Latest / The High Ground / Don't Chase Money, Chase Reputation | Investor John Jia-Ren Lee

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Don't Chase Money, Chase Reputation | Investor John Jia-Ren Lee · The High Ground

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Most people struggle to run one business well.
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My guest today runs several, all in different
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industries at the same time. Everyone talks about
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focus and staying in your lane, but he's done
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the opposite and he's made it work. So today
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we're getting into how you spread yourself across
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multiple ventures without the whole thing collapsing.
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My guest today is John Lee, an investor and founder
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who's built and backed himself off multiple different
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industries. He's known for making bold moves
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that most people wouldn't and building relationships
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that make them pay off. Over 90 % of people watching
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the podcast right now aren't actually subscribed
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and we release conversations like this every
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single week. So make sure you hit that subscribe
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button down below. All right, John, welcome to
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the podcast. Thank you for the invite. Awesome.
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So let's start at the very start. So, you know,
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go through what kind of businesses you have and
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how, because you have multiple different businesses
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and you invest and, you know, you're a multifaceted
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person. So let's talk about that. Sure. No problem.
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Yes, like you've mentioned, I do have multiple
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businesses. Let's not confuse the audience because...
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I do have a lot. So I'm just going to focus on
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the ones that I've spoken about and that public
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would know about. So the main core business that
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I'm in is I do own a real estate company, a development
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company called Lee and Deuce Realty Group. So
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it's funded by, founded and funded by me personally,
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John Lee and Josh Deuce, hence the name Lee and
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Deuce Realty Group. Mainly we purchase, acquire
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undeveloped sites. And then we get the DAs for
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these sites, subdivide them, turn them into early
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retirement village, childcare, retail shops,
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warehouses, stuff like that. That's my core business.
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The next business I'm more interested in is called
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Sky Lumi Show. It's a private drone show business.
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So my business partner, Vincent, he used to own...
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He still does, but now we're joint ventured.
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So he's one of the three largest drone show providers
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in Australia. So basically, have you ever seen
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those drone shows, those drones fly in the sky
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and big drone shows that's hosted by the government
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side of things? So we do that in a smaller scale.
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And we've been featured on 9 News as well. So
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that's a bit of excitement to that business venture.
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The next business I do have is called Bee Machine,
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like the insect bee. Bee Machine, it's a perfume
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machine that basically you pay $3 for two sprays.
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So instead of you bringing your own cologne or
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perfume when you travel or when you go to a restaurant,
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you can basically top up the smell on your body.
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So basically we have five different bottles to
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choose from. You tap to pay $3 and you get to
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choose which bottle you like and it will just
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spray out. twice. So you will feel refreshed
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every single time when you go to the gym, nightclub,
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or restaurants. And there are other businesses
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that maybe we can leave for the next episode
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or next time to chat. Yeah. So basically these,
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oh, I forgot to mention, and which I need to
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promote my movie as well. I'm also an EP, which
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is stand for executive producer for this upcoming
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movie called Zombie Plane. So we got Chuck Norris,
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Sophie Monk. Vanilla Ice, Amy Shark, Natalie
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Bessingthray, Iced Tea, and the list goes on.
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Yeah. Yeah. So that gives you a bit of insight
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of what I do. Yeah. So did you start in the property
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development and then all the other businesses
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kind of just flowed on? How did that kind of
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work? Yes. So, yeah, a lot of people ask me these
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questions all the time. How did you get into
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different businesses? How did you find out what
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sort of businesses you would be interested to
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do? I always tell people life is like a big karma.
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What goes around comes around. I don't genuinely
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go out there looking for different businesses
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to invest or to get involved in. More so, I focus
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on the development side of the business. That's
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bread and butter. That's just my core business.
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And through connections, people bring up the
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business ideas. And if there's one that I'm interested
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in, I would have a chat with. you know, the so
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-called the idea owner of the business. And then
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we somehow just evolving and then turn it into
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a business that I'm involved in. Yeah. Yeah.
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So it's not really me looking out for new businesses
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to be involved. It's more so people pitch me
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business ideas and the ones that I'm interested
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in, I will spend the time, do my DD. And if I
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can add value to the business, not just the money
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side of it, but the operational side of it, then
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I'm very interested in too. doing more different
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businesses, if that makes sense. Yeah, well,
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all the businesses you have is quite operational,
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quite hands -on type of businesses. Instead of
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just any silent investor, just putting the money
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and just let it grow. Yeah, yeah. That's cool.
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It's good to see that, you know, you're not,
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it's not just a case of here's the money, you
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deal with it, you know, you're actively involved
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in it. It's something that you actually believe
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in and something that you want to see succeed
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as well. Because a lot of times it can just be,
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oh, here's the money, you know, you kind of,
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you sort it out. Yeah, yeah. Not gonna lie, I
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get pitched business ideas almost daily, if not
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weekly. I do get pitched some, not all, business
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ideas that they simply want money. They just
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want someone to fund the idea. And no offense
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to these businesses at all, but I am personally
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interested in something that I can add value
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to it. Again, no offense. If I'm going to put
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my money into someone else's ideas, I might as
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well just put it into my own idea because I'm
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very creative. I can do it myself. And that's
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nothing to brag about. I always say this. You've
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got to have the confidence, not the arrogance.
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You've got to know what you're good at doing.
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I'm not good at doing picking someone to run
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the show and just give them the money. I'm not
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good at doing that. I am, however, very good
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at loving your idea combined with my strength
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and my experiences. And we'll take the idea into
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reality. And that's what I'm good at. So I'm
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happy to put in the money, but I need to be involved.
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Yeah. Yeah. In the operational side of things.
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Yeah. So you get pitched like a million times
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a day. A lot. Trust me. I get pitched so many.
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And it could be from furnitures. to lots of different
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things. Like that's not even involved in my daily
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life or none of my businesses are related. I
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just get pitched a lot of crazy ideas all the
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time. Yeah. So how do you filter through them
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and choose which ones to kind of back? Again,
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before the podcast started, I said that it's
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great that thank you again for inviting me to
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your podcast show. Yes, I would love to take
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this opportunity to explain how I choose and
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decide which businesses that I am happy to get
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involved in. So first thing first, I think synergy
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is a very big thing. So if I don't feel like
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I have a good synergy with this person at all,
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if it's all straight to business, I tend not
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to want to get involved. And I'll share a story
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with you. This guy I met at a Ferrari event.
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Funny enough, he's doing furniture business.
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He was like, he met me, one of the guests at
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the event. And he goes, oh, John, you know, I
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heard that you have so many connections. You
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know, you know, a lot of shops, you know, a lot
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of people. Let's let's collab. You know, I'll
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bring my my furniture business to you and we
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can do it together. We'll bring it to the next
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level. I'll make you so rich. Before I even said
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a word, my friend, he's still working at Ferrari,
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Garion, sales associate. He jumped in. He goes.
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Hang on one second. John's already rich. You
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don't need to make him rich. So to me, that's
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very disrespectful already. Because I'm Asian.
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So I was born in Taiwan, raised in LA since I
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was 12. So I'm very westernized. But again, with
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the Eastern moral value within myself, I think
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respect is the ultimate thing. Before anything
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can start, you got to respect people. You don't
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know this person, this gentleman. You don't even
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know who I am. You don't need to tell me you're
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going to make me rich. And again, whether you're
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rich or not, it's irrelevant. I have this saying,
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it doesn't matter how rich you are. If you don't
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show the respect, I'm already very comfortable
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with my life and my businesses. I don't need
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you to make me rich. We can make opportunities
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and grow together, but you don't need to use
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that wording. And I didn't like it straight away.
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So I didn't want to continue the conversation.
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So coming back, what I look into a partnership.
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is someone that I genuinely feel a connection
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with. Someone who's like me, very confident,
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not arrogant, very competent as well. Because
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if you're not competent, your idea or ideas,
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they're just wish lists. A lot of people have
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great ideas, but how are you going to execute?
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Oh, look, I just need money. I just need that.
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Well, look, then that's your problem. You haven't
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had solution yet. So that's just your wish list.
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So for me, if I like you, you're down to earth.
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but you're willing to work hard and you show
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a lot of respect. When I say respect, thank you,
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please. Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate
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it. That has to be within you all the time. It
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can't just be, day one, I need your money. Thank
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you so much for investing. Thank you, John. And
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later on, just like, oh, hey, what's up? Oh,
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no, nothing. No, I don't like that. I'm not that
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kind of person on a day -to -day life. So I need
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someone who can truly show that respect. That's
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the first thing. Second thing, it doesn't matter
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what kind of ideas you have. I need to see problems
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that I personally can add value to it. Because
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a lot of times people pitch me the idea. They
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have all the problems figured out. They're like,
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you know, if you invest in my business, I'm going
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to get 100 clients in the next month and we're
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going to reach 2 ,000 clients by the end of the
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year. We're going to make tons of money. We're
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going to make a million, 2 million, 10 million,
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a billion, whatever, right? That's their pitch.
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I get it. If you got it all figured out, why
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would you need me for it? Oh, look, you know,
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we just need $200 ,000. We just need $2 million.
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Oh, so you need the money. So if it's that easy,
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you can honestly, you can take your idea to go
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to the bank because the bank can fund small businesses.
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If your idea can turn into that much of profit,
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I'm pretty sure bank will fund it. So don't give
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me that bullshit pitch because that's just bullshit.
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Tell me your problems. Tell me what you're lacking.
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Then if I can add value, I would be more than
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happy to look at your proposal and then we can
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get the next meeting for me to be interested
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into investing. No difference than my bean machine
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business. No difference than my Sky Lumi show,
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private drunk show business and other businesses.
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Yeah. So if that answers your question. Yeah.
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So what I'm hearing is you kind of like the problem
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aware people that have a solution, but they need.
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the bridge between the problem and the solution
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pretty much and so you like to get hands -on
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as well and you know and be involved in that
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because obviously you but i have to like the
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idea first right i'll give you a perspective
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my bee machine the perfume machine so my business
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partner brought me the idea he knew that he wouldn't
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have the connections that i would have to put
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those machines in venues because without venues
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no one's gonna see your machines right and he's
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not really good at marketing Obviously, now he
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is because we've been doing this business for
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over a year now. But initially, he knew that
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he was lacking the connections. He knew that
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he was lacking the marketing side of the business.
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So then he came to me. And then I look at the
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idea. It was not going to lie that the first
11:43
prototype that he brought to me, it looked like
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a condom machine. It's just ugly, unattractive.
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And I'm like, how are you going to sell perfume,
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which is an attractive product, with an ugly
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look of that machine? So we turn it if you had
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a chance or have a chance, you can look up on
12:00
our social media and it's very sexy. Like there's
12:03
no product out there. Again, this is confidence
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speaking on. truth and facts. There are no products.
12:09
There are competitive products out there, but
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none of those machines will look anything close
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to what we have produced and, you know, offer
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to the public. So that example just gives to
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show I need to be hands -on. I need to add value
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to your idea and then you'll turn something better
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than what you initially thought about. Yeah.
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Well, I would say I've never seen something when
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I was, you know, doing my research and stuff.
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I never seen anything. like that before so i
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thought oh that's a very unique you know niche
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idea yeah yeah and now um they're inside mantra
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hotel they're inside nightclubs in on the gold
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coast they're inside fine dining in harvey bay
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um yeah there are in multiple venues now and
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we're very eager to expand but i'm very cautious
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about expanding um a new business a lot of people
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they feel like they have to expand quickly but
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for me i need to make sure that um The venues
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that we already have the machines with, we look
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after them. The clients enjoy the product because
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any new product, they will always have some flaws.
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It's like a new car when it comes out. There's
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always factory recalls. I don't want to explain
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because we are in a position, we have 20 venues
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in Sydney eagerly looking to have our machines
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into their venues, same as in Perth and Melbourne.
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I'm holding it back a little bit because I want
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to make sure the product, the machines itself,
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it has no issues. As in, in the next six months,
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we don't need constant repair or software glitch.
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We want to provide the best experience to the
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users because we're running a long -term business.
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And that's going to help you expand so much quicker
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when you have quality, you know, testimonials
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from people that have actually used the product.
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There you go. There's no problems. And, you know,
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the customer experience is just through the roof,
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you know, makes it great. That's within my DNA.
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I usually would only invest in a business when
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people pitch me ideas and I can tell from that
14:07
person they care about quality, they care about
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ethic and integrity rather than... just chasing
14:13
after money. I have this other saying, don't
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chase after money, chase after reputation, because
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money is always the byproduct of great reputation.
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A lot of people have heard about this phrase,
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because I didn't invent this phrase, but they
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hear about it, they don't practice it, and they
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don't care about it. And most people will say,
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yes, we care about reputation. Oh no, look, but
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you know, we can make this amount of money. You're
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focusing on the money side again. You should
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solve the problem. You should have the best product.
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Money will come. Don't worry about the money.
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Worry about the other last step. I 100 % agree
14:46
with you. I'm a little bit strict on which businesses
14:49
I'm involved and which business partner. I'm
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very picky on that. Because if you're not aligned
14:55
with what I'm thinking, then we can't do long
14:58
-term business. And I love the word... partner
15:02
and the fact that you use that because we have
15:04
just rebranded and stuff our own business and
15:08
we went from like an agency model to a partnership
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model because our whole business is long -term
15:14
growth for other businesses so you know we need
15:18
to partner with you so we also do the same in
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terms of you know you need to be thinking long
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term you don't need to be focused on you know
15:25
just the money it needs to be you know where
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do you want to see yourself in One year, where
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do you want to see yourself in three years? Where
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do you see yourself in five years? And then work
15:33
your way back. And you need to be in it for the
15:35
long term because any business is long term.
15:39
That's exactly right. And I'm not going to lie.
15:41
Some of the people that pitch me the business
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ideas, I could tell straight away. For them,
15:46
it's all about money. And the problem with all
15:49
about money is it's like gambling. Sure, it's
15:52
all well and true that let's say we partner up.
15:54
You have this great idea. kicks off, if it takes
15:58
off, you're going to be very happy. You're going
16:00
to spend more effort. But if you're always thinking
16:03
about how much money I'm going to be making,
16:05
things always go wrong. It's just life. No matter
16:09
how much you have planned, things will always
16:13
go wrong. But if I sense you only care about
16:16
money and when things go wrong, you would quit.
16:19
You would not want to proceed further. You would
16:22
not want to get involved. And if I'm your investor,
16:25
I will waste my money investing in your ideas
16:27
and you're gone already. Yeah. Yeah. So I need
16:30
someone who care about reputation, care about
16:33
making things work and focus on making sure the
16:37
product is, no one can make a perfect product,
16:40
but aim for that and then work backwards. Then
16:43
money will just come. Yeah. And then worst comes
16:46
to worst, if the business goes down, at least
16:49
you know you've given the 110 % effort to make
16:51
it work. Yeah. Yeah. yeah we're very big on solving
16:55
a problem not focusing on just you know the byproduct
16:58
of that the whole point is obviously well look
17:01
a lot of people get in business one for they
17:04
either love something and you know that could
17:07
be like surfing for example you might end up
17:09
doing a surf shop because you love surfing and
17:12
then you kind of just work things out as you
17:13
go or you have the people that get in business
17:17
to make money. Obviously, we all want to make
17:19
money. Of course. Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing
17:21
business, right? It can't be the only thing that
17:23
you focus on. It needs to be the problem. It
17:25
needs to be having an impact and, you know, solving
17:29
that problem for your consumer. And money is
17:33
going to be the byproduct of it. And the better
17:36
product you offer to the market, to the general
17:38
public, the better experience you offer to clients.
17:42
I always tell people, put yourself. in your business
17:46
shoes. Let's say you're in this side of the fence.
17:49
You're the one who's offering the product or
17:51
the service. Why don't you put yourself in buyers'
17:55
or users' shoes and think about if this business
18:00
is always focusing on how much money they can
18:01
make, they don't get the best experience, how
18:04
are you going to have a long -term business?
18:06
No one's stupid. You're not stupid. I'm not stupid,
18:08
right? So once you start thinking that way, then
18:11
you will build a long -term... a sustainable
18:15
business for a long time to come yeah yep so
18:18
you said that you don't work with specific businesses
18:21
like you are very open with that yeah i'm very
18:23
open -minded that's why i'm involved in the movie
18:25
side of the business um private drone show business
18:27
the perfume business is all different yeah yeah
18:30
is there any ones that you like are particularly
18:34
drawn to as of or is it more so just like what
18:38
you said about the person and who they are so
18:40
i'm very open -minded So just to put it in perspective,
18:45
because I do love to bring this up, because it's
18:47
always been mentioned in every single business
18:51
meetings I have. So I'm 49. I was born in 1977,
18:55
but I don't look 49 at all. I was going to say
18:57
you do not look 49. Wow, you look great for your
19:01
age. Thank you. I didn't just say it for the
19:02
compliment, but I'm saying it for a reason. So
19:05
a lot of my Aussie friends or like Caucasian
19:07
friends, like yourself, Westerners, who... who
19:10
always think Asian people look younger. And I
19:13
usually get joked saying that, oh, you're lucky
19:15
you have the Asian genes. And I always joke back
19:18
saying that, are you fucking serious? You don't
19:20
have any Asian friends? Look at all your Asian
19:22
friends. I look young even among Asians. Yeah.
19:26
Like I'm Taiwanese. Whenever I go back to Taiwan,
19:28
full of Taiwanese, they're like, how do you look
19:31
so young? So don't tell me I'm lucky I have Asian
19:33
genes. Can you not just say I have good genes?
19:35
Joke aside. So because... One of the main reasons
19:38
I can look young because I genuinely feel happy
19:41
all the time. And in order to feel happy, you
19:45
cannot become an old fart. What I mean by that
19:48
is people usually get old with experience, especially
19:52
when they become a bit successful. They become
19:54
very close -minded. They think they know better
19:57
than young people. Like I'm 49. I'm sure you're
19:59
in your early 20s, right? So a lot of people
20:02
in my age that I talk to, they're successful.
20:06
They always think they know better. I'm like,
20:07
what do you mean you know better? The world is
20:09
evolving every single day. You don't know any
20:11
better. You might be better at doing what you
20:14
did 20 years ago, 10 years ago. That's why you're
20:16
successful. But it's always the young people
20:19
that's driving the world, okay? So I don't have
20:22
a very strict mind or a narrow view of the world.
20:27
So if yesterday I think I was the best, today
20:29
I think I'm a student. I'm learning something
20:32
again. And for that reason, sorry to drag. outside
20:36
your question coming back to your question because
20:39
of that reason i don't have a specific business
20:42
or industry that i'm truly interested in i'm
20:48
interested in all type of businesses as long
20:51
i can add value as long that's interesting that
20:54
catches my attention i'm always open to discussion
20:58
for that yeah i love that because we're actually
21:01
we have a um a sharp tank guy coming on soon.
21:06
And I guess when you look at Shark Tank, it's
21:08
very, you know, numbers, you know, how much kind
21:12
of... I'm a very different type of investor.
21:14
Funny you mentioned that because Brett, which
21:16
is our mutual friend, also in business partnership
21:19
with him in his mentoring business right now,
21:23
we just started. But let me leave that aside
21:25
first. We literally just had a chat about investors
21:29
because I'm... An active investor, I always look
21:33
for new businesses to be involved in. But unlike
21:36
Shark Tank, they look at the numbers. They want
21:38
a big chunk out of. Your idea. And the arguing
21:43
point is that I've made it already. So I need
21:46
to take a big chunk out of you. I need to invest
21:48
very little money for a huge stake in your business
21:52
because I, I, I can add so much value to your
21:56
business. I'll give you a perfect example. You
21:58
know, the security doorbell ring? I'm not sure
22:02
if you know, Ring's founder actually went on
22:05
to Shark Tank. Because he became, I think he's
22:08
one of the Shark Tank judges, right? I'm not
22:11
sure which country, but he literally, if you
22:13
Google, if any of your audience Google, you will
22:16
know he literally went on to Shark Tank to pitch
22:19
the idea. None of the Shark Tanks believe in
22:22
the idea. And the ones that they were interested
22:25
in, they want a big chunk out of his idea. He
22:28
declined the offer. Look at him, build a billion
22:31
dollar business now. That just goes to show you,
22:33
not every shark tank, no offense to them, not
22:36
every successful businessman are always right
22:39
about your business. So I'm a very different
22:42
investor. It's your business, your idea, it's
22:45
your IP. If I'm involved, it's always 50 -50.
22:48
And I would put 50 % of the funding to fund the
22:52
business. I would add 50 % of the value to the
22:55
business. And that's an equal partnership. Yeah.
22:58
So very different than Shark Tank judges the
23:00
way they look at it. Yeah. Like, do you reply
23:02
to everybody that's contacting you or do you
23:04
just... Because obviously if you're getting quite
23:06
a lot, that's a lot of... Like, I get a lot of
23:08
DMs for pitching to come work with me or, you
23:12
know, that sort of stuff. I bet. I'll be very
23:14
honest with you. I am very prompt. I am the kind
23:20
of person always puts myself in people's shoes.
23:22
So when people reach out, I don't think of it
23:25
like... I have so many DMs. I have so many things
23:27
to look at. I'm not going to reply. Because to
23:30
me, they might just be one of them. To any one
23:34
of them, it's their only one. It's their only
23:37
chance. They're willing to reach out to me in
23:40
hoping that I can respond, in hoping that there's
23:43
a chance that I'm interested so we can have a
23:46
conversation. So I always put myself in their
23:48
shoes and thinking, if I don't get back to them.
23:51
It's not just about how rude it is. It just kind
23:53
of killed their dreams. So for that reason, I
23:57
tend to reply to everyone with one condition,
24:00
which I've mentioned earlier. If they're not
24:03
polite, if the way they reach out is entitled,
24:06
I would not even look at it. And I'll give you
24:08
a perfect example. I get reached out from...
24:12
Obviously, we all use Instagram these days. A
24:15
lot of DMs come through, a lot of Facebook messages
24:18
as well. The ones that start off with, hi, John.
24:23
And then I would see their following on my social
24:27
media already. That's a respect. You want my
24:31
time. You follow me. You say, hi, John. Can I
24:34
ask you a question? Can I? These are the people
24:37
that I would, sometimes I do admit, I might not
24:41
reply straight away. I'll get back to them. When,
24:43
you know, when I have the time. The ones that
24:45
just go, this is my idea. I think you will love
24:48
it. Have a look. Yeah, yeah. We can do something
24:52
together. Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah. Never follows
24:54
you. Never address your name. Never say hi. No
24:57
offense. Who the fuck are you? You think you
24:59
can just DM someone? So anybody can just DM Elon
25:02
Musk and go, I got a great idea. You have to
25:04
take it. Why do you feel so entitled? What's
25:07
the respect? What's the hello? I mean, I know
25:09
that we're in a digital world. Things has to
25:12
go quick. I get that. But the way you approach
25:15
me, you just make me think this is a spam mail.
25:18
You do it to a hundred people and just in hoping
25:20
that someone can get back to you. Well, wish
25:23
you the best of luck because I'm not that kind
25:24
of person that you will have my time because
25:27
there's no mutual respect. Yeah. So yes, I do
25:30
get back to all of them with one condition. They
25:33
have to show the respect. You know what? This
25:35
is actually a prime example. I was looking for
25:38
a senior copywriter. So I put something on LinkedIn,
25:40
just a little ad, and had people contact me.
25:43
Now, for I think majority of the people, I was
25:46
very similar. I don't like when people would
25:48
just say, hey, here's my CV. Like, can you hire
25:52
me? That type of thing. Very demanding. Yeah.
25:55
Like, sorry, like what? Yeah, exactly. I mean,
25:58
again, earlier, excuse my French, I wasn't trying
26:01
to be rude about who the fuck are you. Moral
26:05
of that story is you need to show respect. It's
26:07
entitlement, yeah. Why you feel entitled? I'm
26:09
not your dad. I don't need your attitude. I don't
26:12
need you to bring your idea thinking it's the
26:14
best. It could be the best. But with your attitude,
26:16
if you can do it all, do it yourself. You're
26:19
reaching out literally for help, if not money.
26:22
If money and help both. You got to be respectful.
26:26
Even though I run multiple businesses, I'm still
26:29
very respectful to everybody around me. And I
26:32
show respect not just because someone has achieved
26:35
something. That's just a general human being.
26:40
You know, we're all the same. You got to show
26:42
respect to people. That's how I was brought up.
26:44
And that's what I think anyone want to do business
26:48
with me or be friends with me, have to have the
26:51
same principles. Yes, I agree. I agree. It's
26:54
the same when we bring people on. You have to
26:56
have that long -term, you know, you have to have
26:58
that growth mindset, that long -term vision,
27:01
you know, and actually believe and back yourself
27:03
as well so that we can believe and back yourself.
27:06
Exactly right. Yeah. It's very similar. 100%.
27:08
So how is it managing multiple different businesses
27:12
or, you know, being involved with that? How do
27:15
you manage that? That's such a good question
27:17
because people ask me that all the time. There
27:20
are two type of business people. One type is
27:23
they're very skeptical about involved in multiple
27:27
businesses because the argument is if you're
27:30
good at something, you should focus on just one
27:31
thing. There's no way if you're good at one thing,
27:36
you're going to be capable and able to run multiple
27:39
businesses. And obviously, everyone has a different
27:43
perspective. My perspective is very similar to
27:46
Elon Musk. Look at him. He's involved in Tesla.
27:51
SpaceX, Xbox. He's in multiple businesses. The
27:56
key difference between the person that thinks
27:58
you are not able to run multiple businesses,
28:01
if you're good at something, you have to focus
28:03
on that, versus you are able to run different
28:06
businesses. The main difference is how do you
28:09
perceive yourself in that business? I want to
28:14
be hands -on, but I want to set a foundation,
28:17
a procedure that people can follow. you're overlooking
28:22
the whole business as a whole. You're not actually
28:26
working in that business every single day, even
28:29
when the business grows. You're not a dictator.
28:32
You want to be a dictator? You can't just let
28:35
people who's also capable of running the show
28:38
to carry on the show. And I think I'm that sort
28:41
of person. I like to build a business from ground
28:46
up. And then once it's to a level, I leave it
28:49
to my business partner and then I will give critical
28:52
insights and the resources when it needs to.
28:57
Then that's a good balance between a partnership.
29:00
Yeah. So all my businesses, I am able to run
29:03
them efficiently is because I'm happy to let
29:07
the other person take over and run the show.
29:10
And I'm just going to be behind the scene and
29:12
help you now. Yeah. Yeah. Is it stressful? In
29:17
the beginning, everything's stressful. I'm not
29:19
going to lie. Every single new business that
29:22
I'm doing, I've learned in my life, I used to
29:25
share with friends or relatives who are close
29:29
to you. And obviously when you catch up with
29:31
them, they're going to ask you, oh, what are
29:34
you up to? Oh, there's a new business. Every
29:36
time when there's something new. Everyone has
29:38
doubts. What? You're doing the zombie plane?
29:42
When is the movie coming out? Two months later,
29:44
three months, six months later. They start being
29:46
so skeptical. What? You have this called bee
29:48
machine? Perfume machine? Oh, where's the machine?
29:51
And then sometimes they see the prototype in
29:53
the office. They're like, oh, this is ugly. But
29:55
it's not done. So more of the story I'm trying
29:58
to express is that people don't see the grind.
30:02
People don't see the time effort that's put into.
30:06
that particular business that you're working
30:07
on. And they see it from a shallow point of view,
30:10
not understanding. It's not ready. So it's stressful
30:15
when I used the word use. Three years ago, I
30:18
used to share what I'm doing. But about, I don't
30:21
know why, three years ago, I think it was 2020,
30:26
2026, 2023, I made a New Year resolution. I go,
30:31
you know what? I'm never going to share it. with
30:33
anybody what I'm doing anymore because it's stressful.
30:36
Because when they challenge you, when they're
30:38
being skeptical, you somehow want to prove them
30:41
wrong. You somehow want to justify it. And that
30:43
becomes stress. I'm not going to be that stressful
30:45
anymore. I want my peace. So now when people
30:48
ask me something, are you doing anything? No.
30:50
Nothing. Don't worry about it. Yeah, don't worry
30:53
about it. Especially the people who are irrelevant.
30:55
I'm like, don't worry about it. No, nothing.
30:56
Oh, you're not working on something new? No.
30:58
And then something comes out. What? How long
31:00
you been doing this? About a year now. But then
31:03
I find my peace back. So if one of your ventures
31:06
starts sinking, what do you kind of do to save
31:11
it? Or do you just kind of let it go? No. So
31:13
I'm not going to lie. I'm not a genius. Even
31:16
Warren Buffett, even him, when he invests in
31:20
stocks, I guarantee you not every single stock
31:23
that he invested on would always take off, would
31:26
always make money. I mean, like I said earlier,
31:28
life is a journey. So sometimes you fail. I did
31:32
have businesses that I invested time and money.
31:36
They didn't work out as planned. My principle
31:40
is quite simple. So every business that I invested
31:44
in, it's always, I only want two business partners,
31:47
just me and the person bringing me that idea.
31:49
So I leave it up to him. If the business isn't
31:53
thriving. If he's struggling, I would have a
31:57
thorough discussion with him. If he wants to
31:59
invest more money and effort, I would spend the
32:02
time and effort to make sure it can still work
32:06
or try to save it. If he is giving it up, I would
32:09
just give it up. Again, there's no right or wrong.
32:12
It's just personally, if I'm in a business relationship
32:16
with someone, I do not want to become the dictator.
32:20
and get the person to always agree with me, vice
32:23
versa. I do not want the person to take control.
32:26
So for that reason, I don't think you should
32:30
put all the eggs in one basket, business -wise
32:33
as well. So that's one of the main reasons I
32:36
have multiple businesses with the best intention
32:38
to make every one of them work. But if they're
32:40
not working, I'll have a sit -down like this
32:43
conversation with my business partner. And not
32:47
going to lie, one of the previous... failure
32:49
business, I literally sat down and we put in
32:53
more money, but it just didn't work. So yeah,
32:55
but it was his decision. I always respect my
32:58
business partner. Do you want to put in more
33:00
money? You want to try to save it? You do? Okay,
33:02
I'll top it. I don't want to make that decision
33:04
because everyone's different. I feel like if
33:08
I'm in a business with you, I want to, again,
33:10
coming back to my moral value, I show the respect.
33:14
I don't want to be the one who goes. I don't
33:17
think it's going to work. I'm not going to invest
33:19
more. I don't want to make that decision for
33:21
you since we're business partners. I'll let you
33:23
make that decision and I'll back you. Yeah. I
33:25
think for that reason, I'm very trusted and liked
33:30
in business because people know I would never
33:34
back stabbing them because that's just how I
33:38
am in business. And I always tell people, if
33:40
we want to run a business, it's like a marriage.
33:43
You're not a friend anymore. You're not a business
33:45
partner anymore. You're... You're basically a
33:48
family. And family would always help, support,
33:51
and appreciate each other. And if there's a hard
33:55
time, we go through it together. But I don't
33:57
want to make decisions for you, which you might
34:00
still want to go and take on to the next level.
34:02
Even though I don't see it happening, I want
34:05
to back you. Yeah. But that's just how I am.
34:07
So because of my personality, I am very fortunate
34:12
to have business partners slash families. That,
34:16
yeah, even though the business failed previously,
34:19
it was your friends. Yeah. That's good. No hard
34:21
feelings. That's the positive side of it because
34:23
it can go very sour. Oh, yeah. But again, that's
34:27
where stress comes in. That's where it's going
34:29
to age you faster. I don't want to age fast.
34:32
I want to stay young. So you're very successful,
34:36
you know. You've got multiple businesses. You've
34:39
got the… The cars, you know. Funny enough. So
34:43
yesterday I was chatting with Brett, our mutual
34:45
friend. I said to him, a lot of people, actually,
34:48
he said that to me and he introduced me to a
34:51
potential client that when people look at me
34:54
from the surface level, they see the car, they
34:57
see the flashy outfit, the jewelry, the watches,
35:00
you know, the fine diamonds, the champagnes and
35:03
all that. But what people don't see is it's just
35:05
a life choice. I hate it so much when people
35:08
go, you know what? I know some very wealthy people.
35:12
They don't take photos of their cars. I know
35:14
some wealthy people that dress like Steve Jobs,
35:17
you know, just a t -shirt. Guys, it's just a
35:19
personal choice. So according to you then, according
35:23
to your concept, who's buying the super yachts?
35:26
Who's buying the Bugattis? Who's buying the mansions?
35:29
According to you then, these people would not
35:31
spend the money to buy them. So don't judge on
35:33
the superficial side of things. I have them.
35:36
because I enjoy them. Yeah. And you're allowed
35:38
to. You've worked hard for them. And the truth
35:40
is, I don't give a fuck whether you like it or
35:42
not. You want to think me showing off. You want
35:44
to think me because you think, oh, you know,
35:47
there's no need to do this. That's your opinion.
35:50
Whoever actually sat down or had a decent conversation
35:54
with me, I can guarantee you, none of these people
35:57
would say to you, John's an asshole. He thinks
35:59
I am not. I'm the most down to earth, humble.
36:02
and kind and appreciative, generous person you
36:05
will ever meet. And I mean it when I say it.
36:08
It's not documented. Anyone that knows me, they
36:11
know that. So I used to care like a lot of young
36:14
people these days, care about people's perception.
36:17
And three years ago, I don't care. I don't give
36:19
a fuck anymore. So I can sleep good at night.
36:22
I don't need to justify what I do. Yeah, yeah.
36:25
Well, you know, you actually said in one of your
36:27
videos that, you know, it's just these are the
36:30
materialistic things that, come with being successful.
36:34
These are the things that you enjoy. These are
36:36
the things that you want to do, you know? It's
36:38
like somebody playing video games because that's
36:41
what they want to do. You want to buy these things
36:43
and go for drives and, you know, do all this
36:46
fun stuff. Actually, I want to add one more point,
36:48
if you don't mind. So, for example, like watches.
36:50
I love watches. I love Audemars Piguet, Rolex,
36:53
and, you know, watches. And I love cars. I have
36:57
this saying, which... I didn't think about this
37:01
until I came across an argument, basically, with
37:04
a friend of mine. He goes, oh, you know, the
37:08
Lamborghini is so not practical. You know, if
37:11
I have the money, I wouldn't even want to buy
37:13
it. And I go, you know what? It's not even about
37:16
the money. It's not even about whether you want
37:18
to buy or not. Let me put it in perspective.
37:20
Let's say you're an athlete. You work four years
37:23
so hard to compete in Olympics. Are you genuinely
37:29
going to tell me all these athletes, they're
37:31
the best of the best. That's why they can compete
37:33
in Olympics. So you're telling me if someone
37:36
from Australia representing the country going
37:39
to compete in Olympics, they're going to hold
37:41
hands with everyone just saying, we are the world.
37:44
Let's not compete. We'll just go home. No one's
37:47
going to win that gold medal. And when the person
37:51
actually wins a gold medal, he's not going to
37:53
hold it up and thank the country. him or herself
37:57
for the hard work material stuff it's the same
38:01
it's a trophy for your hard work it will remind
38:04
you of all the hard work you put in when you
38:07
win that medal in olympics when you go home you
38:11
are so proud to showcase your trophy to the world
38:14
if not your friends no difference in your cars
38:17
than your watches then you know it's not like
38:20
look at my watch look at my car i'm better than
38:22
you no it's like look at this i've worked so
38:25
hard to get to where I am to get this. It's my
38:28
trophy. I think a lot of people just, their mindset
38:32
is they know, but they don't know. They see athletes
38:36
winning trophies. Somehow they think, yeah, it
38:39
makes sense because they're athletes and they
38:42
win trophies and it's great. What's the difference
38:45
between someone working hard to buy a car? Well,
38:47
I didn't steal the car. I have to pay for it,
38:49
right? I have to work hard to make money to pay
38:51
for it. No difference than athletes work hard
38:53
to compete in the Olympics and win the game.
38:55
If you put the mindset in the right place, you
38:58
would see positive things. around you yes yeah
39:01
yes when it comes to business owners a lot of
39:03
people go oh my god overnight success you know
39:06
they've they've just got it they've got all the
39:08
cars like it's so on they think of it as a negative
39:10
so unfair like you know how did they get there
39:13
but they don't see the 10 years of sacrifice
39:15
where they weren't getting paid where they had
39:16
to work three jobs just to live where they were
39:19
eating rice and tuna you know because that's
39:22
all they can afford they see that the winds and
39:26
It's almost like negative because... I honestly
39:29
think internet, social media has a big play in
39:33
this. You know, like I'm 49. Like growing up,
39:36
we didn't have social media. We didn't have internet.
39:39
We didn't have cell phone, you know, until I
39:41
was in high school. That's how old I am. But
39:43
I think social media somehow made people think
39:47
you can have whatever you want so easily. But
39:51
the problem and the reality is people work hard
39:54
for things. that they deserved. And it's a grinding.
39:59
It's at 10 o 'clock on a Friday night. You're
40:02
outside. You're partying. You're drinking champagne.
40:05
People are still on business calls. People are
40:08
still working on their Excel sheets to make sure
40:11
that their visa works. It's the things that people
40:15
are willing to spend the time and sacrifice to
40:18
achieve what you think. It's an overnight success.
40:22
I love helping people. And that's why whenever
40:24
I drive, the car anyone who knows me knows that
40:27
if i see kids if i see anybody want to see my
40:29
car usually i'll share a funny story with you
40:32
usually parents are very scared that when the
40:36
kids try to point at the car i'm not sure why
40:38
maybe because they come across bad experience
40:40
like some people might be arrogantly giving them
40:43
attitudes or or what but i come across kids usually
40:47
at petrol station pointing at the car they go
40:50
mom mom dad look it's a lamborghini and usually
40:53
this is night out of 10 of times. Parents will
40:56
go, oh, don't point at the car. You know, don't
40:58
talk about it. I go, no, no, no, no. Do you like
41:00
the car? I would look at the kids. Do you guys
41:03
love the car? Yes. Do you want to see the car?
41:05
Yes. Do you want to sit inside? Parents go, no,
41:07
no, no. No, no, no. Let your kids decide. If
41:10
they want to, let them come. Oh my God, thank
41:12
you so much. No, no, don't thank me. They come
41:14
and then they experience the car. And I usually
41:18
tell them, you can have this. Anyone can. If
41:21
I can have it, you can have it too. It's just
41:24
a car. And the parents, I even came across some
41:27
parents, they started having tears. Oh my God,
41:29
thank you so much for inspiring my kids. I'm
41:32
like, don't thank me. The world has become a
41:34
toxic place where there are not enough love.
41:38
Because honestly, it's just a car. It's a trophy.
41:41
But it's a trophy that anyone can have if they
41:45
put the effort. Train them when they're young.
41:48
Don't let them get scared of these kind of things.
41:51
It's just a car. Yes, it's expensive, but you
41:55
work hard. You meet the right people. Surround
41:57
yourself with positive people who support your
41:59
ideas and happy for your wins. You would elevate.
42:03
But so many people are surrounded by toxic people.
42:06
They bring them down. And you become the five
42:09
closest people that you hang around. You are.
42:11
Yeah. So get rid of them and have a new life.
42:14
Surround yourself with positive people. And you
42:16
will all win together. Yeah. I'm getting goosebumps
42:19
when I talk about it. But I genuinely feel that
42:22
way. You do. My dad has instilled this in me
42:24
my whole growing up, that you become the five
42:28
closest people you hang around. You need to be
42:30
so careful about who you hang around. You need
42:32
to hang around people that are successful, that
42:35
are driven, go -getters, so that you become that.
42:41
Yes, unconsciously. You all just naturally start
42:45
growing together. Yeah. And life would be better
42:47
that way. Because let's not lie. If you dress
42:51
nice, if you look beautiful, if you close a big
42:54
deal, everyone wants compliments, right? If you're
42:57
surrounded by negative people, toxic people,
43:01
they would not give you the energy you deserve.
43:04
You're beautiful. Someone go, oh, yeah, but I
43:06
think you can do this. You're successful. Oh,
43:08
but I think you can do this. It's always something
43:11
they want to pick on you. Why are you surrounding
43:13
yourself with these kind of people? Get rid of
43:15
them. Surround with the ones when you win, they're
43:18
happier than you. When they win, you're happier
43:21
than them. Exactly. And then step by step, you
43:24
are both winning together. Yeah. Or you're losing
43:28
together. Have you ever had any friends that
43:33
you've had to cut off? Yes. I'm not going to
43:37
name them. No, no. Let's not name them. Yeah.
43:40
So I do and I did cut off quite a lot of friends.
43:45
especially from high school. So how should I
43:49
word it? I tried to say, because obviously it's
43:50
recorded, in the most polite way possible. So
43:54
when you grow, people hear this all the time
43:56
on social media, on the news that, you know,
44:00
those inspirational people or successful people
44:03
talk about this all the time. They say, when
44:05
you grow, you start losing friends. And the reason
44:08
for that is you start not fitting to the environment
44:11
you used to fit in. actually make that a reality
44:18
in your life is very different. When you listen
44:19
to that, you're like, yeah, no, I get that. But
44:21
you know what? She's my friend for years, but
44:23
he's my best friend. Like, you know you shouldn't
44:26
be around them anymore, but you somehow tolerate.
44:29
You make excuses. Oh, yeah, but you know, I'm
44:32
not friends with that person anymore. But you're
44:34
still friends with this toxic person. Until one
44:37
day I realized nothing's going to change. So
44:40
when I was growing up, I'm not going to lie,
44:43
I grew up quite... from a wealthy family. So
44:46
I'm not going to make up a story where I grew
44:48
up poor and all that kind of stuff. That would
44:50
not be genuine. By the way, I want to promote
44:52
an anthology, a book that I've contributed a
44:56
page, a chapter, sorry, not a page, a chapter,
44:59
chapter into this anthology of 12 authors. Brett
45:02
is in the book as well. So I touch base about
45:04
how I see growth and business. It's going to
45:11
be out in October. I'll send you the link. I'll
45:15
send you a copy as well to have a read. So moral
45:18
of the story is I decided to cut them off rather
45:21
than putting up with them. And that's a fair
45:24
way to say it. I'll give you a perspective. We're
45:27
high school friends. We grew up together. They've
45:30
always knew parents were rich. So my cars, I
45:35
drove a Porsche when I was in high school. I'm
45:38
not going to go in details because that's not
45:40
the moral of the story. I don't want the audience
45:41
to mistakenly thought I'm bragging, which is
45:44
not the point. So I've lived a good life growing
45:47
up. I grew up in LA. I went to USC, University
45:51
of Southern California. So I'm surrounded by
45:53
a lot of wealthy kids with wealthy parents. The
45:57
problem is when we start growing up, a lot of
46:00
them still rely on their parents' wealth. They
46:03
still get allowances per se. I can too if I want
46:08
to, but I don't want to. So it's my choice to
46:11
build a career and a legacy I can be proud of.
46:17
So now we're still friends. You know, like we've
46:20
been 30 years friends. They still want to talk
46:22
about what daddy has spent money on them and
46:25
that kind of stuff. I want to talk about what
46:27
I built, my business, right? So we're not on
46:29
the same level anymore. And they somehow want
46:32
to make it like we're equal. But we're not equal,
46:34
motherfucker. You're still like a little kid
46:36
spending your daddy's money. I'm not. So why
46:39
am I going to either I can agree, oh, yeah, let's
46:42
do that. I don't want to sound like that. And
46:44
then when I sound like I'm doing something, they're
46:46
like, are you bragging about what you have built?
46:48
I can have the same thing you have, but I built
46:51
it myself. So for that reason, I cut them off.
46:54
And the best way to cut them off is just. oh
46:57
I'm busy but as you know it we're always busy
46:59
but we always can make time but for them the
47:02
time never become available yeah I just go oh
47:05
yeah we can catch up but yeah I'm busy yeah yeah
47:08
so there you go yeah cut off a lot of friends
47:09
even like me early in my career I've cut people
47:13
off and it's people that don't respect me they
47:16
don't have the same morals you know they don't
47:18
have the kind of growth mindset and I feel like
47:21
They might be, you know, holding me back from
47:23
my full potential. And it's not even from a place
47:26
of like, oh, I don't be friends with you anymore.
47:28
No, it's not. You know, there's no mutual benefit
47:31
here anymore. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent agree
47:34
with you. And a lot of people don't realize these
47:37
people, when they're surrounded by you, no difference
47:40
than you consuming McDonald's every week. That's
47:43
not just every day. Every week. You think, oh,
47:45
just once a week. But that's not. So these people
47:48
are the bad ingredients. come into your body,
47:51
your head, and your head would be messed up without
47:54
you realizing it. Yeah. You're who you hang around.
47:56
You're what you eat. You're what you listen to.
47:59
You're what you read. You know, if you're all
48:01
taking in that negative environment, you're going
48:04
to be negative yourself. Yeah. If you're taking
48:06
it in positive, you're going to be positive.
48:07
Exactly right. And when you become... Funny you
48:10
mentioned that because I've noticed... the people
48:12
around me when they become positive they always
48:15
say oh my god i didn't realize i was like that
48:18
like now you see you were one of them it's like
48:22
my partner when yeah how he's my partner yeah
48:25
um when we first started he was he was a big
48:28
boy he was like maybe a hundred 20 to 130 kilos.
48:31
Okay. He's very fit now. Yeah, very fit. So we
48:34
met, I was into like going to the gym, eating
48:37
well, that sort of stuff. So he started naturally
48:39
just adopting that lifestyle. He stopped drinking,
48:42
you know. You are really, you hang around. You
48:46
are. And you really have to think twice. Sorry,
48:52
I like to give analogy because when I talk, a
48:54
lot of time people overcomplicate life. Life
48:58
is just a game. And when I say that, what I mean
49:02
is it's a game that you cannot reset. And it's
49:07
not a video game. Oh, I lost this round. I'll
49:09
play again, play again. Life is a game. And it
49:13
only goes once. So play it carefully. And make
49:16
sure that play it cautiously every step of the
49:19
way. Because eventually, whether you're going
49:22
to have gratification or disappointment, it's
49:25
up to your decisions, right? So you don't want
49:28
to be lying on your dying bed. Because when someone
49:31
is about to die on their dying bed, all they
49:34
have left is memory. And if this memory takes
49:38
you to a better place, you end up in heaven.
49:40
This memory is all negativities. Sorry, you might
49:44
end up in hell because you're not gone in peace.
49:48
You're gone in stress. So for that reason, we
49:51
should think twice before we make the decision.
49:53
And the world will become a better place if everyone
49:56
plays their part, try to inspire, do good, and
50:00
be genuine to people. Sorry, I'm not trying to
50:02
preach or anything like that. Oh, it's great.
50:05
Yeah, I love it. So you mentioned with... your
50:09
business is you really like to set the foundations
50:11
first because a strong foundation means a strong
50:14
business. What does that look like? So with me,
50:17
a strong foundation means, coming back to what
50:20
I said earlier, anyone can have a great idea,
50:23
but an idea is just a wish list. So I think most
50:27
people forget that. Again, I'm not trying to
50:30
say that make the idea perfect before you launch
50:32
the product. Absolutely not what I'm trying to
50:35
say. But so many people, they haven't even thought
50:38
through about what the product, what the service
50:41
is before they launch the product. They have
50:44
these delusional expectations. For example, my
50:49
bean machine, it worked great when we were testing
50:53
it, but we didn't test it in a venue, in a nightclub,
50:56
where people constantly not knowing what to do,
50:59
kept on pressing, kept on pressing. Sometimes
51:01
people might bump into it. You need those real
51:04
life tests before you know what's going on. So
51:08
again, service. If you offer a service, you don't
51:12
even put yourself in the client's perspective
51:16
to think about, is this what I want? So what
51:19
it looks like for me is I spend so much time.
51:22
I'm talking about days and nights continuously
51:25
for at least three to six months building up
51:28
the business. And for example, even marketing
51:30
side of things, we will come up with... with
51:32
a video for the marketing. And then we just let
51:36
it sit there for two, three days. I'll come back
51:38
again, watch it again. Oh, I don't like it. I'll
51:41
try to perfect it before it goes out. So the
51:44
way I see all my businesses, I spend a lot of
51:48
crucial times in the beginning. It's like planting,
51:50
you know, build a good foundation. And then later
51:53
on, then if there's issues, it's easier to resolve.
51:57
Yeah. I love that you do the foundational stuff
51:59
because when we bring clients on, it's very kind
52:02
of similar where we sit down and to the very,
52:05
very start of your vision, mission, because a
52:08
lot of people don't even have those defined.
52:10
Your whole team needs to be going towards the
52:14
same vision, have the same goals so you can grow.
52:17
Exactly right. And I think any business, especially
52:20
if you're the CEO or the president of the company,
52:24
you are the leader. You need to drive the team.
52:28
You need to set the goal, the vision so vividly
52:32
and clearly that everyone will not mistaken for
52:35
anything less. And if you haven't done that,
52:38
the business will collapse, unfortunately. And
52:42
if you actually somehow succeed, but there's
52:44
always lucky people, right? You might luckily
52:47
just somehow made it work. Yeah. Yeah. It's even
52:52
like talking about systems and systemizing everything
52:54
and, you know, procedures, bringing in SOPs so
52:58
that, you know, if your video editor leaves today,
53:01
you've got somebody that can come in, read that
53:03
SOP, understand what you need and what needs
53:06
to happen. And then it's almost like a smooth
53:09
transition. Yes. Yes. And a lot of people, they
53:12
don't take the time to have that step in place.
53:16
And when something, when everything goes great,
53:19
It's great. But when something goes wrong, that's
53:21
where it goes really wrong. Yeah. Yeah. I mean,
53:24
usually when you start a business, it's kind
53:26
of like you just do whatever you can to get it
53:28
going. But then it gets to that middle stage.
53:31
This is what we see when they get to about like
53:33
the million dollar stage. A million to a million
53:36
and a half. That's where it's like, okay, we
53:38
need to start setting foundations. Otherwise,
53:40
you know, what got you to 1 .5 million is not
53:42
going to get you to 3 million. And what got you
53:44
to 3 million is not going to get you to 5. No.
53:46
It's very different. Yes. Yeah. Every step of
53:49
the way, you have to implement a different mentality
53:51
and strategies. Yeah. You're going to always
53:55
look at your business at different stages of
53:57
time. Because like you said, what gets you to
54:00
1 .5 isn't necessarily going to get you to 3
54:02
million. Yeah. So before we wrap up, I really
54:05
want to just talk about like the property development
54:07
side of stuff in that business. Yeah. So how
54:09
did that come to fruition? Was that something
54:11
that you started when you moved to Australia?
54:12
Is it something? Yeah. Okay. Let me, yes. A lot
54:16
of people ask me how I got involved in a real
54:18
estate side of the business. So family background,
54:21
just put it in perspective that owns a manufacturer,
54:25
a plastic injection manufacturing business in
54:28
Taiwan. So we were the, so most of young, you
54:32
probably don't even know this. Most of people
54:34
who, who's quite young in their twenties did
54:37
not know about 30 years ago, nothing was made
54:40
in China. Everything. You know that, right? Yes.
54:44
So if you watch Toy Story 1, Buzz Lightyear,
54:47
when he opened up the flap, the panel on his
54:50
chest, it said made in Taiwan. So everything,
54:54
everything was made in Taiwan. So that company,
54:59
we were the first company who manufactured kids
55:03
meal for McDonald's. So those toys, 3M scotch
55:05
tape. So that made a fortune. running the manufacturing
55:10
business. Then when we moved to LA, that was
55:13
the banker. He was the bank vice chairman and
55:15
board of directors for two banks, which I don't
55:18
want to go into details. That's just him. So
55:20
when I was growing up, parents, dad and mom loved
55:24
buying properties. So we have a lot of properties
55:26
around the world, in the States, in Taiwan, in
55:30
China, Singapore. So my whole life, I knew that
55:34
if you want a good safe net, to protect your
55:38
asset. When I say asset, it could be properties,
55:40
it could be your portfolio in the stocks and
55:43
whatever. You always need to understand real
55:46
estate will keep the wealth for the longest time
55:50
possible. Because if you buy stocks, it can go
55:53
up and down. But if you buy properties, it's
55:56
never going to go away. It's going to be less
55:59
and less because there are more people, more
56:01
population in any given society or city. Just
56:05
like Gold Coast has been outgrown since I've
56:08
been here 12 years ago. The housing demand just
56:12
increased so much and hence the price of the
56:15
housing market. So when I came to Australia,
56:20
I grew up in LA, born in Taiwan, big city. Because
56:23
it has to relate to why I decided to do property.
56:26
So when I came to Australia, I naturally thought
56:29
I want to live in Melbourne or Sydney, big cities.
56:31
I went to Sydney. Liked it but didn't like it
56:34
because if anyone who's American who grew up
56:37
in the States Would know if you grew up in LA
56:40
that's West Coast New York is East Coast Anyone
56:43
who live on the West Coast don't like people
56:44
from the East Coast. It's a very very different
56:46
lifestyle. So Growing up in LA since I was 12
56:50
years old Naturally, I don't like the fast pace,
56:54
the rudeness of New York. And Sydney is a small
56:57
version of that. So to me, if you're like, it's
57:00
just so busy. When you go somewhere to shop,
57:02
you can't find parking. You're just so, everyone's
57:05
so rude. Everyone's focusing on themselves. Melbourne,
57:08
I loved it, but I had really bad hay fever. The
57:13
weather, just four seasons in a day, just not
57:17
going to cut it. And I grew up in LA. The weather
57:19
is perfect. So Gold Coast is similar to LA. LA's
57:24
weather. So that's why I based on the Gold Coast
57:27
very early on when I came to Australia. Then
57:29
I decide what to do. Naturally, I need to do
57:33
business. So what am I going to do? So real estate
57:36
is the one and only business at the time that's
57:40
thriving. on the Gold Coast because there's no
57:43
manufacturing. There's no big corporation that
57:46
has a headquarter on the Gold Coast. So naturally,
57:50
I know my parents have invested so much in properties.
57:54
So growing up, I understand a lot about properties
57:57
already. So I have a strong interest, enough
58:00
experience, but not enough knowledge about Australian
58:03
market. But that's why I decided to go into real
58:07
estate industry because I have enough. experience
58:10
and exposure to it and yeah that's how I got
58:13
involved in real estate and I loved it yeah is
58:16
there a specific growth moment within your business
58:19
that you can share for the viewers yeah yes probably
58:22
a few guys yeah there's actually one which I've
58:25
written in the chapter in that anthology already
58:28
so it's it's quite long I'm not sure if I want
58:32
to take up too much time sharing but basically
58:34
I'll I'll give a short version of it basically
58:38
we So me and Josh Deuce, my business partner,
58:41
in 2019, we purchased a block of land, 33 hectares
58:46
out in Conangra, paid for $4 .5 million. At the
58:50
time, all of our big developer friends, when
58:54
I say big, they've done high rises, they've done
58:56
multiple developments. At the time, that's our
58:59
first big development. None of them thought that
59:02
was a good idea. Because Conongra is just out
59:05
there. It doesn't have the population. It's not
59:08
an area that they see potential of growth. Fast
59:12
tracking, the development is happening rapidly
59:14
there already. So we sold a section. So we subdivided
59:18
into six lots. We sold a section which consists
59:22
of 180 homes for early retirement village. We
59:25
call it MHE, Manufactured Home Estate. We sold
59:29
it to a bigger developer for $11 million. So
59:32
we basically doubled the profit already. And
59:35
last year, we sold another parcel, which was
59:38
115 kids, childcare. We got the DA for. We sold
59:44
that for $2 .35 million, pure profit. So now
59:48
when I say this, people go, oh my God, it's instant
59:51
gratification, instant success. But it was very
59:55
stressful. No one saw the opportunity. It was
59:58
hard to get the DA approved from the council.
1:00:01
It was a huge development because we had the
1:00:03
early retirement village. We had the apply for
1:00:07
DA for the childcare, the retail shops, the warehouses,
1:00:11
two big mentions. So yeah, it was a stressful
1:00:15
stage where we felt the $4 .5 million could have
1:00:19
just been gone. Like we would just buy a block
1:00:22
of land. That's not going to turn into any sort
1:00:25
of developments for us. Yeah, it was stressful.
1:00:27
Did you start thinking? But we believed in ourselves.
1:00:30
Oh, it's fun to ask. Yes. We've done enough research.
1:00:34
For your audience, just so you know, whenever
1:00:36
you have an idea, you really have to spend 110
1:00:39
% time and effort to understand what outcome
1:00:44
you can achieve. Because a lot of people have
1:00:47
this great idea. For example, we bought that
1:00:49
block of land. We consulted. chatted with big
1:00:53
developers. But the problem with them is it's
1:00:55
not that they don't understand the market. They
1:00:58
only spend five or 10 minutes looking at what
1:01:00
you have done, hours, days, weeks of studying.
1:01:04
And their advice or their feedback isn't really
1:01:08
relevant. You got to understand that. You got
1:01:11
to stick to what you believe that could happen
1:01:13
and put hard work into it and make it happen.
1:01:16
So all the DAs at the time, we were being laughed.
1:01:21
You're not going to get all those DAs. You're
1:01:22
lucky to get one. We got all the DAs, six of
1:01:25
them approved. So hard work paid off. Congratulations.
1:01:28
Thank you. Thank you. Obviously, after that,
1:01:31
we got other developments happening, and we applied
1:01:34
the same principle. It's just that. Now I don't
1:01:37
talk about it anymore because back then I bring
1:01:40
it up. People look at it. People laugh. People
1:01:42
criticize. People go, oh, you shouldn't do this.
1:01:44
And now, yeah. So like I've explained to you,
1:01:47
started from 2023. I made a new year resolution.
1:01:50
I'm not going to share it with anybody, anything,
1:01:52
what I'm doing now. So there's still my friends.
1:01:54
John, what's up with the development side of
1:01:56
business? Oh, it's doing good. What do you have
1:01:58
up your sleeves? You know, which land are you
1:02:00
looking at? Oh, we're still looking. We're already
1:02:02
looking at it. We're not going to tell you. We're
1:02:05
just not telling you that at all. Yeah. Because
1:02:06
I don't need anyone to tell me any other negativities
1:02:10
about what I'm doing already. Yeah. Yeah. I think
1:02:13
it's a good way to go about it. Yeah. Awesome.
1:02:16
So before we wrap up the podcast, if there's
1:02:19
somebody out there that might be wanting to start
1:02:20
a business or they're maybe in business, what's
1:02:23
your one piece of advice that you would give
1:02:25
them? I think coming back to what I've said earlier,
1:02:28
I think anybody can come up with a great idea.
1:02:31
And I'm talking about anybody because sometimes
1:02:33
I hear people talk about these great ideas that
1:02:36
I didn't even think about before. But the problem
1:02:39
is you need to think about how to execute it.
1:02:42
I'm not saying because you ask the question of
1:02:46
if someone wants to start a business or someone
1:02:47
is already in business, how should they treat
1:02:50
their business or how should they start a business
1:02:54
per se? I would say spend the time, role play
1:02:57
with yourself. you have the idea you want to
1:03:01
start this business put yourself in clients in
1:03:04
customers shoes and see whether your idea will
1:03:07
make sense because even though it sounds funny
1:03:09
and easy to understand like why wouldn't people
1:03:12
do that trust me a lot of people don't do that
1:03:14
like a lot of people would say no people want
1:03:16
our product why would they want your product
1:03:18
yeah and then and then you get them start thinking
1:03:21
but it's like our b machine i'll give you a perfect
1:03:24
life example when i and my business partner edgar
1:03:28
spoke about our bee machine. And I said to my,
1:03:30
and if Edgar is sitting there, he knows I'm not
1:03:32
making this up. He literally think that no one
1:03:36
will be that dumb not to understand how to use
1:03:38
our machine. I said to him, this is the very
1:03:41
beginning of our partnership. I said, Edgar,
1:03:43
trust me, it's a new product. No one will understand
1:03:46
it. We need to make it as simple. We need to
1:03:48
put videos, instructional video. We need to put
1:03:50
instructions word by word. He laughed. He goes,
1:03:54
no one's going to be that dumb, John. We have
1:03:55
a video. I'm like, trust me. And when we launched
1:03:58
the product, he goes, oh my God, I can't believe
1:03:59
people are really that dumb. We would be standing
1:04:01
there watching people. Hi, you know, we will
1:04:05
pay for it as long as we can figure out how to
1:04:08
use it. And people would just stand there like,
1:04:10
how does this work? Right? So what I'm trying,
1:04:12
the moral of my story is the one piece of advice
1:04:15
for anyone who wants to run a successful business,
1:04:19
please do me a big favor. Don't just come up
1:04:21
with a good idea. Make sure you put yourself
1:04:24
in clients, customers' shoes and try to test
1:04:28
your idea. And then take off that hat. I'm the
1:04:32
founder. I'm the idea creator. I'm the business
1:04:34
owner. Put on the, I'm the customer. See if they
1:04:37
like it. If they don't, then you know where you
1:04:40
should improve on. And that's how you build a
1:04:42
business. Yeah. Amazing. Thank you so much for
1:04:46
your time today. Thanks for your invite. If people
1:04:47
want to come and follow along for your journey,
1:04:49
whereabouts can they find you? I'm on social
1:04:51
media. So I'm on Instagram. So I can give you
1:04:55
my Instagram account and then you can put it
1:04:56
on. Yeah. I'll just link them all down below
1:04:58
then. Yeah. Okay, great. Amazing. Thanks so much
1:05:01
for your invite. Thank you so much for coming
1:05:02
on. I'm really excited to share this podcast
1:05:05
with viewers. I think it'll be really good. No,
1:05:07
I appreciate that. Yeah. And I wish I can bring
1:05:09
some insights into everyone's life. And hopefully
1:05:12
if there's something that people can take away
1:05:14
with, I will be grateful for them to learn something.
1:05:17
If not, then, you know, then go on your life,
1:05:20
I guess. Amazing. And if you like the podcast,
1:05:24
make sure you subscribe down below because we
1:05:26
release conversations like this every single
1:05:28
week.