Work to Live . Live to Work

The Struggling Technopreneur - Startup Doctor aka Fixer

2016-08-05T10:19:00.001+08:00

Why I choose to be a startup doctor or a fixer is becos sometimes back an overseas Venture fund approached me to manage one of theirs that they be opening one here with Singapore as the HQ.

I saw the reports and in it the odds against the startups are pretty high to succeed, where the country is small, limited by the manufacturing capabilities, high dependence on Govt funding, smaller number of risk takers, similar education offers etc.

That spurs me to work against the odd of all these to help startups succeed instead of being on the other side of the game.

Perhaps it is also that I started with nothing, came from a poor family where parents were vegetarian food hawkers that believe in their products and service but do not know how to venture further as no one guides them then.

This drives me to want to help the little guys with the right skill sets, tactics and strategies and not just give them the money and cut them out when they failed.

Is not just about making money but also the entire journey is really scary too as you don't know what works and what decisions to be made when pushed to a corner too. And this is so when your partners leave you for whatever reasons at the most crucial time.

We all been there.

#‎startupdoctor #‎startupfixer

The Struggling Technopreneur - Balancing family and work

2016-07-06T22:44:00.000+08:00

I dont believe that there is Work Life Balance once you wanna be an entrepreneur.

The maths just dont add up as you dont work like an employee that reports to work at a fixed timing and leave home for dinner. Things just come your way in an unscheduled manners from all directions and you are to solve them multiple ways all at the same time. Shitting in your pants is just made possible actually.

As much as I like to spend time with family, sometimes well...most of the time, it just wont happen. So why not just get a job and do all that then? The desire to bring more money, provide better for the family.... the desire to prove to the world, to yourself and write your own history book...and a thousand reasons.

Will or should I carry on like that? Answer is no. Becos I believe once you hit what you want or cant, reach there at all, you will relook everything and try to find a balance to it again. And this may just get repeated.

Trying to understand an entrepreneur and especially one that flipped his businesses before just make it more complicated of why not just give it up and spend more time for yourself or family. Selfish, self-centred, addictions?

Slides - Fundings + Partnerships

2016-07-05T22:09:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday nite, I did a 45 mins talk about 'Fundings and partnerships for crowdfunding campaigns' and it boils down to these 2 slides:

Just get all these questions or concerns answered and your business plan for your Crowdfunding campaign be 30% done. The rest is to execute them properly with the right help and support.

Questions that we dont dare to ask

2016-07-03T22:57:00.002+08:00

I always love people to ask interesting questions especially during public talks; Questions that are usually kept to a one-to-one session between the founders and the consultants (me).

Becos you will realize that you are not the only one facing the challenges but many others too! This is only when you dare to ask in the public that it creates an opportunity for everyone to recognize it and hopefully about to listen to the answer or help each others out!

Just yesterday, a founder asked me about how to manage the media esp if your product is about to go to a crowdfunding platform and how do you prevent others from copying it. It is a genuine question that of big concern to any founders that want to roll out a new product or service and only to have the media pushing it out before you are even ready.

It is where you are stuck in situation of should I let the media knows about it first, while at the same time you are looking to get them to help you promote when you are ready too.

That question drew a fair bit of responses on the spot but at the same time, it spawned off into a few private discussions within the mobile app; Line. Some were saying, it is best not to talk to the media until you are 100% ready but another party commented that when you ready ready, the media may not have you in the queue to publish in on time to go with your launch too.

So how do you balance this up?

Startup Vs Fad

2016-07-01T01:32:00.002+08:00

Blogging ... is something many used to do it but as time goes by, it is becoming less important to our life.

Like anything in life, today we are caught in a fad and we go for the instant gratifications to get the things that we fancy and hopefully satisfy us immediately.

Like running a startup, is your business built on fad or it is for a longer endurance run that can survive on its own despite all that noise out there.

Too many times, I came across founders that are so caught up about what is popular now and to build the entire businesses around it without a care (or ignorance) about if there is any money coming in.

'Tinder is hot! Lets build something like this but more awesome!' But they have no knowledge on how to engage users, what users like and dislikes, cloning it will not work but just another way to justify the very existence if why Tinder works and others suck.

'I just need the money to get the users and grow the base and I can sell it'. Sure...not all investors are dumb. And not all the stories of what you heard from Silicon Valley are that easy too. People work really hard for it.

Many went into running a startup without realising that it is easier to fail than to survive. And it may just be better off to try it out, lose some sleep, lose some money, weep a bit and go back to work for someone else. It is just not a fad that you can drop everything and start running a startup overnite too. But many think they can just do it once and become a millionaire and live will be great. Except you dont see or hear people telling you that they failed.

Pick the weapon of choice. Fad or really stuff.

Investment

2015-08-11T00:04:00.005+08:00

'You maybe seeking for funding but that don't mean the potential investor has the rights to insult you.'

Investment

2015-08-11T00:04:00.002+08:00

'Don't be surprised if an investor plug in a coach or mentor to assist you. Many investors themselves have never run a startup before. They just have money and an appetite of risk to take with you.'

Investment

2015-08-11T00:03:00.001+08:00

'As an investor, do you invest in what you know or you invest in what is popular?

Do consider the demographic and the potential before parting away the money. Get the insider information if necessary and don't get emotional.'

Just Ride

2015-07-19T02:50:00.001+08:00

Even if you are slow, you are still moving forward.

A brand new day

2015-07-18T11:25:00.002+08:00

Everything changes when you have a kid and more when you have kids.

Busy? Never been so freaking busy that demands all your sensors to be up and always on the look out for everything, anything that may pops up. But it is still all so worthwhile to be a father again :)

The Struggling Technopreneur - CES2015 (Day TWO) Continue

2015-01-24T21:57:00.000+08:00

This smartwatch attracted lotsa interests for its 'No Charge' requirement

IOT stuff

This booth and many others that can personalized your ugly face into a little figures :p

Fellow having his face scanned.

Couldnt resist taking a photo of this

Scanners doing a 360 scanning

The Struggling Technopreneur - CES2015 (Day TWO)

2015-01-24T21:13:00.000+08:00

Beautiful, isnt it?

Garmin VivoActive

If this one device that been placed head to head with the Fitbit Surge

Garmin rolls out quite a handful of beautifully designed fitness trackers. Kudos to them esp for those that know their history, these guys came back strong and fight back the market.

VivoFit 2

Somehow this color looks a bit kiddish to me but I like the black one, sleek and unique.

This is another great product from Garmn, VivoSmart!

The various colors make it really interesting.

This guy came out from nowhere and took the market pretty well with various accessorised fitness trackers

Misfit

Lotsa these motorized vehicles in the show.. but this one is really small and nifty

Ring from Kickstarter

Me, with a messed up timezone.

Am I on a GMT +8 or Las Vegas... nevermind.

The Struggling Technopreneur - CES2015 (Day ONE)

2015-01-11T23:19:00.003+08:00

First Stop: Tech West Hall C, Fitbit Booth

Took the monorail from MGM Grand Hotel and walked about 15 mins to The Venetian hotel where the Fitbit Booth is. The rest of the gang were already there and we started our meeting right there on the spot with no time to waste.

In such a big and grand exhibition, it is always easier to just identify a common location where everyone can arrange to meet up and proceed from there for other meetings. Fitbit is the one for us as it is near to the entrance and almost anyone that walks into this Hall C wont miss out this Fitbit Flex deco.

I saw this Polar booth just right nearby Fitbit's and naturally this photo interests me. So while we took a little break from all the shouting and screaming over the very noisy environment, I walked over to see what Polar has to offer for cyclists.

Their range of models have increased quite a fair bit and you can see clearly that the line is now blurred between a fitness tracker to activity tracker to a smartwatch.

Every manufacturers in the show know that the game has been upped as never in history has so many of them are congregated in this hall under the wearable tech theme.

As I was making my way out for a dinner meeting, I saw this booth promoting its fitness tracker for doggies. Basically the same concept for human beings but the dif is the mobile app that goes with it.

Several other exhibitors are also showing similar stuff from steps, distance, photos/videos (preset to take it when strapped to the dog's body), alert for food, and some even have temp measurement.

As I stepped out of the premises, the sky has turned dark into the evening. Snapped a few pics to share with the families and friends over Telegram and Whatsapp. It is so much easier now compared to about 11 years ago when there on honeymoon :)

This is Larry Reich, go follow him on his twitter account. Fellow is a genius when comes to technologies.

https://twitter.com/digitalagetv

Both of us walked over the The Fashion Show Mall to get the AT&T sim card.

http://www.thefashionshow.com/

Always love this place cos during our honeymooon, it was so damn hot that we rushed into this mall just to cool down. Took a good long walk in the mall and also the place where we chit chatted and spent some time together.

Finally, dinner!!

We met up with these 2 dudes .. amazing people that are based in NYC.

They do some really cool animation stuff for the big boys' movies and be seeing their comic theme work very soon.

Other then back to back meetings upon arrival, I didnt get to see any other exhibits other than those nearby Fitbit booth but I told myself that I am more here for the business first. So settle all these meetings, close some great deals, link up some partners and then look around for other opportunities.

There's always time to work and always time to play. And this is not play time, yet.

Also, I clocked like 30,000 steps from the first step out of the house and all the way to Las Vegas and back to the hotel room. But at least I know that I will probably win the little challenge held in Rewalkz.me

The Struggling Technopreneur - CES2015 (Trip)

2015-01-11T22:31:00.000+08:00

I was all fresh and everything before the plane takes off at 6.55am, even though I didnt really sleep much the night before as was busy running thru all the emails and making sure the folks can manage the companies when I am not around.

My trip is a rather last minute as the ticket was just booked only a week before that, and naturally everything be rushed like mad.

The objective of this trip is simple; meet clients and partners and get first hand information about where Wearables Tech and IOT are heading. Bring the information back to help me and the team to make better decisions.

After 6+ hours of flight from Singapore to Narita Airport, the back is aching like hell. But I have to say, Delta is definitely my choice for the next trip to USA. United, good bye.

Everyone was wrapped up like a rice dumpling but I just love the air con in the Narita Airport. cooling and refreshing!

Saw this at the airport; Mr Kim is always the butt of funny jokes. :)

The McDonald is located inside an international airport but yet the descriptions are not. Well, not the first time seeing such common practices in Japan.

The first thing I will always do is to walk to the gate to check out where is it to get myself familiarize with the area around it. Whether be a flight delay, change of gate ... always good to know your whereabout.

Some of the shops that I plan to visit on my return flight

True enough, flight was delayed. I got hungry and ordered some McDonald food and hide at a corner to do work, communicating with my folks in Singapore.

The wait to board on the plane is the most painful when you just dont know if there be more delays.

After another 10 hours in the plane and almost 2 hours clearing the immigration and custom, I cant help but quickly brush my teeth at the public toilet, pick up the CES visitor's pass and rush to the meetings.

On the way to the taxi stand. Woohoo! Cold but with bright sunlight!

Las Vegas is an amazing place! Smack right in the middle of the desert but yet swam with tourists and people!

Now to reach the hotel, take the monorail and off to the site.

To Be Continued..

The Struggling Technopreneur - 2015

2015-01-03T16:05:00.002+08:00

I used to make New Year Resolutions but somehow mine are almost identical.

Run a better business
Have more time with the families
Exercise a bit more
Make a bit more money

Everything is becoming a routine. Not that it is a bad thing but probably as you age, you tend to know more of what you want, what you dont give a shit about and dont wanna waste time doing silly stuff like when in your teens.

This year 2015, I will continue to do the same (Yawn!) but I will add a twist to it a bit more:

Run a better business
- Learn to let go and have the next generation of managers taking over the businesses. I tend to hold too tight, yeah I admit it :p
- Stay more focus on the bigger picture to drive the little Empire that I been wanting to build

Have more time with the families
- More structured time for the families and less of last min business trips.
- Learn to say no on the request of partners or clients ... is really disruptive for the family and for health.

Exercise a bit more
- I did cycled and jog a bit more and this year, I hope to increase another 30% of what I had done.

Make a bit more money
- With cost of living, kid's education, medical fees going up crazy....it is not a matter of choice if you wanna work harder or not, it is a must to.

The Struggling Technopreneur - Safety

2015-01-03T15:43:00.003+08:00

Last year, I made a handful of business trips to Shanghai... big city, with lotsa people anytime anywhere. I am always caution about places with big group of people esp in a foreign country, as you may not be that familiar to the settings nor who to call for help if needed.

It is really sad to see such an accident happened in Shanghai. Always always be careful when attending big major functions with crowds.

http://avaxnews.net/sad/New_Years_Stampede_in_Shanghai.html

The Struggling Technopreneur - Opportunity

2015-01-01T13:52:00.000+08:00

Doing the same thing over and over again may yield better results but this also means other opportunities may not be introduced to you too.

When we are so focused on making sure that the execution is perfect, some other opportunities may just slipped by us without knowing it. While busy, it is still important to keep the heads up to look around what is going on too.

Sometimes opportunity just come by once. That's all.

December is a bad month to cycle

2014-12-31T16:55:00.001+08:00

There been non-stop of downpour into this little island for the month of December. And to top it off with the need to fly to various countries for meetings, the frequency of cycling drops a whole lot more.

This only shows that in other months whenever there is an opportunity to cycle, go for it and dont think too much. Just ride.

For 2015, I want to cycle more and lose more weight.

If you only have a chance to get on a bike twice in one week for 30 minutes each… bike like you stole something.

If you are blessed with being able to afford lots of time on the bike then don’t go so hard that you need several days to recover afterwards. Include low and medium intensity workout sessions.

Links:

http://www.ilovebicycling.com/best-way-to-lose-weight-cycling/

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/simple-training-plan-lose-weight-ride-faster

http://totalwomenscycling.com/fitness/lose-weight-cycling-everything-need-know-30365/#OHJZ6giSszM3CczP.97

The Struggling Technopreneur - Reset

2014-12-09T23:27:00.001+08:00

When there are too many mistakes made in a company ... it signals something.

The system has become a choking point for the very people that are supposed to run it effectively and efficiently. Solution? Throw the system away and build a new one.

Hopefully a better one, otherwise redo it over and over again even at the cost of losing good people that may not fit the system. A good system can attract good people but a bad one can push away everyone too.

The challenge is how to manage this double-edged sword as the company evolves.

The Struggling Technopreneur - Stop

2014-12-09T19:41:00.001+08:00

There is always a shitload of problems that you need to solve on a daily basis. It can come from the existing clients, potential clients, partners, employees etc etc.

Sometimes you just want to give it all up becos why the fuck are you working so hard for? To survive? Well, there will always be others willing to hire you at several times of the pathetic salary that you are drawing. So why are you hanging on?

Is more than a salary, is more than the position. Is about creating something and forming it up and learning to manage it along the way. That is a toughie.

But sometimes if you look back. falling back may not be such a bad thing actually It may give you another perspective and let you hit the ground a bit before you bounce back. If you want to.

2CELLOS - Smells Like Teen Spirit

2014-12-06T15:24:00.001+08:00

The Struggling Technopreneur - Eating

2014-12-06T15:08:00.001+08:00

Overeating, there's always a tendency to eat more than required whenever you are traveling.

You are hungry, taking in lesser food than usual as you run from one meeting to another and so when the opportunity comes, you eat more than you should.

Your brain is on hyperactive and it racks up a lot of energy that you need to replenish fast. When that plate of pasta is served, you struggle to have a bite while not to look rude or foolish.

That dinner meeting is more focus on the discussion than the food. You end up eating lesser, but feeling hungrier. After that last meeting, you strike a big plate of food either in the hotel room or on the way back along the street.

You filled yourself up and drowned that coke in and let the sugar rush it to you while you savour every moment of it.

Repeat this and you will die soon.

The Struggling Technopreneur - Responsibilities

2014-12-06T14:46:00.000+08:00

We brought the responsibilities to ourselves, packing them onto our shoulders the moment you want to be a successful business man;

To bring in the money for the business, but is never easy.

To expand the business when more ready, but it never be ready ready.

To ensure that there are sufficient money to run the company, but not all is smooth sailing, always.

To pay the employees a fair salaries, but not all appreciate it.

To care enough of the staff that their needs are taken care of, they forgotten that you're a human too.

To ensure that shareholders agree to your direction, is another level to get them to be more understanding

To be there for your family always, especially when you have a young kid and aging parents.

Sometimes, just sometimes we lost ourselves in the midst of all these responsibilities but you know that you have to move on and on and on, cos you are not the only one depending on yourself but many others weighing on your shoulders too.

The Struggling Technopreneur - Loneliness

2014-12-06T14:31:00.002+08:00

The loneliness sets in as you stepped into the hotel room. The strange feeling of being in another unknown place, where things are placed differently from what you are used to at home.

Frequent business travellers will be able to recognize this loneliness. The way out to me is either go back into work via the laptop, phone or tablet. Sleeping is always the last thing on your mind as you struggle between the need to do enough on this trip, while worry about the activities that are ongoing back in office and family members.

Is a real struggle and is painful as you just want to numb yourself and say fuck them all, I want to be myself again. I want to be free from all these worries for just that single moment before I am pulled back to the ground to be another superman. Let me shut my eyes and drift it away for just that seconds.

Live Forever

2014-10-04T13:58:00.002+08:00

Mon to Fri

Cycle 20km @ 30km/hr

Brisk Walk 5km

Fri/Sat/Sun
Cycle 80km @ 30km/hr
Brisk Walk 7km

Weight: 84kg

Height: 183cm

BMI: 25.1

Your weight is in the unhealthy range for your height. You are at moderate risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attack) and diabetes. Keep your BMI value within 18.5 to 22.9 to reduce your risk of developing these diseases.