For Pamela K. Tong, nothing less than remarkable will do. For herself, her clients, her friends, and all those drawn to her. The motto for her business, Pro Motion, is “strive to be extraordinary,” and is based on individualized treatment
For Pamela K. Tong, nothing less than remarkable will do.
For herself, her clients, her friends, and all those drawn to her.
The motto for her business, Pro Motion, is “strive to be extraordinary,” and is based on individualized treatment of her clients aimed at freeing them up to do the things they do best, and like to do, while finding ways to help them around the things they don’t like to do.
“There is radical transformation, and we’ll have fun,” she promises.
Her mission, and that of her six-year-old business, is to upgrade people to a higher level of income and professionalism.
Her methods, though, clearly separate her from common public relations, advertising and promotions people on this island.
Leafing through a portfolio that may seem minute considering six years in the promotion business on Kaua’i, one sees that some of the accomplishments of Tong qualify her more as miracle worker than professional promoter.
She took a Hanalei young adult, Crystal Lorenzen, from surf-shop clerk to point model for blink women’s surfing apparel, and saved another Kaua’i youngster from what would have most likely been a career-criminal path by finding out the things he wanted to do, and liked to do.
Another young girl flourished under her tutelage after being misdiagnosed with a learning disability that turned out to simply be a vision problem.
It was the way she handled these circumstances, through in-depth conversations, finding out the youngsters’ fears, what they wanted to do and didn’t want to do, what they were good at, what they would rather avoid, and custom-tailoring a successful path for each of them, that makes Tong compellingly different.
In the case of Lorenzen, it was a model’s portfolio vastly different than the black-and-white mug shot and resume that caught the eye of a blink vice president.
Tong knew she had only one chance to make that lasting first impression, and using Lorenzen’s talent as both model and layout artist, put together a booklet that helped Lorenzen secure the gig.
It has been that kind of ride for Tong.
After launching her business, Pro Motion, on the island around six years ago, and seeing it grow solely through word of mouth, she finds herself ready to “go public,” and offer her skills to anyone in need of maximizing management and organization efforts, study habits, or taking advantage of her unique eye in what she calls “the art of presentation.”
A look at her business card, logo and promotional flyer are all that’s really needed to understand that this ride will be radically different than the routine visit to a public relations firm.
“Within each of us is a wellspring of talent, and the desire to put it in action. Pro Motion’s personalized learning program focuses your natural abilities, strengthens them with related skills, and gets you ready to promote yourself with style.”
Her totally positive attitude comes at least in part from her education in the school of hard knocks.
A vivid memory is one she recalls when she was around five years old, and watched her grandmother washing her feet. They were about four inches long and resembled gnarled hooves, the result of years of being bent under the ball of her feet and tightly bound with a long strip of cloth.
The permanent deformity was one way the Chinese taught subservience to women. It also effectively prevented the women from running away from abusive arranged marriages.
Though it was at that moment she decided nothing like that would ever happen to her, in her life she found herself in personal and professional relationships that just weren’t working.
Until she moved to Kaua’i and met Edward Farmer, founder and creative director of Odoo School, who taught her how to be free from other peoples’ ideas, how to custom-design a life to meet her personal wants and needs, and how to appreciate her own talents and beauty.
It is that philosophy that she employs for each of her clients. People have the choice of being happy or not. Since she has been through the “not” part, she chooses to be happy, and strives for that result in her clients as well.
“We’re all here to teach each other a lesson,” she said. Life equals ideas, and ideas must support personal, business and other goals, she added.
Especially in today’s global economy, with Internet access and global competition, the key to growing a successful business is standing out, she is certain.
For more information, please call 821-8186.
Business Editor Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
