OPPORTUNITY : Wait or Seek

The inspiration for this post came from today’s experience at work.

The normal adage seems either one of the following:

• Be ready when opportunity comes knocking
• Opportunity does not knock twice

Today, I did the complete opposite. I have been targeting a certain country for purpose of expansion. Today, instead of waiting for opportunity to come knocking, I unconsciously went knocking on opportunity’s door instead. Yes I did. So what happened thereafter?

Surprisingly but happily the door opened, though not wide but sufficient for me to squeeze a toe in between :D. Translated, we made progress which would not have been possible had I stayed passive (wait) instead of go knock.

Heck, let’s go the distance. Go knock. If knocking on opportunity’s door does not open it, bash it, break it down…..either way just make sure it opens for you.

So there you go. Remember – proactive pays better than passive in terms of opportunity.

Call Me Spongebob Nick

For now you can call me Spongebob #NickG. Not since the day I started my 1st biz that I’ve felt this amount of energy, passion, excitement, craziness.

Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. Thru the journey, the ups & downs, we get tired, distracted, etc. In a common scenario, sometimes unknowingly we will hit a plateau or worse, digress.

Hence, always check yourself. Check your mindset. Check your emotions. Check your energy.

Am very blessed to report that I am back to the basics….my origin where I am learning everything with super ease and everything is possible. I can even walk thru a wall! The No is replaced by the How. My brain and heart is driving me crazy.

This is my 2nd wind…..and I am enjoyyyyyying it.

INVEST in Business or Idea

As a serial entrepreneur, I started exploring investments into businesses a short few years ago. Back then my focus was towards the startup setups mainly because of

1. Our love for pioneering businesses
2. A way for us to give back to the youth community (funds, experience, network)

Fast forward to December 2016, looking back, we were definitely close to investing in a few startups, in a host of industries…. shoes, fashion, medicine, IT, ecommerce, etc. BUT why have we not thus far?

Few issues come to mind…

• Fund management
• Character of the founders/team
• Sustainability & Scalability // Limited vision

Too often, many operate on a fairy tale basis….all’s well and will continue to be well. A best case assumption is unrealistic. How about a worst case scenario too? Not pleasant to think about but necessary.

Today, we continue to receive invites and pitches countries across the globe and of variety of industries. As investors, we have ourselves matured too. The investments we have made are more matured businesses. Yes, businesses, not ideas. These businesses are at the early stage, primed for growth.

The difference is, these founders/owners have gone thru the heat and is realistic in their approach to business. Investing in a business costs significant higher compared to a startup but the risks are lower. Investments are not just ROI but also risk management. For us, RISK management is priority. Can a startup be likewise? Absolutely!

Many have asked what is it that we are expecting…

• Character
• Brave & Creative but a Realist
• Some appreciation for our funds e.g. utilization
• Business Model
• Team is super duper prepared!!!

So, while we have invested in businesses, we are still waiting for the right startup to come knock on our doors. Don’t paint us an ideal picture. Show us the REAL picture.

The Underdog

14 years of grace and faith…one day at a time. From the initial years of scorning, mockery, helplessness, confusion, etc, I have by His grace grown and evolved to be who I am today.

Recently was invited to be a speaker, sharing the platform with 4 others established entrepreneurs/speakers, leaders in their respective industries. It is a humbling and encouraging experience.

I have spoken and shared in various places to a variety of audiences on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to my company to industry BUT I have never shared with anyone about my journey. So when the invite was received this round, I was given a free hand to decide on the topic. As I was pondering on the topic, I felt an impression upon my heart….#TheUnderdog. I felt led to speak and share about my journey….from day one, from our house’s dining table when everything started. So I did. Am very glad that I did because at the end of the session, many came to me and said they were encouraged.

With panel of esteemed speakers

I am NickG. I am blessed

A milestone captured forever in pic

This is #EGAN, home of forklift parts

It is a tad too long for me to share my contents here but being an underdog, it made me who I am today and helped me to mature. I close with the same remarks I made in my talk that day…

It is ok to start as an underdog, but never end as an underdog

People may look down on you, but you never look down on yourself

What is TECHNOLOGY

Properly understood, any new and better way of doing things is technology.

When I read the phrase above by Peter Thiel, I had a flashback to my conversation with Ashran Ghazi, CEO of MaGIC. He was very intrigued about us, a forklift company that was shortlisted for MaGIC program. During our conversation we talked about “technology” and MaGIC, amongst other things.

I highlighted the fact that the use of the term “technology” to be too rigid. Technology should not be used in sole reference to computers, software, apps, etc. Why can’t technology be used in a wider context….mind, thoughts, practises, …. you name it.

As such Ashran commented that we, #EGAN has adopted “technology” well with the establishment of our new brand #SparePartsAsia. It was not only the tech-per-say but also the way we went about doing it, from our concept, process and execution.

So people, the next time we hear or utter the word “technology”, let’s be more open minded. As I always say, throw away the box. Don’t be limited!

 

 

UNexpected Grounds

The single most powerful pattern I have noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places. (credit: Peter Thiel)

Familiarity breeds complacency….heard of it ya. Perhaps that is why most people fall under the herd mentality. Everyone follows everyone to places where “gold” is supposedly found.

Well, nothing wrong with that but just that these places are gonna be crowded. We need to learn to open our eyes and mind. Be alert to areas/places where it is not crowded. Why bother expanding your resources to fight over a limited pie?

Go Blue Ocean. Avoid a bloodbath with the market.

Exclusivity and Uniqueness is profitable. Go find your “unexpected places”.

Entrepreneurship ABC

The paradox of teaching entrepreneurship is that such a formula necessarily cannot exist; because every innovation is new and unique, no authority can prescribe in concrete terms how to be innovative.

From my recent talks and sharing on #entrepreneurship and the journey, I cannot help but realize the above statement to be an absolute truth.

There can be no longer a definite formula set of ABC to entrepreneurship success though it may still serve as guidelines. Bottom line is, we must allow our minds to flow without a box per-say. So learn the experiences of others as a reference but not a definite road map to success. Find and develop your own from your personal experiences, values etc. Do not be afraid to try and explore!

Thru The Eyes of An Architect

Putrajaya…..a mammoth and iconic project to all Malaysians. Our capital administration. So how long does it take to conceptualize such a massive project? 10 MINUTES! Yes, only 10 minutes. Only those with the most brilliant of minds and vision can do this.

I count it a blessing to personally know this man and also be considered a friend to him. It’s none other than Kun Lim. He is much sought after all over the world and of course, his works are all over the world.

As Kun Lim is much sought after and with limited time, he cannot be here in Malaysia too often (by the way, he officially resides in Seattle, USA). But my heartfelt appreciation to him that we try to meet each time he returns home (KL).

This evening, Kun Lim is in PKT Logisics, one of his awesome creations. Is a private evening together with Senator Chong Sin Woon and few other amazing individuals, including Dato Michael Tio, CEO of PKT Logistics Group (our adopted boss….hehe…that’s another amazing story)

The most precious time with brilliant individuals is listening to them – understanding their thoughts, their motivations. In my opinion, brilliant individuals are…

• They see everything with clarity
• They are humble
• Excellent EQ
• Generous in sharing

The best thing to do in the presence of brilliant talents is to “LISTEN” or “ASK questions”.

Kun Lim, welcome home for this 2 weeks and it’s always great to see you.

Photobombed by Captain DMT. LOL

Blessed to know and being friends with a truly exceptional man

In the presence of such brilliance….only thing to do is LISTEN and ASK 😀

Mrs Boss

Wakakaka…..my wife calls me Boss. She even calls me Boss in social media. She calls me Boss so much so that other people are calling me Boss too. Well, thank you all for the encouragements.

A word about my Mrs Boss. Yes, I call her Mrs Boss too, amongst other many names. LOL.

Mrs Boss is not just my lifetime partner but also my business partner. The hocus pocus beliefs that husband and wife cannot work together? Pooh Pooh….we don’t believe it. As an individual, we do quite well but when together as a couple, we are amazing (if I do say so myself :D)

Mrs Boss of mine has lots of talent and skills. She is truly abled in many different areas. I absolutely enjoy having her as my partner in running our businesses. She challenges me intellectually, which is fantastic!

So even during an entrepreneurship talk I did yesterday, I got her involved….by interviewing her. Yes, it was fun.

Inception of Interview

So all men out there, give your men ego a break. Open up to your wife and she may just surprise you.

The MaGiC Moment

Seems like only yesterday when I stepped into Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC). Blink and months have passed. Our tenure in MaGIC has come to an end with beautiful moments of our experience there.

I still remember the first day I arrived in MaGIC and met a friend. I was asked if I was there as a mentor or investor. Well, neither! I was there as a participant. Even the most seasoned serial entrepreneur needs to continue learning. Sometimes the best place to learn is from the startups…..a collection of fantastic minds and ideas.

I was there as a participant aka cofounder of my new brand, #SparePartsAsia with my Philippines partner. SparePartsAsia is a true Asean Economic Community brand, a joint venture between Malaysia and Philippines, for the Asia market.

I already had experience wearing the hat of an entrepreneur and investor and now, a whole new experience – a startup cofounder. Yes I was expected to go thru the works – build the system, pitch, etc etc etc. Does that make me a more complete entrepreneur now? A BIG yes 😀

So as I complete this post, I wish to express my thanks to the amazing people in MaGIC for their support and encouragements.