How 2024 took my portfolio career to new heights

As 2024 comes to an end, I reflect on the major changes that occurred during the year. My portfolio career continues to evolve as I embark on new careers this year after almost 25 years of working professionally. ?

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Exiting early childhood education to focus on high achievers and leaders

After almost 6 years and seeing my first child graduate from my preschool, I fully exited my preschool business via a strategic sale. Looking back, it was one of the most intense, yet rewarding, experiences of my life. I have always believed EQ (emotional intelligence), not IQ, is the main driver of happiness and success in life. Building an education business is a testament of that because it’s all about people, people, people. Watching hundreds of children grow up to become truly bilingual, with an affinity for the world outside of Singapore, and to start embracing the joy of getting out of their comfort zone gives me tremendous satisfaction.

Furthermore, I discovered the leader within me as I scaled the business via rollups to lead a team of almost 50 females from various demographics and ethnicities, from teenagers to those in their 60s, and from white collar to blue collar. It’s the first time I’ve ever led a group of 100% women (except myself).? They taught me a lot. They taught me an organization truly thrives when it fosters an environment of trust and safety amongst its team members. And this infectious sentiment permeates throughout the organization to the children and parents alike. We only succeeded because we made children and parents feel safe and secure too.

During this journey, I failed many times, but these failures allowed me to take empathy, compassion and human connection to an extreme level and humbly accept the fact that ego only does more harm than good.? Most importantly, this incredible team of women is a testament that career is more than just about money and KPI’s, but it’s about putting smiles on others faces each day through love and care. It’s about putting someone else’s safety and welfare as the number one priority at all times.

I have proven to myself that even without prior experience in an industry or leading such a diverse team, anyone can excel as long as one has faith, persistence and eagerness to learn.? One of the most powerful tools we all have, but not used enough, is the ability to get out of our comfort zones to pursue our dreams. Who says a numbers guy cannot roll up his sleeve to be a hands-on operator and look after babies? Who says a male cannot lead an all-female team? Ironically, this chapter only started because I was not fulfilled in a cushy, high pay and senior role. Getting out of my comfort zone to forego a job that many were envious of near the peak of my career, coupled with a newborn child, was not easy. However, only by foregoing that nice paycheck as the sole breadwinner and flashy title to risk my own wealth as a foreigner in a new country and industry does it make this chapter of my life as complete as it can be.

This chapter also made me realize that I want to dedicate the rest of my life to being an educator. Instead of educating toddlers, however, I formally became a trained and professional career, business and leadership coach by establishing Institute for Greatness in 2024. I never thought I would become a coach, but witnessing my own transformation and coaching my own staff made me realize how rewarding that is. It’s like life purpose redefined. Deep inside, I believe it’s because I’ve made enough mistakes and lost enough of my own money to offset some of my achievements as a two-time entrepreneur for me to assertively claim I have been there, done that. While school never taught us this (in fact it teaches us the opposite), but the Chinese idiom “failure is the mother of success” （失败乃是成功之母）is indeed true.

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Publishing my first book – “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: An Insider Memoir”

I never imagined I would enjoy writing. English was my biggest fear growing up. Not surprising as I was rejected by all private schools I had applied to when I immigrated to the US due to my lack of English proficiency. In the book, I mentioned I was probably the only Asian who failed math because I would get zeros in word problems. Growing up as a FOB (fresh off the boat) and ESL (English as Second Language) student, I could never imagine myself being a writer of anything. Well, not only did I publish a book this year, but it was an open book where I disclosed personal secrets, including many flaws and defects. But no book about my life can be shared with my parents or passed down to my children if it wasn’t a candid one.?

Thank you to readers who found my book stimulating enough to reassess your own life.

I can’t wait to publish more books in the years to come!

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Becoming a Public Speaker

Again, it’s one of those unimaginable childhood ideas. I remember in fourth grade we all had to roleplay as an American hero. I had been in ESL for about a year and was asked to present in front of my classmates. I chose Neil Armstrong because I happened to have an astronaut costume for Halloween. It was definitely one of the scariest moments of my life. Imagine you had to present in a foreign language you had picked up only a year ago! This traumatic experience made me abhor public speaking. But as Forrest would say, “life is like a box of chocolates;?you never know what you're gonna get.” Never could I imagine I would enjoy public speaking much later in life.

This revelation only came about when I spearheaded sales and marketing for my preschool business. On a regular basis I would present to groups of parents on how to raise children or why attend our preschool. I realize that speaking on a topic of my choice is deeply fulfilling and relaxing. These seminars felt like casual conversations. Public speaking felt like storytelling.? Ultimately, who doesn’t like to share their own story, especially if it can impact the lives of many? Somehow at the end of my presentations, a meaningful number of parents would register their child for enrolment as far out as two years. This was the best validation I could ask for.

In conclusion, thank you for those who attended my talks this year on “Taking control of your career to live your dream life.” Thank you for your invaluable feedback. I hope it made you rethink your life from a different perspective so we can all leave this earth with no regrets.

I look forward to speaking on new topics and to larger crowds in 2025.

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Wrapping it all up…..cross-pollination

It’s not common for one to choose to enter new careers in their mid-40s. But life is about continuous learning and reinvention. In reality, all of my career pivots in building this portfolio career have been extensions of what I had done previously despite how unchartered they may seem at the time. To me, I’m merely extending the path I was already on by following a path that somebody has paved for me.

These new career pursuits serve to cross-pollinate my existing portfolio of roles as a professional director of funds and private investor. ?In addition to being a board director, I can now be a board director who coaches my clients as well. I have gotten several responses that “oh, you’re becoming a Wendy Rhoades.” For those who watched the show “Billions,” she’s the in-house performance coach for Bobby Axelrod.? It is so rewarding to coach my peer fund managers and watch their drive reignite after a poor streak. We all know the investment management industry is so cutthroat that every basis point of performance matters. Thus, it’s essential to help them perform at peak state for as long as possible.

Putting my business coach hat on, I share with my fund clients the ingredients to embracing their true leadership potential and to treat their fund as a real business rather than a vehicle to make money.? We as fund managers were not trained to build a business that can make money. Rather we were trained to make money that will build a business comprising flesh and emotions. The two are very different concepts. From one business owner to another and from one entrepreneur to another, I strongly believe my broad, yet unconventional, perspectives can further support my clients in building their businesses in the years ahead.

Putting a pivotal 2024 behind me, I am eager to open the doors of 2025, knowing that they will continue to cement my dream life.

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