A crucial question from his father took Darryl Ng away from a formless life to a high achieving sales career which led to him forming a company dedicated to helping others ‘make profits with purpose’.
What’s your story?
My father has been an entrepreneur all my life, though since his business is based in Malaysia I was unable to spend quality time with him. 10 years ago, when i was 15, my dad’s business started to decline. We went from a condominium with 3 cars to living in a HDB rental flat (public housing).
To make things worse when I was 20 I was still playing computer games, chasing girls, and partying in clubs. Then one day my father confronted me; other than all these things, what the hell was I good at? I had hidden my insecurities behind all these activities, but this one question from him broke me down.
After that incident, I started working on myself. I went out to network with entrepreneurs and started mini businesses on a local app called Carousell. At 22, (after my national service) I took up a sales internship in a tech startup called Mileslife.
I leveraged my past experience in “Mini entrepreneurship” to get the internship. I oversold myself way too much because, on my 1st month of internship, I screwed up badly. I didn’t sign any deals, it was awkward. I ate humble pie and asked my manager for help. In the 2nd month, I doubled his KPI. I signed a total of 20 clients when he expected 10. I earned myself a full-time job.
That was the start of my sales career. I kept aiming for a higher commission month after month. By the age of 23, I was making a good income but I felt pointless and meaningless. I was chasing money for the sake of it, to the extent that, at times, I would sell unethically. (Now that I look back, I am ashamed of my actions).
After that, I got overly ambitious, I wanted to become a sales manager at the age of 23. My director said that I was too young, he rejected me. I quit the company and joined another. The next company said the same thing. Hence at 24, I started a sales academy to teach youths selling techniques. I coached and trained them to be proficient in sales.
I realized I did all this just because I wanted to prove to my dad that I can be way more successful than he is. It was to fill the void in my heart. After this realization, I had the courage to try to mend my relationship with my father. I told him how I have felt since I was young and we both agreed to put in the effort to improve the relationship. I took ownership and helped to contribute to the family bills as well.
That dramatically changed the quality of my life.
After that, I set myself on a journey to help 1,000 youths to live life with purpose and passion because I understand how it feels navigating in darkness. That helplessness kills you silently.
I coached them for a small sum of money. I was happy doing it. It worked well, the youths saw value in it. But it was not sustainable in the long run. Out of the individuals I coached, there were some millennial sales professionals and entrepreneurs who benefited from my work.
Hence, I pivoted the business to serve that audience.
Today, I help millennial sales professionals & entrepreneurs to discover their personal power to make profits with purpose.
What excites you most about your industry?
It excites me because there are many driven millennial sales professionals & entrepreneurs who want to bring their game to the next level. I can’t wait to help them discover their personal power, to unleash their fullest potential!
What is your connection to Asia?
I was born and raised in Singapore.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore. It’s where I live and I like how efficient and effective everything is when it comes to setting up and running a business.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Be comfortable with uncomfortable.
Who inspires you?
Gary Vaynerchuk.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Show up even if the traffic doesn’t show up. Most of the time we are worried, what if there are no customers? Hence fears cloud our minds. But even if there’s no one watching, you show up and practice. It could be practicing your sales script, webinar closing, or even conducting training. You show up even if nobody shows up.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would make more mistakes fearlessly and not waste time brooding over my fears. I would not let fear stop me.
How do you unwind?
I dance privately in my room, I watch sci-fi & fantasy movies on Netflix. I like to head to the park opposite my place and just stare into blank space.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Bali. The irony is I have never been there but I have watched tons of videos and heard so many good things about it. I can’t wait to visit Bali. The reasons being the network of entrepreneurs, the chill vibe, and more importantly, it symbolizes freedom. I crave freedom.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Go-giver. I believe business is actually all about human connections. This book encourages individuals to have an abundance mindset which will give you an advantage compared to everyone else. This is the #1 thing I advocate a lot – an abundance mindset.
Shameless plug for your business:
I help millennial sales professionals & entrepreneurs to discover their personal power to make profits with purpose.
My vision is to lead a large movement of millennial sales professionals and entrepreneurs to thrive in their businesses, relationships & personal lives.
How can people connect with you?
Instagram. Direct message me anytime.
Social Media Links?
https://www.instagram.com/d.n.y.k/
https://www.facebook.com/darryldnyk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dnyk/
http://www.calibrateacademy.com/
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To hear how entrepreneurs around the world overcome their challenges, search your favourite podcast platform for ‘CallumConnects‘ to hear a 5-minute daily breakdown.
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built, and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder and CEO of MBH Corporation PLC. He is the author of three best-selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’, ‘Agglomerate’, and ‘Entrepreneurial Investing’.
Connect with Callum on Twitter and LinkedIn
Download free copies of his books at www.callumlaing.com
