1. Entrepreneurs always start with the 'why'
As another Simon says (motivational speaker Simon Sinek, that is), a successful business always starts with a why.
Dato’ Simon, who manages a diversified portfolio of business that includes cosmetics, entertainment, tech, asset management and property development, identifies himself as a dreamer.
“In my youth, I was dreaming up crazy ideas, like building skateboard parks and selling electric-powered bikes. That’s why I keep building businesses in different segments even after experiencing some failures. I never stopped dreaming about what I can do and achieve,” he says.
On the other hand, Sasha Tan describes herself as a builder. Her track record includes building online grocery delivery HappyFresh and now, beauty platform Favful. “What keeps me going today is the satisfaction of building Favful from scratch,” she elaborates.
Adding on to the conversation, founder and managing director Havene Liew of Havson Group defines himself as a teacher. The former game design lecturer started his own business when he realised his students would give up on their passion or go abroad for greener pastures because of limited opportunities in the local industry.
“I wanted to contribute to our local gaming ecosystem,” says the man whose company now develops top quality games for a variety of consoles, including virtual reality entertainment centres like The Rift in Mid Valley Megamall.
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