Disciplined, enlightened, hopeful were three words I used to describe ShuQi, a highly driven 26 year old founder of Q Communications, an independent branding and communications boutique agency which could very well be the next Ogilvy.
Why do I think so? Where do I even begin? Let’s start with her good taste.
ShuQi picked Wheeler’s Yard café in Balestier for our meeting and I have to admit feeling a little apprehensive at first because it rested in a warehouse in Lorong Ampas. But when I got there…WOW!!! This is the kind of place you bring your first date to if you want to set yourself apart from the rest and she did just that.
I was impressed even before getting to know ShuQi. She greeted me with a warm hug and offered to buy coffee before we got down to business. None of this was for any reason other than the fact that ShuQi is a nice person who cares about people, a quality which became increasingly apparent the more we spoke.
What I loved most about ShuQi was her honesty. She shared openly about her transformation from being caught up in the rat race to wanting to educate rats about the changing race.
For four years, the move to Melbourne, in pursuit of a degree at Monash University, changed her perspective on many things. There she went to Lagos, Nigeria for a two month corporate social responsibility internship, as well as Italy to study Italian for six weeks. Yes, I was as envious as I was fascinated with the experiences she had amassed at such a young age! And this was where the notion to dream big was conceived.
These activities were so inspiring that it resulted in ShuQi becoming the only international student on the student council. There, she helped her peers from all nationalities make friends and learn from each other instead of staying isolated and divided in their own ‘cultural bubbles’. Her ability to rally large groups of people led to her becoming the voice for the international student body.
But as with most Singaporeans, filial piety set in and she moved back home, only to find herself caught up in the rat race, which didn’t work out too well because ShuQi was no rat. In her own words, she felt that ‘the need to fit in and feel the same way as everyone else was unhealthy and brought about unnecessary competition’.
So she handed in her last resignation letter. The silver lining of being in the rat race was that it helped her identify gaps in the system which required a more sustainable way for people to achieve their desired outcome at a fair price. Hence the birth of Q Communications – A Quality Execution brand.
ShuQi is confident that her passion and knack for branding and communications will bring Q Communications to great heights.
Her tips on branding and communications:
- Use broadcast media to get things out. Radio, TV, YouTube videos are always great.
- Print Media is good too.
- Social Media is iffy because it has become a very promotional tool involving too much ‘in-your-face’ advertising.
- On the other hand, a blog offers a softer, better approach through storytelling.
- Always find out where the client wants to be seen and in what timeframe they plan to get there.
- Also find out who the client is or help them find out who they are before presenting targeted marketing ideas.
Want more tips from ShuQi? Email her at sqliu@q-communications.com
You may also wish to view her LinkedIn profile at http://sg.linkedin.com/in/sliu51 as
Q Communications has deliberately chosen not to have a website.
