Today I drove pass the WD building in PJ (next to LDP) and couldn’t help but noticed that the sign “Best Employer of 2001″ is still there after all these years. Back then (2003-2005), that sign was quite a big talking point since there weren’t many best employers around this area and that sign alone has made many of my friends interested in joining the company.

Hmm, i think this is an award a lot of people can win

But that was many years back. Since then, there’s no sign of new “Best employer” award for the company anymore and I do wonder…has their standards dropped? If they’re still a good company to join, they should be able to win the awards after that. Why didn’t they?

Same thing goes for those companies who love to show off their awards. It’s fine if you’re showing off your new awards – those in the last few years. But if the awards are too old……well….just take them away since they’re no longer useful and by placing them as “decorations”, it might actually backfire. Unless you are getting those awards every year……from 2001 until 2009, and not just 2001 alone.

Because in my opinion, if you are really that good, you should be able to get those awards including the latest ones. If you only have the 2001 award…..it means that you’re not really doing that well for the past 8 years.

Or maybe you’re just not interested in those awards anymore – which I doubt.

Last year, before the recession hits the States, I met up with some friends and we started talking about small company vs large company. Most of them say that large companies will be better since they’re more stable, consistent and productive. The small ones, to them, are too risky since these companies might suffer from cashflow problem, headcount problem, etc.

The small guy will be able to outrun the big guy and make him tired

I told them, that mentality is true and applicable for 2008 but not in the future. Why? Because there will be more and more changes ahead, more so that the large companies might not be able to handle them. Most of us know that large companies are very process-oriented and they have a certain set of procedures you need to follow for every action. I used to work for a Fortune 500 company, and at 1 point, I requested to upgrade my laptop memory to 2GB. The whole process took 3 weeks since it needs the approval from some IT managers in the States. 3 weeks…for something worth RM 200-300.

Anyway, as I’ve predicted, many so-called large companies are falling and falling fast. Retrenchments are not being made by small companies only….but also big companies (some are formerly known for being the best employers in their respective industry). In fact, most of my friends from large companies are suffering job losses or pay cuts but those in smaller companies are only suffering from pay cuts (they only lose their jobs if the company get closed down ).

The thing here is that large companies tend to spend too much time handling their processes and procedures, while the small companies (the good ones) are spending their time changing and adapting to the new environment. In this ever-changing world, whoever can adapt the fastest will win. This is something important and everyone should remember…..but sadly…not many believe in it.

So if you’re still thinking that large companies are better than smaller companies…….think again. In my opinion, it’s better to keep it small or medium for now since changes will be inevitable in 2009 onwards. You wouldn’t want to be the last in the queue to make the changes.

Becoming financially independent is one of my lifelong dreams not because I love to have tonnes of money (er..well…it’s one of the reasons, but not the most important reason). Its because I can pursue my REAL dreams with those money (like owning an animation studio, etc). But firstly, I need to achieve the first part – achieving financial freedom aka financially independent.

That’s why I’m quite stingy financially conscious nowadays. I don’t spend much anymore and I cut down a lot on my WANTs. Some of my friends and relatives noticed this change and told me that life is short and I should enjoy life more. According to them, too much planning and thinking might not be good since I will not enjoy my life that much due to the constraints.

Will I become like this? I mean in terms of the hair and the look Hope not!

True. We will never know what may happen tomorrow. We might no longer be here to use the money we’ve saved, to drive the BMW we just bought or to enjoy the newly-installed jacuzzi. And we can’t bring those things with us to the other world. So the best thing to do, logically speaking, is to enjoy while we’re still here – buy those things we want, and enjoy!

A lot of people told me that (and a lot of them are still telling me that).

To me, my opinion is slightly different. I prefer to strive or ‘suffer’ a little now, in order to pursue what I believe in. I might not achieve those dreams in my lifetime since there are things which are outside my control (the LUCK factor). However, I feel that just like everything we do, the important thing is to try our very best and don’t regret. The last thing I want is to regret for not doing my best in pursuing my dreams or something I strongly believe in while I still have the ability to do so.

I’ve been given the opportunity to live in this world. And when I leave this world, I want to know that I’ve at least done my best to pursue my dreams. Whether I achieve them or not, it’s a different story.

So the next time someone tells me to stop worrying so much or stop thinking so much and just enjoy life, I will tell them that even though it’s important for me to enjoy my life, it’s even more important for me to pursue my dreams as long as I’m in this world.

Life is short. So, if there’s something you really want to achieve…I strongly believe you should try your best to achieve it. Whether you enjoy your life or not, it depends on how you manage your time and how you look at things. Remember that to some people, they can enjoy life with the simplest of things – sky, birds, family, coffee, etc.

I’m finally back after 1 week of absence (or more?). Hope you guys have enjoyed your Chinese New Year celebration as much as I did. I’ve had a great time except for …erm…losing money in the famous CNY “sports”.

Anyway, I’ve some good n bad news for you all.

The good news first.

• I’m back! Okay, I’ve said that already.
• I’ll resume blogging from Monday onwards.
• The number of RSS subscribers of this blog have achieved 20 mark for the first time! Yeah yeah, I know it’s a small number but it’s quite a record for this blog. If you haven’t subscribe to this blog’s RSS, you can do so HERE.

and the bad news….

• I will not be blogging actively during the next 2 weeks as I’ll still be rushing my project. I was rushing the project during CNY as well. I’ll still try my best to blog as much as possible, but work comes first and the project does need my help (which is actually a good news since I’m not a liability).
• I lost quite most of my “ang pow” money to those “sports” during CNY. LOL. Well, not all of the money anyway…not the big ones. Lesson of the day – Alvin should not be greedy in this “cow” year. =_=

Besides the good and bad news about my life, there are some observations I’ve made during CNY period which I want to share with you all. See, this blog is not all about me.

• The economy is really bad, even in Malaysia. A lot of factories are closing down, and many more are retrenching workers.
  

  More people are getting married this year...even though it's recession period

• In fact, I do believe Malaysia will be very badly hit by recession and the signs will become obvious in May or June 2009.
• Crime rate is going up because those foreigners are the first to be retrenched. And when they’re desperate, where can they turn to?
• Dengue cases are on the rise in Malaysia. So kill all the mosquitoes you see and check if your house have any stagnant water. Do it weekly or 3 times a week, if possible.
• A lot of people are getting married this year! Be prepared for lots of red bombs.
• I expect to see a lot of sales and promotions as businesses try to improve consumer spending. So if you are looking to buy some stuff, try to be patient and choose only the best deals. Sales will not be something rare this year.
• Besides sales & promotions, I also expect to see more options for consumers since businesses will be competing with each others to get the bigger piece of the market – price war…technology war…etc.
• The food & beverages business is affected by the recession as well. More people are eating @ home, and they are switching to vege n chicken diet…less seafood. My father’s friend who sells fresh seafood complained to us the other day that business is really becoming from bad to worse.
• Cosmetics business is going to get more popular…since I noticed that more young girls in my hometown (which is quite a small place) are using make-ups nowadays, as compared to few years ago.

Hmm can’t think of anything now. I think I better sleep. Seriously lacking sleep. =_=

Last but not least, thanks for all those who visited and commented on this blog while I was away.

Nearly every business wants to be the best in something because being the best gives you certain privileges that only the best can get. You can charge more expensive than your competitors, spend more money on research, being selective on your customers, having less promotions and sales (which minimize profit), etc. Those are the privileges if and only if you are the best.

If you’re not, sorry to say, those privileges will not be available to you but to your competitor who is the best in your industry.

And that is exactly why there are a lot of businesses out there which want to be the best. There’s even a saying which goes like “if you can’t be the best in that field, choose another field”. Forgot where I’ve seen it though.

The thing is, it does require a lot of efforts and possibly money to get to the top and be the best. As a business, you need a remarkable product with unique features. Something like Apple IPhone or Nintendo WII. They can be considered as the pioneers in their respective industry. That’s why these 2 products are so popular. But how many such products actually managed to make it to the top? Definitely not Microsoft with their big failures such as Microsoft Zune and Microsoft Vista. Oh, by the way, Sony’s PlayStation 3 is a very big risk too because of the amount of money Sony has put into its research. If PS3 fails to sell well, Sony Entertainment might have to be closed down.

Yes, it is THAT risky.

So do you still want to be the best? After all, being average does not mean your business cannot earn. You can still earn. Notice how many clones are there for all the famous products? Those are average products, not the actual stuff. For example, just go to Kajang and find the famous satay. You will end up finding a lot of Satay Kajang without knowing which is the original. But those who know which is the best, they will still go to the best. The average ones will only have customers if the best is fully occupied.

That’s the path of an average business. You can still earn with lower risks, but don’t expect to earn big bucks.

So which do you think is suitable for you and your business? The very risky but rewarding path, or the less risky and average path?

Last but not least…a reminder to you. Always ask yourselves this question “Why would people still buy from me when my product is actually not the best? Is it more affordable than the rest? Or does it has more features?”