15 September 2015

The Next Phase of ArmCandy

I have decided to write again.

I've heard this coming from myself countless of times - felt the fire burning deep within my soul only to have it slowly die out... of laziness, of life getting in the way.

So what made me decide to write again? The prospect of winning RM50k.

Many moons ago, while I was swamped with deadlines at work, I ventured into the familiar haven of random clips and videos called Youtube (you should check it out sometimes), in hopes to find a cute animal video or the latest Ryan Gosling interview on Ellen to provide some respite from the work stress. You know that annoying ad that YouTube made you sit through before you can get to watch your intended clip of choice? Well, on that day, I watched the ad until the end without clicking 'Skip ad'.

It was a promotional ad by AmBank, featuring random people on the streets being questioned on what is their dream job and what is stopping them from living their true potential. You can already guess the answer to the latter question; it was a unanimous answer – money. Most of us fear that our dream job will not be able to sustain our survival financially.

So the ad went on, asking them, if they would live out their potential if they were given RM50,000 in cold, hard, cash. Interesting proposition. Interesting enough that made me click on the link provided in the clip. So the deal is simple – you have to put into writing what your dream job is, and subsequently what you will do with the money, to be in the running of actually winning the money. Really? That simple? I posted my entry on the day itself!

Apart from that, you need to have as many people like your post, so from that day on, I started to pester everyone I know to register on TRUE by Ambank platform and vote for my idea. It was enlightening to see which of my friends actually agreed to go through the trouble of registering an account to vote for me. These friends who think that my dream is worth 5 minutes of their life – I will remember them for life! Some of them I don’t even expect to actually vote - just thinking of these people makes me want to cry, seriously! I love you guys! *virtual hugs*

When the contest period ended, I checked TRUE website every day for an update on the winners. And then two months passed, still nothing. Three months turned into four months. I still checked the site occasionally but less obsessively for the winner updates and more for the informative posts and discussions being hosted on TRUE website. And then on the fifth month after the contest ended, I got an e-mail that made me bawled my eyes out crying. While driving. I had to pull over at the roadside to regain my composure. Drama much? Well, let me explain.

It has been an emotional day for me - I was at my part-time job at a tech start-up company, ensuring that the first campaign I organized for them was running smoothly when there was a bit of a setback that ruined an otherwise perfect but hectic day. I had been running around the whole day and at that time I was driving, sending the delivery package to a famous Instagrammer. The runner intended for the job bailed because the Instagrammer changed her address at the very last minute and traffic in the area at that time is known to be unforgiving.

The e-mail received at the end of that seemingly long day was from an Ambank representative, informing that I have been chosen as the final four for the contest, and asking whether that I will be able to attend the prize-giving ceremony. Ok...so Ambank is giving away at least RM10k to me, by hook or by crook, I will make myself available on that day! Just name the time and place!

So far, I do not know for sure who the other finalists are, but I have an inkling on who they might be, and I think each of them is deserving of the grand prize. I think one the finalist would be the girl who spends her free time teaching underprivileged kids for free! My selfish, capitalist aspiration, against that? You gotta be kidding me! ;p

The event is scheduled to take place in the next 10 days. The grand prize will be RM50k, followed by RM30k, RM20k and RM10k respectively – such amount that I can only dream of before this. I figure it will be good to start documenting my entrepreneurial journey from this moment on as it will be a crazy amazing ride. It has been amazing so far, through all the lessons learnt for the past year since I started to take my business seriously.

I know that with continuous hard work and persistence I will drive my brand ArmCandy to where I want it to be eventually – maybe in the next 6-7 years. But with the capital injection from the winning prize, the process can be tremendously speed up. I hope that rezeki is on my side in winning the grand prize, but the other amounts will be just as good if I spend it on the crucial things that will bring the most impact towards the brand.

The voices in my head are already screaming for me to go on a crazy shopping spree! But the entrepreneur in me, the prudent and boring side, will keep the other side in check, no worries. Ok la, maybe RM200 to shop, why not. Hehe.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, here's to the next phase of ArmCandy!

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