June 1993 to Present
Whenever I meet a fellow entrepreneur, I'm always desperate to hear their true reason for starting their business. "Oh, there's a great opportunity," they might say, or "I like new ideas and building things". These answers fly right over my head. I might be projecting, but I'm looking for the real reason. Is there a chip on your shoulder? Do you want to make a lot of money? Are you frustrated by an injustice? Of course, it's not always easy to be forthcoming about endeavours that can mean so much to us.
It has taken years of conversation, introspection, and emotional honesty to figure out my own 🔗 'Why'. I'll dive into my core. For me, I want to carry the torch of my family's entrepreneurial legacy. ****Where my parents resorted to entrepreneurship out of necessity, I have chosen to continue along the same path.
My 'Why' is deeply ingrained in my childhood experiences (here we go! 😂). From the moment I could communicate, I was involved in the family business - the local takeaway. What a chore! Accounting, paying business rates, taking customers' orders. Rather challenging for a 7-year-old, but my story is typical for Chinese immigrants and their children.
I was a young, Chinese boy looking to fit into a Western world.
I wanted to play football with friends. I wanted to hangout on the weekend. I definitely did not want to work in the takeaway.
Shame, embarrassment, isolation, dissociation.
Mum reflected on these times over a family dinner this year during London's lockdown. "It was an incredibly difficult period for us. We also feel guilty that we deprived you of a normal childhood. But that's how it is when you have your own business, you give it everything you've got, and we stay strong as a family no matter what". She turns to Dad. "Remember the 100 days?".
Over time, the meaning of these memories changed. Yes, memories fade and alter as time passes, but with experience and maturity you become more more perceptive. I remember the difficult times, the hours of sacrifice my family put in and the unity we shared through good times and bad. I see that the negativity I once felt originated from a lack of contextual understanding of myself, and from others. But now, those same memories have taken on the glow of nostalgia, I feel immense pride, energy and drive.