Imparting invaluable experiences
> Lim Sheng Feixiang shares how opportunities at Monash University Malaysia accelerated his way into the working world
GRADUATING from Monash University Malaysia with a double degree – Bachelor of Business and Commerce and Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies – Lim Sheng Feixiang has successfully gone on to become the CEO of Major Drop, a streetwear multi-brand store that curates exciting brands from across Southeast Asia and the world.
In his current role, Lim leads and plans to grow the business into Southeast Asia’s leading streetwear destination store. Here, the 28-year-old shares his journey at and beyond Monash University Malaysia.
How did your study in Monash help prepare you for the working world? My four years pursuing a double degree gave me the best experience that taught me to view the world from two very different perspectives. The lecturers and people I connected with further opened up my horizons to what’s out there in the world. Beyond the exams and assignments, it was building relationships and facing the challenges that came with them that shaped my attitude and passion to do some great work – no matter the industry.
While at Monash what type of opportunities did you participate in? Being part of both the School of Business and School of Arts and Social Sciences really provided me with opportunities beyond what I expected. It allowed me to see things from both a creative and business angle.
I was involved in spearheading the first Monash Entrepreneurship Forum with the Monash Business Club. It was a great introduction to organising a large scale event with over 200 attendees from conceptualising to coordinating a start-up accelerator programme with the Monash Entrepreneurship Club and The Weekend Projects.
The Weekend Project was a fantastic jumpstart to my career. What started out as a passion project in making short stories or films on YouTube turned into a revenue generating business for us. It was here that we got to work with various big names such as Pestle & Mortar Clothing and Urbanscapes.
If it wasn’t for that gig with Pestle & Mortar Clothing, I don’t think I would have been given this opportunity with Major Drop today. The work that was done at that time made an impression that carried through because we took the initiative to pitch for a video.
These opportunities, which were seemingly small at the time, were just part of the overall picture of invaluable experiences that allowed me to accelerate into the working world.
I learned that saying “Yes!” to as many things as possible while you have the time is essential. I believe that in every opportunity, there’s a key lesson that you can carry forward into the future that you’re dreaming of creating.
When you were choosing a course and a university did you have a clear picture of your future? Initially, I imagined myself in advertising like in the series, Mad Men. The appeal of pitching great ideas to huge companies in a suit and tie was what I could see myself doing, however reality sunk in and changed everything.
Speaking to people in the industry and understanding the importance of “work-life balance”, I knew that being an ad-man was going to make me really unhappy. Climbing the “corporate ladder” and pursuing greatness at the expense of everything good in life, created an existential crisis of sorts.
However, as I went on with the various units that were available under my course, it helped me see the different career possibilities I can take.
During that “existential crisis” period, I was preparing the very first Monash Entrepreneurship Forum. It was here where I connected with one of the founders of a company who was a guest speaker.
I learned about what they did and the vision of Wago, a boutique creative agency with great leadership. It was where I started my first job after university. I was hooked and up to this day, the former managing director, Hassan Alsagoff, is still my mentor.
Studying at Monash was long yet rewarding. What appealed most to me was the option to study abroad. Getting to interact and build relationships with friends from across the world was a great way of expanding my international network. That made my time going to Australia for the exchange programme a lot more fulfilling as I got to experience how my Australian friends studied, worked and played. For more information on the programmes at the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, visit www. buseco.monash.edu.my