Commentary: What was the making of you?

Dear Readers,

I can’t believe it’s December! 😮 Time flies by quickly, and I hope things have been good for you – more users, revenue, profits, and happiness. Because the year is almost over, I’m generally in a reflective mood. I had a conversation with my older brother (add him and say hello) a few months ago, and I clearly remember what we talked about: How did we become who we are today? And how did we survive all the obstacles that have been thrown our way?

To keep things brief, let’s just say that my brother and I didn’t have the best environment growing up. We weren’t in dire straits, but we definitely faced challenges. But those hurdles molded our character. Here are some of the things that we’re thankful for:

1. We met the right people at the right time.
We both had people betting on us even though we were young and naive. In my case, I wouldn’t be where I am today if Willson Cuaca hadn’t given me the opportunity and supported my vision. Our community wouldn’t have Tech in Asia and a team dedicated to fulfilling its mission: to build and serve the region’s tech and startup ecosystem. My brother and I also had caring aunts who helped raise us and teachers who understood our situation and patiently guided us to learn and grow.

2. We didn’t have enough resources.
It was hard, but having limitations built our resilience. In elementary school, I would get S$0.20 every day from my dad (my brother got more, I believe 😏) so I could buy snacks during recess. Needless to say, that amount wasn’t enough, and we had to get creative. So we caught and sold grasshoppers to our schoolmates, and we even enlisted other kids to join our operations… until the school’s discipline master put a stop to it, that is. Whoops. (I’m sorry, grasshoppers! 🦗)

Resource constraints also meant we needed to have decent planning skills. When I first started Tech in Asia, my older brother took a step back and landed a high-paying and stable job to ensure I could take risks while he paid the bills for the family. As things got more stable on my end, he eventually left to start his own company. I’ll forever be grateful for that.

3. We had the freedom to explore and figure things out.
Growing up, my brother and I had plenty of leeway to roam around and discover things for ourselves. We played football with random people in the neighborhood, and we made and lost money from buying and selling game cards. We also did some crazy part-time jobs and set up businesses without any experience. We would also go to the library and read (or sometimes “took”) whatever books we liked.

Sure, we picked up some bad habits, but we also learned a lot through experimentation and exploration. We also realized that what many people think of as “risky” wasn’t at all risky to us because we’re so used to finding our own way. Our parents still don’t really know what we’re doing today, so it’s like we never lost that freedom. 😁

4. We took the road less traveled – entrepreneurship.
It wasn’t a surprise that we both became entrepreneurs. We figured that it’s the only job that could give us the challenge and satisfaction we need. While we do grumble (because building is hard), we do know that we’re very lucky to be in our position. Sometimes we feel great, but sometimes we also feel like the lousiest CEOs in the world.

We both learn the most when we just try things out, never mind if we screw up. The hustle and bustle of hard work also makes us better – more empathetic (because building a product requires that) and responsible (because we know there are families who depend on our leadership).

So, what made you, you? If you’d like to share, please drop me a note or a line. I’d love to read your story.

See ya next week!

You can find last week’s commentary via this link – “Commentary: Keep your head down and just get shit done”. If you’re a TIA subscriber, you can read all my commentaries here.

P.S. I was always the “better kid” while my brother was the notorious troublemaker. That’s because I saw how he messed up, and that dissuaded me from following him down some of the paths he took. 😀