5 life lessons from Singapore’s top entrepreneurs

Writing business books and biographies gives me the privilege to hang out with amazing entrepreneurs in Singapore and many hours have been spent chatting as I delved into their psyche to find out what makes them tick.

Here are my top five lessons:

Lesson 1. How you don't need a degree to succeed, as long as you have passion and am creative.

In Singapore, where it has been instilled that a degree is necessary to make a living, fashion photographer, Geoff Ang, has defied the odds. Bad at school, he dropped out of Primary 6 to be a photographer at his dad’s production house and now makes up to $80,000 a day as one of Asia’s most sought after photographers.

Lesson 2. You need to develop a clear sense of what you want to achieve.

The mind is an amazing tool and if you have a goal in sight, you will achieve what you focus on.

That was what happened for Wendy Leong, one of the only five female pilots out of 120 pilots at SilkAir. She knew she wanted to be a pilot when she was 10 years old after a family friend brought her onboard a light aeroplane for a joyride.

Even though airlines did not hire female pilots back then, Wendy was undeterred and enrolled in a mechanical engineering diploma course at Singapore Polytechnic to learn about the construction and engineering aspects of aircraft.

She knew that this would be an advantage for her when she became a pilot as she would understand plane engineers better. And, she achieved her goal.

Lesson 3. You have to think big and compete on an international field.

Singaporeans tend to favour international brands over local ones. However, some entrepreneurs have overcome that hurdle by having an extraordinary idea and the guts to pull it through.

Back when most day spas were medical or European-style spas that imported most of their treatments and philosophies wholesale, Cynthia Chua, managing director of Spa Esprit Group, revolutionised the spa industry by offering treatments, like hot stones massages, that were not yet available in Singapore.

Today, she has an empire of shops and has also expanded to Dubai, London, Malaysia and Jakarta.

Lesson 4. Don't get attached to money.

Dr Georgia Lee is known in the media for her penchant for designer labels, but not many people are aware that Dr Lee is also renowned for her generosity - not in the material sense, but in her genuine desire to help people.

She frequently organises “self-improvement” parties for her customers, like a make-up class conducted by famous make-up artist, Andy Lee, and she pays for these parties out of her own pocket.

She also told one of her clients, a stressed-out housewife, to take time-out daily for herself, and if she succeeds, her next treatment will be on the house. It is no wonder there is a three-month waitlist to see her!

Lesson 5. Being a pioneer will give you an unfair advantage.

Use what makes you different to your advantage and embrace the unknown. That is what Zouk’s founder, Lincoln Cheng, did. A former hippy who was a regular at legendary festivals like Summer of Love and Woodstock, he travelled around the world to party in cool clubs.

It was during one of his yearly jaunts to party island, Ibiza, where he caught a deejay playing a new blend of dance music that was very different from the usual pop tunes played commercially back then.

This new sound intrigued Lincoln’s ears and he promoted it at the newly-opened Zouk back in 1996. It caught on in a big way and Zouk is now touted as one of the best clubs in the world.

Pearlin Siow is an Author at Boss Of Me, a boutique book-writing  agency that specialises in biographies of entrepreneurs and companies. She has written four books, including Boss Of Me, which was a bestseller at Popular Bookstore. Find out more at www.pearlinsiow.com