It was March 2012, I couldn't remember the day, because I only want to remember the important things, and what happened in that room with the investor was important. It has been close to 6 years now, and when I first wrote the story below, I did not know the outcome of things. I didn't know how things will work out for me - if I will ever get out of debt, if I will be able to stand up and dare to dream again.
So I thought for today, let me read you the original article, and after that, I'll give you an insights of what happened after the incident, to see if indeed I did the right thing back then.
Many times, when we look back at things, with the power of hindsight, we would say things like, "Damn, I should have done this" or "Argh! Shouldn't have taken the deal". Of course you can say shit like that because you're looking back from the present! You already know how things will work out! But at that point in the past, as you look forward into the unknown, heck man, it's all just a gamble sometimes.
Therefore, the beauty of this post is that you get to see the before, and the after, and of course, you get a director's cut of the story too.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL ARTICLE POSTED ON MARCH 2012
I was given a great opportunity by an investor. Now, those who have known me for a while will come to know that one of my biggest dream is to host international inspirational legends like Chris Gardner, Les Brown, Jim Collins and more in Asia. I was lucky enough to find a few like-minded individuals to share the same aspirations too. I have even secured a speaker to fly in for my first event, a dear friend really, W Mitchell, the man who would not be defeated.
Unfortunately, aside from capable team members and an inspiration speaker, those dreams require money.
Enter the investor.
Now, it could be my previous experience in the industry or a well-written business plan that got me even the opportunity to have a moment with this serial entrepreneur. He loved the idea, and saw the opportunity it brings to him and his current businesses. He looked at the initial start up capital and was pretty okay with the amount. All seemed sweet until he gave me his condition that came along with the investment.
I need to be part of his company.
Not as a shareholder, mind you, but as a salaried worker. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in being an employee, but for someone who had enjoyed entrepreneurship freedom for a while, being tied down (by a pay check) was definitely the last thing on mind. Furthermore, I have to cease all my other businesses on the side, and that will disappoint a lot of my business partners.
In the little glass office that looked very much like a fish tank (not implying that the investor was a shark), I faced one of the many crossroads of my life. I could sacrifice the freedom, and get started on the leadership seminars and conferences immediately with full backing, making a lot of people rich and happy, and materializing my dreams.
Or, I can put my dream on a low gear, hold on to my freedom, lose the investor’s interest, and possibly the one lucky break I need.
It's a dilemma indeed, this opportunity with a cost. On one hand, I knew I would be able to make my dreams come true, and the money problems I had been facing (at that point, I was already losing over USD50,000 in a venture - a venture that this investor could turn around), would be a thing of the past. And with the other projects in line, I would be learning a lot from this investor, and may even be able to tap into his network, take myself to the next level. Sweet deal, huh?
Then how come it doesn't feel good inside?
On the other hand, I've worked so hard over the years, to earn this bit of freedom. Early days of entrepreneurship was never easy for me, and I've always regarded myself as a slow learner, and mistakes were painful. And now, I'm slightly ahead of myself, I was no longer struggling, I was starting to enjoy some of my labor, and I have to give it up? Is this opportunity so precious, that it warrant giving up on one of my values?
It was then, a 17-year old Will (my son was 4 at that time) came into mind, and he asked me this question,
“Dad, you are always talking about living life with content, to always do things that bring happiness from within, and to commit to something that feels right.
"You took a sacrifice all those years ago and got tied down for life. Sure, you realized your dreams, but are you happy? Is it worth it? Did your dream really come true for you?”
I guess for many parents, having your children asking you questions like that was never easy. Walking the talk, taking your own advice, those are things that little children look up and look out for. My Ma had always ask me to do what’s right, not just for others but must also feel right inside me. Sure, we never had lots of money, but I like to think in many ways, not having a lot makes us appreciate what we do have, and that gave us happiness.
In the fish tank still, I smiled. I looked up at the investor, and I didn’t know if he saw the contented smile on my face. That question future-Will asked me just gave me the clarity I needed.
I thanked him for his time, and walked away.
Now, although I couldn’t bring the big names in yet, I was forever grateful for Mitchell to give me an easy start. Not getting the investor's support meant I had to start smaller, and play at a slower pace. It’s not settling for small, mind you, because Mitchell was by any way in the big league with giants like Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and the late Jim Rohn. Because of the friendship we had, and I like to think someone up there likes me still, that I was given the opportunity to build the platform I always wanted.
Even without additional financial support, I knew I held on to what was important to me, and that I would not live a life of regrets.
At least now, when Will really did ask me the same question some 14 years later, I can just give him a hug, and know that I had done well by his books.
SO WHAT HAPPENED AFTER TURNING DOWN THE INVESTMENT
As it turned out, I never heard back from the investor, and never got any funding for my first leadership conference. Luckily, through some good deals, I managed to minimise the loss to roughly USD15k. Still a lot, but I chalk it up to getting a three month MBA.
Mitchell, my life hero, came, and we had a great time. I wrote about it a while back here for the full story.
Two months after the event, because of a few new friends I made plus an old time buddy @jikey, we started KICKSTART.MY. From a pathetic meet up of 20 pax on the first month, it grew to 90 in the second month, and 200 in the third. The rocket was launched, and all of us had a good ride. By the end of three years, we had over 4300+ attendees over 36 events, and I built quite a brand for myself.
Little did I know during those 3 years, there were a few people that will change my life and bring me awesome opportunities, but way, way later. Here's a quick recap of those people, and how it has impacted me.
#1. As KICKSTART.MY grew, I was invited to found a community project with Vishen Lakhiani of Mindvalley, called Project Renaissance. There were a couple of community builders in the project as well, one of them was WuHan. End of last year, WuHan recommended me to a friend who needed some consultation in his Edutech startup. I'm on a retainer with them now.
#2. One of the participants during our last few KICKSTART.MY was Candy, who two years later intro-ed me to her boss, Dato James, and we had been good friends since then. We're currently working on a project called Authority.Institute. James had also recommended me to some business deals, one of which is also on a retainer with me now.
#3. Another participant was Steve, who was in the Digital Information space. A few weeks ago, we got reconnected, and I'm currently on a retainer with them as they are gearing up for an ICO.
#4. You'd probably know this participant, whom also came to one of my earlier KICKSTART events. @bitrocker2020, aka Simon back then (and still now, really), intro-ed me to Steemit, roughly 2 -3 years from when I first met him. Well, together, we are riding the Steem wave, along with @karinzdailygrind, @aaronleang and @joannewong who were also my regular supporters during my KICKSTART days.
#5. God knows when she's gonna be active on Steemit, but it was during KICKSTART that I met a pretty girl, Mun Foong, and we became really good friends. Now a pretty mom, she's still one of my most respected entrepreneurs who hustles her way to success, and a close confidant.
#6. I'll probably insert a photo of ours once I manage to find one, but one of the team members that helped me made the Mitchell event a reality was @coachmelleow. A good friendship indeed, and even became family friends. As a matter of fact, he was one of the few key people that inspired me to pick a homeschooling syllabus for Will.
#7. @deborism came to my very last KICKSTART in June 2015, and a few months later, we became a couple. Now 3 years in, I can say we're in a pretty good place, because I not only found a girlfriend, but also a colleague, a business partner, a travel buddy, a food buddy (although most of the time I'm just tasked to finish the food she's done trying), a crypto buddy, a best friend, and I don't wanna jinx it, but fuck it lar, a life partner.
Frankly, I could go on and list more people here, which I know I should, but the list will just go on to be too long!
Deep down, I knew for a fact that if I had taken the investors' deal, I would never got to launch KICKSTART with my friends, and none of the amazing things would happen.
Would my life be better in the other parallel universe? Frankly, I pity that parallel-Maverick, because I'm rocking it over here! He probably would be regretting his decision, and on a daily basis, wished for things to be different. @sorrydude
Am I just being cocky for making the right choice? Nah, I wish. The friend who recommended me to the investor those years ago, he was invested by the same investor. The partnership fall apart a short while later, and he had to start all over again. As a matter of fact, all of his business partners eventually left the partnership with the investor too.
That's how I somewhat knew I made the right choice.
LESSONS I PICKED UP FROM WALKING AWAY
#1. Always stay true to your heart.
Wished my mom's still here to hear me say this, but deep down, I think she had always known her lesson would drill into me BIG TIME. Despite not being an entrepreneur, she was one of the wisest business mentors I ever had, because aside from financials and strategies and innovations and branding, businesses fundamentally has to make sense first, especially to the founder. Her advice of doing the right thing - even if it meant losing opportunities, so long as it earned me a good night sleep - was, and still is, GOLD.
A rich man may have an expensive bed to sleep in, but a good man sleeps the most soundly within.
#2. Never treat any opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Because that's just gonna put you in a position of desperation. In business, and in life, you'll win some, you'll lose some. You'll fuck up, you'll learn. Opportunities are truly everywhere, so pick the right one. Sure, you will miss a few good ones, but hey, you got a few good ones coming your way, so look ahead.
Believe in abundance, not scarcity, and a world of possibility will become your reality.
#3. Never underestimate the things people will remember you by.
During KICKSTART, I was in a good place, where I had regular clients to fund my lifestyle as a community builder. And I took good care of that opportunity, and also the responsibility to pass on the good fortune. Without having to worry about my monthly expenses (I wasn't rich, but the bills were being paid and then some), I could fully focus on building a platform that connect entrepreneurs to mentors, and strangers who would eventually become founders and friends. I took another of my mom's advice (she has a dozen more that I'm still digesting), which was "Pay It Forward". KICKSTART had always been free, and we kept to our word to never charge a single cent for our events. A promised we kept throughout the three years.
And because of that promise, it made me a better marketer, a better entrepreneur, and I like to think people notice, and appreciate that.
Do good, become good, and trust the world to take care of it when it should.
#4. Be bold.
This one, I learned recently. After the recent 100degrees Steemit Intro event, really (told you I'm a slow learner). I decided that I didn't want to just build community in a local level, but I want to take the challenge to grow regionally.
You see, for the many years of KICKSTART, I always used the excuse of wanting to grow my "home base" to not venture outside my comfort zone. Truth was back then, and now still, I was afraid.
But thanks to the support of many, especially @deborism, who asked me some of the most insightful questions, one of them being:
"How often do you see other community builders from Malaysia step up and play a bigger game?
"Have you thought that maybe they wanted the same opportunity that you have now, and it never came about for them?
"What would Will say if he knew his dad backed out from reaching his potential? I think he will rather look at a father who failed trying, and one who never tried."
So this year, 2018, marks the year of building the Steemit community outside of Malaysia. Don't worry, #teammalaysia, I know where my home is. :)
When the stars are aligned, the path will reveal itself. Be bold, be brave, let courage fuel thyself.
Oh yeah, thanks for reading this far. Must be my longest article yet. Damn I'm long winded.
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- How to generate at least 365 post ideas for your Steemit Life (and possibly never run out of ideas again!)
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At least once a month, I run Steemit community events and training workshops with my buddies at #teammalaysia too. Some examples are:
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You never know how something will turn out, it could work out well or it could go horribly. You always need to best see if it's what you want or something you feel is worth pursuing.
Well, just go for it. Fall, learn, rinse, repeat, eh?
Nice write up @maverickfoo, ah the good old days of KICKSTART..
Still remember your best surprise on me 😂 during one of the event which turns out to be a very big crowd.
Haha! I think I have the problem of liking to see a big turnout, and need to learn that small, cozy, intimate meetups have their benefits too.
Hey @maverickfoo...
Let's remember to take a photo together this coming Saturday! 👍🏻
I just realised we don't take enough pics! Or rather, I'm camera shy!
Love this story! It's so amazing the clarity you gain after the fact, knowing you went with your gut and you weren't willing to sell your soul for the shiny object at the time.
A great message for us all to stay true to who we are what feels good within. The universe always has a better plan anyway, we just can't see it.
Following you :)
Thanks for the follow! Looks like you gain a follower too!
Yeah, I consider myself lucky to have things work out well. Some say happy go lucky, but the truth is, it requires good mental work too, which I credit my earlier monkhood training.
I bet, the right mindset plays a big role when we are set out to do big things.
This gave me goosebumps @maverickfoo I can pick up a few points that resonated with me from having to walk away on some opportunities and experiencing some difficulties to finally understanding why those things happened to me. I am even teary eyed going through this. I sometimes think, I have reached a point in my life where I just have to go with the flow. I know there is more, I can do more, be more help more. Then I get daily inspirations from people I work with, friends and love ones and an article like this makes me just want to do a plan slated for my visit back to Ph. Thank you for sharing, I would like to help out children in my country and I want to start a small initiative in the next few months I thank you for this beautiful reminder. It is amazing how Vishen and Mindvalley stage is part of your story I see these everyday and I probably do not realize how much the company I worked for affect many people positively. I needed this reminder :)
"Pushing Humanity Forward", that was Mindvalley's mission, and pretty much still is, in everything that you guys do.
Though I sometimes look back at my life with regrets, I only limit it to what I had (or had too much of), for lunch. :) Anything beyond that is well-placed, well-engineered, well-travelled, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Would I have said or feel the same if I had walked down a different path? Truly, I wouldn't know, but I like to think as long as gratefulness is in the practice, there will always be things to be grateful about.
Reading this reminded me of what the late Steve Jobs said:
And in your case, the dots somehow connected and you not only found your niche but also business partners, lifelong friends and a life partner. Plus you get to keep your freedom too. There are certainly lots to be grateful for. Glad to hear that everything fell into place and you now have a bigger mission in life. All the best!
Thanks for being part of it too. More exciting things to come for sure!
Staying true to yourself and following your intuition got you to fullfill tour dreams your way.
I think that investor was sort of test conjured up by the universe to test your determination.
And it is great you stayed on your true path.
Awesome inspiration, thank you.
Haha! Life and her endless temptations!
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so motivational... Keep it up
wow nice post ...i like this post...
I have learned so many things from this post. All that I have to do now is execise patience. In the long run things may change in my favor.
Hey @maverickfoo, thank you for the mentioned. It was those days where we just started learning and thinking want to ventures into a startup.
Looking back now, came a long way. This post indeed what I needed now. Thank you @maverickfoo !!
This post was resteemed by @steemvote and received a 10.02% Upvote