ABOUT VIVEK IYYANI
I believe in the future & the future is Millennial
My Story
Here's how it all started
2009: LOST
After failing my A' Levels, I realised early on that I should not follow society's template of what it means to be successful.
No more compromising on what I wanted, in order to satisfy what society valued. The narrative I was fed about going into 'Science' streams for better opportunities lost its effect on me. My mantra became "If it is to be..it's up to me".
I wanted to pursue my passion, so right after the army, I sought out to join companies that empowered youths because I kinda liked the idea since young.
This kickstarted my journey as a freelancer, trainer's assistant, and coach for students from primary level to polytechnic level
2013: Freelancer
I did freelance training for youths while studying for my degree in Psychology. After 3-4 years of freelancing, I started my own company YOU Training & Development in 2013 upon graduation. Crazy, I know.
We provided Enrichment Programs for students from Primary 1 to Junior College/Polytechnic/ITE level for 2 years before I started to feel like I was burning out.
I felt my passion dwindle as I felt there was little impact in the work that I was doing. Yes, we were enriching lives while we trained but I hardly got to see the measurable & sustainable results post the training programs. I wanted to do something more meaningful that felt more fulfilling.
2015: 3 Trends
It is around this time period that I noticed 3 trends
1. Teachers complaining about Parents getting too involved with their children
2. Army Officers (during my National Service) complaining about Parents getting too involved when their children were staying in camp.
We had parents calling up to check with the officers why their son wasn't responding to their text (hint: most of them were texting their girlfriends)
3. Peers in my social circle job-hopping more frequently than 'normal'
Job hopping back then meant it would leave a black mark on your resume. That pushed me to look into this phenomenon. I started wondering if it had something to do with my own generation
2016: I started digging further into it
I knew that what I was hearing was merely the symptoms, there was something much more behind these events.
I started researching more into the topic and realised that many from the Millennial Generation, are depressed with the life they had worked so hard to attain for themselves.
This set me on the journey of writing my first book, Empowering Millennials: The 5 Step Sequence to design a life of Fun, Freedom & Fortune.
2017: From Trainer to Author
I wrote Empowering Millennials for college students and youths who went through the same Quarter Life Crisis as I did .
As a result of that, I had Managers reach out to ask me if I did any training programs for corporations that would Empower Managers to manage Millennials better.
2017: Corporate Speaker & Executive Coach
From training youths in Universities, I started getting regular enquiries from Corporate companies to train their managers on 'Managing Millennials'
These training programs led to executive coaching enquiries to help managers with Millennials in their teams.
I realised I had built a niche for myself and opportunities were knocking on my door more frequently.
2018: Media Accolades
I started getting invited to speak on National Television on the Millennial Generation. I have been featured by Channel NewsAsia, Vasantham, Straits Times, Oli 96.8FM and multiple magazines / blogs
2019: From Local to International
Enquiries started pouring in from overseas countries. I am invited to give Keynotes overseas and the opportunity to travel while getting paid to do so!
2020: From Physical to Virtual
Physical speaking engagements pivoted to virtual speaking engagements.
I secure a 3-book contract with Penguin Random House and finish writing my 2nd book 'Engaging Millennials' thanks to the extra time I got during circuit breaker lockdown.
2021: Launch of Engaging Millennials
In my new book, ENGAGING MILLENNIALS, I pull back the curtain to reveal the research and rationale behind the Millennials' mindset.
I unveil the hidden desires of this generation and how leaders leverage this to inspire long term loyalty & productivity - as well as what triggers them to quit cold turkey.
ENGAGING MILLENNIALS shares the insider's insights into how great leaders can develop extraordinary companies that their people never want to leave