The Abishegam Formula

JUST what does it take to own a fleet of luxury cars? Andrew Abishegam, the proud owner of a Jaguar XJ V6, a Ferrari F1 Modena Spider and a fleet of Mercedes Benz motorcars which includes the S Class, SL, CE and a nine-seater Mercedes Vito Grand Luxury and the managing director of X2, which specialises in the management of international corporate launches and special events, gives us his take.

The first crucial ingredient is the ability to turn a "no" into a "yes".

"To me the question of 'no' does not even arise. I have banned the words "cannot", "I don't know" and "impossible" from my vocabulary," says Abishegam, who founded X2 on Aug 8 in 1988.

It is a simple principle and assures Abishegam, easily applicable as well. All one has to do is to ask nicely.

Of course, it pays to cultivate the art of effective communication to put the message across clearly and effectively.

For this seasoned launch master, it all boils to creating a first good impression.

"How you look, how you dress, how you look people in their eyes, the way you talk, your language, your accent and how you read the person in front of you is all part of the communication process," says Abishegam.

Definitely, having knowledge on what you can or canít do is also supremely important.

This father of four says that he would never dream of asking for the impossible or putting the service provider in a position where he would have to incur expense.

Another trait that one must have is the readiness to push everything to the extreme and to the very end until almost to breaking point because, according to Abishegam, that is the only way to achieve the best.

"The one phrase that is prevalent in my life is, ëTo give the best, to get the best and to be the bestí- nothing less, nothing more. As long as you're not stealing or hurting and upsetting anyone, do whatever pleases you. It's your life! You have one life. Don't waste it. Make your life an experience, the best experience ever," he says.

Naturally, one must also have a perfectionist attitude.

In Abishegam's case, he says that the only reason guests get to see a beautifully orchestrated event is because it is planned, rehearsed and executed exactly according to how he wants it to be.

One example was the simultaneous launch of the Proton Perdana V6 2.0 and the Proton Satria 1.8 GTi at the Bukit Jalil in-door stadium in 1998.

The logistics, he says, was one of the most complicated as it involved 3,000 Proton employees which had to be choreographed, fed, clothed and kept entertained for three days from nine to five.

Another event was for a Ferrari Club dinner earlier this year which entailed pushing (yes, you read me right) a Ferrari ENZO from the ground floor to the ballroom of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center of which the path had to be carpeted every step of the way.

"Nothing is left to chance. Absolutely nothing! I don't believe in luck or even hope for the best. As Confucius said, 'Preparation + Execution = Guaranteed Success'," says Abishegam.

The idea of celebrating life with a touch of fanfare is something that is not only confined to events organised by X2.

In one year, Abishegam bought his wife, Chris Liew, the creative genius behind X2, a red Mercedes SL convertible, wrapping the whole car in bows and ribbons before presenting it to her.

"When she saw it, the first thing she said was, "Can we afford it?" That's Chris, always the practical minded one," laughs Abishegam.

It also helps to abide by a life philosophy.

For Abishegam and Chris, both in their youthful 40s, it is the fairy-tale life for them and as Liew admits it, the love for the fabulous life.

This means running the gamut of hands on childcare with the fraternal twins, Alexa and Alia, both 10, Adam, 8 and Allegra, 5, and creating out-of-this-world experiences for their clients.

Once, they chartered a private jet from Malaysia Airlines to bring 130 passengers all on first class service, including private air hostesses, special meals, private check-in as a treat for a group of international VIPs.

Another time, it was a sail into the sunset among the 99 islands of Langkawi on a private yacht, Lily Marleen, with a band and dancing on board.

It is also important to remember one's humble beginnings.

For Abishegam, who recalled how he had to spend nights working in the office while his friends partied, the first car he owned was a Proton Saga 1.3 manual which he bought for RM26,000. Five years later, he sold it at RM27,000, at a time when Protons were highly sought after.

Lastly, one must have a strong desire to progress in life.

From a Proton Saga 1.3, Abishegam would jump to a Mercedes 300 CE Sports Coupe with electric seats, electric steering, remote robotic safety belt, sun roof, electric head rest.

ìI was 29 when I bought it. Everybody was very surprised when I moved from a Proton Saga to a Mercedes Sports. I enjoyed it so much because I knew that every part of that car was earned by my own hard work," he says.

"This is one car I will keep in my collection forever."

Story and Pictures by Grace Chen. Published in CBT