SMU School of Information Systems alumnus and CEO of Simplilfying (one of the largest airline branding consultancy firms in the world) Shashank Nigam was featured in a Business Times article where he shared the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial journey, and how he overcame various challenges to achieve success. Spurred by his long-standing love for aeroplanes, Mr Nigam started a blog and wrote articles analysing airlines and their brands when he was still working in Boston. He took his insights and published a white paper, Six Steps to Building a Swashbuckling Airline Brand, which was soon put online, gaining him some level of recognition. His big break came in March 2009 when a speaker backed out of a conference in Abu Dhabi at the last minute. Mr Nigam jumped in as he already had a marketing presentation prepared for such an occasion. Mr Nigam noted that the biggest step he took was in quitting his job, and that his advice for young entrepreneurs is to be bold and take the first step.