Business is about meeting your needs

Business is about meeting your needs

A friend mentioned about a place where mothers in confinement could go to, instead of each mother employing one 'pui yit' (Cantonese for someone who keeps a mother in confinement company) in their own house. Apparently, because of more expectant mothers in the year of the Dragon, wages of pui yit are said to be higher than before!

Well, like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages of having a pui yit or the novelty of going to a special care centre. For those more independent and hands-on mothers, like my wife during her time, having a pui yit is not only unnecessary, but a hassle because of having to look after her needs as well! When she had her first baby in Leeds, by caesarian, she was already taking the baby to the market just after two weeks of confinement! In case, anyone says she did that because it was more difficult and expensive in UK to have a pui yit, it was partially true, because when in Malaysia, she did not have pui yit too!


As for meeting a need, now there is even a day care centre for husbands while wives do their shopping!

It has yet to catch on in Malaysia, probably husbands here are likely to put up with the hours of shopping with their wives!

Simple Rules For Becoming A Billionaire

Simple Rules For Becoming A Billionaire

Eike Batista's 10 Simple Rules For Becoming A Billionaire

Eike Batista's new book: tips to become just as rich as he is.

For someone who claims to have achieved multimillionaire status by the age 23, billionaireEike Batista probably knows a thing or two about getting rich. Currently listed by Forbes as the 8th richest person in the world, with a net worth estimated at $30 billion, Batista makes no ceremony about his biggest aim in life: to become the richest individual on the planet, a title that’s currently held by Mexico’s Carlos Slim, who’s worth $74 billion as of our latest count from early March.

In the meantime, while the Brazilian billionaire’s crusade to outrun Slim continues (due to market uncertainty, both men have lost considerable amounts of money over the past few months), Batista decided to share some of his Midas touch knowledge by publishing a book, “Eike Batista’s X Factor — The Path of Brazil’s Biggest Entrepreneur” (“Eike Batista, O X Da Questão – A Trajetória Do Maior Empreendedor Do Brasil,” in its original title in Portuguese).

Although the book is not an autobiography — in its introduction, Batista explains that his official biography is already being written by the New York Times’ Alan Riding — he shares a lot of his personal views on business and money, beginning with the title’s use of the “X” letter, his favorite from the alphabet, in all of his companies’ names. It’s meant to suggest the multiplication of wealth.
Most of his business savvy, he explains, was learned under pressure, sometimes from deeper issues dating back to his childhood. During his early teens, Batista used to suffer from asthma. That’s when his mother, who was German, decided to enroll him in swimming lessons, making sure he would complete his training every day in a heated pool. “That made me really anxious, but in less than a year I was cured. And then I learned one simple lesson: you grow as a person when you face your own challenges.”

Batista also acknowledges that there are a lot of self-help books out there promising to make its readers into multimillionaires in the blink of an eye, but, in most cases, these books were written by people who never really made a million dollars themselves. “People know what I’ve done. I’m the world’s most versatile business man. I’ve built 20 different multi-billion businesses in different areas, beginning from scratch. That’s a huge incentive for people to buy my book,” Batista says.
He certainly has a point.

Check out Eike Batista’s 10 simple rules on how to become, well, Eike Batista:

1. “Nobody is happy alone. To share experiences is always a good thing.”
2. “You grown as a person when you face your own challenges, or stressful moments, as I like to say. A good entrepreneur must be prepared to evolve in adversity.”
3. “The good seller is the one who is also a good listener.”
4.“Believe in yourself. If you doubt in yourself, you won’t be able to face your co-workers. Or the market, for that matter.”

5. “Don’t quit on the first adversity. Believe in your intuition, but try to be down to earth as well, paying attention to research and polls.”
6. “Don’t think you are unstoppable or foolproof. Don’t think that the only way your business will work is through perfection. Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for success.”
7. “To have a dream is one step closer to achieving something in life. The difference between the dreamer and the maker, though, is that the latter actually makes it happen.”
8. “Look forward; focus on what people don’t see at first sight.”
9. “Look at a business in all its depth and think of every detail with maximum accuracy and minimum risk.”
10. “Luck is important, as it is part of any project. But luck will only be present when the project is well designed.”

Baru berkerjaya dah dinasihat beli rumah, wajarkah?

Baru berkerjaya dah dinasihat beli rumah, wajarkah?

http://lechevalierdaurora.blogspot.com/2012/01/baru-berkerjaya-dah-dinasihat-beli.html

Pengalaman kerjaya V telah mencecah 7 tahun sejak graduate dari University Sunway College. Sejak hari itu sehingga sekarang, sentiasa ada insan-insan prihatin yang memberi nasihat supaya membeli rumah. Nasihatnya mudah agar kita senang dapat pinjaman bank dengan jarak tahun pinjaman yang lebih panjang. Ini nasihat selain dari disuruh kahwin cepat.

Sebenarnya, nasihat ni lebih banyak tak betul daripada betulnya. Adakah wajar hanya satu faedah yang disebut iaitu "pinjaman bank yang lebih panjang" maka mewajarkan kita untuk membuat investment yang kita sendiri belum mahir dalamnya. Beli rumah bukan macam beli kereta yang pinjaman maksimumnya 9 tahun. Beli rumah, pinjamannya menjangkau sehingga 20 tahun. Dalam ilmu hartanah, kita kena belajar selok-belok untuk menilai dari segi unjuran nilai tanah dan rumah tersebut dalam tahun-tahun mendatang. Ini semua bukan boleh dipelajari dalam sehari-dua.

Jadi suka V mengingatkan agar sesiapa yang ditakut-takutkan dengan nilai rumah yang semakin naik, kalau tak beli sekarang, nanti harga rumah naik. Ini lagi tak betul. Sebenarnya mereka bercakap seolah-olah sebagai salesman dan bukannya orang yang ikhlas nak menasihati kita. Sebenarnya harga dan nilai rumah bukan macam harga makanan. Harga makanan semakin naik tapi tak turun-turun. Manakala harga rumah ada naik dan ada turunnya. Ada masa pembeli asal hilang keupayaan untuk membayar pinjaman, maka rumah tersebut dilelong oleh bank atau mahkamah sekalipun pembeli merayu kepada mahkamah agar jangan melelong rumah mereka. Namun ketika lelongan sedang berlaku dalam mahkamah itu sendiri, pembida ada kisah ker? BTW, harga rumah tu akan jatuh 10% dari harga asal. Kalau tiada pembeli untuk tempoh tertentu, akan turun lagi 10% sehingga ada buyer.

Itu hakikat realiti dunia kita hari ini. Orang datang menasihati kita supaya beli rumah. Kalau kita suatu masa nanti terjatuh merudum mentadbir kewangan kita, ada orang-orang ni nak tolong kita? Jangan mimpilah wahai sedara...

Harga rumah sekalipun naik, takkan kawasan dalam Malaysia ni dah tak cukup tanah dah sehingga beranggapan hartanah akan menjadi stagnant. Bayangkan kalau kita beli rumah pada suatu tempat, kemudian pada tahun-tahun berikutnya kita berpindah kerja ke tempat lain. Ada tak kita fikir jarak dari rumah ke office dah bertambah jauh. Perbelanjaan duit minyak, servis kereta, moto dan masa kita habis atas jalan-raya jer. Itu semua ada orang tolong calculate kan untuk kita? Sendiri kira yer...

Kalau kita kata rumah tu nanti kita sewakan. Ok la, nk sewa kena ikut harga pasaran dalam kawasan perumahan tu. Tak sayang ka rumah kita nk disewakan? Bukan senang nk melayan kerenah penyewa-penyewa lebih-lebih lagi yang berkeluarga. Hancurlah rumah tu. Itu belum kira kalau penyewa lari tak bayar sewa. Ayah V pernah terkena. Quality time kita habis memikirkan rumah sewa tu jer. Rugi masa dan umur kita kena diambil kira juga. Sesiapa yang rasa senang menguruskan rumah sewa ni, baguslah. Ada yang terpaksa menerima sewa jauh lebih rendah dari bayaran bulanan kepada bank. Tak ker rugi tu?

Antara ada duit dengan ada rumah, untung lagi kalau ada duit. Rumah tetap rumah dan ia tiada nilai sehingga ia djual. Banyak lagi jenis investment yang kita boleh buat sepanjang tahun-tahun kita baru berkerjaya dan membina kekuatan kewangan kita. Jangan tergesa-gesa. Fahami dan pelajari ilmu hartanah. Kalau nak tahu yang mana satu investment yang membuat untung paling tinggi dan dalam masa yang paling cepat jawapannya bukan beli rumah tapi beli tanah.

Jangan terikut-ikut dengan mentaliti Melayu yang beria-ria suruh kita beli rumah. Ini semua pemikiran Melayu la. Itu belum cerita lagi, orang Melayu kita suka bagi nasihat pada anak-anak termasuk anak-anak jiran sebelah supaya kerja government. V pun pernah terima nasihat sebegini. Alasannya rezeki lebih terjamin. Tu yang bila orang government mengundi Pakatan Rakyat, dikatanya tak mengenang budi. Rasanya diaorg tak tau kot, gaji orang government ni seluruh rakyat (tanpa mengira dia umno atau PAS) yang bayar melalui cukai dan rezeki bukan manusia yang bagi tapi Allah Taala. Ini gila punya orang. Sudahlah gila, jahil pula dalam agama tapi mengaku Islam. Tak caya, sila tanya orang ameno, hanya ameno jer yang mampu membawa kemajuan, terbaikkk, pemikiran khurafat lagi menyesatkan.

Ada pula mentaliti Melayu bila pinjam bank, dia tengok monthly payment berapa. Tapi dia tak tengok berapa jumlah lebihan interest yang dia kena bayar. Hakikat sebenar kekayaan ialah bukan berapa banyak harta melalui pinjaman bank yang kita buat tetapi kekayaan sebenar ialah keupayaan kita untuk mengumpul dan mengelak meminjam dari bank. Memang kita perlu pinjam dari bank untuk sebab-sebab yang munasarawak tapi lihatlah berapa total interest yang kita kena bayar dan bukan sekadar tengok monthly payment. V sendiri pun sedang memohon pinjaman peribadi tapi V tetap insist dengan bank supaya tempoh pinjaman adalah singkat supaya total lebihan dari pinjaman tu tak terlalu banyak. Samada bank bagi atau tidak, take it or leave it. BTW, V pinjam dari bank Islam yer.

Jadi selepas graduate dan berjaya mendapat kerja, fikir dahulu sebelum melabur atau berniat mahu membeli rumah. Ini kefahaman V yang belajar tentang pengalaman seseorang yang mahir dalam ilmu hartanah, tulisannya sangat bernas dan bagus untuk difikirkan dan V simpulkan dalan entry kali ni. Sehingga ke hari ini V masih belum bercadang untuk membeli rumah kerana keutamaan V ialah untuk consolidate semuaaccumulated wealth dan mentadbirnya mengikut dasar kewangan Islam. Harta adalah kurniaan Allah Taala dan  bukan berfungsi sekadar kelangsungan kita untuk terus hidup tetapi untuk kehidupan seterusnya.

Disini V nak kongsi satu cerita daripada wall pesbuk kawan V di bawah ni. Baca dan fikirkan. Baca sampai habis tau!!!

Ah Kau is a guy who sells newspaper every morning next to your apartment, and you are one of his daily regular customers. Before dashing off to your office every day, you will go to his small stall and buy The Star newspaper. Wearing a newly pressed shirt, a tie, and a pair of Clarks shoes, you grab a copy of The Star, pay RM1.20 and exchange smiles with Ah Kau and greet him.

"Apa macam Ah Kau ini hari? Bisnes ada baik?" 

The normal greeting like you do every day. Yes, Ah Kau doesn't speak English. He speaks Chinese and knows a little bit of Malay. He speaks a little bit of Malay but with a very thick Chinese accent.

"Biasa saja... ini bisnes aa, kadang kadang baik, kadang kadang tada untung oo...."

"Biasalah hidup. Kadang kadang ok, kadang kadang tak ok." You give Ah Kau a pat on the back. You smile and walk away and get into your car. You start the engine and start driving to your office, a multinational semiconductor company located in a premier industrial area.You are a young and promising finance executive and the future looks bright for you.

A year goes by and things look pretty good on the track. You decide to marry your fiance and have your new wife moves in to your place. Both of you feel happy because you can save more money as the two of you will be sharing one apartment and can live as one.

Ah Kau is still selling the newspaper as usual. Sometimes in the morning your wife gets the newspaper from Ah Kau instead of you.

A year later a child comes along, and you decide to buy and move into a newly developed condominium just across the street. This place is bigger so it will be perfectly fit for the 3 of you. But since both of you are working, you decide to get a maid to take of the household and your kid.

By this time you're offered a managerial job from another multinational; the remuneration package offered is much better in terms of the pay, contractual bonus, medical benefits, ESOS scheme and a few others which make it impossible for you to decline. So you join this company happily.

You get busier. You realize that you spend less and less time with your family. When your department is busy preparing for the next audit, your working hours become more and more ridiculous. Any internal issues arising in the office means you'll be stuck in the office until 8 or 9 pm. Sometimes, during the weekend, you'll spend your time in your office, buried under paper works and documentations, instead of taking your family for a walk in the park.

One morning, on your way to get your copy of The Star, you realized that Ah Kau is no longer in his stall. So is his rundown motorbike. Instead, there's another young Chinese guy at the stall. "What happen to Ah Kau?" You ask out of curiosity.

"Oh, he is still around, but he is no longer taking care of this stall as he has opened up a new grocery shop down town. I am running this newspaper stall for him."

"Ok," you smile. You feel happy for Ah Kau. "At last he manages to improve his life."

Your normal life continues. A year passes by and at the end of your company's fiscal year, you're rewarded for your effort with a 5 months bonus pay-out by your employer. Wow. Now that is a very handsome reward. You feel your effort has been equally compensated. To celebrate, you decide that it's time to trade your 5-year old Proton Wira to the latest Honda Civic model. It won't be much a problem to you to get a loan scheme from the bank as your pay slip will provide you an easy gateway to access financial help from any bank.

One day, the hardest reality of life hits you right on the face. The company that you've been working for years announces that they're moving their business to China for cost and competitive reason and has ask ed you to find a job somewhere else. "What?" You scream out cold. "I got a lot of liabilities on the card! Who's gonna pay for my mortgage? My car? My credit card? My gym fees? My bills?" You yell like there's no way out.

This is the first time you feel let down by your own employer. All your hard work seem to go up on the smoke. You feel sick. You now hate your company. On the way home, you stopped by at a mamak restaurant for a cup of teh tarik while pondering about your future. Alone.

Suddenly you saw this new, shiny BMW 3 series being parked nearby. And to your surprise, it was Ah Kau. Yes, Ah Kau who used to sell newspapers nearby your old apartment. "What happened to old Ah Kau?" You whisper to your self.

Ah Kau still recognizes you, and sit next to you, and shared his story. To make it short, Ah Kau had accumulated his money from selling newspapers to open more stalls, one after another. Every new stall is run by his workers so that he focused on opening more and more stalls, which in turn give him more and more money. Over the years, he had accumulated enough cash to open up new grocery store while at the same time buying more assets to grow his wealth. And his current wealth and success is achieved without any loan or financial help from banks and other financial institutions.

There you go. That's the story. While Ah Kau is set to become financially free, you're back to where you're started before. Ground zero .

Before leaving, Ah Kau gives you a familiar quote, "Biasalah hidup. Kadang kadang ok, kadang kadang tak ok." He gives you a pat on the back and walks away.

In reality, if you're observant enough, there are a lot of Ah Kaus out there, that you will see every day and every where you go. The names are different, but inside them is every character of Ah Kau. They might be Uncle Dorai, Ah Chong, Pak Abu, Makcik Gemuk, Pak Man nasi lemak or others.

They look to be struggling on the surface, but if you look carefully and compare with you life, many of them are living with little or no liabilities. They ride an old 'kapcai' bike. They live in an old rundown house. They don't have credit card to swipe. They wear a 10-year old shirt and short. No new, shiny Toyota Harrier. In short, their living means are far below than yours. But what you don't realize is that many of them can save more money than yours, and over the years generate enough money to expand their business, or invest in properties. Their asset columns are much thicker than that of yours.

SingaLautMetrO: DUKACITA SEORANG MELAYU MISKIN: BAHASA DUKANYA MEN...

SingaLautMetrO: DUKACITA SEORANG MELAYU MISKIN: BAHASA DUKANYA MEN...: "Bang...sardin tin besar ni minggu dulu hargnya RM5.70, tapi sekarang dah RM6.20!" dia meletakkan semula tin sardin jenama popular di rak se...

PEOPLE DIE DUE TO STRESS

http://xperienceoflife.blogspot.com/2011/11/people-die-due-to-stress.html

This  is an email I receive and "I would like to share with you an actual but very sad occurrence which I hope may get you to ponder over what constitutes anxieties, extremities and unnecessary over reactions. A long story... but worth reading for lessons learned.... you may want to pass on to others.

One of my friend's father who is a retiree in his mid-60s, is perfectly healthy looking and behaving normal, plays his round of golf each Sunday, does a fair bit of gardening, keeps himself busy the rest of his time helping his son's (my friend's) little retail business, and goes on

tour/trips every now and then .....

He was persuaded by his daughters and other well wishers to go for His medical checkup which he had last done before retirement some 10 years ago. He didn't see the need to do it as he was feeling perfectly ok and healthy. Of course he didn't want to spend the money. After persistent persuasion from his family he finally gave in (his daughters agreed to foot the bill).

First his blood test revealed a total cholesterol count well above the 5.2 threshold (in fact close to 6). The doctor advised that he went for his stressed ECG test.

Again he had to be persistently persuaded to go thru that test, which he did. And it revealed some abnormality with his heart.

Now the doctor advised that he went thru angiogram. He resisted again and again after much pestering he subscribed to that invasive test.....which revealed three (3) blockages in his heart. And the doctor advised he went thru angioplasty.

This time he was adamant not to go any further. But it was like the end of the world for his family members who were all highly educated people with learned common sense. They went thru the highest mountains and deepest oceans to convince the old man to go thru angioplasty.

The surgery was successful. And he was given a clean bill of health. His heart is revitalized and cleared of all blockages. After returning Home from the hospital, his family (especially his daughters) put him on a "healthy" diet. Strictly no meat...only vegetables and fruits, with perhaps

an occasional dish of steamed fish... no oil.

The result.... the poor old man became weaker, couldn't drive his golf ball the distance he used to, got tired easily when he did his gardening, lost a lot of weight (which everyone was happy because they see him getting healthier that way), went to bed unusually early ('cause he got tired

sitting up late watching the sports channels).... in a nutshell he actually got weaker and probably suffering from mal-nutrition!

Hardly 2 months after the angioplasty he passed away, supposedly from Heart complications.. All of a sudden, a few family doctor friends were able to offer explanations. One of them had this to say...

Heart blockages do not happen over-night. They are built up of time. And the body has somehow gotten used to the blockages. As long as the effects of the blockages are not life threatening, it may be best leaving them alone. Maybe it is better not to know about this. For most men at that advanced age already have blockages, some may be even worse. Not knowing it has one clear advantage. There won't be any STRESS imposed on the person.

And STRESS is the killer.

Some may not respond well with angioplasty. With the heart cleared of its blockages, the blood flow will be unrestricted. And sometimes the body (even the heart may not be used to this new revitalized condition) may not know how to cope with it quick enough. Coupled with a "healthy" diet of just fruits and vegetables which are not the usual and normal intake of this person, may and can do further damage.

So it's a combination of all these that could have killed this poor old man who was, just 2 months ago, a healthy bubbly man living a perfectly normal STRESS FREE retired life.

Today my friend and his siblings all regretted what they had done to their father.

Moral of the story is not to be extreme and take everything in life in its stride and with moderation.

One more thing.... my family doctor, age late 40s, hardly takes meat, a good sportsman, has a total cholesterol count of 6.

Some times it's in the genes. Like my 99 year-old mother-in-law who lives by herself, does her own marketing, cooks her own food, never eats any meat that is not fat all her life, hates lean meat, cholesterol so high ......and she is still kicking and so mentally alert. One thing....she's got

NO STRESS.

She only gives STRESS to all others around her. That's probably why she's living alone by herself.

So my friends... Don't get paranoid and stressed up for nothing!!! "

masterwordsmith-unplugged: Life Can Begin at 50/60 or 70/80

masterwordsmith-unplugged: Life Can Begin at 50/60 or 70/80: Thanks to reader SKT who sent me the following post which came at the right time, just when I feel quite blue about life, especially with th...

Act like a pro

What would you do if you knew you were going to get paid a large chunk of cash—up front, without any pre-conditions—to do something?

What would you do? How would you act? If it was something totally in the realm of your capabilities you’d get to work on it right away, right? You’d put in your best effort showcasing your greatest skills knowing that you were fluent in the information being asked for and sure that you would deliver a top notch product.

In other words, you would act like a pro.

So, what’s stopping you?

What’s stopping you, right now, from acting like an expert in your field? Everyone has something they can talk about naturally and authoritatively. Your gifts that only you possess is your uniqueness. Since you’re not like any other and no one else can be you; you have singular talents that you can share with the world that other people can benefit from.

If you’re an authority in an area you can start acting like one now. Your knowledge is desired by your community—or your tribe—even if you haven’t been acknowledged or paid for it yet.

I’m not talking of going around acting all cocky like a know-it-all. I’m telling you to hone in on what it is about you that, for instance, makes your friends be your friends. What keeps them coming back? What is it about you that makes you stand out?

That is your mojo—your gift that is golden. Tap into that, work it, develop it, and it can be your lifeblood, your golden ticket. That’s your genius spot, not like any one else’s, and you’re crazily selfish not to use it to your advantage to help yourself and, in turn, to help others.

Because I guarantee you, there are people out there that would kill for your particular gift. They’re waiting to hear from you. Oh, and they will also pay you for it.

So, let’s re-cap:

1. Act like a pro now.
2. Ask your friends what it is about you that brings them back for more.
3. Develop that and market that in yourself.
4. Help yourself.
5. And by helping yourself, help others as well.
6. Become a PAID expert in your field.

So … what is your unique gift that you’ve been hiding under a bushel basket? Have you dug deep to find it out? Ask your friends. They may have a surprising answer for you. And, leave me a comment below to tell me what it is!

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/11/21/act-like-a-pro/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney+%28ProBlogger%3A+Helping+Bloggers+Earn+Money%29