True North Asia will be launching it’s 24 tips on Alternative Investment soon in our website www.truenorthasia.com and our fan page in facebook. We took time to develop the short tips for our investors over the last 1 month and a big thank you to our brain child, the content developer.

Speaking in public I have done it ample times but speaking in front of a big video camera, treating it as a friend, is not much challenging. In the morning 9.30am on the 7th August 2010, I arrived at Outloud Studios and get ready my standing position, hand movement within camera screen etc. I feel so fabulous that we have completed all the contents and the recording. 

Touch up of hair color before the video session

Ernest & Samantha from Outloud Studios who walked True North Asia through the whole marketing campaign.

 That’s how I look in the video!

 Hearing myself over the headphone and my goodness, it is of high sensitivity.

Poor Earnest has to hear my screams of joy over the headphone.

Stay tune to the launching of 24 Alternative Investment Tips from True North Asia soon.

Visit www.truenorthasia.com

As I was reading up research by Mastercard, I was surprise that women are holding up the sky in today’s world. More women are in the workforce and women have an estimated $516 billion of discretionary spending power under their command by 2014. With the increasing spending power, it depicts that there are more career women in the society today with high income earned.

As a co-founder and Managing director of True North Asia, I invested long hours building and nurturing my business. In the same shoes as me, I realise that women today find it challenging to strike a balance in their work and family life. We are head of the company, the maid of the house, the financial controller of the house and many more multi-tasking roles. With so many roles and still, there are more and more successful women emerging, we really have to applaud to the strength of women.

I believe that women must enjoy the life style that they desired while working. That is the reason why when I started with True North Asia, I decided to look into wine investment as a part of my investment portfolio. During my years in the finance industry, i find it tiring to keep looking at the charts of markets every single day. A life of enjoyment with style is what I desired, which I believe it is likewise the dream of many women out there. Hence, I established an investment portfolio holding more physical assets than paper assets. I owned my business, a penthouse in Singapore and now, I am looking into fine wine as an investment.

Jacelyn and I having wine chill. It’s fabulous to talk business over wine!

Why do I look into wine  as alternative investment? As I researched, fine wine has evolved from a luxury goods to an engine for investment because of its potential appreciation over the years. Wine investment is more recession proof than wildly swinging stocks or bonds. Fine wine is something that cannot be replenished. Its value is bound to rise. Every time someone opens a bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rosthchild, the rest of the world is deprived of one more. It works because of the simple principle of supply and demand. A finite supply, reputable high quality and increasing worldwide demand have all contributed too fine wine’s consistent appreciation at astonishing rates.

In short, I look into wine investment for 3 main reasons:

1. It gives me good sleep at night and time for myself as it is recession proof and hence i need not worry about any fluctuation in the market.
2. I loved ownership. Wine is a physical asset that I own while investing.
3. Wine is a luxury good which I can invest with style.

Financial and time independence are what I am looking for over the years.

Is that what you are looking for as well?

As a foreign woman, building a business out of my hometown Singapore here in Malaysia is an uphill task. Furthermore, it has always been so challenging for women in any male dominated industry who are trying to break through glass ceiling. Today, the fact is that more and more women have higher income, higher education and higher entrepreneurial drive than ever before. It’s time for us to become the CEO of YOU!

As I was reading on success stories of women, I came across this “C.E.O = Confidently Expects Opportunity!” We must learn the skill of capitalising on other’s talents, abilities, gifts and skill to create a personal empire. As a woman, you can’t just do good, you have to look good. You can’t just work hard, you have to work twice as hard. You can’t just show up, you have to show up early and stay late.

Confidence forms the foundation of everything in your life.

It is really not important that others know how you got your confidence but what is important is you have it. Confidence drives business! To be in the driver’s seat, you must believe that you have the ability to make it happen.

Confidence is not optional – especially for women.

Stretching your confidence is not about how you feel. It’s about how you focus. Stepping outside of your comfort zone will rarely make you feel good. It actually feels unnatural, which can be intimidating. That is when you defer to your head and not your heart.

Another person’s opinion about you is never as important as your opinion about yourself. I can rise to any challenge if I had the right frame of mind. Beauty industry pioneer Mary Kay Ash once taught that “whether you think you can or can’t, you are right either way. Confidence is not just about how you feel but it’s about your focus on how you think.

Remember, no one knows your potential the way you do. They do not know your vision, your passion and your purpose. So they are making uninformed aka ‘dumb’ statements about you. I am very clear of where my company True North Asia is. My vision for the company is to be the number alternative investment provider in Asia and my company branding is to be an alternative investment expert. With my vision, mission, brand positioning all in mind, I am very focus on who to work with and how to make things happen.

Last but not least, I would like to pass a message to all women out there that “another person’s opinion of you cannot define you without your permission!”

True North Asia organised an inhouse seminar “Wealth Creation Through Real Estate Participation” Seminar for the participants who attended last week seminar on “3 Wealth Creation Strategies” at Outloud Studios.

On the day of the event on 22nd July 2010, we have great audiences who came to learn the strategies of Wealth Creation and the Alternative Investment tools available in the market.

A shot with some participants who came early

Priscilla (Lady in orange), our great fan came for the talk with her hubby and friend.

We have entrepreneurs attending our talk too!

Ernie Chen, Group CEO of Atcen Sdn Bhd kick start with the first Wealth Strategy -

“Build your investment like a business!”

Wealth Maestro, Jonathan Quek shared on strategy 2 – “Protect & Prosper from hyperinflation”

& strategy 3 – “Increase your wealth intelligence”

My turn to share on the tools of investment – “Alternative Investment”

If you would like to learn more on how to increase your wealth with Alternative Investment, do visit our website www.truenorthasia.com

A great team supporting True North Asia.

(From left: Tahir, Sarah, myself and Audrey)

Atcen Wealth Intelligence invited True North Asia to share on the tools of Alternative Investment in creating an individual wealth portfolio. One day prior to the actual talk, we gathered at Outloud Studios for rehearsal.

Outloud staff preparing for the actual day site set up

 CFO of Atcen Sdn Bhd at rehearsal site to oversee the whole rehearal.

Our dynamic emcee for the night!

Atcen Wealth Intelligence, Wealth Maestro in action!

My turn to share on who is the Alternative Investment Expert!