Uptown girl

VENICE Min is no stranger to the public eye, starting her career in blogging and starring in commercials as well as modelling. But she is more than a beautiful face, and you wouldn't have guessed she is currently undergoing training to be a racer.
Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, Toyota hosted a race called the Toyota Gazoo, and signed Venice and eight other celebrities to be their brand ambassadors. They have been training for almost two months for the one-year event, and the first race was held earlier this month.
Besides this, Venice is running her own creative agency that focuses on talent engagement. They also help talents on branding strategies as well as artiste management. Her agency also has the connections to bring international artistes down. Their main forte is talent management, branding strategies, and content creation.
She is basically multi-tasking every day – keeping up with the latest trends and writing about her lifestyle.
Why did you want to start a blog?
I started when I was 15 years old, and back in high school it was more like a trend when you would just follow what your friends do.
I did not see myself as a professional blogger, I was just doing it for the fun of it. I would blog about my lifestyle, random thoughts or my outings with friends.
So, it was like a platform for me to talk about my life. I did not see it coming that it will be my career.
Back in college, how did you cope with assignments and work?
My lecturers were very understanding. Sometimes when I travel, they would allow me to hand in my assignments a week earlier than the deadline, and I had very good classmates as well.
If I had to attend events after class, I would do my make-up in the car on the way there. One day, I was on the airplane coming back to Malaysia from joining a beauty pageant in South Korea, and I had exams in another two days so I studied on the flight. Although work can be hectic, university was my main priority.
Who has been your inspiration?
There are so many people that I can't even name them all. My family, of course, my mum, team mates and friends in the same industry. Most of them are entrepreneurs and successful women. There are many who inspire me.
Is there any competition?
A lot, definitely. I think in life, there is this quote "If you want something, you have to make sacrifices. You can't have everything" and in my career, I have sacrificed a lot. I don't have much time with my friends; that is one thing. I have a very hectic schedule and sometimes, I don't get enough sleep because of stress.
Talking about competition among my peers, I compete with myself. If you want to compete, there are so many people you can compete with; it's a never ending cycle.
As we get older, we have new people coming into the industry and there will always be new and upcoming people, so always remember to compete with yourself and improve.
Which countries do you enjoy travelling to?
I'm a very city girl, but sometimes when I get too stressed out with work, I feel like going to suburb kind of areas. But so far, I enjoyed New York and Japan. I especially loved Japan because of the food, culture and environment.
What's your advice to the younger generation?

Work hard and believe in your dreams. Know what you are doing, have a goal in your life and work hard towards it. It cannot all be just a dream.