In the end, image is everything
How you present yourself can make the difference between securing a hardearned promotion and suffocating in self-pity, writes Lamonphet Apisitniran
Everyone wants to have a successful career and shift up to the next level of his or her job. Hard work isn’t the only way to make it happen: there are many related factors that can help in achieving the next step. For instance, image consulting. Apailuck Tantrabandit, also known as Ajarn Ae, is the founder of The New You Co, one of Thailand’s first image consultancies.
According to Ms Apailuck, employees in the past had to rely on elbow grease when they sought a promotion, but nowadays hiring an image consultant is even likelier to make it happen.
As a matter of fact, image is an indispensable factor that lets an individual’s personality stand out in stark relief, reflecting the person’s attitude and work ethic.
Image creates a sense of expectation from others and builds personal reputation.
“A healthy self-esteem will lead us towards positive thinking about ourselves, and it helps us deal with the ups and downs of life,” Ms Apailuck said.
The entrepreneur said she is not a fashion guru, but rather an ordinary working lady who learned how to dress and wants to assist anyone in appearing more charming through inner beauty.
Her goal is to inspire other people to express their confidence and get the most out of their personality.
“You don’t have to get out of your comfort zone or buy all new things, but just be cool as the way you are,” Ms Apailuck said.
She said customers who want to consult about their image are often desperate to change their current job or life circumstances, but that doesn’t mean they have to their change outfit or style; they merely have to bring the inside to the outside.
“The right or wrong clothes can reflect your personal attitude, and the dressed-up style you choose will tell about your mood, health and overall confidence,” Ms Apailuck said.
In her estimation, 80% of men and women wear the wrong outfit, failing to grasp how to wear a suit properly or pick the best outfit for the body.
With basic knowledge, she said, anyone can look smarter and ready to achieve more.
“Just remember that fashion can evolve every single year, but having a high-quality and classy outfit can keep you in your own style,” Ms Apailuck said.
Founded in April 2015, The New You touts expertise in professional presentation, leadership, image and personality for success, innovative thinking and team-building.
At present, roughly 10,000 students have sat training classes with the company. These included university students, corporate managers and politicians.
The New You has three main programme: image consulting, presentation mastery and Empower Me.
The image consulting programme features many difference classes: colour analysis, colour material analysis, design development clothing, training leadership, personal image, apparel development, keynote presenter, motivational speaking, personal style consultant, wardrobe fashion style and wardrobe personal shopping.
Presentation mastery focuses on speaking in public places, while the Empower Me programme is a class that help learners find themselves and improve their efficiency, a regime especially suited for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“The training programmes cost 10,000100,000 baht,” Ms Apailuck said.
She said the image consulting programme is rising in popularity in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, thanks to each country’s growing economy and business owners yearning to be more professional in their careers.
Demand for image consulting in Thailand is surging in line with global trends, as personal contact is viewed as essential and first impressions can make or break a deal.
“In Thailand, there are not many image consultant institutes or specialists who can teach, so there is plenty of business opportunity for The New You to be the premier image consulting company in the country,” Ms Apailuck said.
Five years ago, she made the massive decision to change her life while employed at a business coaching school.
“The courses were similar to the personal consulting programme, but in the end my company ignored my study plan, which broke my heart,” Ms Apailuck said.
After that bad day, she Googled other programmes on the internet, resigned from her position and visited the London Image Institute in Britain using the last of her savings, later borrowing cash from her family so she could study abroad.
“The image consultant programme in England was well known at a global level, so I decided to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs,” Ms Apailuck said with a laugh.
She took further classes at the Academy of Image Mastery in Singapore and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
Ms Apailuck returned to Thailand after she finished all her image consulting courses. For the first six months, she had no work to put money in her pocket. Then she started to contact some of the many people who used to train with her.
“Most customers were corporate firms, and I thought that I was so lucky that those companies still trusted in me and they wanted to try the new training programmes,” Ms Apailuck said.
Today, The New You has customers from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Bahrain, Dubai and Norway, tapping Ms Apailuck’s more than a decade of experience. The consultancy averages more than 1 million baht a month revenue.
Ms Apailuck was the first Asian to be invited as a guest speaker for the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI).
The New You itself has been a partner with AICI in image consulting and related fields for the last several years.
Ms Apailuck said The New You has educated many leaders at major organisations in Thailand, including Kasikornbank, Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, Siam Cement Group, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Bobbi Brown, MAC, La Mer, Origins and the military.
Fashion can evolve every single year, but having a high-quality and classy outfit can keep you in your own style. APAILUCK TANTRABANDIT Founder, The New You Co