An Entrepreneur’s Journey

Completing the Youth Success Boot Camp (YSBC) gave me an indescribable feeling. Seeing the transformation of the kids brought tears in my eyes.

This is a week of recuperating, get my fitness level and energy level back. Also a time to catch up with the back end work of YSBC. Most importantly, a time of reflection.

Catching up books that I have to finish – one of them was A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. It is a book that I couldn’t complete after 2 tries of reading it. I was always stuck on chapter 2 and couldn’t go on anymore. Finally, this week, I’m already half way through. Celebrate!

This time, the book spoke to me. Probably in the past, there was too much thoughts (EGO). After YSBC, I’m able put everything aside, fully be at the present for this book.

I am me! I have not fully understood this statement. At least not spiritually. When I stripped off all those titles, awards, identity, I will be left with ME. Take away entrpereneur, speaker, trainer, award winning entrepreneur, son, husband; then who am I?

The social environment doesn’t help in discovering who am I. In any networking session, the first question is “what do you do?” My answer is “I inspire kids to excel.” “Oh you are a trainer?”

A trainer? That’s what I do, that’s not who I am. The Ego will always want to attach itself to all those titles. Unfortunately the social environment takes great pride in honouring those titles.

The question is still, who am I? How do I strike a balance between the social environment and my environment? I am still searching for the answer.

A week of blessings like rain falling onto me. I am conducting 3 Youth Success Seminars this week. We were invited by 2 schools to conduct it. This is simply so amazing.

3 days ago, one of the schools only had 8 parents registered for the event. There is a chance of canceling the event. But something happened. Something that no one can explain happened. Some miracle came from nowhere. The next day, this school called to say 30 parents had registered. The event is on.

Holy Mother Cow! Just like riding a roller coaster, I reached the point of anticipating that it may be cancel, then suddenly it swings upwards.

Beside the 2 schools, we are also doing our own seminar for the public. Marketing to the public with different methods. We are so blessed that the numbers are coming in. Another good news is that we are given a bigger room with no extra charges. Thanks to Gavin, a very nice guy to work with.

There is a new opportunity that came by this week. It’s another personal development program. But I shall not share more as we have not iron out the details yet. And it is even more amazing that the team that’s ready to support this program has shown up.

I feel good to be able to help a fellow trainer, share my experience and exchange ideas with him. I am blessed to be given this gift. And since I am given this gift, I have to use it to help more people.

I am grateful for all the blessings from the Universe. I am thankful for all the good things that make my life better. I am also thankful for all the bad things that allow me to learn and grow.

Journey of entrepreneurship is not suitable for the weak hearted. Entrepreneurs faced with challenges, obstacles, difficult people etc. They usually got hammered first because they are always in front of the pack. Just like soldiers charging up an objective, the first line of offense usually sustained the highest casulties.

Recalling the past 4 months may be the most dramatic journey for me.

An introduction of what I do. Our company conducts transformational workshop for kids from age 9 -17. For the past 6 years we had been working with schools, going to their premises to conduct workshops and talks for their students.

This year there is a change of our business model. Not only we promote our workshops to schools, we started to reach out directly to parents. We promoted our seminar to the public now. We invite parents to our Youth Success Seminar free.

Little that I know that, a great test is right in front of me. We advertised in papers, email to contacts and the first run we had 15 guests with some enrolling their children into our 5 days boot camp. We went crazy! We MADE it! We thought we found the success formula. Then came the dark moment…

2nd run, we had 5 guests, then 2, then 1. Can this go any lower? Absolutely! Then we had zero. No one registered. A huge blow to us, an uppercut right at the jaw. We realized we had beginner’s luck.

Doubts came crawling all over. Funds was running low, confidence was at below sea level. We were at the cross road. It came to the Make or Break Seminar. This particular one is that point. Either we make it, or we close shop. We did our usual marketing, with my partner doing something different this time.

I asked the Great Spirit for help. I threw away all business thought this time, just told myself that I’m going to add value to whoever is there at the seminar one last time. Because if we couldn’t pull this off again, we were gone.

Then the Universe’s floodgate opened. Registration was flooding even in the middle of the night. We had a full house. People had to sit by the side against the wall.

Then we ran another one 2 weeks later. This time, we got a bigger room just in case. Again, the Universe was throwing registration to us. Another full house. I reckon if one more person came, he would have to stand.

I teared when my partner told me the final number who registered. I learned and grow from this test. What doesn’t kill me, make me stronger! Have I past the test? Not yet! There will be bigger tests to make me even stronger. The Universe knows exactly when to do that strike.

I am grateful for the test, and the blessings. But could the Universe hold on to the test for a little longer? Allow me to enjoy the blessings a little longer.