"Kerja office je"

It is so sad that when someone ask me what am I doing with my life right now a.k.a what am I working as… the only reasonable answer I could provide is “kerja office je” .

Yes.

Majority of my relatives especially the elderlies acknowledge the fact that my job involves “kerja office” and “jual tudung” and “jual barang make-up”.

Because that’s the only description I would normally give to them.

But the sad thing is when young people came to me and ask “Kak Im kerja apa ? buat apa?”

I would answer with a major hesitant look on my face “….I do…business development…? Marketing…?” as if to ask back whether these things make sense to them.

True enough. They will fire me back with a blank stare; could not capture my point.

So I will explain to them in detail.

Personally, I feel like I have the best job in the world. Probably because it suits damn well with my passion; to explore and being creative and to do business.                                                             

AndalsobecauseIhavethebestbossesandcolleaguesbutletsnotgetintothis.

I love a job that does not limit one’s creativity and enthusiasm.

Now, for those who don’t know what am I doing; let me answer you :-

I work in a marketing line in which also strongly ties in with business development. The company that I am working for is considered as a start up within the fashion and beauty industry. Yes, we sell apparel and shawls and make up products, but the thing that made me fell in love so hard with this job has got to do with the process of strategizing the whole plan to sell these products.

Doing business is like a war. You need good strategies to ensure your victory at the end of the road. Plus, it makes things better when you are the kind of person who adores challenges and loves competition! Yes, business is competition. You’re in it to win it, but you do it with proper etiquette. Hence, back to the point of the importance of good strategies.

The fashion and beauty industry are growing rapidly these days. The rise of e-commerce era is something Gen-Y or the millennial should be proud of as this is the business of our generation. Imagine a fashion e-commerce boutique could make millions within a month time. Ever thought about its annual revenue?

E-commerce is big! And digital marketing is taking over the world by storm! There are just so many platforms to explore; analytics to analyze, trends to observe, consumer behavior to take note of – all can be done digitally. You must be well aware and adaptable to these new mechanics! 

Not to forget the manual mechanics of cross marketing. Lots of big retail and household brands are starting to approach these fashion e-commerce brands for collaborations and business opportunities. Imagine making networks across industries and sharing ideas and proposals to expand business. Meeting up with bosses and managers, to sit down with them presenting our ideas, proposals after proposals, and making sure the plans to be smoothly executed.

Imagine the skills you’ll obtain, the network you’ll gain…from shampoo brands, to some major food & beverages brands, to big retail fashion brands, malls and other developer companies, to magazines and medias, to knowing major fashion and social media influencers, to be invited to product launching events, to work together with major people in the industry or even other industries local and international…

And then there’s me.

So, Imtiyaz.

 What do you do for a living?

“Kerja office; jual tudung and make-up”