ejun88
New Contributor
Hi Everyone,
Just joined this forum a few days ago. I am a banker from a well known international bank located in Malaysia. Despite that I always feel like starting up a business especially after an unpleasant experience that I have 2 years ago, it finally pushes me to move forward.
I still remember back in 2015 when I was sitting in the room with my manager when she told me that due to budget constraint the company would not able to give me any raise and bonuses for all the hard work that I pour into the company. As first I was stunned for a moment with an awkward smile, looking at my manager in disbelief of what I just heard.
I did question my then manager whether am I not a contributor to the team? Have I not worked hard enough and done things enough and whether this is a fair treatment to me? To which she replied, yes I am a contributor but because of company policy and limitation of budget she has no choice and apologize.
I remember that gut wrenching moments when I felt an enormous sense of betrayal by my company. Mind you, the company I worked for is an International top ranking bank in the world and they are profiting. Yet for some stupid, weird reason that is beyond comprehension, they have a limit of how much budget to be allocated to each unit. And I was the unlucky one back in 2015.
Growing up, I have read countless stories of successful entrepreneurship story that always aspire me to be as successful as them. Yet, as inspiring it is, it seems like a far fetch dream, that I could ever be that capable. This self-doubt of own capability has somehow grounded me throughout the years. But on that faithful day, that moment in the glass-walled room shifted my life drastically. It is like a wake-up call to me that employment is not a long term journey that I wish to participate in. I managed to find a new employment in a few months but I no longer enjoyed working life. There is always that burning sensation that I wanted to do start something, to create something belongs to me and have a total control of my life.
Enlisting a friend of mine and a friend of his, we formed a team of 3 to launch a private label for a watch. Coming from different background and compounded that all 3 of us are very strong opinionated individuals it created a lot of friction within the team. But we embraced it as we believe that friction is good, to challenge different opinions actually opens up how you view things differently. Things are moving along smoothly though slowly. Yet, we failed.
As we keep improving the design and source for better quality material soon we overshoot our pricing strategy that is way beyond the affordability of our targeted demographic. The final blow was when the manufacturer has difficulties in manufacturer the design that we have. As I no longer convinced that this partnership is worthwhile considering all the aforementioned factors and as we discovered that the design concept for all 3 of us diverse significantly, I pull a plug on it. I departed from the partnership and went back to the drawing board to launch my own label and design.
Lacqna was the birth-child of my previous failed venture with my friend. The name was derived from the latin word, Lacuna which means a gap in between or an unfilled white space which aptly fit my then situation perfectly as I was looking for a purpose of life, to find meaning.
“to see the world, things dangerous to come. to see behind walls, to draw closer. to find each other and feel that is the purpose of life”
The concept was to launch a local brand that I as a Malaysian can be proud of. To vitalize local industry that one day we as a Malaysian point at the wrist of a stranger and proclaim, “hey! the watch you are wearing is from my home-country. It is a great watch”.
I guess in a way, the incident in 2015 was a blessing in disguise. Because of that, it pushes me through. That burning desires to prove something that I am capable of something greater. That the company and the manager had made a wrong decision. In some way, I am grateful for that to happen. Else, I won’t be where I am today to really push through and make things happen.
Now the last journey for all my hard works for the past 2 years shall be proven in July on Kickstarter. Hopefully, all the effort I did would pay off.
Just joined this forum a few days ago. I am a banker from a well known international bank located in Malaysia. Despite that I always feel like starting up a business especially after an unpleasant experience that I have 2 years ago, it finally pushes me to move forward.
I still remember back in 2015 when I was sitting in the room with my manager when she told me that due to budget constraint the company would not able to give me any raise and bonuses for all the hard work that I pour into the company. As first I was stunned for a moment with an awkward smile, looking at my manager in disbelief of what I just heard.
I did question my then manager whether am I not a contributor to the team? Have I not worked hard enough and done things enough and whether this is a fair treatment to me? To which she replied, yes I am a contributor but because of company policy and limitation of budget she has no choice and apologize.
I remember that gut wrenching moments when I felt an enormous sense of betrayal by my company. Mind you, the company I worked for is an International top ranking bank in the world and they are profiting. Yet for some stupid, weird reason that is beyond comprehension, they have a limit of how much budget to be allocated to each unit. And I was the unlucky one back in 2015.
Growing up, I have read countless stories of successful entrepreneurship story that always aspire me to be as successful as them. Yet, as inspiring it is, it seems like a far fetch dream, that I could ever be that capable. This self-doubt of own capability has somehow grounded me throughout the years. But on that faithful day, that moment in the glass-walled room shifted my life drastically. It is like a wake-up call to me that employment is not a long term journey that I wish to participate in. I managed to find a new employment in a few months but I no longer enjoyed working life. There is always that burning sensation that I wanted to do start something, to create something belongs to me and have a total control of my life.
Enlisting a friend of mine and a friend of his, we formed a team of 3 to launch a private label for a watch. Coming from different background and compounded that all 3 of us are very strong opinionated individuals it created a lot of friction within the team. But we embraced it as we believe that friction is good, to challenge different opinions actually opens up how you view things differently. Things are moving along smoothly though slowly. Yet, we failed.
As we keep improving the design and source for better quality material soon we overshoot our pricing strategy that is way beyond the affordability of our targeted demographic. The final blow was when the manufacturer has difficulties in manufacturer the design that we have. As I no longer convinced that this partnership is worthwhile considering all the aforementioned factors and as we discovered that the design concept for all 3 of us diverse significantly, I pull a plug on it. I departed from the partnership and went back to the drawing board to launch my own label and design.
Lacqna was the birth-child of my previous failed venture with my friend. The name was derived from the latin word, Lacuna which means a gap in between or an unfilled white space which aptly fit my then situation perfectly as I was looking for a purpose of life, to find meaning.
“to see the world, things dangerous to come. to see behind walls, to draw closer. to find each other and feel that is the purpose of life”
The concept was to launch a local brand that I as a Malaysian can be proud of. To vitalize local industry that one day we as a Malaysian point at the wrist of a stranger and proclaim, “hey! the watch you are wearing is from my home-country. It is a great watch”.
I guess in a way, the incident in 2015 was a blessing in disguise. Because of that, it pushes me through. That burning desires to prove something that I am capable of something greater. That the company and the manager had made a wrong decision. In some way, I am grateful for that to happen. Else, I won’t be where I am today to really push through and make things happen.
Now the last journey for all my hard works for the past 2 years shall be proven in July on Kickstarter. Hopefully, all the effort I did would pay off.
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