stupid bloody bugs of the century !!!!

A day without

A day without water,
thirsty i might be...
A day without money,
shillings one or two?
A day without music,
play the guitar please.

wow... an essay worth the puke

The many recent initiatives by the government to advocate branding, entrepreneurship and the internationalization of local firms left me in bewilderment. In my stereotyped pair of eyes, I have always see Singapore as a resilient and well- developed country with promising stable economy. However, after attending the seminar held on 19th June 2004, about issues on local financial aid and channels of assistance for entrepreneurs and start-ups, I come to realize that such economic stability should not be taken for granted. From this concise yet enlightening seminar, I get to discover some very essential tips that are useful and applicable to my future start-up. In the next few paragraphs I shall break these points down and explain them individually in depth.

First of all, Daniel Soh’s (Head of Ace) introduction of the various support schemes and organizations available render me to realize I can in fact make use of the government’s help to resolve numerous difficulties faced during initial stage of start-up. For most young entrepreneurs like me, starting up a business is certainly easier said than done. To begin with, a lack of experience will place me in disadvantage compared to veterans in the business field. On top of that, I foresee myself struggling with insufficient capital. Such issues are crucial and must be addressed as they decide the progress of my future start-up. The various support schemes and organizations provided by the government without a doubt can help ease these problems, enabling a less tedious pathway to success in business making. For example, one of the organization mentioned will be SPRING which promote local enterprises by offering schemes to provide financial assistance to start-ups. SPRING also allow inexperienced entrepreneurs to obtain information on markets, hence amplify access to markets and business opportunities.

Another useful channel mentioned that provides support is ACE – The deal flow connection. It is the gateway where competent business ideas get linked to finance. It also provides entrepreneurs with a first point of contact via its Finance First Stop @ SMECB where doubts on finance related matters will be aided. Such assistance would definitely benefit the company and bring about better efficiency. During initial stage of start-up, it is vastly important that one has good foresight and understand the concept of Internationalization. I reckon in order to succeed in this globalised world, as a businessman, I have to think global. Business making is no longer just restricted within country because the consumer market in Singapore in relatively small. Moreover, high wages contribute to increased production cost. Therefore, in future when I start a business, as far as possible I would open my business to an international level. In this aspect, ACE has been very encouraging.

Secondly, spokeswoman from EDB Singapore touched on several current updates which makes me realized the type of sector I should go into for future start- up. She mentioned about Singapore being home to 7000 MNCs (mostly HQ services) and being a place for test bedding & markets. She This shows that production business is no longer thriving in Singapore. If I were to start a factory manufacturing electronics products, I will set up my factory in less developed countries such as Indonesia where labour cost is lower but I will still have my company’s HQ stationed in Singapore, mainly for engagement in research and development ( R & D). Singapore’s only natural resource in abundance is people. That explains why the government invests so much money on Singaporeans’ education. Based on a recent report, more than about 80% students make it to secondary schools this year. And this percentage is rising which shows there are more educated people around over the years. Hence, engagement in the R & D sector would be much more promising in Singapore rather than the manufacturing sector. She also mention about Indonesia being Singapore’s largest trading partner. With that, I realize the importance of appreciating neighbouring countries. Since most of them have Malayu as their first language, I would consider taking up the language to facilitate business talks.

Thirdly, I find her introduction of Hotspots crisp and focus by calling it as the enterprise dating experience which drives me to explore the website and understand the role it plays in Singapore’s economy. Basically, Hotspots is a programme that targets to inspire technopreneurship in Singapore by connecting technopreneurs and technology-related companies across the island. It offers a favourable milieu where business ideas can flow liberally. Through its programmes, Hotspots bring about awesome prospects for partnerships, alliance, business and expansion. I find this a pleasant way for technoprenueurs to communicate and exchange ideas, therefore, I would like my future company to be part of it as well. As mentioned by Wesley Wong, innovation is crucial. Hence such a programme certainly does a great part in promoting innovation.

Lastly, another interesting point made would be the Enterprise Ecosystem, comprising of culture, business development, financing and facilities. The latter three have been covered above. Culture is a broad-based issue and it takes a long time before it can be established firmly in a country. Education is one of the key avenue the government usually adopt to inculcate a culture. For example, creative thinking and business programmmes can be introduced to students to instill the ability of becoming more business orientated and to bring about awareness the important of issues like internationalization and globalization.
In conclusion, I am glad to be one of the fortunate ones who got a chance to attend such a useful seminar. I gained detailed information about various support schemes and realize the importance of internationalization. It is very informative and gave me a headlight to what I should do if I were to start a business. Among the three speakers from this seminar, I prefer Daniel Soh. Even though the other two speakers carried themselves equally well, I prefer Daniel Soh’s speech because the support schemes he mentioned are more applicable and practical to me. As these schemes are catered to start-ups, providing assistance both financially and educationally. Now, I am less stereotyped and more able to appreciate the efforts made by the government to strengthen Singapore’s economy. Therefore, I look forward to attend such interesting seminars in future

Is this a diary or wad?

1st entry:
dun realli understand wads the purpose of having a blog but it seems like a diary to me....

yest went to visit my little cousins and brought them out for dinner... tiring day but fulfilling... these kids are wonders. Had a fun time though....

well... erm.. nothing much to tok abt since the exams r already over, now is slacking time!!! Fwahhahaha....!!! Actualli, my holiday haven realli started coz a few pals in NUS r stil having exams... cant wait for them to b free and we can hang out again!

Currently, taking up marketing in sch as GE... fun lecturer, even though i wasn't lucky enough to get it, i still attend the lessons. GUess i am realli in the wrong course, marketing is fun, err... engineering is fun too but i jus lack the interest.

That's all for today....