Reach out and touch 100 hearts, together we’ll touch a billion – Dato’ Sri Vijay Eswaran

“Our legacy will be to touch a billion hearts” proclaimed QNET founder Dato’ Sri Vijay Eswaran, at the 15th Anniversary gala event in Malaysia this evening.

To a large audience Dato’ Sri explained, “financial goals are important but instead of setting QNET’s sights on becoming a billion dollar company, we want to be a company that touches a billion hearts.” The financial goals will follow, he explained.

Already the company has touched nine million directly through it’s successful network marketing business, QNET, over the past 15 years.

“Over the years, we have surmounted everything, all the naysayers, that came along the way and we are here today! We know we already have touched many through the people that have heard of us and the people that have benefited from our commitment to improving communities.”

Tonight, QNET sets a new aspirational goal of touching not 9 million, not 100 million, but one billion hearts.

“The way we will touch a billion hearts will be in any way, subtle but sure. Not conquering, just touching hearts so people know that they’re not alone. As we grow stronger and bigger, we realize our battles cannot be fought alone, we need each other. We are more than a passing trend and we will touch more and more hearts through not just network marketing, but everything we do” says our QNET Leader.

His message to Independent Representatives was, “however great you are, we must remain simple at heart. Simplicity is our power. When you reach out and touch a hundred hearts, then together we will touch a billion.”

Chief Pathman ended the live online broadcast with a message for Dato’Sri, “We are with you 100%, you have our hearts.”

Earlier, the formalities started with VP Kuna Senathirajah inspiring the many Malaysian Independent Representatives in the crowd.

“Malaysia is where people come to from around the world to feel the power!” said Kuna.

This special event is held in Qi Tower in Malaysia because it is QNET’s tower, our headquarters – it is home and all our Networkers worldwide recognise this as home explained Kuna, referring to V-Malaysia that happens almost every year.

Big News: Dato’ Seri Vijay Eswaran and QNET in Forbes Magazine!

Forbes Magazine, an international business publication, featured our mentor and V Managing Partner’ Vijay Eswaran in a riveting article entitled “Selling A Better Life” about his journey to founding QNET and turning it into the successful global multi-level marketing company it is today.

The article is refreshingly honest about QNET’s history, Vijay Eswaran and other senior directors’ experiences, and the controversial industry of network marketing, highlighting the key highs and lows of building such a business that is close to achieving US $ 1 billion in sales in coming years.

Touching on the unique values, strategies and product lines that set QNET apart from competitors and also contribute greatly to the company’s overall success, the article is an informative and insightful read for everyone.

It’s your hard work, belief and dedication that has and will continue to drive the company’s incredible growth and amazing success!

Read-more: http://blog.qnet.net/2012/10/big-news-dato-seri-vijay-eswaran-and-qnet-in-forbes-magazine/

Selling A Better Life - Vijay Eswaran

In the Rough-and-Tumble Business of Direct Sales, Malaysia’s Vijay Eswaran Learns from Mistakes and Builds a Movement.

Thousands have come to Jakarta from all over Asia, waiting with patience and anxiety for this moment. At last the music swells. An excited murmur arises; he enters behind a phalanx of bodyguards, and the crowd parts. People strain to touch him or at least his high-collared tunic. Spotlights cast him in a golden glow. He raises a hand in benediction, utters a few unheard words and lets the rush carry him on. Vijay Eswaran has arrived.

It’s a triumphant return to Indonesia for the Malaysian founder and chairman of the Qi Group, a young giant of multilevel marketing with sales that could approach $1 billion in the next couple of years. His annual three-day convention, training session, pep rally and lovefest, the VCon, has attracted more than 8,000 of his company’s so-called IRs. These are some of the 4.5 million independent representatives who buy and sell his products, creating networks that they call a chain of prosperity, giving them a business of their own and a vision of a better life.

Wrapped up in the adulation, it’s tempting for Eswaran to forget the last time his event was held here, in 2007. An obscure lawsuit in the Philippines had mutated into an Interpol arrest warrant, clapping him and three senior executives in jail for three weeks. Indonesian courts scoffed and set him free; a Manila court dismissed the charge soon afterward. But Eswaran remembers it as one of the consequences of building a business in which some people expect a get-rich-quick scheme and feel cheated when they don’t get one.

Or as one reveler put it, “Just because there’s no limit on what you can make doesn’t mean you don’t have to work. Some people don’t, some do.” A young man from Malaysia, Omar, was without prospects in 2009 when he joined Qnet, the company’s keystone division, to sell personal-care products to a few friends, who told other friends. It was tough going at first, but now he can afford to move out on his own and wants to get married next year. “It has changed my life, and it has changed me,” he says. “For all of this I thank Vijay Eswaran.”People such as Omar have helped Eswaran emerge as one of the most charismatic of Asia’s self-made businesspeople over the past 20 years. Selling the simple things of day-to-day life such as cosmetics and discount phone cards, while also building a thriving gold coin business, has made the 52-year-old one of the richest people in Malaysia. Forbes Asia estimates his net worth at $500 million, based on his stake in the unlisted company as well as holdings in real estate and fine art on display in his lavish homes in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Sydney, Hong Kong–where the Qi Group has been headquartered since 1998–and London. (The company won’t divulge his stake, saying only that it’s a majority share, but insiders there indicate that it’s between 70% and 90%. Qi also won’t disclose its annual profits.)

At the same time he has been the target of dozens of accusations of everything from sketchy dealings to outright fraud. There have been outraged postings on the Internet and short-lived government crackdowns. Rumors of shoddy dealings can be the kiss of death in a business where word of mouth is all-important. So Eswaran decided to defeat them openly, with an aggressive campaign of newspaper ads, a website devoted to debunking the claims, and lawsuits. Now many of the claims have been retracted, and the online slurs have faded.

Feeling vindicated, Eswaran is remaking the much maligned multilevel marketing industry, bringing in corporate-style management, information technology and new product development. He’s diversified into areas such as telecoms, travel and meeting management. He’s brought business skills, energy and jobs to developing parts of Asia where they can be scarce. And he’s done this with a company culture that stresses spiritual growth, positive intentions and service to others (see sidebar) . “This is a very difficult part of the world to operate in,” says Charles King, an academic at the University of Illinois who has studied direct sales for 25 years. “I don’t know of any other company in Asia that has been able to master the subtleties of the multilevel marketing structure so well, continually adapting it to produce sustained growth.”

Readmore: http://www.forbes.com/sites/donaldfrazier/2012/10/24/selling-a-better-life/

Vijay Eswaran’s reflections on Success

The difference between success and failure is simple; the one who makes it to the top is the one who lasted, pushed and survived just that little bit longer. Giving up is easier to do that holding your ground. The only difference is now I’m not going to give up when others do. There’s nothing secretive about it – it’s about being able to complete the process.

If only there existed a secret, someone would have found it by now. The real secret is that each person must find his own recipe. The problem is not with the success itself. The most dangerous is to be successful the very first time. It’s better to fail before one succeeds because that is the best way to learn. The most important thing whether you succeed or fail is always what you learn along the way. The worst failure is to be trapped in success. I would define this process as crossing a mountain and a valley. It’s necessary to leave the valley to cross the mountain. For me, the mountain and the valley are both beautiful. Usually, I leave one and enter the other. The mountain is now very high and we just have to work towards getting to the top.

There is no efficient way to success though. The effective path is more likely to be paved with failures and anguish. Experts are usually the last to perceive success as the facts tend to get in the way.

The right time and place meets you half way. You don’t move, it will not come. Success does not respond to wishes. It responds only to definite plans, backed by definite desires, through constant persistence, perseverance and patience.

Vijay Eswaran Gives Keynote Speech at World Muslim Leadership Forum

QNET’s very own Vijay Eswaran was a keynote speaker at the second World Muslim Leadership Forum held in London on 26 September 2012, where he delivered a thought-provoking speech entitled, “The New Hope for the Next Generation”.

The World Muslim Leadership Forum connects the leaders of today and tomorrow to discuss and debate issues that affect the global Muslim community and its future. The forum also highlights positive government initiatives and leadership, as well as the contributions of Muslims from across the globe.

In line with this year’s theme, ‘World Muslim Leaders: The Next Generation’,  Vijay Eswaran spoke about the importance of soft power — the ability to achieve desired outcomes by co-opting people instead of coercing them.

“It takes great courage to be a great moderate,” said  Vijay Eswaran, emphasising on the need for people to co-exist peacefully. He pointed out how soft power was exercised by famous Muslim leaders of the past: Saladin (founder of the Ayyubid dynasty) defeated his enemies yet won their respect through his honourable deeds; Akbar the Great treated religious leaders of non-Muslim faiths with much consideration.


 Vijay Eswaran went on to cite his home country of Malaysia as a classic role model of a gentler Islam, having embraced a culture of welcoming in a borderless world. “’I leave the doors open to all winds of the world, but I let my feet remain embedded in my motherland,’” he stated, quoting Gandhi.

When asked about his thoughts on media from an Islamic perspective,  Vijay Eswaran replied, “Media (and social media) today has become the fastest way to communicate, an instantaneous way to engage people. The youth of today have opportunities to become successful if they were gaged by what they make of themselves. With the power of media and technology at your disposal, it’s all about ‘you’ and how you empower yourself to better yourself.”

The forum also explored other topics by renowned speakers, such as H.E. Shaukat Aziz, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan; and Lauren Booth, an English broadcaster and journalist.

Vijay Eswaran helms a business empire that spans the globe

Vijay Eswaran helms a business empire that spans the globe, but the Mahatma’s principles are among his most treasured possessions

He is a Malaysian by nationality and prefixes his name with the title “Dato’”, the equivalent of a knighthood, bestowed in Malaysia. But what is most striking about the man is his claim that he follows the principles of “ahimsa” (although it technically means non-violence, the scope of this connotation is widened to include ethical behaviour) which Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace, not only preached but also practised.

The entrepreneur says he practises Gandhian principles even in today’s corporate world, known for its dog-eat-dog notoriety, where ethics tend to recede into the background and profits reign supreme.Meet 52-year-old Vijay Eswaran, a Malaysian of Indian descent, who has set up a business empire that stretches across many parts of the world. He was recently in New York to receive the New Global Indian (NGI) award for business excellence and philanthropy from the global Indian diaspora that descended on New York for the gargantuan Global India Business Meet (GIBM) 2012. Penang-born Eswaran is also an author, speaker and philanthropist.

He graduated with a degree in socio-economics from the London School of Economics in 1984. Thereafter he stayed on in Europe for a year and did several odd jobs. In 1986, he obtained an MBA from the Southern Illinois University. Finally, Eswaran worked towards creating his own business; he is today the executive chairman of the QI group, founded in 1998, an e-commerce based conglomerate with businesses diversified into retail and direct sales, technology, lifestyle and leisure, luxury and collectibles, education, training and conference management, property development and logistics.

The QI Group has regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, besides having a presence in nearly 30 countries through a wide range of subsidiary companies. The chairman of the Council of Quest International University in Malaysia, Eswaran is also on the advisory board of the Global Business Council and Corporate Malaysia Roundtable. In addition to the GIBM award conferred on him, Eswaran was given the Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award 2012. He arrived in New York as one of Forbes Asia’s top 48 philanthropists.

Readmore: http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/weekend-review/malaysia-s-gandhian-entrepreneur-1.1097017#.UJNHpkjbJkc.facebook

Vijay Eswaran- Qnet Founder Eswaran Extolled, Vilified as Readers Weigh In

November story on Vijay Eswaran (“Selling a Better Life”), who makes the Malaysian Rich List for the first time, at No. 25, prompted an outpouring of reader reaction. It’s drawn more than 35,000 views online and 167 comments, and nearly 5,000 people had shared it on Facebook as of February 22. Most of the feedback was full of praise. Some of it was downright slanderous, not only toward his multilevel marketing company, Qnet, but also toward FORBES ASIA.

“Dato Vijay is one of the most incredible, successful entrepreneurs in the world,” according to Mohamed Abdullah, posting a comment. Egidius Mwabuki said, “Unbelievable!! … with this, business life has changed. I have started to dream again and my dreams have begun to come true one after another.” Prashant Sharma offers, “Big thanks to Dato Vijay” and compares Eswaran with Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and the like. Qnet executives logged on as well; so did a number of academics in a debate on whether any such company that enlists an army of independent representatives to pitch its products to friends and neighbors can be a legitimate business.

Others had a darker view. Pawan Sood said, “One doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why Qnet is a scam.” Juliet Thomsen goes further: “Wow!!! FORBES promoting a fraud; I guess true journalism is indeed dead.” And Ashu Dutt claims, “Qnet openly uses your article to mislead people on their credibility. … Hundreds of homes have been destroyed.” He didn’t provide evidence.

Sucheta Dalal, an Indian financial journalist who crusades against scams and promotes workshops on how to avoid them, made the most of our story, flatly calling Eswaran’s company a fraud in her Moneylife blog. In a Twitter post she laments, “It’s pathetic how Qnet is leading people to financial ruin.” And in another she suggested we had been bribed to run the story. We offered her a chance to make her case by debating Eswaran’s chief lawyer online. She ridiculed the offer and refused to accept it.

Malaysia’s Vijay Eswaran gets philanthropy and business excellence award from NY Indian diaspora

Penang-born Malaysian entrepreneur Datuk Vijay Eswaranwas honoured Saturday night with the New Global Indian (NGI) award for philanthropy and business excellence at the Global Indian Business Meet (GIBM) 2012 in New York.

Eswaran is the founder and executive chairman of the QI Group of Companies.At the award ceremony, Eswaran was cited by many speakers as a “renowned Malaysian entrepreneur, author, speaker and philanthropist”.

The QI Group, founded in 1998, is an e-commerce-based conglomerate with businesses diversified into retail and direct sales, technology, lifestyle and leisure, luxury and collectibles, education, training and conference management, property development and logistics.

Eswaran’s QI Group has regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, besides having a presence in nearly 30 countries through a wide-range of subsidiary companies.

As chairman of the University Council of Quest International University in Malaysia, Eswaran is also on the advisory board of the Global Business Council and Corporate Malaysia Roundtable.

In addition to the GIBM award, Eswaran was given the Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award 2012.

Eswaran arrived here already decorated with another award by Forbes Asia as one of the top 48 philanthropists. The audience, comprising largely senior leaders of the globally-spread Indian diaspora, had eagerly waited to hear his views on the subject of the Indian economy and the political landscape in India.

Vijay Eswaran Does QI Proud with CEO of the Year Award

Vijay Eswaran was awarded the Malaysian Business Awards (MBA) “CEO of the Year 2013” by the Asean Business Advisory Council Malaysia on November 8, 2013. Eswaran, who is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of the QI Group of Companies, received the coveted award from Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamad, the Malaysian minister of international trade and industry at the 5th MBA Gala Dinner held in Kuala Lumpur.
The MBA awards recognise excellence, innovation and best practices in business entities and are widely regarded as the ultimate showcase of outstanding businesses and personalities in Malaysia.
Eswaran, a well-known philanthropist and speaker, established the multinational QI Group in 1998 which includes a diverse range of businesses including e-commerce, hospitality, retail and financial services. Most recently, he established the Quest International University in Perak in 2011. He has also been recognized for his extensive philanthropic activities in Malaysia and abroad.
“I am humbled to receive an award that has in the past recognised some exceptional individuals who I personally admire. It is an honour to be recognized by my peers in Malaysia.”
“My gratitude goes to everyone at the QI Group who has stood by me and helped us grow from a small group of dreamers to a 1000+ multi-business, multi-national organization with a global footprint. Although I am the one holding the trophy, this award belongs to a larger community of talented, supportive and passionate individuals. We are only as strong as our teams and in that regard, I have been very fortunate,” said Eswaran.
Other notable recipients of the night were Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay (Lifetime Achievement Award), Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing (International Excellence Award), Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad and Tan Sri Francis Yeoh for industry excellence.