Marvie Young Lim: Young Consultant to Watch

"I always want to conceptualize an event. I do not like to be an event coordinator though because most of the event coordinators leave right after the event. That's it! In my case, it is the other way around. I will start with a client in a business until it progresses. I am here to maintain and reinforce my clients' brand name and analyze further growth opportunities. I will certainly stay with my clients all throughout."

Conceptualizing a project for people has always been Marvie's favorite job. She said that she always enjoys talking to different kinds of people. Being one of the youngest consultants in the market today, Marvie is glad to sell her ideas in new and competitive businesses. It all started with referrals and with people seeing her in action.

"I used to do this for my friends before. They would consult me and ask for my opinions and ideas. And I would really source for them. Then, I noticed that they did it. I told myself: Hey, I guess it was my idea! But it was very much okay. So, last year, I decided to finally pursue business consulting because I realize there's so much potential business in it," Marvie shared.

Always enjoying a business challenge, Marvie is now handling high-end to mid-range clients, but she also helps "mom and pop" operations who have asked for her help. As she claims, "No client is too small!"

Marvie has been in the marketing business for 20 years now. She is involved in overall business packaging, research, sourcing and investment management, participation and promotions. Since her younger years, her usual marketing pitch is "If you give me something I believe in, I will package it and sell it back to you. And there is a pretty good chance that you will buy it."

This forever-smiling chinita holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication major in Advertising and PR from the Assumption College in Manila. Marvie is basically a warm, light and bubbly person. She likes celebrating even the simplest things in life. She loves to laugh and has the lucky break to always be assumed as someone younger than her real age. Well, I must admit, I was even astonished when she revealed to me her real age. Talking about her age was actually just to make the exclusive interview a little bit more fun. As a matter of fact, she asked me to guess her age. So guess I did: "28 or 29." She laughed. But, you decide, doesn't she look twenty something? Yet, this is another topic altogether.

Right after she graduated, multi-talented Marvie was Promotions & Special Events Manager at Rustan's Department Store. If there was a product that was slow-moving at Rustan's, Marvie would be thinking of a better way to move it, like coming up with a "gimmick" to attract patrons. And she enjoyed every moment.

For 5 years, she also worked as Marketing Manager at Faces Membership Club where she created comprehensive advertising and promotions programs to maintain and reinforce the A-B discotheque's market position. She then became Marketing Consultant of Cavel, owned by Carlos "Bobong" Velez, which companies include Vintage, Doña Nena's and Faces, among others.

The next 5 years was dedicated to Wellington "Willie" Soong's Frigate Development Corporation which owns Jaguar Cars, Ferreti Yachts, Bose Music System, RACKS Restaurant & Frigate Realty where she was Vice President for Marketing & Sales. She handled the packaging, marketing and launch of the Luy Kim Guan LKG Tower in Ayala, Equitable Bank Tower in Makati, Discovery Suites in Ortigas and the Forbes Tower in Makati.

Prior to all of Marvie's jobs, she already had a marketing experience even when she was still a college student.

"During my college years, many modeling agencies were very aggressive in casting. At that time, "in" yong mga mestiza. And, my classmates were all mestizas. I would bring them to these agencies. Bitbit ko lahat sila! The agency would give 30% for the model, and 30% for me. It was pretty good. Sideline ko yon when I was still in school", Marvie reminisced.

"My thrust is to establish myself not only to the Filipino community but also to the Chinese community, as well. I am currently linking Manila to Cebu and vice versa. If you have a business in Manila and you want to enter Cebu, I can do it for you. And, the same way with businessmen in Cebu who want to enter Manila. The advantage is that it is more personalized. It is the convenience of you talking to only one person. I will take care of all the significant things. I can fix everything for my client. I arrange for my clients to connect with whoever they need to meet. I always make certain that everybody is happy. Lahat sila kumikita. I am always fair to all of my clients. They can trust me with their money, and together, we create a project. So, it is always a partnership," Marvie pointed out.

Marvie's current consulting responsibilities include marketing management, strategic planning, special projects, marketing evaluation and promotion planning for food, entertainment, real estate, broadcast and communications, not only for several Philippine-related businesses but also for some U.S.-based corporations.

Her current accounts include Neo Chinatown Mall at Diosdado Macapagal Avenue (soon to rise beside Mall of Asia); Mezze!, a small plate dining restaurant of Bobong Velez in Greenbelt 2; Rediscovery of Matabungkay Resort at Nasugbu, Batangas; Aseana Power Station at Diosdado Macapagal Avenue, MTV Philippines and Escape Events Group of John Paul Chiongbian.

Marvie is also working as Marketing Consultant of Filinvest Development Corporation's 4-billion project called Seascapes Resort Town in Mactan Island. She is tasked to launch the project in July this year.

And what does she think of her job now? "It is very fulfilling and exciting to the point that people always think I'm younger than my age because I'm happy. It is making me feel young. Not stressed but challenged!"