CameraTradeZone

Way before we hit on with the project in Astro , I was too free, so I plan to utilized my rotten programming skills by creating 2 websites for fun to learn about SEO and hope it will grow into a secondary business of mine. From the inspiration of AsiaPartTime.com, I started a camera trading site called cameratradezone.com. The idea sparkles me when I found that the camera market started booming up as out of every group of people that i known of at least 1 person has a DSLR camera. It was amazed that within only 2 months the site had a good response 37,000 page views, and now has an average of 400 pageviews daily, with average 160 unique visits daily.

By knowing such a good results, a friend then approach me to developed a property website (propertytradezone.com) with him. Although these market has been dominated by iproperty.com, but i felt that there are still chances. With the mindset of “JUST DO IT and F the Competitors”. So I take up the challenge, and do it without second thought.

PropertyTradeZone

Both sites are still in a very preliminary stage. Although I have drafted a business model for both sites for me to earn some passive income, however, I don’t have time to improve and move forward as the project with Astro has consume most of my time. Now I put myself into a super busy mode, but I am happy with it although my financial status still not in a positive cash flow. I had a positive feeling that both of this site will slowly grow but now time is the main concern.

BUSY is good.

CTZ Stats

CTZ stat2

scammeralert.info

Surprisingly, now only I realize Lamp Berger (LB) has been shut down 3 years ago. And according to source, these clubs that were raided were founded by former active members of LB. After the closure of LB, these money suckers hadn’t had enough wealth to fulfill their greeds, so they reborn a 2nd generation of LB. 10 years ago, MLM were targeted mostly on Chinese, and slowly, years by years, the Chinese has learn their lessons and are not easily tempted. Hence, the new generation 8282 club has divert their attention to target the Malay groups. For local malays to start a franchising business, they had a privilege to apply soft loan from the government. So, friendsclub, brilliantly, they utilized this as an advantage to theirs, and has market it for subsequent 3-4 years.

According to source, the company that runs these clubs hadn’t had a license or approval from Bank Negara to operate such activities in the country. Their style of  I wonder how much is the membership fees to join the club. However, upon joining, you get an business opportunity. Is there a product ? No~! service? NO! No product, No service, all you get is a business opportunity!? What kind opportunity you will get???? if someone from this club were to approach me… there will b lots of unanswered questionable doubts. Cause I don’t even get a tangible product to sell off in-order to cover off my cost. It looks more like a money laundering company, where u roll the money by sucking and sucking and sucking the money from your downlines.

Sadly, I don’t even think only the youngsters will fall for this, even the elderly generations which I overheard a group of aunties and uncles that were talking bout matching bonuses, binary systems, and How fast of getting back their money. And I observed how people convince the other. The wife try to convince his husband into the business, where the husband, by his facial expression, can tell he had too many doubts but he dare not question cause the group will start to brainwash him as he starts to speak. I hope the old couples will not fight over these issue~

I wonder when will there be another auction on those raided luxurious cars~~ hohoho…..

More photos, videos and News, click below for more info:

1. http://www.mlmscam.net/site/one-team/friends-club
2. http://www.voiceitout.com/2010/08/01/get-rich-quick-scheme-raid-with-video/
3. http://www.scammeralert.info/gadis-mlm-orang-kuat-friends-club-star-club-one-team-family-club-fc-8282-serah-diri/

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Although there are no promises from MDeC, but at least initiatives are taken into the consideration that certain funds will be proposed to be maintain and new funds will be available. The following funds that MDeC proposed to be maintained include MSC Malaysia Research and Development Grant Scheme (MGS), Pre-seed Funding and MAC3 Co-Production Fund. Lets have some fate and patient with MDeC, and hope that the government continues to drive the country growth into a better economic environment for new entrepreneurs.

Reference Link: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/8/business/6208729&sec=business

Yes, I won’t deny that Multilevel Marketing can make you a fortune, gives you a better living. In fact, since the introduction of MLM, it created lots of millionaires around the world, its a proven concept. The question comes to whether if you are prepared for it yet. I have joined and tried a few, and personally, I don’t think I belongs there. So I quit. It just not my cup of tea. So before you join, considered these sacrifices:

1. Are you prepared that your friends (specially your closest friends) will reject your offer, and start running away from you.
2. Are you able to tolerate the spiritual style of motivations ceremony held weekly, everyone is like a hypnotherapist continuously brain washing you again and again, persuading you to become the next hypnotherapist. (I hated this the most, but you can’t deny their determinations and passion. I salute)
3. Are you willing to go all out, leaving your career behind and make a fortune in MLM. (In order to succeed in MLM, I suggested you go all out focusing on what you should do, where else you will not go anywhere)
4. Are you prepared to work your entire life with MLM? (MLMers will tell you that you need not work when your network is established and you will be earning a passive income monthly. and I don’t think that is entirely true. There is no free lunch in this world. No matter which level you have succeed in MLM, you will still need to work for it.) 
5. Are you prepared to take the blames from the person you recruited under you when things gone hay wired or you quit half way. (If you have caught in the most recent Get-Rich-Quick Scam such as the Red Island Cafe and Stevens Corner, you might feel the pain in the ass)
6. How sure that the company you joined is not a scam? (Nowadays, MLM fees has increased so dramatically. my time, it was only less than RM100, and now there are few which need to start off with RM10k –RM20k to ensure your commitments. If you do not want your money to fall into the drains, please do some homework. you can refer to this site for scam)
7. Please get your family support or a mutual agreement, your spouse specially. (I have seen husband and wife filed a divorce due to unsupportive relationships since one of the party involved in MLM). 

Lastly, Quitters of MLM like me are not credible to give any opinions here about MLM. I don’t want MLMers to blast this post with hatred. MLMers are businessman. and not entrepreneur, though they claim they are. The founders of the MLM company is, but not the MLMers that follows trends that the founder created. To differentiate Entrepreneurs with Business Man, please read this post. There is no free lunch.

Dear ICON Grant Applicants,

Congratulations.

We are pleased to inform you that your application for the ICON grant has been approved.  The secretariat will be contacting you soon for the arrangement of your letter of offer.

Thank you.

Regards,

Secretariat

Upon receiving this email, the excitements is ……zero. We have waited for too long and some of our previous plans has been overturned due to the delay of ICON Grant. However, as we expected, with full preparation of our effort from going door to door to get Letter of Interest from various parties, and with the past previous experiences in presentations and answering question, although we are still nervous, but experiences really made us when through the following presentation.  On top of that, I have learnt something from my partner which I am still very lack off in QnA. So, here is some advice with some tricky questions that my partner has answered well. Thanks to him that we have gotten through this stage.

• What is your expected revenue/profit?

Tricky Part: This is the most tricky question ever. Imagine if you have told them that your expected revenue/profit will be RM1 million. Wow, such a good business to do. If your idea could generate RM1mil, everyone will have started and there is no point for you to receive this grant. This question lures you into telling an unknown figure that you yourself are so unsure. Whether the numbers you have mentioned is reasonable or unreasonable it will definitely lead you to another question that will taunt you down. “So on what basis that your idea will help you generate RM1mil? how sure are you with your analysis?”

Answer: The best answer will be telling them that you are aiming to breakeven for the first year. In any start-ups, if you are able to breakeven the first year is considerably good and reasonable. Don’t try to talk BIG here, the panels are not stupid.

• What stage are you in now?

Tricky Part: This question is to see how SERIOUS are you with your own business. 

Answer: Even you have nothing started, just bullshit them that you had something started, whatever you have done to your make your idea come true. Of course, if you have really put in your effort, tell them! Grants are only given to people with real effort put in. (In matter affect, we have done IP and Trademark for our proposed idea, we have gotten letter of interest, we have our initial work done, now is left out with the money to push the product out)

• Since your clients has shown interest with your product, why do you still need the grant?

Tricky Part: Are you trying to con our money here? The panels will try to give all kinds of reason that you do not need the grant.

Answer: Yes. Indeed that our potential clients has shown interest with our ideas, however, there isn’t a tangible product to urged them to issue us a PO (Purchase Order) yet, and that’s why we only had a LOI (Letter of Interest) instead.

The invitation surprised me. It is a very kind offer from Taylor’s. And I really appreciated that. A lot.

For the moment that I received the email, I felt an unknown force of motivation spirit just came into me. I am glad. However, I rejected the offer. First of all, I have never thought of becoming a speaker. Secondly, I had a very broken English. The major factor for me to reject the offer would be my personal intention, the intention of building a more strong and sustainable company this year. I hope to try as a speaker one day, to encourage more entrepreneurs in Malaysia, allowing people to worshiped me on the stage (:P), and I bet it will be fun and entertaining with some stage fear.

When that day comes that I could become a speaker, it would be where I am at my most comfortable level with my career and my company.

So, Start-ups, in such tough times what will you do to prevent from extinction?

1. Pre-Sales works for all sectors – You need not have a perfect end product to sell. Take a home delivery service offering gourmet meals as an example. A bootstrapper will not waste a cent on making meals that nobody wants, instead, he/she will first compile an interesting menu, then goes into the market to get their interest and get orders first with just only the well presented menu. Another word, sell your ideas in the air, get the money, and developed. the upside for pre-sales is where you get a confirmed sales, and you need not waste a single cent on something nobody wants. the downside is, you need extra effort to convince your clients with just an idea or an unfinished product.
2. Cutting Down Cost the creative way – There is always another way. Creative imagination is needed to face all obstacles. For examples, instead of printing hardcopies of glossy colour brochures, you can utilized the internet to spam the market. Share your office, share your phone bills, utilized 2nd hand furniture and computers. Employing the Art of Barter,create a win win situation for all parties. You need to loose some to gain some. Every lawyer tells you that contracts must cover all possible circumstances and they charge you at a fly high cost, but you have forgotten that there is no point in suing a bootstrap business because we don’t have money to give anyone. An astute way of avoiding hefty professional fees is to invite your key contacts joining your advisory boards.
3. Getting alternatives Financing – If you had a rich father, lure him into the business ~ lol (without his control). Banks seldom borrows to a bootstrap business, the alternatives ways can only be friends and family or governments and clients. Getting your first line of credit can take time and patients, but please provide an “excite” to the creditors, is best with a confirmed Sales Contract on-hand. Or ask your clients to advance your payments for you to kick-start.
4. Managing that Precious Cash – Create your cash flow forecast, plan your cost, and reduce any possible unnecessary expenses. Some research and negotiation with different vendors/suppliers/services provider is needed to understand your cost in-order for you to plan your cash flow. Employ progressive payments and advance payment and spend less. Motivate and maximized your staff capabilities. (If you don’t have money for meals, eat bread and cheese everyday to get you fuel up, joking.)
5. Marketing on Shoestring – Ignore on Market Research and Advertising on the start. You can think of a FREE Model to assist your marketing objectives. Pick a clear cut message and promote your differentiation and take advantage of today’s technology with internet marketing. Put in clear strategy and avoid to be blown in all directions.
6. Focused Directions and Vision – Small companies tends to diversify too much in all areas in-order to survived. Taking our animation company which focused on cartoons development as example, why not we take up some advertising jobs or graphic design job in-order to sustain the company. My answer will be NO. In my own opinion, being too diversify with different areas makes your company looks unprofessional, and worst, it may even get your company to no where because you do not have a  clear objectives and directions for your company. I prefer to focused on 1 area, and be the best of that area.

Please do share with me if you had any other ways to bootstrap a business. Businesses have to help each other to ride through the tough times.

Almost 2 months back, we thought we had went through the first round of RM100,000 ICON Grant, the next thing you know, they had an internal structure changed, and the announcement had hold back. It was so down for me where our cash flow has been so tight. Finally today, Good news knock into my mailbox, long waited 2 months and finally i get to progress to the next stage of ICON application. So, to keep myself motivated for the past 2 month, I urge for sales contract from broadcasters. However, the broadcaster are the big boys that is not easily contacted, and is not when you want to see them, they will see you immediately. so the down and low emotion is where you need to wait, and wait, and wait and wait. All you wait is for just an opportunity. The waiting process is what torturing for start ups where you know cash flow doesn’t allowed you to wait too long. Once you had the chance to meet up with the big boys, your emotion is back high sky rocket, Yes, this is the moment for us.

I accidentally saw my mum is having tears while i drive her back from her work today. I know that she has been suffering pressure from work and wanted to retired early. I was angry at myself for not being able to support her. And I told myself strongly that I will not fail and quit in any situation comes against me. This is not for me, but for my family. Very soon she will get to retire early. very soon as I promised.

Some memorable moments of being first time in Astro; and the impression for us on Astro working culture is definitely Fun and Entertaining.