PIVOTING DURING THE PANDEMICStraddling Singapore and the U.S. for the last twenty years, two major events with global impact bookmarked my journey as a Singaporean living in Oklahoma. The first was the September 11 attacks that almost hindered my return to the U.S. to complete my college education. The second was when coronavirus invaded Asia during my yearly visit to the land of the Crazy Rich Asians.  Having survived three career-shaping employment as an immigrant seeking permanency in the U.S., the pandemic challenged the journey I thought I was on as a brand strategist and designer. COVID-19 asked me with a sneer, “So you think you can continue supporting your family doing what you are so passionate about now?” I have always been passionate about helping small business owners since they don’t always have the budget to hire advertising and marketing agencies for brand development services. Clients’ budget cuts during the pandemic put a dent in my plan. While my revenue as a solopreneur was affected, coronavirus has not taken away my time, my knowledge, and thankfully, my health. The formulation of a book about branding was thus conceived in December 2019.  (L) An earlier cover design with a working title "It's Not About You". (R) The final cover design. Writing the book has not only allowed me to fine-tune the methodology I used with past clients, it began a personal journey of revisiting my own story and telling them with pixels and words. I have in the last eleven months gained greater clarity about my identity and brand, while being able to connect with business owners and leaders as I interviewed them for content and to learn from their personal and business stories.  The Power of FlexibilityIn an interview by Karina Michel Feld of Authority Magazine, I was asked several thought-provoking questions as part of a series called "How I Was Able to Pivot to a New Exciting Opportunity because of the Pandemic". There are two particular questions that resonated with what I believe is my core value; one of five things I talk about in the upcoming book. Here are the excerpt from Karina's interview: AUTHORITY MAGAZINE: Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much? It’s the film “Into the Wild”, adapted from a book of the same title. It tells the story of Christopher McCandless who abandoned all his possessions, burned the cash he had on him, hitchhiked across America, and found momentary contentment with isolation and living off the land. He kept a diary of his thoughts as he survived for more than 110 days on rice, edible plants, and any wild animals he could hunt with a .22-caliber rifle. While there are varying theories as to the cause of his death in the back country near Denali in 1992, what struck me is one of Christopher’s diary entries, “Happiness is only real when shared.” Christopher took two years to reach that revelation but did not get to live out the happiness he sought for. Carine McCandless later revealed that her brother’s behavior and sudden departure stemmed from domestic violence and abuse while growing up. I watched that film in Singapore while visiting my parents right when COVID-19 hit Asia. I recalled sitting in silence as the film credits rolled over my reflection on the TV screen. My childhood pales in comparison to the McCandless but memories of the fear of being hurt by loan sharks flooded my mind. There was no memory of happiness during that time in my life and I remember hating my father. The decision to leave Singapore in 2000 to finish my last year in college as a full-time student was partly triggered by a desire to find my own happiness. I am thankful to be able to say this, that happiness has and will continue to be real because of the people I am sharing it with, which includes my parents. AUTHORITY MAGAZINE: If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? Many people are trying to find happiness in the wrong places; from buying and accumulating material things to seeking acceptance or affection from every person they meet. Uncovering one’s personal brand is, at the end of the day, all about discovering one’s unique path to happiness. I want to motivate and walk alongside someone to identify their ultimate purpose and value in life, which will help them align the necessary relationships (eg. family, friends, co-workers, mentors, customers, clients) and behaviors (eg. career, hobby, processes, habits) in the same direction. And as they seek alignment between their purpose, values, relationships, and behaviors, they can bring along with them another person and do the same. Happiness is not the destination, it is the journey. And that journey should be a fun road trip; one that we call life! HAPPINESS IS ONLY REAL WHEN SHAREDChristopher, also known by the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp, lived for two years under his new identity and realized that the happiness he was seeking during his wild escapade could only be real when shared with someone. His entry in the diary will forever be engraved in my mind as I considered what drives me as I seek happiness: What drives me is being able to go through the valleys and byways with someone... when we can be vulnerable and yet, not be afraid because we have a road trip buddy. What drives me is being able to share the peaks and highways with someone... when we can celebrate together, even if it means simply enjoying the wind in our face and the beauty before our eyes in silence. Published with permission from Authority Magazine and Thrive Global.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW FIVE THINGS I WISH SOMEONE TOLD ME BEFORE I BECOME A SOLOPRENEUR
 It's been over a year since I was in the "middle of the world" on an initial brand analysis exercise for ADSE. An interview by Authority Magazine got me going down memory lane as I recounted the "Aha moment" that revealed a passion in me to teach as an author and brand strategist. It was two months before COVID-19 turn the world upside down and a localized, but equally devastating situation was turning the world of Ecuadorians upside down. President Lenin Moreno had just decided to remove a four-decade-old fuel subsidies, which crippled the nation straddling the equator as protestors block roads and highways. UNDERSTANDING THE ROOTS (CLOCKWISE L TO R) The hanger in front of Nate Saint's home in Shell. Nate Saint and his yellow Piper PA-14 plane*. The current restored Nate Saint House. *PHOTO FROM www.maf-uk.org/story/how-five-martyrs-transformed-the-waodani-people-of-ecuador During the time spent with ADSE and the community she is in, we uncovered three core values that I believe stem from the legacy of five missionaries; Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. Their martyrdom in 1956 in the hands of the Waodani tribe triggered a wave of evangelistic efforts into the Amazon jungles. The Mission Aviation Fellowship, through Nate Saint as her first missionary in Shell, had been bringing the Gospel and life-sustaining resources into the jungle through flights, communications, and other logistics since 1948. The work of supporting missionaries, local churches, and villages continues with ADSE since 1986. While the pandemic may have affected and slowed down the organization, I believe that the work God started has not ceased. My AHA MOMENTWorking with ADSE during the civil unrest has been an eye-opener. As I walked the line dividing different cultures, I learn the importance of contextualizing the universal concept of branding for local relevancy. I love the process of learning about ADSE and figuring out the best way to communicate the discovery and strategy to the leaders and staff who are mostly from a different culture. I have always enjoyed working one-on-one with business owners as we develop or redefine their brands. Pivoting my approach, many thanks to the pandemic, I want to extend my reach through coaching groups within companies (beyond just the owners) and helping them understand that a powerful and memorable brand is built from within and as a team. My book, "The ONE Game Changer To Boost Your Business. Use the B.R.A.N.D.™ System to go Deeper so you can go Further" (due to be available early next year) along with online courses (ie. B.R.A.N.D. Ed) will be a couple of ways I hope to achieve that goal.  More importantly, the underlying drive for the work and ministry of ADSE has reminded me of what God has called all His children to do. Whether we are flying planes, developing brands, or formulating marketing strategies, it is ultimately about making Him known. And that work is never finished until Christ comes again. A 2400-mile STORY As I coach business leaders in uncovering their personal brand while developing their business one, this is one of five parts to my own brand story using the B.R.A.N.D. System. As you get to know me a little better, may this story inspires you to consider how your own experiences in life is foundational to your unique brand. Watch this introduction video before continuing below. THE FULLER STORY ...In 2017, a friend and I started a 14-day drive across the country of Mexico in a car we named Yasmin. It was a much-anticipated road trip, one without a specific route. Just one with a start and an endpoint. We have different reasons for making this trip. I was running away from a broken heart. He was running towards an unrequited one. I hurt and was hurt by another friend. I was physically tired but more so, emotionally drained. When my friend told me about the drive he was going making to South America, 2,400 miles sounded like a great distance to separate myself from the source of pain. My friend's agenda was more permanent as he was making this one-way trip to a new life and hopefully, to a once blossoming and much-desired love.  The plan was simple: (1) We have a starting point, which is Aurora Illinois. (2) We have an ending point, which is Tapachula Chiapas where my friend will continue on to South America and I fly back to the U.S. (3) We have a car which promises good fuel efficiency. She is a Toyota Yaris, which inspired us to name her Yasmin. Our trip hit a major roadblock in Texas when we were warned that driving into Mexico with a temporary vehicle tag will spell trouble for two foreigners. It was the weekend and we had to stay on U.S. soil while waiting for Yasmin's permanent license plate to arrive on Monday. Let me remind you that our plan was simple and low-budget. We were ready to pitch a tent, stay in a cheap hostel, or sleep in Yasmin. After knocking on the doors of a local church and a fire station, we were graciously offered free lodging by Father Jim at a Roman Catholic church called Our Lady of Refuge. That's where we got to know our beloved nun, sister Maria. Between projects we volunteered to help her with and conversations about our crazy road trip through Mexico, she ultimately entrusted us with gifts for her family in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi. Since we don't have a specific route, Sister Maria's assignment gave us an excuse for a pitstop after Yasmin got adorned with her new bling.  When we delivered the gifts to Sister Maria's family, we were ready to continue on our trip. However, after some conversation over a shot or two of tequila, we were served lunch and brought on a tour of the city center. Nothing beats seeing a place through the eyes of locals! And when we thought it was time to bid goodbye, our new friends offered us a night's stay in their home and invited us to a private concert by a local band! Our time in this foreign city wrapped up nicely listening to music and getting our fill of food and tequila under the stars. We were blown away by the hospitality, which fueled our drive further south with a buzz from the heart-warming experience. In sharp contrast was our heart-pounding encounter a few days later somewhere in Oaxaca.  "Somewhere" was exactly where we thought we were because our search for a specific campsite with unclear directions from locals kept us driving past sunset. Against our better judgment, we kept driving in the dark with hopes to see some signs of civilization. With only a few feet of visibility on the dark winding mountain roads, the drive was mind-numbing with turn after turn after turn… until I saw some blinking red and blue lights from the corner of my eyes. Before I could tell my friend about it, our headlights illuminated two human forms running right across us and he slammed on the brakes. We stared ahead of us with held-breath as I could have sworn the thumping of our hearts was louder than Yasmin's rumbling. The settling dust was the only calming sight as my head made the possible connection between the flashing lights and the infamous Mexican police. My fear materialized in the form of a uniformed officer tapping on our window and a flurry of tense conversation between my friend and two police officers ensued. I didn't understand a lick of Spanish but one could only imagine the worst when you almost ran over the law enforcers. Between the quivering voice of my friend and an endless examination of documents, I said to myself, "This is it Vincent... we're going to be locked up and disappeared from the face of the earth." All I could do was pray, and pray hard to God for deliverance. What was about 20 minutes of interrogation felt like an eternity. A slight change in the officers' tone from intimidation to firmness caught my attention as my friend told me they were asking for a monetary fine. We actually drove away from this harrowing encounter with a firm warning and USD40 poorer!  We parked our car next to a road-side store to rest for a night after the encounter with police. A ROAD TRIP CALLED LIFEThese were some of many moments along our 2,400 miles route through Mexico, not discounting the other experiences we have had on this 14-day road trip. Every highs and lows we had, every dollar and peso spent (including the fine), and every mile and minute logged was well worth it! And such is the road trip we call ‘life’. One with peaks and valleys, with highways and byways, and ultimately, one with a final destination. What is driving us forward despite the valleys and the byways? Are we only fueled by peaks and highways? Do we only seek the highs so that we can look good on social media? Do we avoid the lows and brush them under the carpet of our memory? D: WHAT DRIVES ME?My momentary escape southwards gave me a renewed perspective as I ponder the question, “What drives me to stay on track in life?”. We are relational beings and will always cross paths with people throughout our lifetime. I hold onto a few close relationships tightly. Sometimes too tightly. Expecting things to always be the same is never realistic and imposing unclear expectations on others will only lead to heartbreak and disappointment. I have learned that some relationships will stick while others may just be there for a season. I am learning to expect less of others to meet my needs and expect more of myself to meet the needs of others. People may not return in kind, and that's okay. What drives me is being able to go through the valleys and byways with someone... when we can be vulnerable and yet, not be afraid because we have a road trip buddy. What drives me is being able to share the peaks and highways with someone... when we can celebrate together, even if it means simply enjoying the wind in our face and the beauty before our eyes in silence. Ultimately, what drives me is being able to be in solitude with God and His creation... when He reveals to me the kindness of strangers and the mercy of law enforcers, and when He gives me courage to restore broken relationships and boldness to love unconditionally. This is one of many stories I tell. This is part of my B.R.A.N.D. story. If you are a business owner seeking to make your brand more memorable, it starts with you and your personal brand story. The B.R.A.N.D. System is created as a self-directed tool for you to uncover five key components of your personal brand, which will start you on the journey towards mastering your business brand.
CRAZY RICH OKIEPOREANI come from the land of the 'Crazy Rich Asians' but I am not rich by definition of the movie. The many decisions I have made, including traveling across time zones and making Oklahoma City a second home, are considered by some ‘crazy’. However, I have embraced those decisions and learned that it is more important that our day-to-day actions point towards our ultimate purpose in life. I am rich but in a different sense of the word. I am the Crazy Rich Okieporean. Watch this introduction video before continuing below. THE FULLER STORY ...With a one-way ticket, two suitcases, and three stops, I flew almost 20 hours across multiple time zones and arrived in Oklahoma City in the year 2000, a place I only knew about because of the Federal building bombing in 1995. I left my home country of Singapore with an open-ended agenda; ready to fully immerse into college life as a full-time student and welcome any opportunities with open arms upon graduation. "What opportunities?" you might ask. If you know the Oklahoma City of the early 2000s in comparison to the opulence of Singapore, Okieland is not a land flowing with milk and honey at that time. So call me crazy for giving up living in a vibrant metropolitan city and moving to a developing one, where some still think Indians and cowboys roam the land on horses. In fact, I am kind of crazy and I am an Asian. Just not rich like the people in the movie. I have never been the 'norm' by the standards of society or my parents when it comes to my pursuit in life. I AM NOT THE 'NORM'My enrollment in a trade school as a young adult instead of pursuing a college degree immediately after secondary education was to my rich relative, an educational suicide. While three years spent getting an engineering diploma sounded like a waste of time and money, that was when my spiritual foundation was established with a group of Christians in a student-led faith-based ministry. After that, I signed a six-year civil service contract as a law enforcement officer instead of serving a shorter military term (all Singaporean male must be in active service as a full-time National Serviceman) for two reasons. One, I don’t like training for war in hot humid jungle and rather be fighting real crime on the streets. Two, I wanted a more predictable work schedule to pursue a degree that I wanted for a job in the creative industry. Besides having good undercover crime fighting stories to tell, the six years in law enforcement has exposed me to team training and project management skills, which I still employ now. My current side-hustle at a grocery chain while being a solopreneur of a brand coaching business and an author of an upcoming book sounded like the making of a starving-artist story. You will be surprised to hear that the two years of being in a grocery store has taught me more about branding than the 10 plus years spent as an in-house marketing professional. That’s another story for another time. And my current stage of singleness is one that baffles many. “Why are you not married?” and “You should have tons of children by now.” are typical reactions from Asians (and some Westerners) I meet. However, nothing beats the passive-aggressive question from my mom. She would ask in Hokkien (one of the many dialects of the Chinese language), “Do you have any friends?” . And in response I would say, “Of course I have tons of friends!” while knowing very well what she was hinting at. A: PURPOSE DRIVEN ACTIONSReflecting on my actions in the last 30 years, I have learned to be less concern with whether I have made a right or a wrong decision. And as I straddle between my two homes on a yearly basis, the decisions that I continue to make are also strangely inspired by the different time zones. When I am in Singapore, I will be aware that it is yesterday in Oklahoma. That kind of put me in a reflective state of mind where I learn to look back with no regrets. When I am in Oklahoma City, I take on another mindset of looking forward with anticipation because my home country is always about 12 to 14 hours ahead of the western hemisphere. Those mindsets frame what I must absolutely do every day as I make sure my day-to-day actions are pointing toward my ultimate business in life. Even though I am not rich by definition of a crazy rich Asian, I do feel rich because of the people I have gotten to know and the relationships which I want to continue surrounding myself with. And I want my day-to-day action to be all about that, whether I am a brand strategist or a grocery store worker, a single person or a married one. I feel rich because of an all-knowing God who knew me before He formed me in my mother’s womb, a God who set me apart before I was born. (Jeremiah 1:5). And I want my day-to-day action to be in anticipation of that kind of future; a future that I have full assurance of, even if there may not be total clarity. So, I am rich in a different sense of the word. And that makes me a crazy rich Okieporean; an Oklahoman by residential status and a Singaporean by citizenship. This is one of many stories I tell. This is part of my B.R.A.N.D. story. If you are a business owner seeking to make your brand more memorable, it starts with you and your personal brand story. The B.R.A.N.D. System is created as a self-directed tool for you to uncover five key components of your personal brand, which will start you on the journey towards mastering your business brand.
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