Wilson knew university was not for him and instead started his business at a the tender age of 20.
What’s your story?
Since young, I was never the smartest kid in class and I graduated with a GPA of 2.1 from Singapore polytechnic. That inferiority made me start my business when I was 20 and I didn’t pursue university. At that time, people saw it as a big deal and they deemed me as someone that was not going to succeed in life. While my friends around me were thinking about which university they should go to, I was obsessed with personal development and working out to cultivate commitment and discipline.
What excites you most about your industry?
Being able to build my business anywhere and anytime in the world. Even though we have an office, we can move to any city and all we need is a laptop and an internet connection. However, we moved into an office is because we wanted more growth and our ultimate goal is to build a team of elites and to grow together as a company.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I was raised in Singapore and have lived in Woodlands for over 20 years. It’s a very quiet place but I loved it. I prefer places that are not noisy and most importantly, I don’t have to deal with the traffic jams.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
China. It is one of the biggest countries in the world and there’s a lot of business opportunities.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that matters.
Who inspires you?
There are too many people that I really look up to but if you were to let me choose one, I would choose Jay Chou. Even though it’s not related to business, he is always one of my role models in terms of the success he has achieved so far.
I felt that I can connect to his music lyrics and his story is really inspiring. I can feel that his music is always encouraging me not to give up on what I truly believe in. He doesn’t have the best voice and yet he is one of the most influential people on earth. Whenever I am feeling down, I will listen to his music and I will feel better immediately. Sounds like a quick remedy but it really works =D
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Donald Trump became the president of the United States! Initially, I thought it was impossible for that to happen but he made the impossible possible.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Honestly, most people would say nothing because everything happens for a reason and if there is no pain to start with, there won’t be any changes in their lives. Same for me too but if there must be something to change, I would have started my business even earlier! Probably as early as when I was in secondary school and also reinvest that money to buy bitcoins =D
How do you unwind?
I spend most of my time in the gym and office. On weekends, I will spend time with my friends to chill at some bars and have a nice dinner in town. I usually don’t head to town on weekdays since my office is located on the north side. Occasionally, I will go for a karaoke session with my awesome buddies. It’s always nice to meet like minded people. We empower each other to become better at what we do. We all came from different industries but we have similar life goals.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Taiwan. I have travelled to a few countries in Asia and I really love their culture! The people are very welcoming and they do not have any agenda when they interact with you. They do not expect anything in return and they are probably one of the most genuine people I have ever met.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Ready, fire, Aim by Michael Masterson
Shameless plug for your business:
Unlike most digital marketing agencies that take on clients without implementing the strategies on their own, we seek greater challenge of risking our own capital to build products on different niches.
How can people connect with you?
They can follow me on my instagram at @iamwilsonlau
Twitter handle?
@iamwilsonlau
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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
