Struggle from Poverty to her Success. A true Story By Madam Lee Lean

All of us work very hard to gaining success in life. It is not something that will drop from the Sky unless you're born from a rich family. Unfortunately, most of us are not. Let me tell you a true story of rags to riches and overcoming adversity that best depicts Madam Yee Lee Lean's tale. 

Madam Lee Lean work to her success

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 a 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 his 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 that point then, Lee Lean as a temporary primary school teacher earned a meagre 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.

Madam 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.

Her advice for those wanting to get a head start in the insurance field 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, she advises people to take up insurance as it typifies a successful business model when paired with good service, hard work and sincerity. She believes that success is certain for those who yearn most of it.

She 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.

She boast 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 edicates its trainees on the true essence of financial planning through life insurance. She believes that insurance is not just about selling a day-to-day consumer product, but also to educate consumers on the protection in the long run. With the increase of medication cost every year, I agreed that having a insurance nowadays a necessity to all instead.

Madam 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, journey to success has not always been smooth sailing; her biggest challenge 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 at time disheartening. However, she never gave up and used her smarts to figure out how to get things done.

Madam Lee Lean and her successful team

Reflecting on her success over the last 34 years in the insurance industry, she quotes Abraham Lincoln as her source of inspiration as he himself possessed a fiery passion for helping others and never a quitter. Something that Lee Lean finds of relevance to her own self. Lee Lean said that most likely she should be a headmistress for a school or a kindergarten if she had never ventured into the insurance industry. This is because of her love for educating and wanting to help others. 

For those who wish to follow in Lee Lean's footsteps, and open the doors to having a balanced yet successful life, you may attend her motivational talks that she hosts all-year-around to facilitate your growth together and you can also explore the endless possibilities the industry has to offer. For more details, please contact ivytan.apps@gmail.com or call her at 03-79888043. Or if you wish that you could meet Madam Lee Lean in person and get some direct advice from her, then drop by at the upcoming Career Builder Fair 2015 at KLCC on 22nd and 23rd August 2015 at booth no. C05.