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!

   
 

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. 

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/

Lesson fr The Chicken Rice Shop story

Past a decade, The Chicken Rice Shop (TCRS) chain restaurant today boasts of over 60 Malaysian outlets plus more in Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan. 

Listen first hand to the TCRS story from its founder Mrs. Gaik Wong, who is an active NAWEM member and always ready and available to mentor young entrepreneurs and share her experiences with them.

This 2004 recipient of The Innovative Woman Entrepreneur Of The Year Award, together with her only daughter Kah Lin, had opened the first TCRS restaurant in year 2000.

Gaik Wong was confident that 'Hainanese chicken rice' can be developed into a chain store

The story of Mary Kay Ash

Excerpt from:
The Best Way Out is Always Through
by BJ Gallagher

Mary Kay Ash banged her head on the corporate glass ceiling one too many times. Working for several direct sales companies from the 1930's until the early 1960's, she achieved considerable success. She climbed the corporate ladder to become the sole woman on the board of directors of the World Gift Company - quite an accomplishment for a woman in the 1950's.

But life wasn't rosy at the top. Even though Mary Kay had the title and the track record, she was not taken seriously by her male peers. In board meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, dismissed, or even ridiculed. Male board members minced no words in their judgment - pronouncing her guilty of "thinking like a woman."

Since the sales force was almost entirely female, Mary Kay thought that thinking like a woman was an asset. But her fellow board members disagreed. Finally, in frustration, she retired in 1963, intending to write a book to assist women in the male-dominated business.

Sitting at her kitchen table, she made two lists: one list was all the good things she had seen in the companies where she'd worked, and the other list was all the things she thought could be improved. As she re-read her lists, she realized that what she had in front of her was a marketing plan for her ideal company. In just four weeks, her "book" had become a business plan, and her retirement was over.

Both her accountant and her attorney did their best to discourage her, warning that she would be throwing her money away on this venture. But Mary Kay had heard enough male nay-saying in her corporate years - she ignored her advisors.

Her husband, unlike her accountant and attorney, was very supportive. With his help, Mary Kay developed the cosmetic products, designed packaging, wrote promotional materials and recruited and trained her female sales force.