My wife asked me something the other day I thought was kind of funny. She asked that if I could rewind time would I choose this career again. The reason I thought it was funny because I didn’t necessarily have a pre-determined path to get to where I am today although I’m very glad it happened. Most of the time I could only see a step or two ahead of me, even then things don’t always turn out the way I planned. I had made many personal pivots and my professional path has not been linear. Believe me, my MBA Career Services coach had a heck of a time finding a “thread” for my story. Through the different zigs and zags though, my main motivation has been find something that I’m fiercely passionate about and to pick up skills that I know will benefit me in the long run.
Punching above my weight class
I grew up in Taiwan, a small town up the hills away from the city center of Taichung. I don’t quite remember why, but my mom had me take some IQ test skip a year and go into first grade early. To a certain extent, this begin a theme of me punching above my weight class and jumping in with both feet, kicking like hell to survive. Not to say that the 1st grade curriculum was exactly that challenging though.
When I finished elementary school my parents enrolled me in a private junior high school known to be filled with university professors and wealthy families’ kids, basically kids who are suppose to be from better background than one that’s wrong some country bumpkin elementary school. Asian schools have these rankings based on your test scores (looking back, so unhealthy for kids to pit them against each other unavoidably leaving most people feeling negative about themselves). After fighting and pushing myself I ended up #4 in the class at the end of the year, surprising everybody probably including myself.
When we moved to the US, we moved to a town of around 2,000 people (or less depending what data source you use). The town was so small it didn’t have an ESL (English as Second Language) program. My sister and I were placed in the school with our limited English and left to figure it out how to work. It took me a good year or so before I stopped relying on my electronic translator. I would watch TV with subtitles on (My favorite was Home Improvement and The Simpson.) and write down words I didn’t know. Still to this date I’m more accustom to watching TV with subtitles on, which I know some of my friends find it weird. It wasn’t pretty, but I was grateful after the fact seeing and hearing some other immigrant kids struggle with the language or speak with noticeable accent.
Work Ethics > Talent
Albeit I was identified as gifted with > 140 IQ, my parents made sure to instill in me it is work ethics that’s what will carry me in the long run. My parents sold different things in the US, including suit cases and ceiling fan parts, before finally supplying aerosol actuator and hose parts that we’re still known for 30 or so years later. You will have to ask them whether it was a conscious choice or out of necessity, but it was common for me to go to our factory to help out after I get done with homework. As I got bigger and stronger my role expanded.
When I was really young I would maybe just help out pick out defected plastic parts. When I was strong enough, I would work the line that involves loading these rolls of plastic hose that are kind of heavy to feed into a machine that cuts them into the appropriate size. From time to time I would also help load the boxes in the freight container when we are ready to ship the finished products off. It was also not out of the norm for me to take the night shift to switch out the containers collecting the plastic injection molding parts that run almost 24/7 so my dad can get some decent sleep.
Growing up my parents would also make it a point not to tell me how much money we have. I could tell we’re above average because sometimes people comment on it or I knew it not everybody can afford to take international trips like we did. We still lived modestly though. The fanciest car my dad drove was a Chrysler, which is again above average but nothing like the Mercedes or BMW like some of my classmates’ parents pick them up in during junior high. I think they were afraid if I knew I would stop working hard in school.
Born Entrepreneur?
I never considered myself an entrepreneur. To me, that meant people like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs and I didn’t see myself at that level. However, entrepreneurship is one of these broad stroke words, much like leadership and love. There are many forms and shapes of leadership and love, and for that matter, entrepreneurship. Over the years I’ve learned to identify and cultivate my leadership style, how I love and preferred to be loved, and what entrepreneurship means to me.
Let me get one thing straight. I don’t believe anyone is a born [insert title]. Entrepreneur, athlete, leader, etc you name it. One can definitely have a better chance of success in a certain field because of their genetic encoding, but without conscious development I don’t believe that person can reach the top of the field. Even though I don’t believe I’m a natural born entrepreneur, some friends have helped point out to me my affinity or inclination for it.
In first grade, one of the non-curriculum focus is to teach kids how to hold a pencil properly. There are these pencil grip holders you can buy at stationery stores you put over the pencil to mimic the proper way of gripping a pencil. I don’t remember what they sell for, probably something like a nickel or dime. One day I came across one of my dad’s friend’s factory and he manufacturers these. There’s a particular batch that left a thin film around the edges of the end product because the injection mold wasn’t precise. It takes too long to trim the extra material and he was about to throw them away. I asked if I could have them and returned home with a small plastic bag full of them. The next time I’m at school I started selling them to my classmates and use the proceeds to buy snacks at convenient stores. Looking back, maybe that’s part of the reason I was a chubby kid. But hey, can you blame me and how sweet pure profit taste?
Another time in either freshman or sophomore year in high school, I noticed many kids would peruse Eastbay catalogs for the latest shoes and gears. It caught my eye colleges were putting Chinese characters that translate to their mascots or close to it. For example, Univ of Texas my alma mater had one that means “bull” or “cow” for Longhorns. UNC Tar Heels had one that meant “foot” or “heel.” These gweilos’ fascination with Chinese was fascinating to me. I pitched to the class officers to make one for our own school, the Blue Streaks, with the Chinese writing meaning “lightning” or “electricity” and put them on hats and shirts to sell as fundraiser for the senior trip. Fortunately again, one of my dad’s friends manufactures hats and other textile products. He sent me the proof and made a small sample batch for me, free of charge. Although I transferred at the end of my sophomore year and didn’t get to enjoy the senior trip with the rest of the class I’m glad it worked out well. My dad still has one of those hats somewhere at his house.
