Eugene Is A Valuable Resource For Leaders and Their Teams
What’s your story?
On 14 Nov 2013, I was retrenched from a high-paying banking job. It was very painful as I was the sole breadwinner in a family of 5. For the next 12 months, I looked for a job but did not find a suitable position. I became totally broke by Nov 2014, so decided to borrow money from my brother to start a Life Coaching business.
For the next two years, I found meaning and joy in my new role as a Life Coach but did not achieve the income I wanted. So I branded myself aggressively on social media, and thankfully, began to experience a significant rise of income in 2017.
What excites you most about your industry?
I noticed that there’s a rising trend of professionals who are looking for Life Coaches. Many people find their jobs meaningless, but they have no idea what career they should be pursuing instead. Some are running “passion projects” that are meaningful, but not sure how to earn a good income from them. I can see that there’s a huge gap to be filled in my industry, to bridge meaning with money, so that anyone and everyone can “do good” and also “do well.”
What is your connection to Asia?
I was born in Singapore in the 1970s, and have been based in Asia throughout my life. In 2011, I moved my family from Singapore to Hong Kong and lived as an expat there until late 2013. In my previous career as a banker, I frequently traveled to various Asian cities to connect companies to funds. In doing this, I learnt so much from the various cultures I had the opportunity to visit.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
In terms of running a business and raising a family, Singapore is unbeatable! I could start a business online within minutes, and enjoy corporate tax breaks for a few years. It’s easy to find talented professionals to synergise with, including web developers, coders, videographers, digital marketers, etc. Our legal framework is also very robust, and I don’t have to be afraid of anyone infringing on my company’s rights, or stealing our intellectual property. I’m a fun person, and there’s lots of things to do for fun! For example, I often charter a private yacht to entertain my clients and their family members, which leaves a very deep impression.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
“Be a farmer, not a hunter.” – In 2014, when I was attending an early morning networking event as a new entrepreneur, I was busy collecting business cards and trying my best to convince people there to join my coaching programme. Then, a kind lady gently advised me to be a farmer, not a hunter. That was the first time I heard this analogy, and it totally changed my approach. Since then, I have been focusing on sowing seeds and growing the relationships, rather than hunting and selling.
Who inspires you?
Jack Ma. I love his spirit of creativity and mindset of resilience. He famously learnt English in a very left field way, by volunteering as a tour guide for nine years in Hangzhou. That’s how determined he was. And despite getting rejected by many companies and schools, he always pressed on to achieve his goals. In 2019 he retired as the Chairman of Ali Baba and started focusing on education, philanthropy and environmental causes full time. This resonated deeply with me. I’m running a life coaching business for the key purpose of impacting lives, not merely to earn profits. I also want to retire early and focus on helping the less privileged for the rest of my life.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Recently I learnt the concept of “antifragility” from my good friend and futurist, Charlie Ang. He quoted from the book: “Antifragile,” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Taleb introduces the book as follows: “Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.”
Due to my own experience of overcoming a financial disaster, many people describe me as “resilient.” Now I know that I’m actually “antifragile” – I’ve become much better and stronger because of the hardships I’ve experienced, and anyone can become better at facing a crisis, provided they have the right mindset.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I definitely would have started my life coaching business much earlier, instead of waiting till I was retrenched. I have always loved to build relationships and to inspire people, but I didn’t believe I could earn a good living from it. Now I know I can, and many others around me are doing the same. I highly encourage everyone reading this to start pursuing your life mission earlier rather than later. Don’t worry about money. When you pursue something meaningful, with all your heart, the money will take care of itself.
How do you unwind?
I love watching movies with my mom. She’s 82, but like me, she enjoys action movies and comedies. No matter how stressed I am, I feel a lot more relaxed in a movie theatre. Watching movies is also very helpful for my business, because I get to step into the world of all sorts of people from many different cultures, and gain a broader perspective on life, which helps me become a better Life Coach.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
I’ve been to Bangkok several times, because of its good food and low prices. Thai people are very friendly and helpful.
Everyone in business should read this book:
“Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill. I must admit, when my entrepreneur friends first introduced me to this book in 2014, I thought the title was ridiculous. How can you “think” and grow rich? All my life I was given the impression that you must study hard and work smart to grow rich. If you merely think, nothing will happen. But after reading the book, and also learning NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), I now firmly believe that success (whether it’s in life or in business) starts with a positive mindset. Once I’m determined to succeed, nothing can stop me! Some of the most powerful concepts described in the book include faith, visualization, and imagination. I believe every entrepreneur should adopt these approaches to optimize success.
Shameless plug for your business:
Over the past few years, my life coaching business has evolved into a comprehensive “ecosystem” of mindset, mastery and money. My team inspires clients with the mindset of success (using mainly NLP), empowers them with mastery of trust (leveraging on personal branding principles), and even helps them to learn how to use money as a powerful tool to achieve their life goals. From my own experience and observations, anyone who combines these three elements into their life and business becomes unstoppable.
https://www.eugeneseah.com
How can people connect with you?
I’m very proud of my website www.eugeneseah.com. The moment you visit the homepage, you will be invited to download my unique “Abundance Blueprint.” It’s only 4 pages long, but it shares 10 essential principles that everyone needs in order to do well, especially during a pandemic. I also welcome 1-on-1 Zoom chats to seek synergies. Write to [email protected] to make an appointment.
Social Media Links?
https://youtube.com/c/eugeneseah
https://linkedin.com/in/eugeneseah
https://facebook.com/SayYesToAbundance
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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
