MADAM YEE LEE LEAN
A True Inspiring Story
From School Teacher to Insurance
Mogul
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| Madam's solo picture |
Madam Yee Lee Lean's struggle from poverty to her success with APPS Sdn Bhd. A true story of rags to riches and overcoming adversity. This is what best depicts Lee Lean's tale. Lee Lean lost her father when she was only 3 months old, leaving her mother and siblings bereft. Things took a turn for the worse after that, as poverty and unfortunate experiences governed their early life. Her mother found it hard to make ends meet, having worked only as door-to-door laundry attendant. Lee Lean's mother soon remarried and even though her stepfather provided a secondary source of income for the family, he was an alcoholic and as a result, he passed away in this early 50s, leaving 4 minor children behind including Lee Lean. To help sustain the family and her own living, Lee Lean had to teach as a temporary teaching at an institution in the morning, afternoon at a primary school, while she host her own tuition class at home till late every day.
Fortunately, things took a turn for the better when
her brother introduced to her the concept of insurance. At the point then, Lee
Lean as a temporary primary school teacher earned a meager RM278 monthly and
was intrigued by the idea of how minimal savings can be turned into a
significant amount. Lee Lean knew this was the turning point in her life; she
took the leap and ventured into the insurance field leaving her days of
hardship behind.
Lee Lean spent her early days in insurance as a life
planner with AIA, in which she served the position for three years before
moving on to agency management. It was during those initial years that AIA
provided her with the training and essential knowledge of becoming an insurance
agent. Lee Lean also decided to go the extra mile and continued her further
studies; the AIA training program truly gave her the freedom in carving her own
success. With her newfound knowledge, hard work and perseverance, this
propelled her to succeed even more and she was even awarded second runner up
nationwide for achieving the most number of individual cases, only after her
second year of being a life planner.
Today,
reluctant in adhering to the confines of a 9-5 job, Lee Lean boasts her own
insurance agency called APPS Sdn Bhd, an abbreviation of Attitude, Personality,
Perseverance and Skills, taken after what she believes is needed to be a
successful life planner and entrepreneur. The APPS program educates its
trainees on the true essence of financial planning through life insurance. Lee
Lean believes that insurance is not just about selling a day-to-day consumer
product, but also to educate consumers on the benefits of insurance and
protection in the long run.
Lee Lean believes that if the job is met with sincerity with the intent of wanting to help others, only then will consumers realize the true benefits of an insurance policy. This is parallel to AIA's motto of 'Doing the right thing, in the right way, with the right people,' which has become the very basis of her own success.
However, Lee Lean's journey to success has not always been smooth sailing; her biggest challenege was the lack of guidance and tutelage from another individual whom she could learn from. As she recalls, no one taught her the exact formula for success, she was left much on her own devices to find her way, which was time disheartening. However, she never gave up and used her smarts to figure out how to get things done.
Lee Lean has indeed come a long way since her poverty
stricken days. She indulges in the life she has built for herself, traveling
regularly to see the world, and enjoying the company of her family. One thing
in particular that she is proud of as a mother, is being able to send both of
her children to the United States for further studies on account of her own
success.
Reflecting on her success over the last 34 years in the insurance industry, Lee Lean quotes Abraham Lincoln as her source of inspiration as he himself possessed a fiery passion for helping others and was never a quitter, something Lee Lean finds of relevance to her own self. When asked how would she see herself if she had never ventured into the insurance industry, Lee Lean states that she most likely would be a headmistress for a school or a kindergarten, because of her love for educating and wanting to help others.
Lee Lean’s advice for those wanting to get a head
start in the insurance filed or for those looking to kick start their own
business is that, as we get older our energy for doing work and labor will
decrease and it is then, that our source of income will cease. To overcome
this inevitable process, she advises people to build a self-sustaining career
in which you can easily pass on to a successor to generate future incomes. For
that, Lee Lean advises people to take up insurance as it typifies a successful
business model when paired with good service, hard work and sincerity. Lee Lean
believes that success is certain for those who yearn most for it.
For those who wish to follow in Lee Lean’s
footsteps, and open the doors to having a balanced yet successful life, you may
take your first step forward by attending her many motivational talks that she
hosts all-year-round. Allow her to facilitate your growth and together, you
can explore the endless possibilities the industry has to offer.
For more details,
Madam Yee and her team will also be present at the upcoming Career Builder Fair 2015 @ KLCC on 22th & 23th August (11am - 6pm)
Come over and visit to meet her face to face!