JWG Mobile Magazine Vol.2

J.W.GROUP Mobile Magazine | December 2019 Featuring 2 of JWG’s inspirational female financial consultants! Featured Agents: Zhou Aihua Jillian Hoe www.apaofficial.sg

Contents Featured Article: Are You Cut Out for Entrepreneurship? 1 Featured Agent:7 Zhou Aihua11 JWGJillianHoe

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Featured Article: Are You Cut Out for Entrepreneurship? Are You Cut Out for Entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship… being a boss… starting and running your own business – this is the dream of many working adults, as well as millennials and fresh graduates today. On the surface, starting your own business can be a rewarding and exciting experience, yet at the same time, it poses many challenges and requires immense amount of hard work. So the question remains, “are you cut out for the entrepreneurship life?” Why Entrepreneurship? Over the years, I’ve managed to meet with and talk to many fellow entrepreneurs and when I asked them why they decided to embark on this path, each had their own personal reason. However, here is a summary of the common reasons why entrepreneurship is usually considered: • Not progressing in their careers even when a lot of time has been invested. • Desire to gain life experience untaught in schools and unattainable in single function roles. • Prefer time flexibility. • Want to have full control. • Sick of corporate politics. • Had enough of bad superiors and bosses. For me, my main reason for taking up entrepreneurship is because I did not want to continue pursuing a career that would not be able to fulfill my aspirations in the next 5 years, no matter how much effort I put into it. 1

“I did not want to continue pursuing a career that would not be able to ful ll my aspirations in the next 5 years, no matter how much effort I put into it.” – Jaden Wang 2

Featured Article: What to Expect Are You Cut Out for Coming close to 10 years in my entrepreneurial journey Entrepreneurship? and personally experiencing the ups and downs that is part and parcel of being an entrepreneur, I can say that entrepreneurship is not as easy as it may seem. Like the tip of an iceberg, many people only see the glitz and glamour of being an entrepreneur: the work-life balance, the quality of life, time freedom and able to be in control of your everyday routines, etc. But what is not seen are the hours of sleepless nights, the times of frustration when your efforts do not yield any result, as well the setbacks and hardships that are littered along your journey to the top. What’s more, even eventual success is not 100% guaranteed! I too, started from the bottom, from a simple desk and a phone in a shared office. When I started out, I had no capital to hire any staff, which meant I had to do everything on my own. I was practically the “Head of ALL departments”, performing many job functions single-handedly – from sales to marketing to accounting to mentorship. “I was practically the “Head of ALL departments, undertaking various functions and job scopes as a one-man army.” With that said, entrepreneurs will need to be resourceful, have the ability to multitask, and take rejections in stride. I also believe that as an entrepreneur, one should also be well-versed in all facades of his business so that in case his staff or employee is unavailable, he would still be over to take over certain tasks effectively instead. 3

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Featured Article: Are You Cut Out for Entrepreneurship? My Secret Ingredient There is never a shortcut, no easy way out, no one-size-fits-all solution to achieve success. Therefore, one of the most important takeaways from my Neuro-Linguistic Programming which I personally practice daily is – to have GRIT in whatever we do. As psychologist Angela Duckworth defines it, “Grit is passion and persistence towards long-term goals.” As the entrepreneurial journey is filled with trials and tribulations at every corner, it’s important to remain steadfast to your beliefs, focus on your goals, and persevere whenever you face any hardship. “Grit is passion and persistence towards long-term goals.” – Angela Duckworth Think You Have What It Takes? If you think you have what it takes to own and run your own business, then you have my full support and encouragement! If you are still unsure and require a little more motivation, then I have something special in store for you. I am proud to introduce two of my financial consultants, Ai Hua and Jillian, who will share their stories in the subsequent pages. They will be sharing their entrepreneurial journey in APA and as part of Jaden Wang Group so far. Their stories will definitely inspire you to put your best foot forward and to work towards your goals, no matter how lofty they may seem now! 6

Featured Agent: Zhou Aihua Date Joined: August 2018 As a mother of 2, it took Aihua great courage to take a leap of faith and leave her stable corporate job to become an entrepreneur – a financial consultant. Despite being relatively new in the industry, her tenacity and determination has made her into a beacon of inspiration amongst her colleagues in JWG and APA. She has achieved admirable accomplishments thus far, yet she has no plans to stop anytime soon. 7

Prior to becoming a financial consultant, Ai Hua was an account executive; this profession gave her the expertise of communicating and pitching to clients. What it did not give her though, was the flexibility and freedom to be in control of her own time, which caused her to spend less time with her loved ones. As a mother of two young children, she wanted a career which provided work-life balance and enable her to always be there for them. This prompted her to be interested in, and eventually becoming a financial consultant. Ai Hua shared that what she enjoys most about being a financial consultant is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and assisting those in need. No matter how busy she is as an entrepreneur, she still constantly puts others above herself, always working on benefitting and helping others as her main priority. She shares, “As a financial consultant, I possess the ability to provide guidance and help others who need it. This makes me find what I do extremely meaningful.” “As a nancial consultant, I possess the ability to provide guidance and help others who need it. This makes me nd what I do extremely meaningful.” 8

Featured Agent: Zhou Aihua The Never-ending Pursuit to Learn Ai Hua also believes to improve herself and achieve success as an entrepreneur and financial consultant, she should never stop learning from people who are more experienced in the industry. “Don’t be shy to ask questions and learn from others. Whenever I am unsure about a certain policy, I always take the initiative to ask my seniors. This enables me to better myself and achieve greater heights.” Apart from that, Ai Hua also frequently attends programmes, workshops, and seminars that are organised by the agency and by Prudential she believes that an excellent financial consultant should be one who not only has an utmost sense of responsibility towards their clients, but also someone who understands the various products like the back of their hand. These trainings enable her to gain the latest industry knowledge and insights, which she in turn, can use to further assist her current and future clients. “Don’t be shy to ask questions and learn from others… This enables me to better myself and achieve greater heights.” 9

“You need to set your sights towards your end goal and never lose focus. Then, whatever that comes your way will be out of focus and insigni cant.” - Zhou Ai Hua Facing and Overcoming Challenges Ai Hua mentions, “I want to share a story with you. A client bought a Of course, being an entrepreneur also hospital plan with me. 3 months later, means that there is no end to the she went for a checkup and suffered challenges that Ai Hua faces. When from a lack of blood, which resulted in asked about some of the challenges that frequent hospital visits and increased she faces as a financial consultants, she medical expenses. They were thankful replies that her toughest challenge is towards me for recommendation the having to face numerous rejections by plan to them because it helped to cover passersby during roadshows. “I believe the bills incurred, which gave them that this is due to the misunderstandings peace of mind. I was glad that I was that people have of financial consultants. able to make a difference in their lives, Another possible reason could also be and this is the reason why I love being a that they had bad experiences previously financial consultant!” with their insurance agents which makes them distrustful and skeptical.” Just like many other entrepreneurs, two key values that Ai Hua highlighted were Which is why Ai Hua finds it important for extremely important are persistence all financial consultants to take initiative and perseverance. As she puts it, “You in understanding their clients’ needs on a need to set your sights towards your deeper level, rather than selling or end goal and never lose focus. Then, recommending policies just for monetary whatever that comes your way will be gain. Only by truly understanding a client out of focus and insignificant.” can a financial consultant introduce the best plans and policies for their customers, resulting in higher trust and stronger consultant-client relationship. 10

Featured Agent: Jillian Hoe Joined since: April 2019 Formerly a face-to-face sales representative, meeting clients and understanding their needs has become second nature for Jillian. She enjoys talking to people and is not shy to ask questions to her superiors and more experienced Financial Consultants, as she sees this as a way to further deepen her knowledge. Jillian also believes that as a Financial Consultant, she should not lie and mislead any prospects just for monetary gain, and to have good ethics in order to build trust. 11

Before she joined the industry, Jillian’s first However, that did not stop her from full-time profession was as a face-to-face eventually joining the industry. “I figured, outdoor sales representative. This what better way to understand how exposed her to people from all walks of life insurance works than to be in the and served as a platform where she honed industry myself!” Jillian muses. When her skills to engage in conversations with asked what she enjoys most being a individuals with different backgrounds. Her financial consultant, she responded that natural flair and friendly personality it was the flexibility of managing her own enabled her to be promoted to Assistant time and schedule, allowing her to Directorship position in merely 3 years, a spend more time with her loved ones. role which required her to lead a team of 15 She shared that when she was still sales representatives! managing her F&B business, she worked long hours and rarely had any Despite doing well, she decided to follow rest days. In fact, there were even times her passion instead and ventured into the when she did not remember which day it F&B industry, running a café and a was because every day was a working beverage store. When asked about her day for her! experience in the F&B line, Jillian shared, “Venturing into F&B gave me the “I gured, what opportunity to engage my customers in a better way to very interpersonal level. I was also happy understand how because I sold products that I made by insurance works than hand and was proud of!” to be in the industry myself!” Pursuing A Growing Interest in Financial Consultancy – Jillian Hoe As she started working, Jillian started becoming more curious and interested to find out more about insurance. According to Jillian, getting insurance was not a norm in her family as she was growing up. “I grew up in a traditional family, hence I was uninsured since young. To the elders in my family, getting insurance is like a taboo.” 12

Featured Agent: Jillian Hoe Strong Support System Key to Entrepreneurial Success In her opinion, having a good mentor and strong support system are important in improving and achieving success as an entrepreneur. She looks to her team leader and founder of Assets Prestige Alliance, Jaden Wang, as well as Agency Leader, Jaslyn Ng as sources of inspiration. Whenever she has any questions or uncertainties, she will always seek help and guidance from them. “I constantly bombard them with questions and they will spend time guiding and advising me, regardless of how busy they might be with their respective schedules,” claims Jillian. She further elaborates, “Jaden has been the most sincere and genuine person since the very beginning. He is always there for us through thick and thin. Moreover, what I like being in JWG is that everyone is able to express their opinions freely. I believe communication and transparency is what makes an organisation grow and strengthen! “I constantly bombard them with questions and they will spend time guiding and advising me, regardless of how busy they might be with their respective schedules,” claims Jillian. 13

Taking Challenges in Stride Just like any other entrepreneur, Jillian also has her own set of challenges that she faces as a financial consultant. First off, she has to constantly brush up on her skills and knowledge of the industry, so that she can continue bettering herself for her current and future clients. Moreover, a lot of time and effort needs to be spent to understand what’s best for her client, something which she has not experienced before she became a financial consultant. Nevertheless, she still handles these challenges with gusto and enthusiasm. When asked about her most memorable experience so far, she smiles brightly and shares, “I don’t really have a most memorable experience, but if I were to share my whole journey up till now!” For others who are interested to become a financial consultant, Jillian advises that there’s no harm in finding out and exploring more to see if this entrepreneurial path suits you. Most importantly, find a mentor who you feel comfortable working with and learning from, just like the ones at JWG! 14

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