Beyond Insights won The Most Preferred Financial Educator award in Invest Fair Malaysia from 2014 to 2016.
What’s your story?
I am an accidental entrepreneur. Never thought I’d become one until I got into it.
I graduated from a degree in Computer Science and I chose that field based on my father’s advice. I got a job as an I.T. Engineer after I graduated in 1996, not having any vision about what I want to do in the long term. During my first year in the job – someone showed me that I can develop passion in anything that I do, if I choose to. That changed my life. I decided to develop passion in whatever that is assigned to me and that made a big difference in the value that I was able to bring to the table.
In year 2010, I got involved in starting up 3 businesses. I loved the experience and the journey but eventually had to shutdown 2 of them and focus on Beyond Insights Investment & Trading Education – which I am still managing today, together with my wife.
What excites you most about your industry?
The fact that the education that we offer can help change lives. Conventional education is designed to help people develop a good career but it isn’t focused on helping us to achieve financial independence by the living standards and family / social responsibilities that we have.
We believe that we are bridging that gap – by empowering people to make educated choices and take impactful actions in developing their wealth to a point where they can do what they are passionate about without having to worry about making ends meet.
What’s your connection to Asia?
We are based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and we’ve branched out to Singapore and Vietnam in the recent years.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Kuala Lumpur, simply because it is home. The recent changes in the leadership of Malaysian government has brought a new vibe to the country and that makes it even more exciting.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
You can develop passion in anything that you choose to do, and the key to develop passion is to put in your absolute best, even if you don’t like it in the first place.
Who inspires you?
My wife. She is the most authentic person that I know and she has overwhelming energy that still keeps me in awe after 20 years of marriage.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
The Trim Tab theory.
In response to the interviewer’s question about how we can live with “a sense of the individual’s impotence to affect events, to improve or even influence our own welfare, let alone that of society,” Buckminster Fuller offers his magnificent metaphor:
Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Elizabeth — the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab. It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go. So I said, “Call me Trim Tab.”
What it means – a small change can lead to a transformation.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Have you heard that song by Kylie Minogue… “If I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a single thing, there’s no questioning in my heart.” Every bit of my being today is the result of everything I have been through and exactly how God wanted it to be.
How do you unwind?
Books – I’d read anything non fiction.
For fictional stuff I am hooked on Netflix. I also invest in the company stocks 🙂
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Maldives. The tranquility of the place. It was the place I went with my wife many years ago to celebrate a big milestone in our life – reaching financial independence, and that feeling of freedom was anchored in those islands.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Shackleton’s Way by by Stephanie Capparell and Margot Morrell. Leadership is all about heart and courage, no other books have conveyed the essence better for me.
Shameless plug for your business:
Beyond Insights offers the most comprehensive education in stock market investing and trading, with a team of experienced coaches and most effective support. We have won The Most Preferred Financial Educator award in Invest Fair Malaysia from 2014 to 2016. If you want to maximize your wealth by investing wisely in the stock market, go to http://www.beyondinsights.net
How can people connect with you?
Email me at [email protected]
Twitter handle?
@weekhang
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
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 of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
