‘Why not me?’ - Vivy Yusof on launching a book
With the convenience of social media nowadays, it gives us easy access to peak inside the lives of celebrities and personalities we follow. But it has its drawback. Very easily, we tend to judge others simply through the things that they choose to show.
A modernised version of the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" should now commonly be "don't judge a person by their social media page".
Being active on social media, often sharing content to her large pool of audience, popular entrepreneur Vivy Yusof can attest to this.
"When people look at me on social media, they say that I'm living a glamorous life and that everything is easy, when in reality it's not," she said in an interview with Sinar Daily at the launch of her book titled "The First Decade".
With her warm and bubbly character, it's easy to understand why she attracts such a large following. Having grown such a strong influence in the world of fashion and business, Vivy penned her experiences and journey for the last decade.
"I love to read entrepreneur books, so why not me? why not my story?" she said.
The FashionValet Group founder said the book details juicy parts of her life where she has not shared much in the past. It talks about her failures, mistakes, and ups and downs along her journey in the business world.
With 14 years of writing experience and a decade of being an entrepreneur, she hopes that this is her way of sharing all of her business knowledge with all Malaysian entrepreneurs, such as how to do fundraising, network at events, develop marketing strategies, brand products, apply for loans, and grow businesses abroad.
"I know there are many entrepreneurs out there who didn't get any support, so by writing this book, this is my way for me to share with them what I have been through. Hopefully, this can help other entrepreneurs out there.
"Having been in this industry for 10 years, I think it's a good number of years for me to share my stories," she said.
Reflecting on 2022, she considers launching the book her biggest moment of the year.
"I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time; coincidentally it's on my 35th birthday; it’s a very personal achievement to me," she said. But publishing the book was of course not an overnight process. Being a wife and a mother to four kids, Vivy shares that it took her nearly two years to complete writing the book.
Despite the challenges, things worked out eventually with the help of a strong support system like her husband, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, who is the chief executive officer of the FashionValet Group and her parents.
"As you all know, my husband and I are not only life partners, but also business partners, and none of this can work unless we have very good communication with your spouse.
"My dad always reminds me of the philosophy of the 5 Fs, which are family, friends, fitness, faith, and finance, so this is one of my remedies for my success.
"Meanwhile, my mom always reminds me that Allah will make the way easy if that is our rezeki (sustenance)," she said.
Vivy, who is a law graduate from the London School of Economics (LSE), established her personal blog, Proudduck, while still an undergraduate.
"The First Decade" is now available in all major bookstores as of today.
