Not too long ago, I was called “cheap”, “shameless”, and accused of doing cheap marketing — simply because I posted on Threads that I’m looking for clients for my takaful and unit trust business.
If only that person knew me 20 years ago… they probably would’ve called me worse names. 😂
The things I did to get clients? Nothing shady — just aggressively persistent.
I used to wait at parking areas of big offices when people were clocking out. I played hide and seek with security guards just to stand near bank entrances. I even sat at tables that hadn’t been cleared, surrounded by empty juice or coffee glasses, pretending I was a paying customer in cafés I honestly couldn’t afford… all so I could have a chance to meet high-income prospects.
The result?
My fashion sense wasn’t the best, but I was consistently in the Top 10 — sometimes even Top 3 — agents in the office. My name was always on the bulletin board, winning contests, and I was treated like a princess in the office.
Shameless? Maybe.
But I didn’t break any rules.
I simply did what I needed to survive in the cold and competitive world of sales and marketing.
Being a freelance agent means I don’t get a basic salary — and surviving in Klang Valley is no joke.
Luckily, my husband is on board — fully supportive and almost as crazy as I am (which helps a lot).
I didn’t have a financial safety net or family wealth to fall back on. My parents had always told me that once I became an adult, I was on my own. Everything I needed or wanted, I had to pay for myself.
And my dad is always asking how I’m doing financially. No matter what I tell him, he’ll offer some positive words — and then proceed to tell me about all the people he gives money to every month.
Not that I expect him to help me financially… but he really doesn’t have to tell me that.
So, there’s that.
All I had was some meagre savings from my first two years of working.
The career pivot was something I chose with both eyes wide open. It was a do-or-die decision. The first two years of employment just weren’t it for me. I felt suffocated — clocking in, clocking out, day after day, seeing the same people doing the same things. It slowly drained me.
On top of that, I had dreams for myself.
I wanted a house. Not just any house — a place where I could feel safe. A place to call my own. At that point in my life, I didn’t have a safe space to call home, so owning my own place was non-negotiable.
Here I am in my finally fully functioning kitchen.
It took me quite some time to get this kitchen just right.
There’s a story behind why it took so long. Maybe one day…
And I wanted to see the world. To travel.
To try things I had never tried before.
To see new places.
But back then, my income couldn’t even afford me a decent home — let alone travelling.
So I made the jump.
Some called me stupid. Some called me crazy.
But I made the jump anyway.
But hey, I’ve been made fun of for creating content too — especially when I started at the ripe old age of 40.
Some people talked behind my back. Some made fun of me. Some genuinely looked down on me.
But honestly… who cares what they think?
It’s not like they’re going to pay my bills anyway.
Though I do hope their words come back to bite them someday. Hahaha.
Twenty years in, I wish I still had that kind of energy — approaching at least 30 strangers a day, waiting at parking bays just for the chance of meeting the car owner.
But wishing alone does nothing.
While I’m rebuilding myself, I’m doing the modern-day equivalent of approaching strangers — putting myself out there on the internet and telling people that I’m looking for new clients.
Not just hoping.
Working towards becoming that aggressive, fearless version of me again.
Because that version of me?
She built everything I have today.
Aliyawanders 
Leave a comment