Best Advice from someone ; My advice (if I may be so bold as to advise on anything)

 With friends and business associates, Timothy Lee and Tom Gan

I read on Quora recently, someone answered this question, 

"What is or was the best advice anyone has given you ?"

He replied  "Well, if you do something, make sure you do it damn well !".

I have taken this advice and applied it to my small business (20 years of existence with its ups and downs, sometimes there are hard struggles and sometimes there is  just pure adrenalin rush). Here is my advice on starting a business and when you should exit. 

    Small Business Owner's Manual 

1. Find a Niche and Aim to Dominate that Niche.

2. Stay Focussed and Work Very Hard. 

3. Defeats are temporary ; pick yourself up, learn from the mistakes and move on, however painful that may be. If it is too big a burden to carry on - admit defeat,close the business and take the time to heal. Its only a business. 

4. The boss's mindset must change and ride the technology revolution.

5. Now it is digital payment, ChatGPT and AI. How to use these to my advantage ?

6. Evolve ; the business world  is ever changing - the business owner's mind many a times is stuck in the 90s or early 2000s 

7. Pick good people and give them a purpose ; they will help you grow to the next 2 to 3 levels.

8. When the time comes to say, thats it ; sell. At a good price. When the profits are good and the outlook is rosy. 

8. Sell when the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Rather sell when you have options than when you have none or are pushed to the limit.

 

A Gem of a Buy - Oasis Tumbler from IMM Jurong East

I bought a set of 2 ; 1 gold and one silver grey 

There are tumblers and there a good value tumblers. I managed to stumble upon good buys ever so often at IMM, the factory outlet mall in Jurong East. If you go to Boarding Gate or the plethora of shops in most high end shopping malls like Paragon, you can buy a tumbler which will keep your beverage hot or cold without the nasty 

a) heat 

b) humidity condensation

singeing your fingers for the hot coffee or beverage, or the messy condensation which will drip onto your pants. Not cool. 

The brand in question is called Oasis, and I managed to buy 2 at their pop up store at IMM Ground Floor. Each costs only $15.90 or $16.00 whilst the ones sold at the town outlets easily sell for $49.00 and more.

My most recent favorite activity is to sit on the patio and enjoy the cool breeze of the evening, before calling it a night. I would have my favorite Korean prawn crackers, or Japanese Calbee crackers for company and would have an ice cold Asahi or Kirin beer to go along with it.

A small and most enjoyable alone time with no messy drips from the beer can or beer bottle.

Cheers anyone ?   

Business 'Raking' in the Profits ; Why the adjective 'Rake' ?

I have been busy most days during my off work time, doing housework. Its is a daunting task for a person my age, but I try to make the most of it and I have managed to convince myselt the health benefits of hard labour at the beginning and at the end of the work day - it is worth it.

I was surprised that the common adjective any business when they are doing good, the term 'raking' in the profits comes to mind.  You know why ?

Today I found out why.

I have a small lawn 5 m long x 34 m wide. Every day I vigorously rake it with this rake below.to dig up the small leaves blown down from the small plants on the side of the frangipani tree. They are small like 3cm x 2 cm x 5 mm and strewn all over the lawn. For a young old person like myself - to go down on all fours and pick up each and every one is a backbreaking task !

So the use of the trustry rake. A wooden contraption made of stiff bamboo fingers with sharp ends and good for digging up stuff just under the surface of the grass.  

Raking is all of the below 

1. It requires Hard Effort and work. I need to dig into the grass and pull it in one direction thus disengaging the leaf which may be below the grass. The leaves are spread wherever the wind blows.

2. It requires Strength from the person raking the lawn.

3. It requires Focus to ensure the leaves all end up in a small pile

4. It requires Stamina to get the job done.

Business Profits easy to make ?   Raking is Hard Work ! Hence making Profits for a Business requires 

1. Hard Effort

2. Strength and Perseverence

3. Focus on the Core Strategies

4. Stamina and Grit to get to the serious Money  
 

Anyone who says a business can just open and Roll in the Moolah  must be 

a) A conman

b) Deluded bordering on mental institution admission

c) Totally inexperienced and a Believer of Fairy Tales "and they lived happily ever after" types. 

d) A bit of all 3 above

                                                Carpe Diem   

 

Pham Quyen Muslim Vietnamese Restaurant - Inexpensive and So Tasty

 

                        Steamed Sea Bass Vietnamese Style Must Try 9.5 /10

Beef Nasi Pattaya Superb 8 / 10 

Vietnam Coffee Potently Awesome (10 / 10) 

 

Awesome Muslim Vietnamese Restaurant Coffeshop Food.

Situated at the junction of Clementi Road and at the westernmost end of Pasir Panjang Road sits this new coffeeshop place selling the most awesome Vietnamese food I have tasted in a long while. The place is called Pham Quyen Vietnamese Restaurant at 440 Pasir Panjang Road.

It has its share of fans, and my sons and I had the pleasure of a lovely dinner last weekend, with a very pleasant and decent price for dinner.

                                                    Fried Spring Rolls - Must Try (9 / 10)

Grilled Chicken Skewers - Superb (8.5 / 10) 

Honey Glazed Chicken Wings - Must Try (9.5 / 10)

Braised Beef Noodles Very Good (7.5 / 10)

Oops I did it again !

 

\

I hope to turn back the clock and run another half marathon for old times' sake. It is what I love to do and something which I do well ; Time is not on mu side ; however, this is my hobby till the day I cannot run, I might as well derive as much pleasure from it as I possibly can.

So bring on 3rd December 2023 !!! 

All Set to Run Fast

 

A visibly happy me after a fast run last year around Pandan Reservoir. My goal is to get back to that level of fitness for 6 km with a sub 7 minute time. I will give it my all for 6Km today at the East Coast Park and see whether I can replicate that level of fitness.

6.29 km around the Reservoir in the drizzly evening and at the end of the day no less. My fitness this year has been hampered by aging injuries, such as strained LCL ligaments on my left knee. Apart from that I am generally OK, and the doctors at SGH did an XRay and all seemed well with my bones.

When I was in my youth, I ran with a laser like focus. Just run with the back straight up, look forward and hands around my chest level. I normally split my body awareness into 2 parts. One,the top part which is my lungs and my breathing. If I breathe normally and have no gasping for air, I am on track for a good run.

Then my legs. In the old days, I was called Steve of Stiff Austin because my legs were stiff and almost bionic. I recall playing Sunday soccer at the club old Open Air Theatre, and I normally played barefoot - till a while later, when we could afford proper shoes. Once I kicked the ball so hard, but missed it and kicked off the exposed bark of the 100 + old tree !