Claudia the Panda

If you’d managed to read Straits Times today, you would have seen my big round face plastered on page A6. And ya, I’ve put on weight! LOL!

Gen Y gets down to work is written by Sandra Davis. She was also the one who did the previous Gen Y story where I laid down on the grass with my gadgets. Its very nice of her to remember me and got in touch for this latest piece.

She told me the piece will come out sometime this week and when my phone started ringing non-stop with SMSes since 10am, I knew its out.

The Beginning
Sandra dropped an email asking how I was coping with the recession. I shared what I did and how I try to maintain low running cost so that I can help my clients save too. And I do not see the recession as a downfall but a great opportunity. That’s why I started 24seven.

The photoshoot
Two weeks ago, I received a call from Sandra asking for a shoot and I was already out having a meeting with my team and not dressed for any shoot. But as it was urgent, I just had to do it. Praying that the photo will not be as big as the previous one. Well, it wasn’t as big, but it was a close up!

Thanks Desmond for the shoot. It was a fun session with many aunties and uncles passing by and stopping to see who was the subject being photographed. Sorry to disappoint them. There were two bounce light and even the umbrella reflector was used! It was ermm… very embarrassing lah! Doing this shoot at the crowded Chinatown area during Chinese New Year season somemore!

The Article
Here’s a shot of the print in Straits Times…

It was a very small mention of me in the long article, and am very shocked that my photo was the only one used and it had to take up such a big space. As @rabiz from Gothere.sg tweet “the writeup is not proportionate to the size of the picture“. Which is very true.

If you’d missed the article, you can read it online at Straits Times Digital.

Quoting the small part where I was mentioned…

With my big round face photo…

Ms Claudia Lim, 27, saw opportunity in the downturn and set up a consultancy to help firms market themselves online. She is one of many Gen Y workers proving resilient to hard times and a tough job market.

In the article…

Some like Ms Claudia Lim, 27, have already plunged into setting up their own businesses. Ms Lim set up a social media consultancy firm, 24seven, to help businesses market themselves through blogs and websites.

‘I don’t see a downturn, just more opportunities,’ says the technology-savvy Ms Lim who holds a business diploma from the poly and a teaching diploma from the National Institute of Education.

Really got to thanks Sandra for this and mentioning 24seven in the article.

If you would like to find out more about what I do, feel free to contact me or check our my company’s about page and FAQ page.

Updated on 11 Feb 2009: There’s another photo of my team and I in discussion too here.