Faded Spring Talks Business Travel In Singapore

I have always admired bloggers who travel the world and have left their normal lives to go backpacking. While I would imagine myself as being more of a ‘tourist’ rather than a ‘nomad’ , I am nevertheless looking forward to travelling to as many countries as possible. I mentioned in previous posts that I would be going to Spain and Tuscany but I have always been fascinated by ‘Asian Countries’ like Malaysia, specifically Singapore which is a global financial hub, boasts a tropical climate and has a multicultural population that is not too dissimilar to London. My fascination with Asia stemmed from childhood where unlike the peers around me who loved ‘British cuisine’ I was far more interested in spice and flavour, hence why my favourite cuisines are ‘Indian’ and ‘Thai’. But I digress, I was drawn to Singapore growing up but it is now as an adult and business entrepreneur that has made me truly consider travelling to Singapore in 2018.

After quitting my full time job to turn my blog into a money making business, I became more invested in travel. I craved a mixture of holidays for pleasure (Tuscany, Spain, Poland) but I also contemplated ‘business travel’ in Asia, after all it is notorious for its position as a ‘global financial hub’ and I wanted to brush up on my entrepreneurial skills. Sure I could learn from workshops in the UK but actually going out to a country and exploring the way that business owners have utilized their businesses in action would be the encouragement I need to take my business to the next level.

But why Singapore? Put simply, the ‘Lion City’  has a highly developed ‘market economy’ which means that it employs an economic system where decisions regarding investment, production and distribution are based on the notion of ‘supply and demand’. While a ‘market economy’ determines the price of ‘goods’ it also means that Singapore has a ‘zero tolerance’ against corruption. Naturally it should come as no surprise therefore to discover that Singapore’s position as a global finance hub is defined by its popularity among ‘foreign investors’ as business owners are attracted to its pronominal location, highly skilled workforce and low tax rate. But what does this have to do with me, a 23 year old self employed graduate who runs her own blog? Well, as a corporate traveler I would have a chance to learn from the best and discover how I too can become a better entrepreneur. As we all know, a good business stems from passion but you also need to know basic business principles in order to turn ‘investments’ into profit.

If I made it out to Singapore and did not chicken out as I have done many times before, I would not only need to do some research on upcoming business events, where I could network with other like minded professionals but I would also need to find somewhere to stay. While there are options to stay in 5 star hotels or ventures like Air BNB, as a corporate traveler undertaking her first business trip abroad, I would like something that feels a little more ‘intimate’ and personal, yet at the same time still connect me with other corporate travelers.

It was on one of my 3AM surges, that I discovered Metroresidences which boasts over 400 serviced corporate apartments for business travellers like myself. Not only can you rent out bedrooms and studios-whether you want to share or go alone- but it has also hosted clients from companies like Samsung and has ‘free WiFi’. It probably sounds strange that I am fixated on the fact that corporate apartments offer free WiFi, but as someone who has had to deal with bad wifi abroad it is a blessing in disguise. Especially since I am now a blogger and need to keep up to date with my freelance clients and ensure that I remain on top of emails. Even in the UK, I have notoriously bad WiFi in my home, as well as a phone that does not work properly which can mean that carrying out blog tasks like emails and creating social media can be a difficult task to say the least.

But enough about WiFi; one of my goals is to make sure that my blog generates more income than my full time job (s), so that I can truly make enough of a profit to carry out other ‘side hustles’. For a while I have been thinking of how I can use my blog not only as a platform to host events for bloggers but to also attend TED talks on how to make my business work for me. As all good business entrepreneurs know, it is education and learning that is the key to unlocking our business potential. I might not have been raised to be ‘business minded’ but through blogging and planning future ventures like ‘creating my own fashion line’ I have learned how to be more open to investment opportunities and maintaining my business at a professional level.

While I have often raised awareness of important social issues like bullying and mental health on the blog, attending business events abroad means that I can de-stigmatize social issues among corporate travelers and show them that it is equally possibly to have a successful business but at the same time have struggles. After all even entrepreneurs have their down days and I want to show them that being business minded, does not mean that you have to close yourself off to ‘achieve profitable results’.

Besides without my ability to express my emotions, my business would only be a figment of my imagination and not a very good business at that. Us bloggers have a unique USP (unique selling point) among corporate travelers  and that is that were able to connect with ‘real people’ outside of the business world because we can capitalize on our ‘real’ rather than professional working lives. It is our ability to share that make us ideal candidates for business travel corporations who while successful, might not realize that ‘connection’ is the key to making a ‘brand marketable’. After all if you look at bloggers like Zoella, she is an entrepreneur who has made millions through her ability to connect with others.

While 2018 might seem like a long way off, I have decided that it will be a turning point for any business related ventures that I have been contemplating but never got round to carrying out. After all, if you don’t take the plunge then how can you say that you ‘failed’? Its better to try and learn from your mistakes than spend a lifetime regretting not taking on an opportunity that could have changed your life for the better. Which is why I recommend that we all have at least one business trip in our lives, as even if it is not to Singapore, networking with a community who come from different walks of life, might offer you the start of a brand new you.

Have You Ever Taken A Business Trip Abroad? How Did It Make You Feel?