Yours Toothfully by Dr Chan Joon Yee

Voice of America:

Burma’s famous opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, spent her 64th birthday Friday at a high-security prison outside Rangoon. The pro-democracy leader has spent 13 of the last 19 years under house arrest by the military junta and is currently awaiting the re-opening of her trial on charges of violating her house arrest. Yet for all the government’s attempts to silence Aung San Suu Kyi, her resilience has become the symbol of the movement to bring democracy to Burma.

She went on to win a landslide victory in elections held by the military regime in 1990. But the military junta, which has run the country since 1962, refused to hand over power and put her under house arrest, where she has spent 13 of the last 19 years.
[unquote]

With all due respect to Daw Suu Kyi, I think she’s quite wrong about ASEAN countries not being able to reap any benefits from Myanmar by trading with the generals. I happen to know folks in Thailand and Singapore whose companies have literally made millions trading with Myanmar. Some even praise the generals as the most trustworthy and undemanding business associates they ever had.

However, Daw Suu Kyi is absolutely right about the moral and ethical issues invoved when one deals with the generals. But since when were morals and ethics prerequisites for business success? Don’t get me wrong. The junta’s dirty tactics have never been honourable. I wish the best for Daw Suu Kyi. I hope the junta releases her. But letting her take over the reins? That might just be what the junta needs to do to destroy her popularity. The people of Myanmar will certainly feel good about a more benevolent leader taking over. But unless she is business-minded and able to control all the unreasonable and sometimes violent dissent going on in the country, the lives of the Burmese people will not be any better with or without the lady.

Not every Aung San agrees with Suu Kyi. Just take a look at her brother Aung San Oo.

He’s a close ally of the junta and an American citizen to boot. Is it possible to believe in freedom and democracy in America while supporting the junta in Myanmar? I’m not sure about that, but Aung San Ooo certainly gives us some food for thought. If the great Bogyoke himself were still around today, whose side would the great general who fought against British imperialism be on? Would he be fighting against the army he founded? Or would he be supporting his daughter from behind? We’ll never know but great heroes don’t always think alike.

It’s a nice video, but it’s also a rather simplistic representation of what’s really going on in Myanmar. Yes, there is plenty of suffering, but poverty in Myanmar has more to do with trade sanctions than with the regime. It’s simply not true that tourists and foreign investments do not benefit the Burmese people. It would be nice to have some freedom and democracy in Myanmar, but at the end of the day, it’s unfair to nail every problem in Myanmar on the generals. The country is vast, diverse and plagued with ethnic tensions. If Daw Suu Kyi ever takes over as head of the Union, she had better have lots of support and cooperation from the generals.

The first time I had Thaksin beef noodles was almost 2 years ago. A friend’s wheelchair-bound father’s maid threw the unfortunate old man’s dentures away by mistake. I was asked to do a housecall. I had to make 4 visits to the old gentleman’s flat at Clementi. One visit to take primary impressions, one visit to take the wax bite and final impressions, one visit to try in the wax dentures and a final visit to issue the acrylic dentures. The visits were one week apart. After every visit, the elderly patient’s son would bring me down for lunch. We ate at a different stall every week. I’ve forgotten all the other stalls except for this one. Thaksin Beef Noodles a Muslim stall boasting an authentic Thai recipe. Apart from beef noodles, the stall also serves pad Thai and gai pad bai gra prao/kai dao (chicken basil/fried egg) with rice.

Of course, former Thai PM Thaksin was in the news back then and the name of the stall had an impact on everyone watching the events unfold in Thailand. Even more memorable, was the great taste of Thaksin beef noodles. I had neither opportunity nor excuse to go down to Clementi after that. I forgot where the stall was.

Just yesterday, when I went down to NUS, I decided to take the MRT back to Lucky Plaza. Much of the town centre at Clementi is now under construction. I walked to the hawker centre, took a left turn and found the stall opposite an OCBC bank. Unlike 2 years ago, there was no queue or crowd outside the stall. Ordering was easy. I got the $5.50 bowl. Lots of tasty brisket, beef slices, great soup, but the kway teow was a bit soggy. Could that be the reason why the crowd has disappeared?

With a corporate logo, their name “branded” on their bowls, it would seem that the stall had plans to expand into a chain of beef noodle outlets. With a killer name and a killer recipe, nothing seems to be able to stop Thaksin’s conquest of the beef noodle market in Singapore. Strangely, that doesn’t seem to have happened. Fear of sabotage by Yellow Shirts?

Most self help books are useless and some are more useless than others, so when I read a self help book, I’m not looking for any real help. Instead, I look for honest opinions and insights on the topic being dealt with. This book does contain many good and honest insights into what makes a business as successful as the author’s.

Dominating your niche means going all the way to stand on top of your competitors. Sounds fierce? Well, the author begins with an intro for newbies on what entrepreneurship is all about. You must:
1. Have a reason to go into business
2. Think big and aim high
3. Be obsessive about it
4. Focus on profits
5. Burn bridges and don’t think about turning back

It’s only in Chapter 3 that the author starts talking about niche markets. How does one find a profitable one and avoid making the mistake that Crazy Horse in Singapore made? The answer lies in market research. The author went into pest management after finding out that most hospitality establishments in Singapore changed their pest control companies like the way people change their underwear. That’s because the service provided by most of these companies fall way below standards expected of them.

The author chose this niche because there was a desperate demand for better service and corporate clients were willing to pay a premium for it. The author gives us examples like Charles & Keith and Song of India restaurant - which I think are not totally appropriate as far as niche domination and providing something desperately needed are concerned.

Printed in large font at the beginning of Chapter 4, is the statement:

The bigger and more serious the problem, the more valuable your solution.

That’s very easy for us to agree with. Problems are everywhere. We identify those problems and solve them. We differentiate ourselves by doing things differently and better, charging more for it. To be a leader, one must also charge leading fees and provide top notch service. Not only that, one must dress and act like the industry leader, also making sure that employees are well-groomed and company vehicles well-polished.

The next few chapters further support the author’s belief in going all out to stand on top of all competitors. Networking is important. It’s not just who you know but who knows you. Get testimonials. Get awards. Overcome customer resistance with guarantees. Be a good leader to your staff. Scout for and retain talented people. Empower them. Implement new technology and ride on the next wave.

Even long before the book finishes, the astute reader should have realised that there are not too many secrets in this book. It may make him wonder why he’s spent $32.55 (before discount) on it. One of the reasons for the author’s success in his niche must have something to do with his less well-educated competitors. Better able to upgrade himself and acquire new skills and technology ahead of his competitors, it’s less difficult for him to outwit, outsell and outperform his competition.

Well, I guess even this “secret” is an open one. We are seeing more and more graduates engaged in businesses traditionally handled by the academically challenged. I know a temple medium who speaks fluent English. With so many intelligent competitors who have as much access to cutting edge technology and an equal ability to learn new things from developed countries, it won’t be long before it becomes impossible for to rise above a level playing field unless someone has an unfair advantage (e.g. rental-free father’s shop) to begin with.

This book has not been a waste of time for me. I don’t expect too much from self help books these days, but the author’s long road to success is an inspiring one. I admire what the author has done even though very few of those who have read the book will be able to achieve the same.

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