The G-Spot Column
It’s been a fantastic few months - speeches in Geelong, Australia; Hong Kong; Delhi and Kolkata, India.
And a recent three city tour of Poland – Gdansk; Lodz; and Warsaw. A speech at a conference in Poland (July 18) for 70 professors of entrepreneurship from 30 countries, and speaking and handing out awards at Hadlow -Britain’s top land – based industries college.
In between, catching brilliant concerts of The Webb Sisters; and Jamie Cullum – with Brad rocking on drums.
Graham Webb: A Unique Motivational Speaker
Book Graham to speak at your event here.
It’s been a fantastic few months - speeches in Geelong, Australia; Hong Kong; Delhi and Kolkata, India.
And a recent three city tour of Poland – Gdansk; Lodz; and Warsaw. A speech at a conference in Poland (July 18) for 70 professors of entrepreneurship from 30 countries, and speaking and handing out awards at Hadlow -Britain’s top land – based industries college.
In between, catching brilliant concerts of The Webb Sisters; and Jamie Cullum – with Brad rocking on drums.
Graham Webb: A Unique Motivational Speaker
Book Graham to speak at your event here.
China / Hongkong Report
Letter from
Vocational Training Council
Hong Kong
Subject: Greetings from Hong Kong!
Dear Mr Webb
I hope this message finds you well and refreshed from your whirlwind trip to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China.
Your remarkable story will no doubt be an inspiration and encouragement to so many of our students who are carrying with them various forms of fears, embarrassments and demons of their past. Mr Wong thought no teaching material will ever come close to being as effective as your real life story of struggles and triumph.
It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to meet you. My sincere thanks to you once again for sharing your life story. I have been very touched by your humility, humor and resilience. Please do stay in touch when you will next be in Hong Kong. Take good care and god bless!
With best regards
Winnie Ngan
LETTER TO THE WEBB SISTERS - A SURPRISE FOR THEIR DAD !
Dear Charley & Hattie
Greetings from Hong Kong! I am writing to seek your approval to play your music at a talk for our students by your father, Mr Graham Webb on 24 June 2009 at 2:30pm - 4:30pm.
In collaboration with the British Council in Hong Kong, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) will jointly organize a talk titled "It CAN be done!" by Mr Webb. We are expecting about 100 students and teachers from the VTC in attendance. We thought it may be nice to surprise Mr Webb by playing your music in the lecture hall before and after the talk. I have purchased 4 of your songs from iTunes, namely: (1) Words that mobilize; (2) Baroque thoughts; (3) In your father's eyes and (4) If it be your will. Your permission is sought for us to play these songs on a one-off basis in the lecture hall before & after the talk on 24 June 2009. We would be grateful for your confirmation at your early convenience. You may visit our web site at www.vtc.edu.hk
Best wishes to you for your upcoming music tour in Europe. Just as your father inspires the world over with his personal story of courage and victory, your angelic voices and talents bring a breath of fresh air and enlightenment to the music world! You have a new fan in me in Hong Kong!
With best regards
Winnie NGAN (Ms)
Vice Principal
Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi)
Dear Graham,
I hope you enjoyed your time in Guangzhou. I have received very positive reactions to your speeches and visit here and also hope that now you have been bitten by the Pacific Rim bug you will visit us again.
Best regards,
Dave Huxtable
Consul (Education)
British Council Director South China
British Council Director English Teacher Support, China
Cultural and Education Section of the British Consulate-General Guangzhou
Dear Graham - Thank you for coming to Guangzhou, China and speaking to our members. The reasons you are so successful are that you are approachable, and you take a genuine interest in people. Thank you for a thought provoking and inspiring speech.
ERIN BEILHARZ
BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
GUANZHOU, CHINA.
Dear Mr Webb
I hope this message finds you well and refreshed from your whirlwind trip to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China.
Your remarkable story will no doubt be an inspiration and encouragement to so many of our students who are carrying with them various forms of fears, embarrassments and demons of their past. Mr Wong thought no teaching material will ever come close to being as effective as your real life story of struggles and triumph.
It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to meet you. My sincere thanks to you once again for sharing your life story. I have been very touched by your humility, humor and resilience. As promised, a thank you letter from the VTC together with a video of your talk on 24 June will follow shortly. Please do stay in touch when you will next be in Hong Kong. Take good care and god bless!
With best regards
Winnie
Vocational Training Council. Hong Kong
Hi Graham
You're very kind ... too kind in fact. I was just the conduit ;-) ... you did all the hard work. I enjoyed writing it and trying to imagine how life was and is for you. Such extraordinary contrasts and I think that you, of all people, can truly explain the meaning and importance of life. I'll also confess that had I been given the chance to write your life story ... I'd have jumped at it. Really. I was so sorry I didn't get to meet you, though my spies (!) told me how well you were received. I'm glad it was an uplifting trip for you and you managed to share your insights about life. Talk about sounding rushed off your feet! Wishing you continued success and happiness, Graham, and hoping that one day we do get to meet.
With very best wishes
David
South China Morning Post
I can't believe that you dealt with emails as soon as you got back to the UK after such a long & tiring trip. You are so energetic! It was really my honour to be you temp assistant during your shuttle visit to Guangzhou although I am sure you would prefer a beautiful Chinese lady. I am sure I am envied by others because I had the chance to know a little bit more about you. Humour, Optimism, can-do attitude, Family-first, networking, preparation, these are the golden tips that had been engraved on my mind. I am sure such messages have been well received by the audience. I hope you enjoyed your trip and the trip to Guangzhou will open more chances for you to travel to China.
Regards,
Ron Pan
Business Partnerships Manager
British Council, Guangzhou,
CHINA
NOTE TO ADD:
An amusing moment happened during my speech at the British Council, Guangzhou, China. This occurred when I happened to notice and comment on the beautiful Chinese women that were in the audience, and spontaneously said that 'perhaps on my next visit I would prefer one of you to be my interpreter, rather than Ron!' Ron's hesitation and the look on his face was wonderful! And then of course he had to say in Chinese just what I had said! I followed this by asking the audience if he had honestly said what I had said? Everyone really laughed - including Ron Pan!:)
Dear Mr. Webb,
Thank you for an amazing experience this morning. It was a pleasure to hear you speak and I'm so happy some of my students made it to the BC offices this morning for your talk.
It was an interesting morning for us to cross town at rush hour with one student with more mobility restrictions than the rest. Carrying a wheelchair with us the crowded buses were not going to be feasible, packed with people sandwiched up to the front windshield of the bus. The rest of the morning was an adventure with taxis that wouldn't take us, long subway stairs to reach the lift within the subway, followed by a subway lift that wasn't operating (I've often wondered about their functionality but until today was not with anyone brave enough to try it out), to transferring lines on the subway and the many stairs involved in that, to crowded subways. We made it up more stairs and to BC in time to see your terrific speech.
I love being out in Guangzhou with Ivy because she has such a sweet soul and it's great to get her out of school. I also appreciate that people won't know how inaccessible things are here until they see her struggle. And I also appreciate that her struggles lead to her successes. She is a really strong girl. Success happens when she isn't discouraged by all of this.
She definitely enjoyed your speech a great deal and was enthusiastic about asking a question at the end. She was the student in the yellow shirt at the front right corner of the audience this morning who asked what challenges you met when starting your company. She has an amazing story and an amazing spirit. Thanks for helping lift her up a little bit today. I really think I see a significant difference in her attitude and added perseverance.
In case you want to contact her in the future, her email is .....
We are a small NGO/NPO University that teaches English and computer skills to students with physical disabilities.
The students at GETCH and the events at BC this year really inspire me. What a unique influence you are having on Guangzhou and southern China. Thank you again!
Theresa J. Hoeft PhD
Foreign Teacher
Guangzhou English Training Center for the Handicapped (GETCH)
Guangzhou, China
www.canpei.com
Subject: From Ivy
Hello, Graham,
I am very happy that I can recieve your Email, I very admire what you have achieved. As a handicapped, I really can understand what you have suffered from. Such as now I face with a most difficult thing that I don't know how to deal with it. I am very severe handicapped, I don't know how to take a bus by myself, because the bus step is very high. If I want to go out by myself, I only can take a taxi because taxi has not high step. But it is too expensive for me to take a taxi , I really don't know what I can do. I really hope that one day I can go to anywhere without any help, I really hope that one day my families especially my parents needn't to worry about me. Sometimes I really feel frustrated, because of my severe handicapped, I must seize every opportunities by myself, no one give me any chance. Actually I hope that one day I can study abroad, but I think this is just my dream.
Anyway, I will work hard . Nothing is impossible, just have a try!
Regards,
Ivy
Dear Graham
I certainly enjoyed your talk yesterday morning and I look forward to reading your book. What a great family you have! I hope you are enjoying Hong Kong.
Best wishes
Michael Duck / UBM Asia Ltd
Hi Graham,
Just a quick note to say thank you for sharing your story with us. I will remember your turtle analogy about sticking your neck out to move forwards! I hope I can stick mine out! I wish you the best on the rest of your China trip, please do not hesitate to contact me should you need any help for a return visit.
Warmest
Josef J Jelinek
BDM (Inecko HK Ltd)
Editor (British Chamber of Commerce GD)
Mr Webb:
I write this letter just to express my thanks to you for your wonderful speech at Sun-Yet-Sen University on Thusday evening. Your speech is so inspirable and make me rethink something important,my relationship with my parents,my attitude toward academic education and life education and what is the most important is that you make me appreciate myself more and tell me the power of dream. There is a saying goes that every body is worthwhile to own the most beautiful dream and the best future.I think it is just the time for me to pursue my dream. Thank again and I am sure no matter when I remember of you in the future, there must be a nice smile on my face.
Yours,
Lixuejuan
Dear Mr.Webb,
I am a student from China. I appreciated the opportunity to go to your speech today and had a fantastic lesson about success and life. Your speech showed us the key to success as well as a better life ,which will surely be kept in my heart to encourage myself for all my life. I believe, It Can Be Done!
It is your first time to China, we really hope that someday you would come here again to give another inspiring speech to more people. At the same time, if you could have a chance to travel around China, you would get to know it more and like this country. Thank you again for your speech.
Sincerely,
Martha
Dear Mr. Webb,
I want to state once more that your talk was really inspiring. I enjoyed every moment of it and your jokes make it even more interesting. I will read your book and learn more about the essence of your success stories. Wish you all the best for your talks in Guangzhou and I hope that I can meet you again.
Best regards,
Polina Sham
Asia Training and Administration Officer
Crown Worldwide Holdings Limited
Dear Mr Webb,
It was great meeting you personally. I was definitely inspired and encouraged by your personal story.
It is great too that you may come back to the city again. I am sure my Leaders would be interested for you have lived up the "Can do" spirit - you have made it! Please take care Mr Webb, as you need to travel a lot in these couple of days.
Grace be with you.
Best Regards
Jenny Chan
Manager, Operating Guides & Documentation
Hong Kong Disneyland
Dear Graham,
We would be very pleased to work with you should you have a future trip to Hong Kong and I will connect you with our Diversity and Inclusion leader here in the region. We have a number of affinity groups at work including the Young Professional Network who will find your speech informative as well as humbling. I have started reading your book there is so much more to your story, it is very enjoyable reading. Wishing you continued joy and happiness in your life experiences. Hope to meet you again. All the best with your travels.
Kind Regards,
Moira H Dickson
First Vice President, Human Resources
Merrill Lynch Asia Pacific
Dear Graham,
First of all I would again like to say how much I enjoyed your talk yesterday which was truly inspiring.
I immediately told my daughter ( a medic) in London and son ( an anthropologist) in Amsterdam to visit your site as I know they will both be very interested to learn about your story. I think all of us need to hear such positive messages from time to time, especially during this financial turmoil - the Chinese characters of "opportunities in times of crisis" remains so true. I will give some thought for your future visits to HK, not only with our bank but also with some other organisations where I sincerely believe the members could surely benefit from your experiences. In the meantime I wish you continued success with your trip in the region. I look forward to reading the reports in the South China Morning Post tomorrow.
All the best and take care. Kind Regards,
Bruce.
BAYERN LB
Dear Graham Webb,
Thanks for your kindness on sharing your experience to us I did learn a lots from it, The most important thing is that you encourage me on keeping contribution to the society specially for the disabled yes you are right We should keep enjoying our life no matter how. Before attending seminar I was "upset" because of my work however I will keep positive thinking and be self confident as well. Keep in touch as I mentioned I would like to ask for your advice later on how to run successful charity project Thanks. Bless you and your family.
Cheers,
Jasy
Dear Mr. Webb:
Thank you very much for such a wonderful speech. It is full of wisdom, history, sincerity, inspiration, and - most importantly love towards life and success. I feel the power in your speech. And I think that is exactly what Chinese young people need.
Let's keep in touch!
LI FEI.
Education Projects Manager,
British Council, South China.
Announcement of my speech and
Dr Stephen Ho's 'Living Books'
interview by British Council
HK Director Ruth Gee
Speech announcement for
my visit to Sun Yetsen University,
Guangzhou, China
The Vocational Training Center, HK
speech flyer
Flyer for talk for
British Council Hong Kong
with 'Community Business'
- British Council invited Mr. Graham Webb, a legend from UK, to deliver talks to university students and the general public in Guangzhou. He told his own true story. He was born with Spina Bifida, which caused incontinence and lifelong pains in the back and legs. He grew up with a kind of shame and was regarded as "bone idle" by school teachers. He dropped out at the age of 15 and received 62 rejections out of 62 job applications. He started career as an apprentice for a barber without a better choice.
I met Graham Webb in the speech. He loves laughing. From his smile you couldn't believe that he is suffering from disabilities. However, if you carefully observe, you will find that his shoe heels are in different height because his received surgeries in legs. He must rely on pharmaceutical spray to relieve foot pains. But his laughter was very infectious, and humorous.
When Graham was 20, he opened the first hair salon whilst his illness continued to worsen, however, his owned more than 20 chain stores 10 years later. In 1989, he found Graham Webb hair products, product sales in 2002 ranked fourth in the U.S.
Graham Webb believed that the key to success is to go your own way. He believed that each person has their own shining points. Everyone can be successful, as long as you identify your own talents and work hard.
Webb wrote his autobiography "Out of the Bottle", he hoped that this book could help more disabled people to gain self-confidence and enthusiasm. When being asked about how he thought about the challenges for university graduates to find a job, Graham thought that it was lucky to find out where the problems lied. He said: "I did not know before I was 32 that what disease I got, but after being diagnosed with Spina Bifida, I began to look for specialists and hospitals and got great improvement by receiving surgeries. Similarly, if you know where the problems are and then break the big problem into a number of smaller problems. You can solve the problem by tackling the smaller problems one by one in the end. "
In addition, Graham believed that university students should maintain a positive and optimistic attitude and should learn how to market themselves. He said that everyone has their own talent and young people should find their own shining points. Young people should recognize and use their strengths and have the courage to tell people that they are great. At the same time, young people should try new things. Big success always starts with small success, Graham said.
- On a charity talk last Friday, we met Graham Webb, a British entrepreneur with incontinence. He talked about his life and family, and shared his Entrepreneurship. You couldn't image that he was born with disability because of his humor, optimism and success. You may even want to ask, "Does disability have any impact on you?"
Graham used his life story to show us that your body may be born with disabilities but your mind should not.
Invited by Cultural and Education Section of British Consulate-General, Graham came to Guangzhou to share his entrepreneurial experience. Founder of the company which was the fourth-largest hair care products in the U.S., Graham wrote in his CV " Born with disabilities, Drop out from school at 15, Got 62 rejections out of 62 job applications." But years later, Graham became a successful entrepreneur.
In his speech, Graham showed his bag, with both her daughters' CDs and family photos in one side, and catheters in the other side, his little secret.
Graham suffers from Spina Bifida that makes him incontinent with deformed feet. School was an ordeal. Even today one of his vivid memories of childhood was the dread he felt when school uniforms went from winter's black shorts to the white shorts of spring. With white shorts it was harder to ignore the constant dribbles and he became adept at pretending that he hadn't noticed that his shirt tail was hanging out. Graham couldn't find out what disease he got until he was 32. Before that, he saw many doctors who wasn't only able to indentify the real reasons of his problems.
He used the word "Crazy" to describe his continuing medical treatment for more than 30 years.
Graham didn't like revealing his disability until 2004 when he wrote a book called "out of the bottle". For the first time, he talked about the facts of getting Spina Bifida. Actually, you can't see any difference between Graham and other able bodies during the speech. He said, in the past, he chose to wear dirty shoes as he was afraid of leaking the secret of his deformed toes. He later received bladder surgery and leg physical therapy. After a number of major surgeries, he finally returned to Normal but he still has to rely on catheters. Graham also showed us that his left and right legs were not in the same length.
Graham didn't focus much on the pains of disability but on sharing his entrepreneurial approach in his speech. He talked about pursuing personal dreams and making others happy. After 62 job rejections, he worked as a barber's apprentice and later a salesman, selling rice pudding. He also talked about setting his own band as the drummer, the dream of his life.
He learnt from these experiences that the uncertainty can be a good thing. As long as you are well prepared, you will catch your opportunities.
Family plays a key role in Graham's success. Showing his family photos to the audience, he told the audience, " Doctors told me that I was unlikely to have any children, but I have four. "All his four children become musicians. Family-first and love of others are Graham's keys to success.
Graham donated all the money generated by the book sales to help people with disabilities achieve their dreams. Graham couldn't help broke down into tears when talking about receiving his MBE at the Buckingham Palace in 2005. He said, " it was truly my great honor."
Graham now seems to live a very good life with successful career and supporting family. What does he think about his disability? Graham said frankly, "I don't think that disabled people should be marked with disabled labels. There are many kinds of disabilities. For example, if someone breaks up with his/ her boyfriend or girlfriend, he/she could be emotionally disabled. If everyone has a kind of disability; can you tell who is disabled? "In his point of view, disability should not be a reason for not living an optimistic life.
Enduring the pains of disabilities, Graham had tried to hide his secrets. However he dared to pursue his dream by breaking through the bottleneck in a positive spirit as the title of his speech, "It can be done!"
Officials greet Graham before
he speaks. On Graham's left
is Ruth Gee, Director of
the British Council, HK.
Two students introducing Graham.
Graham and audience listening
to the introduction.
Graham during his speech.
Having fun with the audience!
Book signing
after the event
Book signing
after the event
Arriving as Guest of Honour at
Chinese Cuisine Training Institute
(One of VTC Colleges)
Arriving as Guest of Honour at
Chinese Cuisine Training Institute
(One of VTC Colleges)
Just before lunch, with
executives of VTC and Ruth Gee,
Director British Council, HK
with Ruth Gee,
Director British Council, HK
with Helen Lam MBE
coordinator of my tour
on behalf of the British Council
British Council HK reception area
What I saw upon my arrival !!
British Council HK reception area
What I saw upon my arrival !!
British Council HK reception area
What I saw upon my arrival !!
British Council HK reception area
What I saw upon my arrival !!
The limo waiting for me
at Hong Kong Int Airport !
Press photographer trying to get
the best shot of me! On right-
Ann Wong, Communications Director,
British Council HK
From my hotel room.
Hong Kong Harbour!
BOOK SIGNING AT
VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL
Graham receiving gifts
from the director
Vocational Training Council,
Hong Kong
Ruth Gee, Director,
British Council, Hong Kong,
receiving a gift.
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