Startups @ SMU

OMG there hasnt been a post in 2008

2008-12-16T11:55:00.003+08:00

Hi Guys,

Just abit of intro about myself, i graduated from SMU in 2006, was the VP of SMU Ventures as well. I started work in General Electric FMP. I am now currently co-founder of my own Internet Marketing firm called Conversion Hub. Do let me know if there are synergies that we can work on . Thanks =) Can add me to LinkedIn also it is at Joel Fu Oh and haha it coming year end already. Merry Christmas to everyone ^^ hugs.

Conversion Hub is Singapore's most comprehensive internet marketing company that specializes in new emerging social media and conversion marketing. Measurable and Transparent Performance of our internet marketing campaigns has always been the key focus of Conversion Hub's business strategy. We are also Singapore's first and only firm to have our online marketing consultants certified Professional Internet Marketer (PIM) by WebCEO, which is the defacto "Fortune 500" standard for online marketing.

Conversion Hub is also working with MICA, MDA and NUS to pioneer a series of next generation advance internet application and development tools (SAAS) under the advice of Reza Behnam who was formerly the Managing Director at Yahoo! - Southeast Asia and Lisa Watson, Chairman of the Direct Marketing Association of Singapore. We have also signed a strategic partnership agreement with the world largest domain registrar which allows us to offer the cheapest domain in the world, fully back with a 100% money back guarantee.

SMU Hostel Cafe

2007-11-07T15:59:00.000+08:00

Nine of our Ventures’ members have been working on a hostel café project for the past few months. The SMU hostel lacks any sort of food facilities within the hostel premises. Our members took advantage of this market gap and decided to start up Café@ Prinsep to be a form of convenience to the hostel residents. It will be set up in the pantry area of the SMU hostel. The cafe, for now, serves hot and cold beverages, gourmet sandwiches, tacos and instant noodles. It has plans of including ice cream sundaes and other finger foods as it expands. This project also helped these members to experience real business situations and problems encountered while starting up a business. The café has already had a good opening on the hostel sports day. However, a formal opening is on the lines as soon as the contract gets signed, which is in the next few weeks. All food and drink items are reasonably priced from 80 cents to a maximum of 4 dollars for specialty finger foods. The café will also have a sms or call in system which allows residents to place their order when they wake up. Currently, the core 9 owners of the business will be operating the store. However, future plans include getting residents to serve as employees. The café once opened, will operate during peak hours of student demand, namely mornings before students leave for school and late at night. Café @ Prinsep is beneficial to the hostel as it is in a favorable location, provides cheaper snack to students and value adds to the vibrant SMU hostel community! We look forward to seeing you there soon J

Uttara Gupta

Recently heard: SG VC's approach to investing

2007-11-04T20:08:00.000+08:00

Singapore VC: "My approach to investing is very hands off. I don't get involved in the running of the company unless the entrepreneurs want me to."

This VC has himself confused with the portfolio manager who works halfway across town at one Raffles Quay in an office that's 30 floors up from his.

A New Begining

2007-11-04T19:03:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! Starting today, a few of us from SMU Ventures, have taken up the responsibility of managing the blog and taking it forward. The team from Ventures consists of Aditya Harneja, Vaibhav, Uttara, Nivedana, Harsh and me. We have already revamped the look of the blog and many more updates are in the pipeline. We hope that this blog will become the focal point for all entrepreneurs in SMU to showcase their businesses, and to get to know each other among other things.

We have begun the process of contacting student entrepreneurs in SMU to get them to post on this blog. We are working on linking up this website with websites of other like-minded organisations in Singapore.

So stay tuned...

China's Internet trends

2007-10-30T02:47:00.000+08:00

Getting started developing for Facebook... briefing by Slide

2007-10-25T01:12:00.000+08:00

For those of you who want to know a bit more about developing for Facebook, Slide has given a pretty comprehensive presentation on the development approaches you can take and what are some of the pitfalls to avoid.

Too late to get on the Facebook Bandwagon?

2007-09-30T18:38:00.000+08:00

Things got interesting earlier this week when it was reported that Microsoft was considering a stake in a 5% stake in Facebook for between $300 million to $500 million. Following the news, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) shares rose to from below $29 to almost $30 mid-week before closing the week at $29.46 representing a gain of about 2.3%. More importantly, it got people really aware of the Facebook "phenomenon".

I was listening to the 93.8 live DJs discussing Facebook on air and I thought: Wow! Now EVERYONE (even those who aren't part of the usual social network demographic) is talking about Facebook!

Since my company, TYLER Projects, officially launched Singapore's first Facebook MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game), MW:BattleStations! about 3 weeks ago, we've been contracted by 2 other companies to create Facebook apps for them. We actually had to turn down 2 more requests because our order book was already full.

While we were working on BattleStations!, I was tracking the user growth of Warbook (another Facebook MMO) when it still had no more than 1200 users. The day after I joined, it grew by 1500+ users; 2000+ the day after that and 2500+ the day after. Beyond that, I didn't bother counting and spent more time working on our own app. With those kinds of growth figures, it's no surprise that developers are churning out hundreds of new applications everyday hoping to enjoy the same success.

However, economic theory dictates that something this good can't last forever and there are signs that it might already be too late to reap the same exponential growth that the first movers did.

Take our app for example:

MW: BattleStations! is growing at the rate of about 300~400 installs per day (~4000 in total). Active user growth is about 100~150 a day (active users = ~50% of total installs). The growth is certainly accelerating, but it's not exponential. The inertia is definitely noticeable and a sign of increasing saturation in the Facebook app space.

I can think of 2 reasons for this:

1) If you think about it, there's a limited amount of real estate on a user's profile that they are willing to use for apps. The apps that manage to get onto users' profiles earlier tend to stay there. Facebook users have also started to get sick of the torrent of invites they get all the time and now tend to ignore new invites.

2) Facebook has been trying to prevent "spam" marketing by apps and they've changed a few things as a result:
- Apps are now rated according to the % of active users they have instead of just installs (total users with the app).
- FB API has changed to prevent apps from spamming users with invites. Earlier apps could allow users to send invites to all their friends and even reward users just for sending out invites. Not anymore, the new system restricts you to 15 invites and the developers don't have anyway to track the invites and new users.

Newer apps are going find it very hard to get any traction even if they are better than existing apps. The way I see it, if you want to launch an app now you have to either:

a) make an app that's very viral and is really going to make users want to add it to their profile
b) you spend alot of money either buying ad banner space from Facebook or advertising on apps with a larger user base.

I think the Facebook Platform still has some ways to go before it hits a mature stage of development. While most of the early apps were created by individuals, I expect to see more companies with bigger budgets really going all out to push higher quality apps which will mean better quality and variety for Facebook users.

For the application owners who are already on Facebook and have managed to secure a stable user base; that user base will become more valuable as time goes by and the barriers to entry start propping up...

...which is why we'll launching 2 more apps very, very soon.

TYLER makes Singapore's first Facebook MMOG!

2007-09-06T22:51:00.001+08:00

It's our first MMO and we're pretty excited about it because we'll be launching it first inside Facebook and then later on mobileweapon.net.

Mobile Weapon: BattleStations! You can play the game now! just follow this link http://apps.facebook.com/battlestations/

We've been doing ALPHA testing since 2 weeks ago and I must say that the game is really fun even though it's now just into BETA. Here are some screen shots of the game.

Explore the world!
We've made sure there's plenty to do in MW:BS. If fighting all the time isn't your kind of thing, you can go exploring or trading to make some gold and maybe find rare items. We've added more than 50+ ships, weapons and upgrades. There are plenty of secret items to be found as well.

Ship to Ship Combat!
Remember the characters in MW1 boarded and airship and flew to the Imperial City? In MW:BS you are the captain of your own airship. Airships are a big part of Sios and we decided it be fun if you get to fly your own and try to become the most powerful battleship in Sios!

It's not MAWs but finally MW players will be able to engage in PvP combat!

Make sure you add the game to your Facebook account ASAP!

Great Entrepreneur Revelation

2007-07-31T14:58:00.000+08:00

I only realized this only last week, but the reason for TYLER's year long stagnation is because we didn't have a plan.

I know what you're thinking: "How can you guys even start or run the damn business if you didn't have a plan?!"

We did a 60 page business plan for the LKY competition last year. What we didn't realize was that the business plan you use to raise money (or for a competition as the case may be) CANNOT be used as your actual business plan.

I felt something wasn't quite right after the competition was over. At the time I described the problem to one of our mentors as "we're back to business as usual". "Business as usual" is great if you're making a lot of money, not so great if you have yet to implement your grand plan for success.

Sure it sounds very "DUH!" in retrospect, but if you won 10,000 USD with your business plan, you wouldn't think you needed to write another one immediately.

What does this mean for you guys? Well you should go and think about what you're doing right now.
Are you:
a) operating on a plan with resources you haven't got?
b) targeting a market you haven't entered yet?

If the answer is "yes" to either, take some time and think about the practical business plan you can implement with the lemons you have now.

Vote for SMU Entrepreneur at SOE!

2007-07-25T03:12:00.000+08:00

Alvin is nominated for SOE this year. You all better go and vote for him. Last year ya'll never vote for me. :(

Read the interview with Alvin here.

Vote for him here.

Possible consolidation of this blog with SMU Ventures

2007-07-24T18:13:00.000+08:00

I was talking to Adeline and she mentioned that SMU Ventures (aka. the entreprenuership club) is interested to merge this blog with a Ventures blog for entreprenuership.

It would be great because:
1) More contributions from others instead of just my usual angsty posts.
2) Someone else can do the re-design and add pointless widgets like the Google news feed instead of me.

Rock on.

Guy Kawasaki - The Art of Innovation

2007-07-18T14:07:00.000+08:00

Guy Kawasaki - The Art of Innovation
55:38
Guy Kawasaki at the 2007 Event Marketer Conference

Interesting presentation. Click on the image to view =)

The Secret to Selling Your Idea

2007-07-17T04:15:00.000+08:00

http://blogs.bnet.com/intercom/?p=183&tag=nl.e713

Learn the VCs game, if you're an entreprenuer serious about making $$$

2007-06-26T22:15:00.000+08:00

What is series A funding? How much return does a VC expect for his investment?

These are just some of the things I realise that we never learn at SMU even if you take finance courses (as I did). For LKY global biz competition, I thought calculating NPV using a 30% return was more than generous. I only discovered after reading the Harvard Entrepreneurs guide that VCs expect 60-70% returns.

Of course, the VC LKY judge who asked me if I thought if "30% rate of return was too low" was a dumbass (like anyone in finance except a VC would think 30% is low) to assume that everyone would know what HE expects. But I think it's a sign that the entreprenuers of SMU really need to buff our knowledge. Seems like at NUS they learn the more technical aspects of the VC trade.

I'll be reading up on it and posting the details here but you should have a look at this in the meantime if you want to find out more: http://www.entrepreneur27.org/sg/2007/06/21/entrepreneurs-educate-yourself-first-before-taking-vc/

Another disadvantage would be our financials. I had hoped that financials forecasts would be our strong suite in the competition but apparently it wasn't. I had learnt a lot more finance and accounting than the other teams but the financials we learnt are meant for normal book-keeping or corporate reporting.

Fund raising requires a different approach. Here's a link to a guide containing an excel file for a captialisation table, which should be useful for entreprenuers trying to raise funds or the next team from SMU that wants to take part in LKY.

The video below explains how to use it:

I sure wish I could have presented our financials that good when it was our turn (not that it would have made a difference since some of the judges where only paying attention to the skirt behind me and not the slides).

How to get into the computer games industry

2007-06-09T23:10:00.000+08:00

Paul Barnett from EA gives a good, and funny, look at how to get into the computer game industry.

TYLER Projects and Mobile Weapon featured on Mr. Brown's WTF show!

2007-06-08T00:28:00.000+08:00

TYLER adopts isolationist policy

2007-04-18T01:39:00.000+08:00

Ok, it's not really as the title says. I just got fed up with all the delivery people expecting us to open the door for them or sign for packages when there are other people closer to the door. :-P

Mixing emotions with business

2007-03-28T03:24:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, someone told me that you should not mix emotions with business. Clearly this person (who is a VC) does not understand entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs start businesses because they are passionate about something.

It's wrong to mix business with pleasure because it's not professional (most of us understand that). Emotions with business? That's the basis of Entrepreneurship.

Spamming SMU with your product

2007-03-18T18:17:00.000+08:00

Thinking of spamming your school with your product? We did (with Adeline's help, thanks!) and apparently we're the first SMU startup to do it. And why not? it's free!

Would it be effective? Well, it depends on what you're selling. I sell computer games so it's pretty easy for students to just click the link and try out our game for free.

Our main aim in spamming the school was to increase awareness of our product and what we're working on. I wasn't exactly expecting a huge increase in sales but it was very encouraging that some professors and students actually emailed to ask questions about the product.

Love Your Work

2007-03-08T18:01:00.000+08:00

Counting down the lessons that could be learnt... Articles about Donald Trump

Lesson #2: Love Your Work

“The most important thing in life is to love what you’re doing,” says Trump, “because that’s the only way you’ll ever be really good at it.”

It wasn’t Trump’s knowledge of the real estate market or salesmanship alone that led him to become one of the wealthiest Americans and owner of over 18 million square feet of land in Manhattan alone. Rather, it was all the late nights he worked to get his ideas off the blueprints and onto the streets; it was the endless business meetings and phone calls he placed to the powers that be; it was his tireless promotion of what seemed to others to be nothing more than outlandish fantasy. In other words, it was his passion.

As soon as the young Trump began making property inspections with his father, he knew he could take a strong liking to real estate. While he had confidence in his abilities to excel in this field, it wasn’t the potential for money that was pushing Trump ahead. Nor was it the fame. Instead, it was the real estate business itself and the art of deal making that Trump thrived on.

“Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score,” says Trump. “The real excitement is playing the game.” It is Trump’s love for the game that allowed him to keep playing despite the critics, the lawsuits, the bankruptcy. It was only the dedication that came from his passion for real estate that enabled him to continue reaching for his dreams against all odds.

“Without passion, you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing,” says Trump. “It’s tangible, it’s solid, it’s beautiful. It’s artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate.” Trump knew he would never be able to devote his life to anything else, and so he threw all his energy into real estate. And, that, says Trump, is one of the biggest keys to his success. Otherwise, he might have crumbled when the first ten or so people laughed at his ideas.

Making business deals was, for Trump, an art form that he was happy to spend endless hours devoted to. “Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals,” says Trump. Whether it’s painting or writing or buying and selling real estate, Trump stresses that a passion for what you do will be the underlying cause of whatever success you achieve. And without it, success will never come.

Today, Trump could easily retire knowing not only that he has amassed a fortune worth over an estimated $2 billion, but that he has also changed the face of New York. Instead, Trump’s passion keeps him going to work every day. He craves the adrenaline that comes from a handshake over a new deal, a tough negotiation, or a groundbreaking for a new building. Despite his lavish lifestyle, Trump would not be content to sit in the penthouse at the top of Trump Tower and be idle. He craves his work, he loves his work and this is why he has succeeded in his work.

Singaporean game developers lack creativity

2007-02-08T02:41:00.001+08:00

I got this article from IGN. View the actual article here.

UK, January 11, 2007 - Ian Livingstone, Eidos' supreme commander of worldwide product acquisitions, has criticised developers in Singapore.

Livingstone opined that Singapore lacked "the ability to think outside the box to create new intellectual property, new game-play and new characters". Then, just to add insult to injury, he bemoaned: "The tendency here [Singapore] is to make copies of previous games, rather than to think about what the world hasn't seen before or what new games haven't been done before. [There must be a] unique selling point that differentiates them [game developers] from everyone else."

I completely agree with him as well as the comments about MW not being wholly original. But what IS 100% original these days?

You also have to understand the kind of society that Singapore is:

a) Educators and parents here vilify computer games.
If your grades aren't good it's because you've been playing to many video games (never because the curriculum is boring). The idea of a good education system here is to cram as much practical knowledge you can into a kid so they don't even have the time to think about what they are learning. When you're not at school, you're having tuition at home, the rest of the time is spent actually doing the homework. This is actually a really good formula for creating robots, ...uncreative robots. < No, we're not Cylons.

The general opinion is that of "If you play computer games you will never achieve the Singaporean dream of becoming a scholar." < Pretty retarded dream in my opinion.

b) Singapore is a VERY meritocratic society.
Most of Singaporean society doesn't view making games a REAL work (nevermind that the videogame industry is worth billions). Artists, game developers and other jobs that don't generally command a high pay aren't even considered professions. My friend, who is an artist, bemoaned how a taxi driver chided him when he revealed his choosen field and asked him to get a real job.

I feel like I'm under constant pressure to get a job working in a bank (because I can get one with my nice CV) because a banker has a higher social standing than a game developer. How retarded is that concept?!

It's a little difficult to produce good creative work if everyone you know keeps telling you that what you're doing is a big waste of time.

Singaporean game developers have already fought societal stigmatisation to pursue their passion and I can see that more and more Singaporeans are pursing their own dreams instead of ascribing to old mindsets. Here's a crazy idea: MAYBE THEY FEEL FREE TO PURSUE THEIR OWN DREAMS BECAUSE THE GAMES TAUGHT THEM HOW TO!

We just need a bit more time to really get completely "out of our boxes".

TYLER launchs it's first commercial product - Mobile Weapon!

2007-02-03T22:59:00.000+08:00

Check out the first PC game developed in SMU - Mobile Weapon! Visit our site www.mobileweapon.net and play it for free now!

Insights from VC meeting in Palo Alto

2007-01-04T12:02:00.000+08:00

Hi Guys, back from my trip to San Fransisco. I visited Palo Alto and Silicon Valley while there and got some tips from a VC. For the full lowdown on the trip you can check my blog at coreconstruct.blogspot.com in a day or 2 from now.

Here are some insights which are useful if you want to raise money in US instead of Singapore:

- US investors/VCs generally only invest in companies which are operating in the US.

- They have quite clear distinctions on the roles of VCs and angel investors. VCs are really not for small time "just starting up" startups.

- You need to be making money before you can get US VC money.

I guess I'm fortunate that my company has alot of users in the US. I guess we'll just get alot more users, earn money from them, set up a US entity and then we can start pitching to VCs there. :-P

Think Big

2006-11-17T16:02:00.000+08:00

Counting down the lessons that could be learnt... Articles about Donald Trump

Lesson #3: Think Big

“I like thinking big. I always have,” says Trump. “If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”

Lofty goals with a lofty ego to boot, Trump is not afraid of taking risks. His philosophy of thinking big typifies the strategy behind every single business deal Trump has ever made. From building the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, which will be the tallest residential tower in Canada when completed, to installing a seven-story waterfall in the lavish marble atrium of the Trump Tower, Trump either does it big or goes home.

Recalling the criticism he got when he first unveiled his waterfall design, Trump says, “Most of my people at first favoured putting paintings on the wall. To me that was old-fashioned, unoriginal, and just not very exciting. As it turned out, the waterfall proved to be an art form in itself, almost a sculptured wall. And it attracts far more attention than we’d have gotten if we’d put up even some very wonderful art.”

Trump considers his ability to think in larger than life terms one of his greatest strengths and a major reason for his significant success. “Most people think small because most people are afraid of success, afraid of making decisions, afraid of winning,” he says. “And that gives people like me a great advantage.” Trump is not afraid to go after what he wants, nor is he afraid of the consequences of his decisions.

Trump has gotten to the top of his game today not by following his competitors and going with the flow, but by daring to do things differently. “Sometimes it pays to be a little wild,” he says. When other developers were lowering their prices during the real estate slump, Trump was raising his. When others were focused on building medium-income housing, Trump was designing million dollar condominiums. And, when others were losing faith in the market’s comeback, Trump saw only possibilities.

Anything that Trump touches seems to take on a mystical aura. This is because Trump sells fantasies and dreams and things that most people don’t dare to imagine. “We took our strengths and promoted them to the skies,” Trump says of Trump Tower. “From day one, we set out to sell Trump Tower not just as a beautiful building in a great location but as an event.” Indeed, Trump’s ‘events’ are beyond what most will ever attend in their lifetime.

But, Trump cautions that thinking big does not necessarily mean seizing every opportunity that comes your way. Often times, rather, less is more. “If you go for a home run on every pitch, you’re also going to strike out a lot,” he says. “I try never to leave myself too exposed, even if it means sometimes settling for a triple, a double, or even, on rare occasions, a single.” Trump has only managed to stay in the game so long by maximizing his options and diversifying his portfolio. From hotels to casinos to books to beauty pageants, Trump has branched out into different areas of business, not only minimizing his risk but also making a name for across a wider audience. By thinking big, Trump has turned himself into one of the biggest names in America.

Play On Perception

2006-11-02T09:42:00.000+08:00

Counting down the lessons that could be learnt... Articles about Donald Trump

Lesson #4: Play On Perception

“If you want to sell a car and you spend five dollars to wash and polish it and then apply a little extra elbow grease, suddenly you find you can charge an extra four hundred dollars,” says Trump, “and get it.”

In the fine art of deal making that Trump has mastered, perception is often one of the most important factors that stands in the way of success. As a good salesman, Trump found it crucial to control the perceptions he was giving off to the other side. Aside from his all-important self-grooming in order to look as professional as possible, Trump became an expert in keeping up appearances when it came to his deals.

Trump’s success came from the fact that he was always able to maintain the upper hand in making a deal. While he was often in an inferior position to be making demands, Trump managed to convince property owners that his terms were the only ones worth meeting. “If you want to buy something, it’s obviously in your best interest to convince the seller that what he’s got isn’t worth very much,” he says. By over-selling himself and resorting to tactics of fear and guilt, Trump would always make himself appear as if he were the only man for the job.

Trump had an ability to make people see things the way he wanted them to and knowing this, used it to his advantage in making his multi-million dollar business deals. “When I build something for somebody, I always add $50 million or $60 million onto the price,” he says. “My guys come in, they say it's going to cost $75 million. I say it's going to cost $125 million, and I build it for $100 million. Basically, I did a lousy job. But they think I did a great job.”

When Trump was first starting out in the business, he had little experience building the types of projects he was envisioning and no experience whatsoever in a prime real estate market such as Manhattan. Thus, he encountered a lot of resistance when proposing his plans. But, being a master of persuasion, Trump did not let that stand in his way. In one of his very first negotiations to get the rail yard property along the Hudson River, Trump recalls that when speaking to the owner, “I couldn’t sell him on my experience or my accomplishment, so instead I sold him on my energy and my enthusiasm.”

In a similar situation when Trump was working on transforming The Commodore into the Grand Hotel, he instructed the architect to, “Make it appear that we’d spent a huge sum on the drawings. A good-looking presentation goes a long way.” Trump believed that a presentation that looked as if it were put together by an established firm with a large budget would be more credible than a few sketches done in Trump’s little, dingy apartment.

By making sellers believe that Trump was the best and only person to lead a redevelopment project, he was able to manipulate and manufacture the terms of his own success.

Go with your GUT!

2006-10-26T17:44:00.000+08:00

Counting down the lessons that could be learnt... Articles about Donald Trump

Lesson #5: Go With Your Gut

“Experience taught me a few things,” says Trump. “One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper.”

Trusting his instincts is what has distinguished Trump’s groundbreaking career from his competitors. With his natural ability to spot unique business opportunities, and the knowledge he gained from his father and the Wharton School, Trump had honed his instincts to the point where he had more confidence listening to his gut feelings over anything else when making an important decision.

While Trump is a self-proclaimed disbeliever in marketing surveys and consultants, trusting his instincts never meant making an ill-informed decision. “I’m a great believer in asking everyone for an opinion before I make a decision,” he says. “I ask I ask I ask, until I begin to get a gut feeling about something. And that’s when I make a decision. I have learned much more from conducting my own random surveys than I could ever have learned from the greatest of consulting firms.”

Trusting his instincts is what pushed Trump to enter the dwindling New York real estate market when everybody else was pulling out. And, not only did he enter the market and purchase decrepit properties, but he actually raised prices. His instincts are also to thank for his decision to stay on the sidelines a little longer when prices sometimes seemed too high. “I knew that if I was patient and kept my eyes open, a better opportunity would eventually arise.”

When Trump first started building golf courses, it was his instincts that told him it would be a profitable business venture. He combined his passion for golf along with his business knowledge and his courses have turned out to be huge hits. “The results have been spectacular because I paired both instinct and logic,” he says. Similarly, Trump knew to listen to his instincts when he first met Mark Burnett, the man behind The Apprentice. “Within a few seconds of meeting [him]…I knew he was one hundred percent solid, both as a person and as a professional.” The success of this business partnership has since been extremely rewarding for both, with The Apprentice becoming one of the highest rated reality shows on TV.

But, everybody has instincts and instinct alone is not enough to succeed, says Trump. The ability to recognize and listen to your instincts is equally important and is something that many people are unable to do. Recognizing your instincts requires the courage as well as the opportunity to be able to do so. “Somewhere out there are a few men with more innate talent at golf than Jack Nicklaus, or women with greater ability at tennis than Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova, but they will never lift a club or swing a racket and therefore will never find out how great they could have been,” he says. Instead, they’ll be content to sit and watch stars perform on television.”

In any profession, instincts mean nothing if you are too scared to acknowledge and use them. Trump wasn’t scared and he let his instincts push him all the way to the penthouse.

Re-branding for this blog!

2006-10-04T17:35:00.000+08:00

Hi Guys,

To ensure that we duplicate the job done by SMU BIG website and also to fufil our mission of using this blog a a promotional website for the products offered by SMU startups, we are going to do a rebranding for this blog!!!

Here are the suggested names:

1) SMU Bazaar
2) SMU Marketplace
3) SMU Marketspace
4) Ekampung
5) ePasar
6) Souk! (Arab word for "market")

Comment with your vote now!

2006-09-24T16:37:00.000+08:00

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Sourcing for Suppliers

2006-09-12T17:08:00.000+08:00

On a recent trip to Thailand I managed to source for a few suppliers for interesting knicknacks like wood and paper laterns, handmade soaps, paper mache ornaments, etc.

I know there are plenty of stores like Barang Barang selling Asian handicraft and furniture. But I like this resort home concept stuff and the mark-up on the ones they sell in Singapore is a lot.

I might be able to get something low-cost up and running with my brother who's in New York and sell this stuff to the people there.

I got all the contacts from the various markets we visited. I don't know if the so called suppliers of the goods I found from the markets were the representatives of the actual producers or wholesalers (added middleman cost). But you have to start somewhere I guess.

When the whole SMU BIG thing started there was alot of emphasis on the business idea being the most important concept. Even in all of the business plan competitions I've taken part in, the winners were always the ones with the most inventive idea.

So why bother starting a business that's nothing really new, based in import/export or retail? One of the panelists (who were all established Singaporean entreprenuers ) said at last week's lunchtime forum: "The value of the entreprenuer lies in his/her successful execution, rather than just the idea." If you think about it, most successful Singaporean entreprenuers are successful restuaranters and retailers.

And besides, even if things don't really work out. It's still a good excuse to go on holiday and go shopping.

At the Crossroads of a Tickled Soul by Suzanne Zoglio, Ph.D.

2006-09-10T19:50:00.000+08:00

Hi friends, I came across this thought provoking article recently and thought many of us might be interested to read it, especially the budding entrepreneurs.

Have you ever felt tired, worn out, or a little too old for your years…whatever your age? If so, it might have nothing to do with the number of candles on your birthday cake. Instead, it could be that you've just gotten a bit too settled, making your life feel a bit stale.

In physics the principle of entropy explains the natural tendency of all living things to either grow or break down. It demonstrates that there is no such thing as the status quo or staying at the same level. If you develop a muscle, it grows stronger. If you don't use it, it doesn't stay the same…it atrophies. If you use your brain for new experiences, you will grow new pathways called dendrites. If you don't, your brainpower does not stay the same…it will diminish. "Use it or lose it" is more than an idle expression.

Relationships that we pay attention to expand; those that we neglect do not stay the same…they fade. Perhaps you have had a friendship that was once strong but now is gone. No blow-up; no decision to part, just a bad case of status quo.

At various times in life, we come to a fork in the road and have to choose which path we'll take next. One is familiar, safe, and nicely paved. The other is a bit trickier. It glows with adventure, treasures, or perhaps the potential to learn and grow. But this second path is also unfamiliar, frightening, and rather bumpy. The road to the first path leads to contraction; the second path leads to expansion. Either you stay in your comfort zone and let life pass you by, or you take the risks necessary to move forward in the direction of your dreams. The choice is yours alone. So, although too much change can be stressful, too little change will literally bore you to death! To feel young and alive and in synch with your soul's desires, try seeing your next crossroads not as a dilemma or misfortune, but as an opportunity to re-examine the direction you want to take next in your life.

A crossroads may appear due to a normal life stage (midlife awakening?), an unexpected opportunity (great job offer abroad?), or an unwelcomed wake-up call (health crisis, divorce, or loss?). So the path that leads to a fork in the road may be quite different for each of us. But the road to change is likely to be quite the same. Like most people, you'll probably travel a few well-worn paths of denial, awareness, exploration, and doubt before reaching your desired destination.

Denial

Travelers on the path of denial entertain thoughts such as "This couldn't be happening to me," or "Things are not really that bad." It's easier to ignore signs that it's time for a change (the queasiness in the pit of your stomach, the disquieting notions in your head, the restless sleep, and the joyless days) than to face the discomfort of change. It seems better to live with known negatives than to risk possible new negatives that might be even worse. The danger side of change's double-edged sword shines the brightest. Fear of the unknown is so powerful at this stage that even strong, soulful desires can be suppressed and intuition totally ignored. It's as if we are in shock—unable to see, hear, or feel what's going on around us. On this path, we pretend and profess a lot, trying to convince ourselves of what we suspect may not be true. Denial prevents any adaptive action because we hold on for dear life to ideas like "everything is fine…really…or at least as good as it can be."

A few years ago, I worked with a group of chemical workers who were preparing for a major conversion of all processes in their plant. In the group there were a few eager beavers who went willingly into the land of high-tech, many who went skeptically, and a few who dug their heels into the sands of resistance. As you might imagine, those stuck in denial were left behind, still mumbling their mantra of " No way—not in my lifetime" while others who learned new skills and prepared for the changes marched forward to success in the new computerized environment.

While the path of denial can provide a safe haven from too much change, it can also make you vulnerable if you stay on the path too long. Imagine that you are walking down some old railroad tracks, with a high-speed locomotive coming your way. You have two choices. You can stay right where you are and deny that the light in the distance is an oncoming freight train (and eventually get run over), or see the light for what it is, get off the tracks, and take another path.

Awareness

When you are ready to diverge from the path of denial, you'll probably pull off for a realitycheck. Here you may weigh in and come to grips with the truth about what is working in your life and what is not. There will be no more pretending that you are totally satisfied with the status quo regarding your work, your marriage, or your personal development. You'll weigh in, fess up to what you're feeling, and then decide what cargo to unload and what new equipment to pick up. As this new awareness blasts holes in the façade of denial, more light will seep in, and other truths will be illuminated. Needs not formerly met will become visible, beliefs not acted upon will come into focus, and the choices you have made will be apparent. With your passion and desires awakened, you will know what you want and you'll forge ahead to the next connecting path…that of exploration.

Exploration

On the explorer's path you may feel as though you are going around in circles. Although you've committed to moving forward, you won't be sure of the quickest route. You may find that one direction seems right at first, but later deposits you right back where you started. While frustrating, these false starts should be expected. After all, this is new territory. Just shore up your courage and check your internal compass by asking, "Is this direction taking me closer to where I want to be?" If it is, keep going. If not, just say "oops," and choose another route. Soon you will be at your destination, with one more divergence possible along the way…on the path of doubt.

Doubt

The bushes along the path of doubt are of a prickly variety. They may snag you from time to time and even scratch at your new determination. This is where you'll see the cost of change and wonder if it's worth it. You'll be tempted to turn back to more familiar, comfortable ground and avoid letting go of that last tether. You know you're close to the right path now; you can even sense its foreign nature. The prospect is exciting, but you are leery of adjustments you will have to make. The customs will be different, the mindsets a bit askew. You're not so sure you'll be able to cope in such a strange place. But then you see just up ahead, the prickly path gives way to a spacious, paved, and well-lit road. It's marked with a large, clear sign. "This way," it reads, "to a life that tickles your soul." Doubt fades into determination.

Traveler's Aid

Many things will help you to continue your progress journey. Remind yourself of your desires by posting them in view and reading them several times a day. Buoy your spirits with life-affirming habits such as yoga, meditation, and self-reflection. Schedule regular periods of renewal and commit to taking some action toward your goals every day. Give and love and enjoy life's simple pleasures.

As you proceed on your journey, you will likely benefit from support along the way. Think of people who will boost your spirits when they lag and provide direction when you need it. Identify those who have gone before you and ask them to share the lessons they have learned. Find someone who will simply listen and send your own thoughts echoing back. Find others who will ask you questions that no one else would ask…questions of survival intended to save you from yourself. Read inspiring material and enroll in skill enhancing workshops.

Before you begin your chosen course, pack the gear that will see you through such an exciting journey. You'll need provisions that fuel and things that soothe when you occasionally scrape an ankle. A mirror to see objectively and earplugs so you will be able to hear your wisdom from within. Carry nuggets of past successes to remind you of the many hills you've climbed, and don't forget to bring along a compass made of your own purpose and design. One more thing that you should bring is a flag to plant at each new summit. There you'll rest and watch it wave, and feel content with how far you've come.

May peace and joy be yours, as you discover and honor your authentic self.

Photography

2006-09-08T01:33:00.000+08:00

Hi i'm Jezreel, if you need to take some stock photos of your products.

I'll be happy to help you!

To see more of my portfolio please visit the website below:
http://zerolimits2006.funkygrad.com/photogallery/index.php

Entrepreneur Network

2006-08-31T15:19:00.000+08:00

Leonard, thanks for inviting me to the blog... :)

Hello everyone!

Guess what?! SMU BIG (Business Innovations Generator) will be working in collaboration with TYLER to build the Entrepreneur Network within SMU.

Objectives of the Entrepreneur Network:

A platform to post promotions and allow contributors to post their thoughts and any information relevant to Entrepreneurship
Advertising your needs/offerings in a directory listing
Networking and resource center
Publicity vehicle to increase visibility and profile of Entrepreneurs/businesses listed.

This blog will be a supplement, if not the bloodline, of the Entrepreneur Network currently found in SMU BIG's website. (Click on the title above to get there) Do email me with your details if you would like to be listed in the directory - smubig@smu.edu.sg

SMU BIG will be promoting this blogspot together with the Entrepreneur Network, as a package, to the entire community and to the public. One step forward in order to do so is to migrate the SMU BIG website from the intranet, where it is currently hosted, to the internet. The current look and feel is also undergoing a significant cosmetic and navigational change to serve everyone better.

We target to have this revamp and move completed within 2 weeks time. Upon which, we are planning for an online publicity to the SMU community and our industry partners to launch this Entrepreneur Network.

We welcome suggestions on how we could better promote this new initiative amidst all the hustle and bustle that's going on in Campus right now... Amongst others, I am also thinking of getting it featured in Vie and/or Blurt as well...

On behalf of SMU BIG, we look forward to helping you build your business...

Contact me if you think we can be of assistance.

See you guys around!

Find My Top

2006-08-25T01:46:00.001+08:00

Hi all!

Yep, kudos to Leonard for setting up this community. Basically, FMT started off as a Blogstore in Dec'2005, but we've grown and now we're migrating to a full-scale online storefront. Leonard's doing the website design for us, so watch out for some pretty cool stuffs in our new website.

We will also be holding a launch-promo, so spread the word for us will ya? ;p But right now, delivery to SMU is FOC, so if ya a SMU student, hollar in your order to us and we'll waive the delivery charges for you. We've put in a great deal of effort and hard work in sourcing the current series of Fall collections - do lend us your support! =)

My team and I gonna try to blog here more often (once we figure what we wanna say here), do drop us a note and tell us what you wanna hear from us - tt'll help! *grinz* For now, I guess it's gonna be pretty much promo-driven so you can see here as a "goodies section";P

2006-08-18T00:01:00.000+08:00

hee hee want to start one of those business that Desai always championed?

Some possible starting points can be through the following :

A listing of NUS developed technologies for licensing
http://www.nus.edu.sg/intro/ind_techonoffer.shtml

A Star technologies
http://www.exploit-tech.com/industries/overview.asp

My sensing is that chances that you can directly license from them as a student is slim. However you maybe able to up the ante if you can win competitions using their technologies and get our professors to validate it and then refer you to them .

2006-08-17T23:57:00.000+08:00

Hey Guys!

Heard about the push carts at NLB? Details are avilable at http://www.rp.edu.sg/cie/YE/about/index.asp . Rental is cheap, but a friend who when there to recce told me the traffic was miserable. Hmmm for those interested in such push carts.

Hear about another one orgnized by I weekly behind cineleisure offers a much better public response. Think its on every alternate weeks. Rental quite cheap as well think about $30 a day . =)

2006-07-24T15:50:00.000+08:00

aloha all

Firstly, a big thank-you to Leonard for this great initiative and the invite. This blog will get all of us in SMU more closely connected for the benefits of our own ventures, and for non-profit incentives in friendships. We afterall, are under the SMU ( shout aloud: D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T) umbrella and this further propells the need for us to know who are indeed different in this school itself.

Now, Swoozh.com, a synopsis- im really juz a techie geek who revels in technology gadgets: Digital Audio Broadcast radios, XBOX360s, Mp4 Players, Memory solutions, and doing this together are some buddies from SMU as well. Tat said, we r also open to any projects that ve its roots in IT - web design, etc. (we do nuthing like what tylerprojects can do though (: )

Hopefully, this post kicks off an array of pointers, introductions, experiences, and of course, networking + friendships. (*psst, im doing this during internship so i gota get back now).

ta-

Beginnings of a Listing...

2006-07-23T10:57:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

I was talking with Val Tan of F.M.T. yesterday about how we could pool our resources together as SMU startups and help to promote awareness of our products and services.

I decided to start this blog to act as a listing of SMU student start-ups because we don't seem to currently have a listing.

If you want to join the listing, email me at leonard.lin.2003@sis.smu.edu.sg

Let's work together to bring success to our business!