5 Minutes with... Nazril Idrus (The Apprentice Asia)

Could Nazril Idrus potentially be our own Bill Rancic?

Already a familiar face on our local TV, Nash (as he is affectionately known), is set to make Malaysia proud as one of three Malaysian contestants on The Apprentice Asia.

Currently a financial coach, financial trainer and entrepreneur, we caught up with Nash during the recent Astro-On-The-Go Live Explorer event and he shared some tips for emerging entrepreneurs, why “Losing My Virginity” is his favourite book and explained the “LVG” acronym that is synonymous with him.

One memorable experience from The Apprentice Asia: The times before we wanted to go in the boardroom. All of us, if not myself, would just be busting to go to the toilet before going to the boardroom. We would always laugh about how frightening it feels before walking into the boardroom.

Favourite book: “Losing My Virginity” by Richard Branson. I thought it’s a cleverly titled book and the book is super-duper hot with his biography, who he is as a rebellious entrepreneur, and a music guy. He is a very unorthodox kind of person.

Another book was given to me by my wife. It’s the easiest business book in the world to read and it’s “Who moved my cheese”. It’s another favourite of mine for people who do not want to read books.

The best place to dine in KL: Alexis at Great Eastern Mall. Not only is the ambience awesome but sometimes they have jazz bands playing. We can just relax with friends, enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy life and be in the moment.

How do you relax: It’s pretty tough for me to relax but I always try to relax a lot. I always think of ways to relax. One the thing that I do that gets me off my head is I go to the gym and I have a personal trainer to train me. That’s when I don’t have to think. I have about 45 minutes with the personal trainer. He takes away things from my head and I just focus on what he asks me to do, which is trying to ‘kill’ me all the time.

How do you spend your weekend: I spend the weekends predominantly with my children and my wife. We make a point that we must spend family time, kick back and think about where to go. We do that over weekdays as well. My wife is a big person when it comes to family so we try to find time to be with our kids. I find things like sending my two girls to school very, very soothing and loving. I like that.

Your favourite holiday destination: My all-time favourite holiday destination right now is New York. My wife and I went to New York after we were in Los Angeles, and we stayed in Manhattan. In Manhattan, I could walk everywhere and everything is there. I think we spend seven days there and could only cover ten percent of New York so we are definitely going to go back. My second and third quick destinations to just go away are Phuket and Bali which is not too far.

Favourite Twitter or Instagram accounts to follow: @SazzyFalakCLPT. She’s a freak when it comes to Instagram, Twitter and Social Media. She’s the biggest one that I follow. I also follow @TonyFernandes and I also like to listen up to what @KhairyKJ has to say because I think he is a smart dude as well.

What motivates you: What motivates me is the fact that when I wake up everyday, I’m thinking, “Who can I help today?” and “How can I inspire today?” I need to affect someone else’s life so that motivates me to wake up. After being a successful entrepreneur, I realize it’s not about me. It’s about how can I affect other people and their lives.

Your favourite quote: “LVG”, which stands for Legacy, Vibrant, and Giving.

Legacy: We need to leave behind a legacy for our loved ones, as a person who can inspire others or financial legacy. Financial freedom is where you have managed to leave enough money for the family and for them to leave the next legacy for the next generation.

Vibrant: Live life with energy, with power, with inspiration.

Giving: It’s not about us anymore. It’s about giving back to other people so that life means something to everybody.

Advice for young Malaysians: Go into organisations or in groups of entrepreneurial youths. Get into something you can be part of or able to create something. Start a small business with a few friends. The key here is to be mentored. You need someone to model. There are young entrepreneurs in Malaysia like Joel Neoh of Groupon.

Don’t be with friends who are only thinking about finding jobs. Go out there and perhaps work in the service industry. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you need to know how to market. Marketing is key. Learn marketing and communication. That’s what is lacking. Start with marketing other people’s product and that is when you will learn and then you start on your own.