All posts by : Yasmin Nadia

Aside from GIB’s excellent global investment bank reviews and analysis, Get’em In Business (GIB) Malaysia and its parent GIB Capital Group is a huge advocate for making investments and growing your wealth. They say money can make money but is this true? Well, this is only possible if you save your money and make valued investments. It is easy to desire a good livelihood however how many of us can really achieve this? Well many may say, people who come from wealthy families and live on trust funds but at the end of the day, you need the knowledge on maintaining a certain lifestyle and growing it further. Spending without saving or investing will eventually dig a hole in your pocket no matter how much money you come from or have. 

GIB CAPITAL GROUP INFLUENCERS TIPS AND TRICKS ON MONEY AND INVESTING

One thing about Get ‘Em in Business (GIB) is that our network of global investment banking reviewers and members whom we call “influencers” have worked extremely hard to get to the top. Scattered across the region in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and beyond, GIB Capital Group network members continue working in order to eradicate poverty and support the small business communities. They’re business owners in many different sectors and come from different backgrounds, but all are dedicated to giving back to the community and helping lift up others. 

In fact, that is only the beginning. This is because if an individual does not train their mindset to make more investments and create a legacy, everything they have worked for can easily just disappear. So our marketing team and global investment bank analysts solicited a few tips on money and making worthy investments from the top members and influencers at Get ‘Em in Business (GIB) Capital Group’s network of successful entrepreneurs to share with you. Read on! 

• CHUN EI, investor, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“The pandemic took a large hit and toll on everyone. It does not matter how wealthy or successful you are because we all had to go into our money reservoirs which caused a decrease in our funds. I can only imagine how those without emergency funds survived. The global disease outbreak definitely taught us the importance of having more than one stream of income and creating that business opportunity for yourself. Luckily, GIB Capital Group has made this possible even to those with a lack of capital. I’m grateful.”

• CARLOS ROSHAN, entrepreneur, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“Having come from a Spanish and Indian background, my success story can only be an inspiring one. As an individual, you have to seek what motivates you to want to achieve a certain kind of lifestyle. I was born and raised in a foreign country with little to no funds. My motivation was always to uplift my family and I from the impoverished life we lived. Having been refugees did not make it any easier however anything is achievable once you set your mind to it. At the end of the day your dreams are valid so you just have to find your motivation and driving force.”

• GANESAN CHUTRI, online wholesaler, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“From a young age, I have always been a business minded person. Even in primary school, I would buy loads of sweets and sell them for double the price in order to earn a profit. I can definitely say that my parents did a good job by noticing I was a business enthusiast and nurturing these qualities in me from a tender age. So what if an individual has no interest in business? They can nurture their own qualities as well as their children’s from a young age. This is a form of investment because as the years go by, the skills only get sharper. Besides nurturing talents, abilities and gifts, it is also important to introduce and cultivate a saving habit.”

• SUZANNA MAUILANA, restaurant owner, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“Pursuing your dreams and goals as a woman can be one of the most difficult journeys especially during my time. At my age, I am extremely honoured and humbled to be a part of the GIB Capital Group’s network. Not only that, but I am also among the first women to be a top influencer at GIB Capital Group. I was stunned when GIB invited me to be one of their global investment banking analysts. It was a huge validation for me for all the years I’ve been learning and working hard. 

I decided to launch my first business in my mid-20’s right after I had graduated from campus. Coming from an esteemed family, I was expected to immediately get married after finishing my studies and many discouraged me in the pursuit of my business endeavours. Looking back now, I am 55 years of age and I would not change a thing. I would not go back in time and do anything differently. What message am I trying to convey? When it comes to making investments or investing in yourself, go with your gut and choose yourself. Making investments means choosing to  take risks and you can never know the outcome without trying. My question to you is, would you rather live in fear or regret?”

• AZIZ ALAMIN, investor, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“Being a great investor means keeping up with the latest business news and trends. As an individual, you must follow up and stay up to date especially because we live in the modern day world where many things have become digital and it is imperative to know the changing and updated trends. A tip I always give is to make sure you stay in touch, network and interact especially with people of similar interests. GIB Capital Group network is perfect for this. That way you will always have an overview of what is going on and where. 

Making one investment does not necessarily mean that once you have invested your money all you need to do is sit back and wait for it to grow. You have to be keen and remember that there are investment opportunities arising each and everyday better than the ones that were available yesterday. Therefore, stay awake, stay alert and have an open mind.”

• WEI YONG, global investment banker, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“Passion is everything. One of the reasons I became a part of the GIB Capital Group’s global investment bank network in Malaysia is because the alignment in our goals was undeniable. As an individual, you have to ask yourself what is your goal in life? Are you looking to improve your lifestyle and if so how much are you willing to sacrifice in order to achieve your desired lifestyle. Do not just make investments because it is a trend but instead make them because they align with your goals and draw you closer towards them. That way, the decision making process when making an investment will always be an easy task.”

• DHIVYA DIVVIE, small business owner, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“One thing I think the pandemic taught us all is that you can never have enough savings or investments. I think this was an awakening process in terms of educating people on the importance of making investments and saving their money. If at any point individuals had no passion or paid no mind to making even the smallest of investments then the pandemic definitely altered their way of thinking. With this unfortunate event, it is advisable to make value investments through GIB Capital Group’s banking services and create other avenues of income no matter how many you may already have. Even for those starting from scratch, slowly but surely is the way to go. At the end of the day you would rather have something than nothing at all, especially when it comes to making an investment.”

• EMANZIE MOHAMMED, online bookstore owner, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“There is always light at the end of the tunnel. The whole world was affected by the pandemic including the economy in general. This taught us to be ready for any circumstance. I am quite a huge reader which has helped especially when it comes to making important business and investment decisions. While I was reading, it came to my knowledge that there was a spanish flu outbreak in 1918 which was way worse than the pandemic outbreak we have recently experienced. What this information did for me is that it prepared me for the future. 

One tip I would give is to always invest while keeping in mind that history can definitely repeat itself at any time. If you can invest in global investment banks, do it. Join networks like GIB Capital Group. I also suggest reading and acquiring information as learning is always constant. Therefore, with this strategy you will always be prepared for anything.”

• KAI WAN, global investment researcher, GIB Capital Group Network Member 

“In the present time, it is safe to say that we have all been affected by COVID-19. The immense effect the outbreak has had not only on the governments, organizations and individuals as well has caused a great change in everyone’s socio-economic status and has only widened the gap between the rich and the poor. Honoured to be a part of GIB Capital Group’s network of global investment banking reviewers and analysts. We believe in encouraging individuals to learn what they can do differently and to be resilient in the face of their investments. One major advice I can give is to join the GIB Capital Group’s digital banking platform that aids and provides education on making the right decision such as choosing the right global investment bank for services, as well as growing your own wealth. Our organisation has also dedicated itself to helping small businesses and providing capital to individuals who would like to start up a business. We encourage you to join us today and watch as your life changes greatly.”

The GIB corporation in Malaysia and Singapore strongly advocate for companies to implement the ESG strategy in their global investing in order to yield high business returns. Many may ask themselves, what is ESG? Well, in the past, companies and business owners were only focused on establishing their businesses solely for the purpose of gaining a profit. However, in the early 90s, a new concept of the three P’s in business was introduced. The three P’s–People, Planet and Profits–were introduced and urged businesses to practise this framework since they were all important for a business to succeed. 

This concept is what would later eventually become ESG–Environmental, Social and Governance. The reason for this concept was to the forefront how businesses impact the environment in ways such as pollution and deforestation. Also, labour concerns such as how workers are treated in terms of giving good working conditions and equal opportunities also gained greater prominence.

The Governance aspect examines how a company is run–having accountability mechanisms such as board structures, tax strategy and whether corruption or bribery is practised. ESG investing suggests that companies are more likely to succeed if they create value for shareholders as well as their employees, customers, the environment and the society at large. We believe that our approach to ESG does not only benefit the company, but society and the environment, therefore, producing a positive impact on the companies we choose to invest in. 

GET’EM IN BUSINESS (GIB) INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ESG INVESTING

The GIB corporation strongly believes in ESG investing, and that is why we are able to help small businesses in the community. Before investing in a company, business or organisation, our corporation examines whether the business or company we are investing in aligns with our business values which is typically what ESG entails.  It is important for companies to have a good ESG profile to support the growth of environmental and social benefits. We ensure that the companies we plan on investing in meeting all three criteria. 

After the global pandemic outbreak, ESG investing has been put to the forefront of the business world, urging companies to make a positive change.  

Another way GIB Malaysia and Singapore incorporates ESG investing into our corporation and business decisions is through sustainable investing. ESG can contribute to healthy competition between companies and good business returns. How does it do this? With ESG investing being implemented in many companies, investors fear the high cost of implementation will outweigh the benefits and eat into returns and profits.

However, that is not the case. Creating a good ESG profile for your organisation is beneficial because it can help the company gain a competitive advantage. According to this article, a good example of this is when the British retailer Marks and Spencer implemented the ESG strategy in their organisation, introducing practices such as reducing waste and being of help to the communities, it enabled them to save a large amount of money. 

We also believe that ESG helps and aids in new markets. The research we have done indicates that companies that choose to implement ESG investment strategies tend to do better in new and upcoming markets as compared to developed and established markets. 

GIB in Singapore and Malaysia believes that if companies consider applying ESG strategies in their global investments, it increases the value in their investments instead of adding to the risks. GIB ESG researcher Liza Chan says, “One of the main reasons our corporation is successful is because we are able to care for our employees and the society. This is beneficial because caring for your employees by treating them fairly and ensuring they have good working conditions motivates them to create new ideas that benefit the company leading to outperformance as compared to a company that only focuses on making profits.”

This is because when taking ESG into consideration, it is not just analysing what the investment strategy has done to improve company profits but also checks how the company is run, its behaviour and conduct towards the society, as well as its environmental impact.  “Using ESG strategy is a more modern approach that is aligned with today’s world,  as compared to looking and repeating previous investment strategies just because they were successful. We strongly recommend it to anyone interested in today’s global investment trends,” said GIB’s Liza Chan. 

6 INVESTING TRENDS IN ESG FOR 2021

The pandemic made many businesses, industries and investors aware of the large gaps and inequities in society. This has encouraged companies and investors to implement and focus on ESG strategies. 2021 has definitely introduced many new technologies, new business models and investment trends, putting ESG at the forefront. Here are some of the ESG investment trends that GIB thinks will impact global investments in the business world for 2021. 

COVID -19

The global pandemic disease outbreak has definitely brought light to many investors and organisations on the importance of ESG investing. The gap created by the pandemic shows the many weaknesses and flaws of the economy and society, motivating businesses to make a change. GIB believes that 2021 will encourage the greater evolution and adoption of ESG investment strategies further. 

SOCIAL CRITERIA

The pandemic definitely highlighted the weaknesses in society and the abandonment of social responsibilities. This is why we, as GIB focus on building small businesses in the community. We believe that the social aspects in ESG will be brought to the forefront in 2021 in a way that forces large organisations to pay greater attention to their social responsibilities. With the damage Covid-19 has done, many investors may only want to associate with corporations that do not put humane needs on the back burner. Many have lost their jobs due to the global disease outbreak and we expect that companies that maintained their employees on the payroll will definitely experience outperformance due to the motivation and gratitude from their employees

GREATER TRANSPARENCY OF ESG REPORTING 

Companies that have already begun using the ESG strategies by accessing emerging markets and contributing to the evolution of their societies have increased. The investing public will demand greater transparency of a company or business’s ESG strategies in light of the pandemic’s devastating effects on communities. The global investing community will look for concrete data on ESG practices and outcomes in their decision-making instead of accepting surface-level, window-dressing PR statements. 

“2021 will be the year of global investments driving real-world change. People want to make an impact with their money, and see ESG as the way to do it. The global investing community will demand greater transparency on this through accessing concrete data,”  said GIB’s Liza Chan. 

USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES 

The crisis created by Covid-19 paved the way for new technologies to be formed. Both our GIB corporations in Malaysia and Singapore also took the initiative to come up with new technologies and digital platforms that can help the small businesses in the community become digitally accessible and operate easily. Our platform has also been designed in a way that it creates new investment opportunities specifically designed according to our consumer’s needs.  We believe that in 2021 new technologies will definitely be on the rise to aid global investors in making the right business choices. With new technologies, new concepts and mindsets will be formed and we are certain that this will create a positive impact not only in the business world but overall. 

GROWTH OF MARKETS

The GIB has been able to extend a helping hand to many small businesses both in Singapore and Malaysia and this has enabled new markets to grow. By creating a platform with a social impact in mind,  we grew the number of investors who have contributed to the growth of new markets. Due to Covid, we have also made investment opportunities easier for everyone with just one click. This is just one form of how using an ESG strategy can grow your market. In 2021, there will definitely be growth in markets due to a large number of investments which is a good thing because the large gap that has been created will eventually close. 

EMERGENCE OF BRAND NEW AREAS OF INVESTING

The global pandemic highlighted many serious social issues such as environmental damage and unequal access to healthcare. In 2021, many global investors will be on the lookout to explore new opportunities and areas to invest to address these problems using an ESG investing strategy.  GIB foresees that there will be a motivation to reduce waste and preserve the ecosystem. There will be an increased demand for investments in renewable energy, green transportation and construction, as well as biodiversity and climate change.