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! 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.
REAL-WORLD ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS IN AND OUT OF A CLASSROOMFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 15, 2020 While online shopping may have become more of a norm during this pandemic, young adults from F.A.C.T. (Family Awareness and Community Teamwork) of the Oklahoma City Police Department recently gathered at a mall as part of a 9-week long Entrepreneurship Program. This field trip was not for retail therapy but a challenge to study strategies adopted by retailers to reach their customers. The 18-20-year-olds were placed in an environment they are familiar with but asked to put on the lens of a business owner as they learn entrepreneurial skills. "We naturally think of and react to marketing and advertising like a consumer," Vincent Lee, one of the program's coaches explained. "But as future business owners, we hope to train these youths to think like an entrepreneur." The students were asked to observe all aspects of marketing and advertising; from colors to the logo, from store layout to sensory experience, and from signage to staff interaction. "It was fun to see the students apply their new knowledge of marketing and strategy as they analyzed stores they have been in dozens of times before." Taylor Wood, Volunteer Coordinator of the F.A.C.T Unit observed. "I strongly believe the skills and knowledge they have learned will be beneficial as many of them are transitioning from high school to college or directly to the full-time work force." Business leaders like CPA and Process Improvement Specialist are also invited to the class to help the students understand the resources needed for the health and growth of their own business. "The goal of the program is to paint a real-world picture of the business world for our students," Rob Miles, creator of the Thousand Paces Roadmap System and this Entrepreneurship Program said. "I'm very grateful to be a part of this program. I've taken in a lot of basic and important information that I wish I would've had the chance to learn in high school, like the type of bank accounts we're offered, taxes, investments, savings, budgeting, and taking risk." Abigail G., one of the students shared. The program will end in a few more weeks with the possibility of helping a handful of students apply the knowledge to actual business ideas these young future entrepreneurs have. Rob Miles. Founder of Thousand Paces Thousand Paces helps small businesses and entrepreneurs find and determine their next milestones using their “Roadmap” system. Through this system, they help business owners secure funding for their venture, launch a new company, or navigate the structure of an existing company to overcome the peaks and valleys. The founder, Rob Miles, realized a blind spot in the banking system and started Thousand Paces to help small businesses navigate the complexities of commercial lending. Rob created the roadmap system to ensure all commercial loans also “fit” in line with the clients’ purpose and budget. It proved to be such a useful tool that it is now used in college classes at USAO, high school level classes with F.A.C.T., and all of Thousand Paces’ clients. Vincent Lee. Author, Brand Strategist, and Coach For the past 20 years, Vincent has straddled life and work between Singapore and Oklahoma City. Along the way, he has shown clients on several continents how they can become the master of their brand and move their company into space traditionally taken by huge corporations. As an author of an upcoming book “One Game Changer to Boost Your Business. Use the B.R.A.N.D.™ System to Go Deeper so can you Go Further”, Vincent continues to be a brand evangelist and advocate for his clients, while also devoting his time towards inspiring young minds to uncover and define their brand in life. MEDIA CONTACT: Rob Miles rmiles@thousandpaces.com 405-702-2005 or Vincent Lee vincent@canyoubrand.me 405-596-3451 YOUTHS LEARNING ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS BEYOND THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8, 2020 On his first day teaching at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Rob Miles found very few of his students knew what they wanted to do when they graduate. And for the handful who did, they had unrealistic expectations of the real-world. Being an entrepreneur himself, Miles created a program that would give students real-world exposure to the reality of owning and operating a business. As the founder of Thousand Paces, Miles also believes in giving back to the community. When Miles was introduced to F.A.C.T. (Family Awareness and Community Teamwork), he developed an entrepreneurship program to fit the needs of the F.A.C.T. students. F.A.C.T. is a community outreach program of the Oklahoma City Police Department aiming to mentor at-risk youth. “My goal is for the students to come out of the class with the understanding and confidence to open their own business, but I would be just as happy if they find their passion focusing on a single aspect of a business, such as finance or marketing.” Miles shared. Miles has collaborated with Vincent Lee, a brand strategist and coach, to aid in the program. Lee, who like Miles, believes in inspiring and educating young minds. Together, Miles and Lee are bringing their real-world experiences in banking and branding respectively. Through dual efforts they are teaching the students how to:
“Teaching the how-tos of business development, branding, financing, and marketing is the easy part,” Lee explained. “Helping students see their potential, despite their circumstances, is the true driver to what we do.” Derrick Sier, the Program Coordinator of F.A.C.T. stated, “The entrepreneur program provided by Thousand Paces has not only introduced the concept of business ownership and product development but has provided classroom and field application. It takes an idea from concept to implementation; immediately applicable to whatever individual idea the participant may have.” Rob Miles. Founder of Thousand Paces Thousand Paces helps small businesses and entrepreneurs find and determine their next milestones using their “Roadmap” system. Through this system, they help business owners secure funding for their venture, launch a new company, or navigate the structure of an existing company to overcome the peaks and valleys. The founder, Rob Miles, realized a blind spot in the banking system and started Thousand Paces to help small businesses navigate the complexities of commercial lending. Rob created the roadmap system to ensure all commercial loans also “fit” in line with the clients’ purpose and budget. It proved to be such a useful tool that it is now used in college classes at USAO, high school level classes with F.A.C.T., and all of Thousand Paces’ clients. Vincent Lee. Author, Brand Strategist, and Coach For the past 20 years, Vincent has straddled life and work between Singapore and Oklahoma City. Along the way, he has shown clients on several continents how they can become the master of their brand and move their company into the space traditionally taken by huge corporations. As an author of an upcoming book “One Game Changer to Boost Your Business. Use the B.R.A.N.D.™ System to Go Deeper so can you Go Further”, Vincent continues to be a brand evangelist and advocate for his clients, while also devoting his time towards inspiring young minds to uncover and define their brand in life. MEDIA CONTACT: Rob Miles rmiles@thousandpaces.com 405-702-2005 or Vincent Lee vincent@canyoubrand.me 405-596-3451 Seeing double
I decided to use a real advertisement to illustrate a point about branding when teaching a group of youths (aged 18 - 20 years old) who is part of an entrepreneurship program hosted by the Oklahoma City Police Department.
The above print advertisement truly belongs to one of the companies; Nike or Adidas and below is the video revealing the answer and the lessons taught.
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