Escape and Direction

A friend asked me a great question the other day about where I am in my life, especially with my decision to go to Korea for 3 months.  My reply is below:

"Your question on going to Korea as an escape did get me thinking.  The answer is yes and no :)  Yes, a part of me wants to take a break from this business and have some fun.  But am I running away from something?  I don't think so.  I read a book about the dynamics of Asia in the next 15-20 years.  The author forecasts that USA will still remain the dominant power in Asia, but there are challenges via Japan, China.  So the two nations that will help USA maintain their influence in the area are Singapore and Korea, which means that they will continue to get investment and support.  So I actually think Korea will have more opportunities in the future and if I can establish some networks there it could mean more business down the road.  One thing I want to keep in mind is how to make the best use of this experience and not for it to dissolve into some 3 month party.

Can the business run by itself?  After 2.5 years, the restaurant part can and does run by itself.  Sometimes well, sometimes not well!  We add value by keeping our staff motivated, working together and focused on the right things.  You are correct in saying that no one cares for the business as much as the the business owners.  But that doesn't mean that we don't try to encourage and make our staff want to take that ownership.  We are now at 30 full time people in this business!  We have to get multiple layers to manage themselves.  Having Jo in the business whilst I am away of course is good.  But ultimately we have believe that we can find people that are as dedicated to the business as we are and develop this people.  Otherwise we can never grow.

Where Jo and I are now trying to add more value is developing the business in new ways.  Opportunities like developing that retail arm, pitching for a food stall at F1, bidding for a new diner, these are the things that we are now focussed on.  Can they be done not in Singapore?  To a certain extent yes, although developing a design needs some visits to the location.

As to your question of being lost, yes I have those moments.  I actually think that comes with the flexibility that this business has given me.  The tough part is not knowing if any of these opportunities that we develop will actually get us anywhere.  There is also an element of uncertainty that what we do will actually increase our profitability.  So yes I think the direction can be sharpened.  But I feel at peace with what I am doing.  I am happy to be given the opportunity to make things happen.  And by "make things happen", it could mean anything from going to Korea to creating a charity BBQ event to building a new F&B brand.  Maybe that is all that I can ask for.  Just have to make them work.

There is an article that talks about moving from different periods in our lives.  I do feel that I go from Stage 3 back to Stage 2 and back to Stage 3.  Conceptually, I think I already committed to this business with the time and investment spent.  But I also need to understand what are the odds of these new opportunities succeeding and which ones I should pursue.  http://markmanson.net/four-stages-of-life

Thanks for asking me those questions and making me think.  And thanks for the offer of talking through Christianity.  It is something that I think I will have to find my own path for.  And who knows where that path will lead!"

Pig Out!

At last I am doing something charitable!  Pig Out is the outdoor BBQ event that Jo and I are holding, to donate the proceeds back to charity, Food Bank Singapore.  Food Bank collects unused and close to expiry food items and distributes them to Singapore's needy.  Given that we are in the food business ourselves, it is good match.  An even better match is that AugustMan is looking to create a food focussed event, which means we will get publicity firepower.

With events like this, everyone wants their say in the process, so the tough part will be bringing all the different parties together with a common vision.

Thoughts on my side:
1. I am ok with Food Bank, but the reality is that any food related charity works. Perhaps the greater truth for me is that I just want to organise it, I don't really care where the money goes.  Sad but true.
2. We have to make this at least cost neutral for our company.  That means being smart about the expenditure, and probably getting more companies involved for the manpower, as that is the most expensive cost.
3. What I learned from BJ is that we should never be afraid, if not brazen, to ask for support, .  If we believe in doing this event, then others will be inspired as well.
4. Make it small enough that it will succeed, but make it ambitious enough that we fear that it may fail.  That edge is what will drive us.
5. I need to personally market.  Starting with the magazine but also spreading it to my friends.  A good test for my PR skills!
6. I need to take charge of the event and make it mine.  Yes take in the feedback, but I will make it happen!

This will be fun.  Much like how that outdoor dance party was a madhouse, I have a feeling this could turn big.  But we need to start marketing as soon as possible!

80/20 Items

Re-reading the 4 Hour Workweek, there is a section about elimination, both of the excess junk as well as the excess activities in my life.  I focussed on the junk part recently and it was amazing how much crap I do have, even in one half of an apartment.

I would consider myself a neat person, but I realise that the neatness meant the stuff was well stored.  It was still a lot of stuff that in reality meant little to me.  I have gone through toiletries, my cupboard, the outside cupboard, my documents and produced a good three garbage bags of stuff.

Some troubling items:
1. Documents meant for the business.  I am not sure what needs to be kept for this.  The better approach would be to scan everything but I am too lazy.  So I couldn't move much out of this.

2. The books that I have.  So many good ones, and ones that I continue to re-read.  Not sure what to do here.  Perhaps I get them onto Kindle.  Or maybe a better thing is to stop re-reading for re-reading's sake and read new things!

I still have a way to go, especially on the IT front.  Lots of spare cables lying around the house.  A Playstation, Xbox and old games which I never use.  A DSLR camera I hope to get some money for.  If I can sell some of these items, it will help fund a part of the Korea trip.

I am sure I can be even harsher on the requirements.  Question to ask: "does this item make me happy?"  If not, I should get rid of it!

I should do this "cleansing" more often.  It's too easy to keep unnecessary stuff.  I think if I moved out, I would keep going for a relatively small place, to make it harder to hoard.  Having kids may lead to different requirements!  Although I read that a kid has on average 200 toys but really only plays with 10?

Lynn told me that a theme of hers is "live simply".  A good theme to follow.