by SCC Communications

Position and company:
Owner, S & E Trusted Online Directories Inc (Trusted Directories & Trusted Marketing Services)

Place where you grew up:
Born in Indonesia, lived in Bahrain until the age of 7, then Hartlepool in England.

First job:
I began working in my parent’s corner store on a Saturday doing the till when I was 9.

You attribute your success to:
Believing in myself and taking risks.

Businessperson who has impressed you the most:
Dame Stephanie Shirley

Company you most admire, besides your own:
Google

Your ideal dinner guest, dead or alive, would be:
Leonardo Da Vinci

Volunteer activities:
I do a lot of volunteer marketing services for non-profits organizations, using my skillset to help them achieve their goals. Also, I am a newly appointed board member of the Saskatchewan Chamber.

One fact that people probably don’t know about you:
In elementary school my nickname was Warty Wheelwright. I had acute warts and I was bullied. Incidentally they all dropped off one night, exactly four days after my mother mailed a letter I wrote, together with a picture of me and five Pounds to a “wart charmer”.

The last thing you read:
Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo

Pet peeves:
People who can’t make decisions and negative people.

Your advice for someone just starting out in business:
Expect to work 70+ hours a week and to earn very little for at least 5 years. If it happens faster, you’re very fortunate. Also, when someone says no to you, that doesn’t always mean the will say no forever. Don’t stop asking!

What is the best investment you have ever made, and why? This can be financial, educational, travel, health, or anything else.
The investment in emigrating to Saskatchewan was the best investment I’ve made. I had to experience that upheaval and have the newcomer experience to come up with the initial concept for my business!

Do you have any habits you think have made you successful?
I am very competitive! I love competition, it drives my creative juices!

What book (or books) have you given most often as gifts, and why?
The Prophet by Kahil Gibran. I have given it to newlyweds, new parents, those grieving a loss of a loved one or are struggling in some way. It is a short but beautiful book that holds many life lessons in its pages.

Advice that has had the biggest impact on your life and/or business and why:
Don’t settle for mediocre.

What do you find inspiring about business in Saskatchewan?
We have such a phenomenal depth of entrepreneurial talent and innovative ideas in such a small population. I believe it is because we have the space to breathe and ponder ideas away from the competitive rat race that happens in densely populated major markets.

In Saskatchewan we have a wonderful, supportive business community and the entrepreneurs that work hard and always strive to be better will thrive!