Experts’ Powerful Insights About Money And Achieving Success

Have a dose of inspiration about money and success, employees and entrepreneurs of Singapore! Take it from the legendary experts such as Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, and Coco Chanel…

1. CUSTOMERS ARE IMPORTANT

Henry Ford (Founder of the Ford Motor Company): “It’s not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It’s the customer who pays the wages.”

Henry Ford was right, customer’s satisfaction is important, as they are the ones who clamor over your products. Whether you are selling electronics or cosmetics, the consumers are one of your greatest assets. Pay attention to what they need and want through intensive research (e.g., focus groups).

2. HAVE NO FEAR

Coco Chanel (Founder of the Chanel Enterprise): “Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”

Image Credits: CHRISTOPHER DOMBRES via Flickr

Image Credits: CHRISTOPHER DOMBRES via Flickr

Success in business requires experience, discipline, and hard work. But if you are afraid of taking risks, you might miss out a lot of opportunities. Instead of dwelling on failing, dwell on you’re mastering your strengths.

3. DO YOUR BEST AND WIN

Colonel Sanders (Founder of KFC): “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.”

What Colonel Sanders imparts is the true essence of work: doing your best despite of the amount of hours or money one receives. Each job you take is part of your learning experience. Someday, it will all be worth it.

4. TAKE YOUR TIME TO LEARN

Vera Wang (Well-known Fashion Designer): “Don’t be afraid to take time to learn. It’s good to work for other people. I worked for others for 20 years. They paid me to learn.”

Some of you may be taunted by the idea of working for somebody for more than 10 years because of your deep desire to become your own boss. But, 10 years worth of experience and wages – that is a lot of wealth! You may be at the bottom of the company’s hierarchy now but as long as you give your all that would not be for long.

5. IT IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE MONEY

Steve Jobs (Co-founder and Past CEO of Apple Inc.): “When I was 25, my net worth was $100 million or so. I decided then that I wasn’t going to let it ruin my life. There’s no way you could ever spend it all, and I don’t view wealth as something that validates my intelligence.”

For someone who had it all, Steve Jobs showed that life is not always about having hefty loads of cash. Even B.C. Forbes (Founder of Forbes Magazine) agree as he said: “real riches are the riches [we] possessed inside”. Cultivate what is within!

Image Credits: James Mitchell via Flickr

Image Credits: James Mitchell via Flickr

Sources: Brainy Quote and WriteMoneyInc

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6 Tips That Every Intern Should Know To Succeed

More and more business establishments are willing to hire interns especially because of their youthful digital-savvy nature. If you are preparing for an internship, you want to be as irreplaceable and knowledgeable as possible. Once you get in, you seek respect from your co-workers and employers. Here are some good tips to help your succeed as an intern…

PREPARATION

1. RESEARCH ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

Applying for an internship for advertising? Read Advertising Week or to Google the Heineken commercials as these companies are innovative and creative. Aside that, you must be knowledgeable about the existing advertising agencies in the country. Here are the Top 10 Advertising Agencies in Singapore, research further on what brought their success.

While if you are a planning to intern in finance then, read the Wall Street Journal. Again, here are the Top 10 Finance Companies in Singapore. Focus on the overall industry and a specific topic too. Be the wittiest person in the room on that certain topic.

2. EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY

Most interns are from the younger generation; hence, some employers expect that technology is second nature to you. If not, there is still time to change. You need to understand how social media works or if it is relevant to your industry, study SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools. Observe what the public wants through media data and recognize the form of medium that is of value to you.

3. SAY THANKS

Always send a gratitude email to the person who assisted you or your interviewer. If you want to take the extra mile then write “Thank You” notes that you can pass onto these people. And when your internship comes to a close end, thank everyone for their help and include what you had learned from them.

DURING

4. ALWAYS SAY YES

Say “YES” to work tasks given to you (although some may be tedious) as they are part of your learning experience. Have tricks up your sleeve by learning how to make a good cup of coffee or tea by searching for it in YouTube or by mastering simple things. Occasionally, ask your boss if he/she needs any help from you. Do your best and do your work quickly. Someday, it will all be worth it.

5. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, ASK

Ask honest questions rather than making assumptions. It is better to ask your boss or superior on how issues are managed. Everybody makes mistakes; the good news is that everything is fixable. If you were respectful enough, people would want to help you and see you improve. But, make sure that you never make that mistake again.

6. BLEND IN TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Adapt to the company’s ideal work clothing. If you are in a corporate environment then, it is better to wear long skirts or slacks. While, if you work inn a boutique where you stand and look for product stocks then, it is better to wear flats.

Image Credits: Juhan Sonin via Flickr

Image Credits: Juhan Sonin via Flickr

There is no right or wrong way to dress for an internship except if the company provides the uniforms. Nonetheless, the best thing for you to do is to wear conservative or non-revealing clothes in the first few days then adjust from there – depending on how your co-workers dresses.

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10 Rules of Success from 19th Century’s World Richest Man

Who would have thought that a Scottish American with barely a dollar to his name would soon be the richest man in the world?

Andrew Carnegie migrated to the United States with his low-income parents in 1848. He then started to work as a telegrapher. 10 years later, he had investments in railroads, bridges, railroad sleeping cars, and oil derricks. Then, his wealth increased further as he worked as a bond salesman.

He became the world’s richest man in 1901. Aside from having a high profile, he was also a philanthropist. This is the reason why he gave away about 90% of his fortune (US$350 million in 1919 = US$4.7 billion in 2015) US to charities by the time of his death.

Image Credits: wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie

Image Credits: wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie

CARNEGIE ON WEALTH

Andrew believed in using his wealth to help the lives of others and enrich the society. In 1889, he wrote an article entitled: “The Gospel of Wealth” that preached his belief of good will. It stimulated the wave of philanthropy.

This is one of his memos:

Man does not live by bread alone. I have known millionaires starving for lack of the nutriment, which alone can sustain all that is human in man, and I know workmen, and many so-called poor men, who revel in luxuries beyond the power of those millionaires to reach. It is the mind that makes the body rich.

CARNEGIE ON SUCCESS

His philosophy go beyond wealth. At the height of his career, a young journalist named Napoleon Hill reached out to him to get insight about success. Andrew Carnegie instilled the “10 Rules of Success” to Hill and it has been the foundation of much of his work.

Here are the “10 Rules of Success” that you can use in your daily lives. These are laid out in Hill’s book entitled: “The Science of Success”:

1. Define your purpose.

2. Develop a “master-mind alliance” and expand your resources.

3. Take the extra mile.

4. Practice the “applied faith” and believe in yourself.

5. Have personal initiative.

6. Indulge your imagination and creativity.

7. Exert enthusiasm.

8. Think and judge accurately.

9. Focus your effort on the task.

10. Profit from adversity.

Sources: Business Insider, Wikipedia

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