“Yuccies” Need to use Professional Network to Connect to Opportunities

The meet up, held in Kuala Lumpur, featured Frank Koo, Head of Southeast Asia (Talent Solutions) of LinkedIn, Johnathan Lee, Executive Director of Entrepreneurship Development of Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) and Ian Ho, Regional Managing Director of Shopee. They provided insights on: how Malaysian entrepreneurs can access additional networking tools and resources; practical tips on expanding their personal networks and; the value of international networking opportunities to gain access to global markets and pave the way for business growth.

Malaysian entrepreneurs are better connected, both locally and globally, compared to regular professionals on LinkedIn. On average, entrepreneurs in Malaysia have 20% more connections compared to other professionals in Malaysia.

Of the 62,000 Malaysia-based entrepreneurs on LinkedIn, 50 percent of professional connections were established with other entrepreneurs abroad with top connections being in the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and India.

Highlights from Panel Discussion

Quote by Frank Koo, LinkedIn:

“LinkedIn provides a platform for all members to grow and connect to opportunities. As entrepreneurs, they need to focus on the three I’s – access to Information to stay updated on industry development; being connected to fellow Innovators to create a likeminded community; and linking to Investors to grow their business. But before that, the first step for entrepreneurs is to build their online professional brand.”

“For startups to scale, employer branding is equally critical. Founders of startups need to grow their leadership team as they grow the business. Before talented professionals join a start-up, they need to understand the company culture and how they can contribute to the company.”

Quote by Johnathan Lee, MaGIC:

“Young entrepreneurs can leverage LinkedIn to give them access to the people that they generally wouldn’t have access to; these people then may help them grow their business further or faster.

At MaGIC, we aim to nurture that entrepreneurial spirit among those interested in the startup ecosystem. Many entrepreneurs that participate in our programmes are young, and we encourage that as being young increases your propensity to risk. And, as we know, risk and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. While being young gives them that fearlessness to try new things, they might lack those key connections that can help them grow their business. Through LinkedIn, they can leverage on those connections and reach out to more investors to build their business.”

Quote by Ian Ho, Shopee:

“Like many businesses, my biggest business challenge is talent. Having the right talent is key to a successful business. When I first started out, I used my professional brand to hire our first 20 employees through LinkedIn. Once we had scale, we continued to reach out to more talent by using our employer brand through our company page to continue looking for the talent we need and also to tell the story of our brand.”

A similar panel discussion took place in Indonesia last month, and another session will be held in Singapore later in November.

• In Indonesia, LinkedIn collaborated with KADIN (Indonesian Chamber of Commerce) to host a dialogue to help innovators in the country harness the power of digital networking and empower them to create economic opportunities for themselves and others.
• In Singapore, LinkedIn, in partnership with Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE), will hold a panel discussion that aims to unravel how start-ups at different stages of their business can leverage the power of digital connections to grow and achieve scale.

Throughout Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, LinkedIn is also encouraging all members to learn from entrepreneurs through the #ConnectToGrow campaign. This campaign also aims to demonstrate how they have leveraged their professional network to connect to opportunities, stay informed and advance their career.

How can you build a strong professional brand?

Other than managing your online presence, below are three ways to build a strong professional brand:

1. Complete and optimize your LinkedIn profile
2. Publish on LinkedIn and share stories of your professional journey
3. Make meaningful connections and engage with them regularly

(FROM LEFT) JOHNATHAN LEE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT OF (MAGIC) MALAYSIAN GLOBAL INNOVATION & CREATIVITY CENTRE; FRANK KOO, HEAD OF SOUTHEAST ASIA (TALENT SOLUTIONS) OF LINKEDIN; IAN HO, REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SHOPEE.

About LinkedIn

LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, market, and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has more than 467 million members and has offices around the globe.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]