Wilson Ng started helping the family business since 9 years old. Since then, he had dreamt to be a successful entrepreneur, one who starts great businesses  ( he has started 7) from scratch with insight, guts and initiative. He keeps his focus on growing the business by creating value-- not on politics, or wasteful distractions. He brings the same focus to community service, teaching, life and family.

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  Tuesday, May 10, 2005


When your Back is Against the Wall ( on business)

My father passed away when I was 23.  At that age, I had to take over the business.  So early in life, when I should have been learning and training more, I had my hat in the ring, starting to slugging it out in the business world.

For the longest time, I yearn that I would have an opportunity like my counterparts -- the opportunity to be fully learned and prepared before being tossed to the ring, and the opportunity to have a big and moneyed sponsor on the back where I  could learn, and commit mistakes, and it would not hurt my own pocket.

But I did not have that luxury, and I had to learn as I go -- and paying for my own mistakes. They say a wise man learns from other people's experiences or at least from other people's expense, but I did not the chance to be wise.

So I want to make sure that my own children ( which parent does not want it?) will not have the same shock as we have, and does not undergo the same challenge and hardship.  But is it a good strategy?

Many of today's people who have not meet hardship, who think of safety nets before attempting anything, may not be able to develop the backbone to face a lot of today's hardships.   I always joke there is a problem when your children considers their most traumatic experience as that being stranded in an airport for 4 hours.

Believe, me, nothing motivates you to work harder, educates faster, or make you learn a more memorable lesson that if your back is against the wall, when it is yours to lose, or when it would pull you back much if you don't win. 

Do you agree?  But are we willing to create the challenges that would allow our children to have a stronger backbone?

 

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