn't be able to buy such a landed property on Penang Island any more for less than RM500,000, she said.

“To clients, who say they have half-a-million and wanting to buy a landed house in Penang, I tell them that they can go look in Balik Pulau or selected areas on the mainland. On the Island, bungalows have asking prices of up to RM8 million nowadays.”

Note: This is the first profiling of PAN members based on Genny's sharing at our monthly networking session.

I also found an interesting related read on Asia's richest man, who the writer described as “at 83, gets more done by lunch than people half his age pull off in a full day.”

Li Ka-shing's advice to young entrepreneur about how to find success in life:

“Starting a business is not easy. I started my business in 1950 with only $8,700. It wasn’t a lot. You could buy a Cadillac or a Lincoln with it. For a young entrepreneur today, hard work is more important than opportunities. If you don’t work hard, opportunities will slip away.”

Go read the full story “Li Ka-shing's Midas Touch” at:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2012/03/07/li-ka-shing-midas-touch/