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Steve Wee - Branding Lives @ Brand Yourself

Everyone dreams of having the best outlook possible. One who fulfills this dream of everyone is indeed a person in search for by many. You're lucky to have found him here...
"When you know what you want, you won't be scared, you will go for it, no matter what it takes,” says Steve Wee, from Malaysia.

The initial chapters of his career life opened at Singapore when he was accepted into the National University of Singapore (NUS) after completion of higher studies at Malaysia. Right after graduating from NUS, Steve came across an opportunity at Singapore Airlines. “With the advantage of my height and the way I carried myself well, I was hired as the flight attendant,” states Steve Wee.

As a newbie at Singapore Airlines, Steve was often bullied by the seniors and customers. That gave birth to a question in his mind, “Why does this happen to me and not my colleagues?” He then started to observe the people around. These questions made him search the answers which resulted into Steve changing his perspectives. “From there, I changed the way I carry myself, the way I talk and the way I present myself. As I transformed myself, I was never bullied since; I earned the respect from others,” he says. Encountering different people and different places opened his mind towards something he was actually passionate about.

Since young Steve instilled in himself the concept of looking good and carrying self well. But he also mentions that it was his 9 years as flight attendant that made him realise the importance of personal branding. “Now I was at the junction of my life journey to make a choice whether to continue to fly or pursue my dream of having my own business,” he smiles and says - “I chose the latter.”

Steve Wee
In 2013, it worked as a turning point in Steve’s life when he came back to Malaysia. However the business he set up was of helping clients on personal branding which wasn’t a much known industry, but with the great fire of passion burning in his heart, Steve persisted and never looked back ever since.

“Personal Branding is something I believed is needed by everyone. Helping others to create their own brand is something I love. We got to have faith in what we do, only then we are able to reap the harvest,” he mentions.

Basically he needed to strategize and pursue a detailed research on all the aspects. He then kept himself active in meetings and networking with people from various industries. As they said 'Rome is not built overnight', he too builds up the business one step at a time. He was giving his efforts into where his passion lied which was the strongest driving force behind his successful business.

He has always believed that education is one of the most powerful elements leading to a person’s success. “In the Personal Branding industry, I work continuously in creating awareness among the people about the importance of branding and soft skills,” he mentions. In order to achieve that objective, Steve Wee set up the 'Brand Yourself Agency' to help people in building up their own brands. Later, he co-founded the 'School of Charisma' in educating people on the importance of soft skills. He believes that with these powers one is going to stand out among the competition and be on top of his/her own game.

“A year ago, on returning to Malaysia I was almost nobody here. In order to set up my business, I needed to make connections. The first person that came into my mind was Datin Winnie Loo, the Founder of the renowned hair salon, 'A Cut Above'. Eventually I sent her a Facebook message: “Hi Datin Winnie Loo, my name is Steve Wee. I’ve a business proposal that I would like to share with you. Would you be free for coffee so I could present it to you?”

However, she politely turned me down by asking me to contact her Personal Assistant for further arrangement,” narrates Steve.

Being a person who never gives up easily, he continued to wait for the right time. And hence his perseverance paid off. He made the effort to “coincidentally” bump into Datin Winnie Loo at an event. “While her husband went to fetch food for her, I walked to her and introduced myself, “Hi, Datin Winnie Loo, I’m Steve Wee.” She looked at me, shook my hand and began our conversation. And the rest is history,” he smiles.

He happened to meet the two amazing ladies Datin Winnie Loo and Chui Ling who eventually became his business partners in School of Charisma. It’s been great for him due to his dedication and the attitude of always challenging himself and striving to better. “I've clients who have been with me for years along with the once who hesitated and didn’t continue further. They showed strong commitment which is vital in brand building,” expresses Steve.

“The more I do the greater responsibility on my shoulder. To me, those are the responsibility of joy as I know my efforts are going to add value to other people's lives. That is where my great satisfaction lies,” he says. He has been related his life with the famous quote told to Peter Parker by Uncle Ben in the movie Spider-Man - "With great power comes great responsibility."
With all the responsibilities and facing failures, Steve Wee has always been humble and never forgets the roots which help one to stay grounded. He believes that ego can easily lead us to the brink of destruction. Today his success is defined as with the way his work is affecting lives of people associated to him in a positive way. “When you believe in what you do and you're committed, your passion becomes your mission in life; it becomes the guideline leading you on the path to success.” - Steve Wee.

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Any facts, figures or references stated here are made by the author & don't reflect the endorsement of iU at all times unless otherwise drafted by official staff at iU. This article was first published here on 7th May 2015.
IJ Anita Tejwani
IJ Anita Tejwani is a contributing writer at Inspiration Unlimited eMagazine.

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