The passion to help people within the field of education and self-development is reflective of Florence Tee’s entrepreneurial journey and she continues her venture into new fields based on her passion for helping people. In an interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Florence, founder of Noodle NLP speaks on the success of her current educational enterprises, the establishment of a personal development centre based on neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and as an established NLP coach.
A teacher by training, Florence Tee moved from her home state of Sarawak to Penang, opting for the less secure path of seeking employment within the private education sector. Starting from scratch, like most entrepreneurs, the experiences and savings gained from each step were re-invested successfully in bigger startups. Despite the challenges of starting entrepreneurships, Florence has navigated towards notable achievements.
Florence chose to work independently after graduating from University Malaysia Sarawak in 2005. An initial stint in a private college and part-time tuition to foreign students provided the required capital and experience to start a tuition centre. “I was busy 24/7 learning as much as possible,” recollects Florence, “and that helped in establishing a 300-student tuition centre.” A demure personality exhibiting resiliency with a penchant for challenges characterises Florence.
By 2013, there were further developments with the setting up of a centre for tutorship targeted mainly for children who require additional coaching in English. “I moved from Penang to Petaling Jaya and started another centre in helping students,” says Florence. The centre, based in Damansara Jaya, with a 400 student population has since gained recognition for the quality of teaching with a special focus on children’s development. Florence’s involvement in helping others through entrepreneurship has been recognized through awards given. “It is my passion for teaching and seeing people transform for the better that has contributed to my success,” says Florence.
The venture into NLP training which started early this year was envisioned to help people. “It is important to ingrain the right values and mindsets early in children. I wanted to help them and with that intention, I took up NLP certifications,” explains Florence. The company, Noodle NLP, was set up in 2018 with Florence becoming one of the few certified hypnotherapists, trainers of NLP, trainer of Master Timeline Therapy™ and master coaches in the country. “Becoming a coach is one of the greatest achievements of my life and I want to use my knowledge in helping people move forward with their lives as my contribution towards society,” adds Florence.
The experiences encountered during childhood leaves a lasting impression throughout one’s life. Florence recollects the hardship her family endured with a bedridden father and mother taking care of five siblings on her own. “It was undoubtedly tough but it has made me into a champion problem resolver,” says Florence with a determined smile, “I have learnt that for every problem there is a better solution based on one’s ingenuity and creativeness.” This is evident in the courses provided, especially NLP courses geared towards helping children and adults.
A mother of three children, Florence spends as much time as possible with them. “My husband and mother-in-law help me in their supervision but on my off days and weekends, my time is solely focused on them,” says Florence.
Florence strongly believes that young people need not be afraid of the unknown, but instead be ready to face the risk of challenges by pushing boundaries and getting out of one’s comfort zone. She thinks that it is important to be ready to take on challenges as each challenge is a learning process. “Most youngsters are full of passion on their future pursuits but there is a lack of reality towards it,” notes Florence. “Although passion is a key ingredient for starting a venture, however, for the growth and sustainability of the passion, pragmatism is equally important in terms of financial and business plans. The underlying passion has to be framed by the realities of business.”
