I came to Thailand alone to open a branch for my company, and have spent the last 5 years building the company up from scratch. If you ask me, I operate more like an entrepreneur. I have never been the brightest, but I am a can-do sort of guy. I focus on the result, and am enterprising enough to complete tasks to an acceptable level eventually, most of the time anyway.
Having grown up in Singapore, where kids (from my generation) are trained to become excellent employees but not necessarily risk-takers, many wonder why I was so ready to take up this 'adventure', where there are too many unknowns and few perks to make it an attractive job offer. After seriously thinking through it, I feel that my upbringing made a huge contribution.
Having grown up in Singapore, where kids (from my generation) are trained to become excellent employees but not necessarily risk-takers, many wonder why I was so ready to take up this 'adventure', where there are too many unknowns and few perks to make it an attractive job offer. After seriously thinking through it, I feel that my upbringing made a huge contribution.
My paternal family consists mostly of self-employed men, that included my dad, 1 of my 2 uncles, and many of my aunts' husbands. Incidentally, most of my dad's friends are self-employed as well, be it business owners or just food-stall owners. Growing up, I mostly had conversations with adult men who ran their own businesses (largely aided by the countless kopitiam sessions I had with my dad in Kuching). Subconsciously, I had it ingrained in my mind that running my own business is normal, an eventual result of my career progression.
My dad, like many of the men from his generation, was hardly around when I was a little boy. My memories of him playing with me are few and far between. But even though I wish he had given me more of his weekends, taught me how to cycle and swim, I now realise that his influence in my life is still extremely great.
My dad is a businessman, entrepreneur, and a risk-taker. The company he runs now was set up as a one-man-show when he was 50. After graduating from junior college, I had a few months to spare before entering University, so I spent a good few months alone with him in Sarawak.
Being a man of few words, he did not exactly take me under his wing to coach me about running a business. Instead, he allowed me to follow him 24 hours a day, everyday. I watched how he communicated with potential business partners over some mid-afternoon coffee in coffeeshops. I watched him sign piles of paper at law firms and negotiate prices with suppliers and sub-contractors. I visited his job-sites unwillingly everyday, wondering why he made it a point to go so frequently, and even watched in anticipation as we bombed a small hill apart in order to flatten the land for a project.
Running my own company now, I fully understand the challenges a business owner faces day-in day-out, but at that time, following my dad around, everything just felt, natural. It was more like -- whatever has to be done has to be done, rather than--oh man, starting something from scratch is so tough! I guess my up-bringing is certainly one of the main reasons why I did not hesitate when this opportunity presented itself.
That's exactly how I am bringing my kids up. I involve them in everything I do. From my office to my exhibition booth, from my warehouse to my company trips. I want them to grow up observing how I make things happen, and hopefully mature into an enterprising, resourceful young people who are confident enough to take up challenges.
As Father's Day is just 2 days away, I will hereby also take the opportunity to wish my Dad a happy father's day! Thank you for all you have done for me. See you in August.
For all other fathers reading this, take this weekend to give yourself a pat on the back, but remember to give more time to your kids, because just by being there and letting them observe what you do, is a lesson more precious than what a thousand words can mean to them.
My dad, like many of the men from his generation, was hardly around when I was a little boy. My memories of him playing with me are few and far between. But even though I wish he had given me more of his weekends, taught me how to cycle and swim, I now realise that his influence in my life is still extremely great.
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| My Dad with his grandchildren |
My dad is a businessman, entrepreneur, and a risk-taker. The company he runs now was set up as a one-man-show when he was 50. After graduating from junior college, I had a few months to spare before entering University, so I spent a good few months alone with him in Sarawak.
Being a man of few words, he did not exactly take me under his wing to coach me about running a business. Instead, he allowed me to follow him 24 hours a day, everyday. I watched how he communicated with potential business partners over some mid-afternoon coffee in coffeeshops. I watched him sign piles of paper at law firms and negotiate prices with suppliers and sub-contractors. I visited his job-sites unwillingly everyday, wondering why he made it a point to go so frequently, and even watched in anticipation as we bombed a small hill apart in order to flatten the land for a project.
Running my own company now, I fully understand the challenges a business owner faces day-in day-out, but at that time, following my dad around, everything just felt, natural. It was more like -- whatever has to be done has to be done, rather than--oh man, starting something from scratch is so tough! I guess my up-bringing is certainly one of the main reasons why I did not hesitate when this opportunity presented itself.
That's exactly how I am bringing my kids up. I involve them in everything I do. From my office to my exhibition booth, from my warehouse to my company trips. I want them to grow up observing how I make things happen, and hopefully mature into an enterprising, resourceful young people who are confident enough to take up challenges.
As Father's Day is just 2 days away, I will hereby also take the opportunity to wish my Dad a happy father's day! Thank you for all you have done for me. See you in August.
For all other fathers reading this, take this weekend to give yourself a pat on the back, but remember to give more time to your kids, because just by being there and letting them observe what you do, is a lesson more precious than what a thousand words can mean to them.
