Have you got your GuavaPass??? Find out how this entrepreneur is stepping into the boutique fitness arena in Asia.
What’s your story?
The short version of the long story is that after moving from New York to Singapore in 2014, I was looking for fun activities to stay healthy and fit while meeting new people. The standard gym memberships felt restrictive but I couldn’t find a centralized list of the city’s best boutique fitness studios. Quickly, my co-founder Jeffrey Liu, and I realized there was an opportunity to create something that we are both passionate about and can improve people’s everyday lives. From there, we created GuavaPass, the all you can sweat fitness pass.
What excites you most about your industry?
I am a fitness enthusiast and overall pretty healthy guy. It excites me that I get to work on a product everyday that I am passionate about. From a start-up perspective, I love disruptive products. I feel like we really found a way to positively disrupt this industry and grow the fitness scene in Asia.
What’s your connection to Asia?
While I will always love New York, I love the Asian culture and the opportunities out here that allow entrepreneurs like myself to create disruptive products.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore. In my opinion, it is the most forward thinking in terms of new business. I also frequent Hong Kong and Bangkok; both cities have contagious energy.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
My mom told me at an early age to always follow my passions. I haven’t stopped.
Who inspires you?
Richard Branson. And my mom!
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Guavas have 4x more antioxidants than oranges. Who knew? We found out this interesting fact while naming our company. I try to have a guava daily now!
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I try not to dwell on the past, but look forward to the future. I have had so many opportunities to travel in Asia and now I am fully focused on the success and growth of GuavaPass.
How do you unwind?
A really good #GuavaSweat (hard workout!) followed by a nice bottle of Cabernet.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
When I am in Bali I feel most relaxed. It is such a spiritual and beautiful place with a unique mix of culture and beaches. You can find great yoga classes there too.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Zero to One by Peter Theil.
Shameless plug for your business:
Our mission at GuavaPass is to provide convenient access to top classes at boutique fitness studios. We hand select the best studio across all fitness verticals including yoga, cross functional training, indoor cycling, Pilates, crossfit, dance, muay thai and many more. Members can utilize our recommendation features to find and book classes simply based on geolocation, interests and time schedule. GuavaPass is unlimited and commitment free. We are already live in Singapore and will be launching in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai early summer 2015.
How can people connect with you?
[email protected]
Twitter handle?
@GuavaPass
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This interview was part of the Callum Connect’s column found on The Asian Entrepreneur:
Callum Laing invests and buys small businesses in a range of industries around Asia. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is the founder & owner of Fitness-Buffet a company delivering employee wellness solutions in 12 countries. He is a Director of, amongst others, Key Person of Influence. A 40 week training program for business owners and executives.
Take the ‘Key Person of Influence’ scorecard <http://www.keypersonofinfluence.com/scorecard/>
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Get his free ‘Asia Snapshot’ report from www.callumlaing.com
