A Gift From a Friend Chapter 1

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A GIFTFROM

A FFFFFRIENDRIENDRIENDRIENDRIENDFrom school into the business world

my entrepreneurship journey

MERRYRIANAWITH ALVA TJENDERASA


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Published byMRO Consultancy Pte Ltd

Mailing Address:10 Anson Road #21-02International PlazaSingapore 079903

Tel: (65) 6325 4533Fax: (65) 6325 4598www.merryriana.com.sg

First published 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any

form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without the prior written permissionfrom MRO Consultancy Pte Ltd.

Conditions of Sale:This book is sold subject to the conditionthat it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold,hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers priorconsent in any form of binding or cover other than that in

which it is published and without a similar condition includingthis condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Copyright 2006 by Merry Riana

A Gift From A FriendISBN 981-05-5833-3

Printed in Singapore


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CONTENTS

WHATOTHERSSAY vDEDICATION viiiACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ixABOUTMERRYRIANA xiFOREWORD xiiiCHAPTER 1 MY STORY 1CHAPTER2 A NEWPARADIGM 15CHAPTER 3 YOURWORTH 23CHAPTER 4 WHATDOESMONEYMEANTOYOU? 35CHAPTER 5 FINANCIALFREEDOM 43CHAPTER 6 VISIONACTIONPASSION 53CHAPTER 7 THEGOLDENRULE 63CHAPTER 8 WHENOPPORTUNITYKNOCKS 71CHAPTER 9 THEPOWEROFASSOCIATION 79CHAPTER10 TOUCHINGHEARTSCHANGINGLIVES 87


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PERSONALMENTORSHIPEXPERIENCE

INTHEEYESOFHERFAMILYANDFRIENDS

PHOTOGALLERY

BEHINDTHESCENESATMERRYRIANAORGANIZATION

PROJECT: A GIFTFROMA FRIEND


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WHATOTHERSSAY

In this book, Merry uses powerful and thought-provokingstories and metaphors that will get you to reflect on the wayyou have been living your life and how you can choose to liveit instead. She shares the philosophies and strategies that havehelped her to achieve phenomenal success and financialabundance within a short period of time. Read, reflect andapply what you will learn and you too can share your gift with

others.

ADAM KHOOBest-Selling Author of Master Your Mind, Design YourDestiny and Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires

Refreshing, invigorating, and intellectually stimulating! MerryRianas motivational book A Gift From A Friend is indeedwhat it is. An excellent gift of ideas - prodding proactive actionsfor achieving ones dream and financial success. Reading herextremely lively thought provoking book, her down-to-earthno holds barred style is a sheer pleasure. To me, it was likereading Napoleon Hills Think and Grow Rich again exceptthat concepts were easier to understand and illustrated by

wonderful analogies that are logical and practical. A must readfor anyone who wants to achieve something great in life! Oh...As Merry said, want to is not good enough. Must do isthe way to go, and Merry proves that it can be done. She didit!

ELIM CHEWPresident / Founder, 77thStreet (S) Pte Ltd

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In business, new trends are created by new blood, and veteranscan excel if they listen to the voice of the youth. Merrys booknot only contains old truths, but also makes my old ideas new

again. I am thrilled to read it!!!

KENNY YAPExecutive Chairman, Qian Hu Corporation Ltd

Using simple but powerful and inspirational stories Merry gets

you to think about your choices in life. The most inspirationalone is her personal story. This can be life changing for you.

DR DENNISWEEEntrepreneur & Best-Selling Author of Get Rich Now

This is a good book by a young and aspiring entrepreneurwho dares to dream and has the courage to do. The spirit ofsuccess is dependent on the courage to seek and to strive.Fortune favors the brave. Well done!

RON SIMGroup CEO, OSIM International Ltd

For anyone interested in the topic of business; theoreticallyand practically; Merrys book is an illuminating read. Irecommend it highly.

CHARLES WONGDirector, Charles & Keith International Pte Ltd

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Merry Riana is truly a beauty with brains. She is set to be aninspiration to many others. This is a worthwhile read if youaspire to take action and succeed in life.

WENDY KWEKSpirit of Enterprise Award 2004 (Singapore)Co-founder of Executive Directions Pte Ltd

Dont let anyone think less of you because you are young.

Merry is an example to all entrepreneurs in what she teaches,in the way she lives, in her love, her faith and her purity. I amso proud of her!

DR CLEMEN CHIANGCEO, Freely Pte Ltd

An excellent contribution. Merry has synthesized thefundamentals of our high achievers and presented them in aneasy to read manner. This book is filled with practical wisdomfor all of us to use and take control of our lives, businesses andcareers. Read it, and your life will truly be enriched.

LIM KOK HUI

CEO, Barang Barang Pte Ltd

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to our parents: Haryanto, Estherina,Suanto, and Lynda.

They are the main reason why we embark on thisentrepreneurship journey in the first place.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To our God, Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we can do allthings.

To our parents, Haryanto, Estherina, Suanto, and Lynda, whohave given us unconditional love and support throughout theyears.

To all who have helped in the publication of this book, IsraelCher, Jasmine Tong, Gaius Ng, Janice Soh, Tan Si Yan, KelvinCheong, Andreas Novio, and Aris Saputro. Thank you for agreat job in putting the whole book together.

To the entire members of Merry Riana Organization, JoanneChen, Dwi Sari Dewi, Tan Si Yan, Leslie Eng, Kelvin Cheong,Eddy Wang, Aris Saputro, Adeline Lim, Jasmine Tong, Gaius

Ng, Jason Chan, Peter Lim, Julie Yu, Prudence Lu, LudyMarsono, Chan Kaidi, Joey Foo, Ivy Leow, Ashley Ng, Zheng

Jinglin, Lisa, Aron Sebastian, Zhang Pinyu, Chan Mun Yee,Ivan Huang, Gary Tay, Chris Chan, Sharon Lim, WongHanxian, Ken Wong, Vernice Tan, Fransiska Kartawidjaja,William Yonathan, and Ong Lei Hong. Thank you for tirelesslyspending all your weekends and late nights working to buildour Organization at an incredible rate.

To all our teachers and friends from Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity who have played a tremendous part in shaping theperson we are today. Special thanks to Mr Soon Min Yam, MsChua Poh Gek, Dr Stephen Lee Siang Guan, Dr Lie Tek Tjing,Dr Chen I Ming, Dr Gooi Hoay Beng, Dr Shen Zhongxiang, Dr

Jiang San Ping, Dr Sun Chang Qing, Dr Rusli, and Mr JuliantoCahyadi.

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To all our mentors and trainers who have helped us discoverthe true power within ourselves. To our previous manager,Peter Tan, who showed us how high we can fly if only we

spread our own wings. Thank you for sharing with us some ofthe wonderful stories that are mentioned in this book. To DrRichard Bandler, John LaValle, Anthony Robbins, and RobertKiyosaki all of whom have taught us the invaluable strategiesof wealth and success.

To all successful entrepreneurs in Singapore who have inspiredus to walk our own journey of entrepreneurship. Special thanks

to Mr Adam Khoo, Ms Elim Chew, Mr Kenny Yap, Dr DennisWee, Mr Ron Sim, Mr Charles Wong, Ms Wendy Kwek, DrClemen Chiang, and Mr Lim Kok Hui, whose encouragementshave motivated us tremendously in publishing this book.

To the management and staff of Prudential. Special thanks toMr Ng Keng Hooi, Mr Philip Seah, Mr Kevin Wright, Mr TanKar Hor, Mr Charlie Oropeza, Mr Bill Lisle, Mr Ted Ridgway,

Mr Lionel Chee, Mr Lai Leong Pin, Mr Rinaldi Mudahar, MrBernard Chai, Mr Sean Ang, Mr Joseph Loh, and Ms Rina Hiwfor your invaluable support.

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ABOUTMERRYRIANA

Merry Riana is a young millionaire, successful entrepreneur,best-selling author, dynamic trainer, and popular mediapersonality.

At her current age of 26, Merry has achieved many successesthat a lot of people twice her age have never even attemptedto do. She has won many awards and broke industry record

time and time again.

In just a short period of around 4 years after her graduation,Merry has earned more than S$1,000,000 through her business.Within the last 2 years, Merry has grown her Organization,Merry Riana Organization, to a size of more than 40 people.All its members are outstanding young individuals who

believed in her vision and have been working together with

her to achieve their dreams together ever since.

In July 2006, Merry successfully published her first book AGift From A Friend which subsequently made its way intothe Best-Seller list in the major bookstores in Singapore.Currently, A Gift From A Friend is being translated into itsMandarin and Malay version to reach out to the regionalmarket, such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

Merry is also well-known as one of the most powerful anddynamic trainers in Singapore. Over the last 4 years, she hasmotivated and trained thousands of professionals, managers,executives, business owners, salespeople, and students in areaslike Entrepreneurship, Strategic Marketing and Sales,Motivation, Presentation and Communication Skills, amongother areas.

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Merry has been featured regularly in many media like thenewspaper such as The Straits Times, and magazines such asYour Choice, Career Central, and Cleo. She has also been

interviewed on-air by WARNA 94.2FM and Radio SingaporeInternational about her successes and achievements which shehas reached in such a short period of time, around 4 yearsafter her graduation from Nanyang Technological University.

Aligned with Merrys commitment to contribute back to society,she has pioneered two non-profit activities, Project: A Gift FromA Friend and Personal Mentorship Experience.

Project: A Gift From A Friend was initiated following thesuccess of Merrys book in making its way into the Best-Sellerlist. She pledged to contribute complimentary copies of her

book to any institutions/schools/clubs/etc that support herOrganizations cause of Youth Entrepreneurship. For everycopy of her book that is sold in the bookstores, she willcontribute one complimentary copy back to the society.

In her Personal Mentorship Experience program, Merry setsaside 2-hours of her precious time every week to mentor anyyoung individual, aged 20-30 years old, who wants to takecharge of their lives and live their dreams.

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FOREWORD

It is with great pleasure that I write the foreword to MerryRianas A Gift From A Friend.

The stories and lessons in this book are definitely a powerfulgift that one friend can give to another. While gifts likediamonds, clothes or even money can give a friend temporary

joy, I believe that the best gift that a friend can give is the gift

of inspiration and insight that can change ones destiny forever.When we help someone realize their true potential and helpthem find their path to success, we are giving them a gift thatwill live on forever. This is precisely what Merry has done withthe many people whom she has trained and coached. She hashelped the many members in Merry Riana Organization to

break free from the trappings of the 9-to-5 rat race and toembrace unlimited financial and personal success as an

entrepreneur. Her ability to achieve so much success at such ayoung age despite all her inherent disadvantages has been trulya gift of inspiration to all those around her.

Our life paths first crossed when Merry attended one of myinspirational talks four years ago when she was a student atNTU. She recounted how my own success story of making myfirst million at age 26 had inspired her to achieve her own

financial freedom at a young age. I am very happy to haveplayed a very small part in her resounding success.

Although I speak to thousands of people every year and sharestrategies about how anyone can achieve financial success, onlya handful really take my advice and take the actions to maketheir dreams a reality. The main reason is that, to many people,success is merely a weak wish and not a strong must. Merry

was one of those people who saw success and financial freedom

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as a must and was willing to do whatever it takes to make ithappen, even if it meant throwing away her four years ofeducation as an engineer and taking the plunge into

entrepreneurship. What I believe made the difference was herhunger for success, brought on by the fact that she was aforeigner, that her family was not rich, and that she was$40,000 in debt. So sometimes, a challenging background actsas a strong catalyst that drives the fuel of hunger for success.

In this book, Merry uses powerful and thought-provokingstories and metaphors that will get you to reflect on the way

you have been living your life and how you can choose to liveit instead. She shares the philosophies and strategies that havehelped her to achieve phenomenal success and financialabundance within a short period of time. Read, reflect andapply what you will learn and you too can share your gift withothers.

ADAM KHOOBest-Selling Author of Master Your Mind, Design YourDestiny and Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires

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Chapter One

My StoryNever believe that a few caring people cant change the world.

For, indeed, thats all who ever have.

- Margaret Mead


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A Gift From A FriendI had heard about her for many months. They said she wasyoung, wealthy, healthy, happy, and successful. I had to seeher for myself. I watched her closely as she stepped out from

her Mercedes-Benz, and I followed her over the next few weeks,observing her as she mentored many young people. I saw hermanage managers, train executives, and work with 30outstanding young individuals in her organization. She seemedincredibly happy and deeply in love with her husband as theytravelled together around the world. And when they werethrough for the day, it was time to spend a lovely evening athome together in their condominium apartment in the Central

Business District (CBD) area.

How was it that this twenty-five-year-old-kid, with only a basicengineering degree, could have accomplished so much in sucha short period of time? After all, this was a girl, who only fouryears ago, had been saving money for her education by onlyeating bread and instant noodles for the whole day. How didshe go from an extremely unhappy person, thirty pounds

overweight, $40,000 in debt, with floundering relationships andlimited prospects, to a healthy, respected individual with greatrelationships and the opportunity for unlimited success?

It all seemed so incredible, and yet the thing that amazed memost was that I realized that she is me! Her story is my own.

And here it goes

My family background

I hail from Jakarta, Indonesia. Although my parents are justnormal middle-class people who are not very wealthy, howeverI know that both of them always do their best to provide agood lifestyle for the whole family. And I am always gratefulfor this fact.

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My StoryMy father manages a small business in the electronics industryand my mother is a very loving and caring housewife. I am theeldest of three children in the family and I have two younger

brothers; both currently in Singapore. The older one hasgraduated from Nanyang Technological University. Theyounger one is still studying at Singapore ManagementUniversity. So, altogether, there are five members in my family.

My studies in Nanyang Technological University

I moved to Singapore in the year 1998 when I was 18 yearsold. It was during the time of the Asian economic crisis. Atthat time, Indonesia was not a very safe place for a young girllike me as violence and riots were everywhere. So, I really didnthave much choice except to leave Indonesia. Singapore seemedto be the best choice because of its nearby location, safeenvironment, and good education system.

When I arrived in Singapore, one of my biggest challenges waslanguage. My mother tongue was the Indonesian language,while English was the main language spoken in Singapore. Asa result, during my first year here in Singapore, I mixed morewithin my circle of Indonesian friends since I guess it was morecomfortable for me to speak in Indonesian with them. Looking

back now, I feel that it was not a good idea, as it limited mycircle of friends. I was still in my comfort zone and my English

was not improving much.

I studied Electrical & Electronics Engineering (EEE) in NTU. Iguess the reason why I chose to major in engineering had a lotto do with my background. My father is an engineer by training.And so are my uncles, aunties, and relatives. Having theopportunity to see how my father worked probably influencedmy decision too. And since I was a small kid, when peopleasked me what I want to be when I grow up, my most naturalanswer will be, I want to be like my father. I want to be an

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A Gift From A Friendengineer. So, I guess being brought up in such a familyinfluenced me when I was choosing which major to take.

Having said all that, I was never really interested in theengineering field. I took the subject because of the very simplereason that, having a background like mine, engineeringseemed to be the most natural choice I should take.

Another reason why I chose engineering was also because tomajor in engineering somehow gave me the perception that Iwas brighter compared to the other students who study only

general subjects like management, marketing, etc. Back in mysenior high school in Indonesia, I took science as my major.That way, I thought that I would be categorized as a smartstudent. And when I entered NTU, I had the same mindset aswell. To me, choosing engineering put me among the smartstudents. And that was how I ended up as an engineeringstudent.

Having studied engineering for 4-years has helped me to thinkmore logically and to be a more systematic person.

I believe in a balanced lifestyle. Besides studying, I also spentmy time participating in sports, joining a few club activitiesand being active in church. Staying in the hostels also allowedme to be more involved in such activities.

I spent about 75% of my time studying and 25% of my time onthe other activities. Im glad that I managed my time well. Iachieved Second Upper Honors when I graduated and I believeI had made my parents really proud of me.

I was heavily involved in the Christian Club in NTU. I servedas one of the executive committee members in that club, whichcaters to all the Catholic students on campus. Other than that,I was also involved in other charity organizations and projects.

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My StoryI guess I joined all these activities for the experience. RememberI mentioned earlier about my limited circle of friends and mylanguage barrier during my first year in Singapore? I wanted

to know more people and make more friends, and through myparticipation in clubs, I was able to do so.

To me, having a formal education is an advantage. Althoughit is definitely not a must to have a certain academicqualification to be successful, a formal education will still benefityou in the long run. The exact content of the subject that yourestudying may not be very essential; however the years of

experience of going through a formal education in school willsupport you in many ways in your entrepreneurship journey.

So, for those of you who are still studying, dont give up youreducation. Finish it and only embark fully on your ownentrepreneurship journey once you have finished your school.

Trust me. Its worth it.

My debts

Although I came to Singapore by chance and not by choice, Ihave never regretted coming here. I feel I was very fortunate,

because at that time NTU was also having a reach-out programto attract foreign students to come and study in Singapore. It

offered foreign students like me loans such as the tuition-feeloan and the study loan. So, based on the financial supportprovided by these loans, I paid for my school fees, textbooks,accommodation, food, and all of my other living expenses.

My parents still gave me pocket-money whenever I went backto Indonesia during my school holidays. This so-called pocket-money was actually my parents savings that they set asideevery month from my fathers modest profit in his small

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A Gift From A Friendbusiness. Although I know that it was not easy for my parentsto fund my Singapore education, they always remind me notto worry about money and to just focus on my studies, just like

other students. To know this fact only made me moredetermined to quickly finish my formal education as soon aspossible, start working, and stop depending on my parents.

In order to save more money to fund my studies, I tried waysand means to cut down on my expenses. While other studentsspent $3 for their meals, I probably spent only $1.50 for mymeals. There were even days when I didnt have a proper meal

at all. I just bought bread or cooked instant noodle myself.Through that, I managed to save a little. Of course, this kindof lifestyle is not recommended for your health. But I guess atthat time, I was more concerned in saving enough money tofund my studies.

I knew that by taking all the loans to fund my studies wouldmean that I would graduate from NTU with a load of debts

that I would need to work hard to pay off. But, I guess I hadno choice. If my parents could support me financially then, ofcourse there would be no reason for me to take up these loans,especially with their very high interest rates. However, as Imentioned earlier, there was no better choice for me. Thus, Ihad to take up the loans.

I took up the entire loan facilities that were available to me.

One was called the tuition-fee loan, which paid for my entireschool fees. The other one was called the study loan, whichpaid for my other living expenses while I was in NTU. So, I

basically depended on these loans for my school-fees, mytextbooks, my food, my accommodation and all my other livingexpenses. Thats why upon my graduation from NTU I wasalready S$40,000 in debt. That was the amount I owed to the

banks for supporting me throughout my school days.

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My StoryMy aspirations

Before I relocated to Singapore, I had never really given much

thought to who or what I want to become when I grow up. Iguess I was still very young back then and havent started tothink about my future yet.

I started to ponder about my future while in university. Irealized I was 21 years old and my parents were already intheir 50s. Looking at how hard they still needed to work inorder to pay for their childrens education, to save enough

money for their own retirement, set me thinking. If I were tobe successful one day, I want it to be when I am still young,before my 30 th birthday, not when I have reached 40 or 50.With that, I want my parents to enjoy great food, travel toexotic countries, and live life fully. If I am only successful whenI have reached the age of 40, my parents would be in their 70s

by then. They would then be restricted by their health andtheir old age. I made a resolution, that if I am going to be

successful, I want to be successful while Im still young. Itsnot really for me, its for my parents.

I first realized that my passion was not in engineering duringmy third year in NTU. During my industrial attachment (IA),I was attached to an American-based semiconductor company.It was my first official job in the working world.

It was also my first experience at a normal 9-to-5 job. I have toadmit that this was not what I had expected.

I looked at my direct supervisor. He was a nice guy who hadbeen working in the company for about 10 years. However,from his sharing with me, his situation had not improved muchsince he first joined the company. He was still sitting in thesame desk where he first sat on his first day in the company.His roles and responsibilities were pretty much the same. Hissalary had not improved much.

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A Gift From A FriendI looked at his boss, who is the manager. He had been workingin the company for around 20 years. I reckon that his situationhad not improved much as well.

This set me thinking. Would I be contented working forsomeone else with such grim future prospects?

I knew that being a fresh graduate, I would probably be earningaround $2,500 per month. Minus off the mandatory 20%contribution to the CPF, it would leave me with only $2,000.Minus off another $1,000 for my living expenses (food,

accommodation, transportation, hand phone bills, etc) whatis left with me is only $1,000. I had the intention to send atleast $500 back to support my parents, so that would leave mewith the remaining of $500.

Assuming that I would set aside $500 every month to pay formy outstanding study loans, I calculated that I would only beable to pay off the entire loan of $40,000 (plus interest of 4%

p.a.) in a period of 10 years. By that time I will be 32 years oldwith no savings at all, no car, no house. Nothing!

So, at that time I knew that I could never achieve my goal tobe successful while Im young if I choose this path of a normal9-to-5 job.

There were only 2 options available to me.

Option 1. Keep my dreams intact and change my career pathafter graduation, from doing a normal engineering job tosomething that could allow me to attain my goals in a shortertime-frame.

Option 2. Keep doing what my other university friends aredoing, that is to become an engineer and to downgrade mygoals to a more realistic one. Like to be rich and successfulwhen I reach 55, not 30.

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My StoryI chose option 1.

I want to be successful while Im still young because I want to

share my success with my parents at an earlier date ratherthan much later when they may not be healthy enough to enjoythe fruits of my hard work. As Ive said before, its not aboutme, its about them.

In pursuit of my goals and dreams

My friends thought that I was crazy when I told them aboutthe idea of being an entrepreneur immediately after graduation.Most of them, those who were not very close to me, thoughtthat I was forced to become one because I couldnt secure aproper job. Those who knew me better understood I chose thispath of entrepreneurship because of my dreams. They knewthat I did not attempt to apply for a job at all.

Well, the truth is, I did apply for a job once.

I applied for a job at a foreign bank and I was accepted! I wasoffered a job with a good paycheck and good prospects.However, knowing that this path would never bring me to mydreams of being successful while Im still young, I rejected theoffer.

Maybe thats why my friends thought I was crazy.

My teachers, tutors and lecturers also thought that it was abad idea to be an entrepreneur upon graduation fromuniversity. All of them advised me to pursue a stable career inthe engineering field instead.

I believe sincerely that their intentions were all good. However,I also understand that they could only advise me to have an

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A Gift From A Friendengineering career because thats the only field that theyunderstand and the only career they have ever had themselves.

I was not really bothered by my friends and my teachersresistance to my idea of being an entrepreneur. After all, thisis my life and I am free to live it the way I want it. However, Istill needed my parents consent over my choice of career.

They were not very comfortable with the idea of me being anentrepreneur just after I had graduated with $40,000 in debtto clear. Having graduated would mean that the school will

not offer me study loans anymore, which means I must startpaying for all my living expenses myself. To be an entrepreneurwould indicate less stability in terms of my income every month.There was also no guarantee that I would be successfuleventually. My parents preferred me to look for a stable jobwith a fixed pay instead.

That was a difficult period for me. The main reason why I

wanted to be an entrepreneur is because of my dreams to besuccessful while Im still young so that I could share mysuccesses with my parents. But now, they were also the oneswho were uncomfortable with the whole idea.

Eventually, I came to a compromise with them.

I promised my parents that I would only try this

entrepreneurship idea for a period of 3 months. If at the endof the 3 months there were still no signs of success whatsoever,I would stop whatever Ive been doing and start looking for anormal 9-to-5 job with a stable pay, just like what my parentshad always wanted.

They agreed, and with that, I took the plunge into the worldof entrepreneurship.

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My StoryI was fortunate enough to have done well and cleared all mydebts within the following 6 months. With that achievement,my parents were not only feeling more comfortable with me

being an entrepreneur, at the same time I also managed to fulfillmy dream of sharing my success with them. I was really blessedthat this chapter of my life ended with a happy ending.

Many asked me what gave me the courage to take that firststep into the unknown, even though there was not muchsupport from anyone initially.

I guess the answer to that question is how important yourdreams are to you. To me, my dream of sharing my successwith my parents, while they still can enjoy it, is very important.I knew that if I took a normal 9-to-5 job, it would lead me tonowhere. I knew that if I took a normal 9-to-5 job, I would befeeling unhappy every single day, waking up early in themorning to go to a place where I know what I would be doingmost of the time is waiting for knock-off time to come. I would

be starting the week on Monday, knowing that I would spendthe whole week hoping that Friday would come soon. That isdefinitely not the kind of life I want to live. I deserve betterthan that.

I refused to conform to the majority. I knew I would have muchresistance in the beginning, but I believe I would prove themwrong about their skepticism eventually.

Besides, if I really wanted to be an entrepreneur, the best timeto do it is NOW!

Being young and without any dependants yet, there wasnothing to lose for me even if I failed. In fact, I would gainvaluable lessons and experience regardless if I failed or if Isucceeded.

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A Gift From A FriendOf course, I did have my own fears and doubts of becoming anentrepreneur myself.

I always thought that in general, to build a successful business,you must have 3 components: capital, contacts, and skills.

At that time, I did not have any of those.

For capital, I was $40,000 in debt. For contacts, all my friendswere also students who had just graduated and stillunemployed, just like me. For skills, I only have engineering

skills, no business nor communication skills. In short, myresources were very limited.

Despite all these, I decided to take the first step anyway. All ittook was just courage. Nobody can teach you how to havecourage. Courage must come from within.

Of course, there are some business opportunities out there

where you can still become successful without much capital,contacts or skills. I will share this with you later in the followingchapters of this book. But for now, just focus on that one thingI mentioned earlier: courage.

The world can supply you with capital, contacts or skills.However, courage can only come from within yourself.

***

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My StoryI am certainly not saying that my life is what success is allabout. Obviously, we all have different dreams and ideas ofwhat we want to create for our lives. In addition, I am very

clear that who you know, where you go and what you ownare not true measures of personal success. The meaning ofsuccess holds different meanings to different people. To me,success is the ongoing process of striving to become better, toachieve more. It is the opportunity to continually growemotionally, socially, spiritually, physiologically, intellectually,and financially while contributing positively to others.

The point of my story is simple. By applying the principles inthis book, you will be able to replicate the accelerated successthat I have managed to achieve in my life, in a major andmeasurable way. The purpose of this book is to share with youwhat made the difference in changing my life for the better. Itis my sincere hope that you will find the strategies, skills, andphilosophies shared within these pages to be as empoweringfor you as they have been for me. The power to magically

transform our lives into our greatest dreams lies waiting withinus all. Its time to unleash it!

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A Gift From a Friend Chapter 1

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