Writing

One of the biggest challenges I had in the last 8 months is to convert my employee mindset into a founder mindset. I'm writing this to help anyone who is an: Employee thinking of converting over as an Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur is still stuck mentally as an employee. Note: The methods I've done may/may not work for you so reflect accordingly. What can I do now as an employee? This will be broken into several sections: Financial Materialism Problem Thesis Acceptance Path forward Financial Unfortunately MOST of us do not have rich parents that can bankroll your dreams to provide a soft-landing should things fail so IF you choose to give entrepreneurship a try, one must be financially strategic because everything boils down to money, believe me.

Just a boomerang I took of Jeffrey :) Jeffrey from Golden Gate Ventures said during the session at Antler last year. IIRC, it goes by "You guys aren't here by chance, the people you cross path with during this program will inevitably end up at some point of your life. The world have a weird way of connecting dots together. You're meant to do what you're suppose to do and be where you're suppose to be. 15th January 2024, is when I realise what he said of the world have a weird way of connecting dots holds extreme significance. Without going too lengthy, I'll structure a simple timeline to illustrate how the dots connected for a very fruitful meeting. January 2020 - Join Touch n' Go eWallet October 2021 - I met a journalist covering a story at Touch n' Go eWallet. December 2022 - Reconnected with the same journalist at an Iterative event, and we've kept in touch since. April 2023 - Reloacted to Singapore. January 2024 - Reached out to the journalist to delve deeper into the Iterative program. One thing led to another, and she recommended connecting with a specific angel investor after learning about to.be.at 15 January 2024 - Met the angel investor, spending four hours discussing our product, the identified problem, our business model, go-to-market strategy, the broader travel industry landscape, the state of venture capital, AI, and discovering our shared interests for Taylor Swift and Coldplay. Reflecting on various investor meetings, this particular one felt effortless, with our personalities clicking immediately. This profound connection allowed me to transparently share all aspects of to.be.at, it's pain points, my struggles as a founder and understanding key areas I need to improve and strengthen, potential ideas to develop and so much more. Even till now, I'm still on cloud 9 because someone 'got it', someone understands the 'problem', someone believes, all it takes is just one person. I used to believe that a great product would attract investors automatically, but I am now convinced that having a great product alone is not sufficient in today's competitive landscape. It took a combination of sheer luck and proactive efforts to connect the dots that led to a four-hour conversation. If I hadn't accepted the position at Touch 'n Go eWallet, none of this would have happened; perhaps I wouldn't even be writing this blog post right now. This could be the world's way of signaling that we are onto something significant – urging us to persevere. If it is indeed the case, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Find myself dancing between Optimism and Questions Optimism This feeling often arises from new discoveries that propel progress, whether in AI, identifying a new target persona, or securing funding. It induces a sharp spike in dopamine, making one feel capable of achieving anything. Questions This sentiment is fueled by the opposite of a dopamine surge – when momentum slows or there's minimal progress with a subtle positive trend. The challenge lies not in the questions or their answers but in realizing why these questions arise. Compounded by my urge to ponder extensively, this would serves me well at times. Perfection or Speed Perfection This aligns with my personal ideology – to unveil a perfect marble rather than an imperfect, incomplete one. Reflecting on this, I acknowledge that releasing a creation is essentially putting one's name on it, hence the pursuit of perfection. However, perfection is an unending pursuit, prompting the question: to what end? I understand the cost of perfection – time, a resource we don't have in abundance. Speed Speed holds paramount importance. While some may equate speed to a faster go-to-market (GTM), in our context, speed translates to morale. I realize that perfection and speed stand in direct opposition. Perfection yields personal satisfaction, while speed fosters team satisfaction by enabling entry into a feedback loop. According to product theory, a feedback loop facilitates building the right product/feature. I learn, and more importantly, it uplifts morale. Higher morale promotes a superior thought process, leading to a better outcome. Right or Left In my previous role, I had the privilege of basing most product decisions on data. A simple SQL query allowed me to construct dashboards and models for thorough analysis, ensuring that decision-making was data-backed – because, as the saying goes, numbers don't lie, right? I find myself receiving advice from various sources – my wife, colleagues, future investors, and even the kopi uncle whom I visit daily for a $2.50 kopi. I am still honing my skills in building a more efficient internal processor to filter advice effectively, thereby enhancing decision conviction. Right or left, it appears that the specific choice may not be as crucial as avoiding paralysis by choice. Although articulating this seems straightforward, when faced with the decision-making moment, it proves to be challenging, and I anticipate it won't become any easier in the coming months. Idealism or Pragmatism Due to my inherent idealistic and optimistic nature, I consistently find myself at a crossroads when faced with divergent paths. I grapple with the decision of whether to temper my idealism and embrace full pragmatism. Currently, I lack a definitive personal resolution, but I've cultivated a strategy that involves adhering to my idealistic principles for the long term, while concurrently implementing pragmatic safeguards in the short term. For TBA this approach necessitates a flexibility in business model, ensuring our survival in the immediate future and laying the foundation for sustained success in the long run. The journey of materialising something on a piece of paper to convince everyone that this is something you need test our mental fortitude. I'm writing this release my struggle of finding balance as I'm constantly tilted on one end. Here's my utmost respect to entrepreneurs and builders.

"Great men do not seek to lead, He's called to it and He answers." - Duke Leto Atreides The quote above is a line from the movie 'Dune,' where Duke Leto Atreides imparts the wisdom of his house to his son Paul Atreides, emphasizing that great leaders do not actively seek leadership but respond when called. I would like to draw a parallel to entrepreneurship. As 2023 draws to a close, the single most significant lesson I've learned is about conviction. I've seldom been deeply convicted in many aspects of life. As far back as I can recall, the most profound conviction I've had is knowing that I love building things—whether it's product, enhancing tamiya car engine, t-shirt business, or renovating/building homes—as long as it allows me to channel my creative energy to bring a vision to life. I had the opportunity to join the esteemed accelerator in Singapore called 'Antler' and encountered numerous talented individuals from around the world. Many entered with the intention of finding co-founders and figuring out what to build, often unsure of the problem to solve or the startup to create. This experience underscored the importance of conviction for me, without conviction one must seek to find it else, it's just endless discovery. Conviction allowed me to receive: Clarity in focus on my direction, acknowledging that everything else is a distraction. Confidence in my beliefs, values, and ideas, enabling me to develop the resilience needed to weather storms. The combination of both clarity and confidence empowers me to persuade new colleagues, investors, and others, explaining why the idea matters and compell them to join to.be.at's narrative. Building a product or startup without conviction is extremely perilous. Personally, I cannot commit to building something I don't believe in, purely for financial gain. Unfortunately and fortunately, I had an early experience with this in a startup, which served as a valuable lesson not to repeat. 2023, has taught me to fortify my convictions in life. 2024, I must harness my convictions to push through any challenges. Here's to 2024, Kit.

Cross Road In July 2023, I find myself at a crossroads: whether to continue pursuing a job, knowing full well that I might just become another cog as most people drag their feet to their laptops every morning for five days a week, or dive back into the unknown, knowing full well that I might just live out the fantasy of being a founder and building a great startup. I want a road where these two paths converge so I can strike a balance — a balance that allows me to do both. However, I know these paths may never converge, and I have to make a choice. It’s a choice between stability, to pay my bills, and the instability of doing something I truly enjoy. As a child, I never understood why adults were always angry. Perhaps growing up in a struggling lower-middle-income household made me realize that being an adult isn’t fun — it’s always an adventure as a child, constantly learning new things, seeing new places, and dreaming new dreams, that’s fun and exciting. Fear When I was a kid, I promised myself that I would never have a desk job working 9–5 because I found it boring. However, in my last seven years of my career in Product Management, I have found myself doing exactly that. Not that it’s boring, but it involves tasks such as JIRA, documentation, and metrics. Of course, the job of a PM involves more than that, but I’m not here to write about its details. In June 2023, I find myself in a similar position of fear, experiencing mental anxiety, itchiness, and stress that all feel very familiar. I fear unemployment as my Employment Pass in Singapore is expiring, and I don’t have another job lined up. Out of fear, I have been mass applying for jobs. At the same time, I’m building a product with hopes that it will turn into a successful startup. This brings another type of fear, the fear of not achieving anything. I am currently caught in a pendulum swing of fear, moving from one fear to another. As a curious and problem-solving person, and as a PM, I seek to understand my fears and have considered scenarios in both cases: if I succeed in getting a job and if I start a venture. The first scenario leads to another fear, the fear of going back to the desk job that I hate, as for the second scenario it’s the same fear. If it were my wife, she would ask me to make up my mind. In this case, I want to make up my mind. Among all the fears I have, the fear of going back to a desk job shakes me to the core. I know I need to figure ‘Why’ if I’m going to survive this and be fully convince this is why. This is ‘Why’ “In trying to get this venture up, I kept asking myself, ‘What’s my ‘Why?’ Was it to make money? Sure, we all need money to pay off our bills and have income stability. Was it prestige? Sure, I want to be recognized for my work. Was it to prove naysayers wrong? Hmm, perhaps. In all my search for my ‘Why,’ I wanted to bundle it all up, but I know that in tough times, these narcissistic material needs aren’t going to cushion me; they’ll drag me down. I know I have to dig deeper. After watching a clip of Anthony Bourdain strolling the streets of Haiti in his documentary (I’ve always been a fan of Tony), something clicked in me. His world and adventure resonated with me. He lived an amazing life, traveling and experiencing different parts of the world as an adventurer. He had struggles and darkness, just like everyone else, but the sense of adventure was magnetic. I realized I had a rough idea of my ‘Why’. My ‘Why’: I want to live a life knowing that I’ve enabled adventure for those of us yearning for it. While some may be saving for their ‘adventure,’ we can help them dream it. I want to allow people to reconnect with the sense of exploration and adventure they once had when they were young.” To myself: Answering the question of ‘Why did we build this?’ “We want to get people to dream what their adventure could be, get excited on their office desk at 9am as they drink their coffee ruminating of that adventure so they can imagine, plan and pursue them and hopefully just hopefully do it forever.” I would accomplish my ‘Why’ if the following below happens: If a user emails me: Kit, I used to be an office desk person day in day out and now I’m living my dream traveling the world because this product enabled me to live this life. I’ll be able to rest knowing we’ve done something great. To myself: Answering the question of ‘What problem are you solving?’ The problem we’re solving is to enable people to imagine, plan and pursue their dream adventure full-time. The solution we’re providing is a product that combines UGC content discovery to build a travel guide for their adventure.