Service to Others is What Really Matters

This is the biggest lesson my mentor, Professor Jonathan Crowston has taught me, and it's something I wish to pass on to all entrepreneurs reading this right now.

As the saying goes, No man is an island. It is all not worth it if you don’t channel some of your energy to help those in need. It gives you a greater purpose. Why are you doing what you’re doing if not to better someone’s life? I would not be who I am today if not for all the opportunities I have been blessed to receive along the way in my entrepreneurial journey.

I’ve had the honor and privilege to work with 4 spectacular organisations that empower communities all around the world. These experiences hold a very special place in my heart; moments that all the world’s riches can never buy.

1. Make-a-Wish Foundation Singapore

I ran my first charity marathon - Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon - in 2017 to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation Singapore. We raised $12,000 for a motorised wheelchair to fulfill the wish of a wonderful young boy with cerebral palsy and who is prone to seizures to gain the gift of mobility and independence.

Seeing the smile on his face right after the marathon was completed is something that I'll never forget.

2. Fred Hollows Foundation - Giving Sight with Every Stride campaign

 I partnered with the Fred Hollows Foundation this year to address avoidable blindness particularly in developing parts of the world where millions of people are unnecessarily suffering from debilitating vision loss.

This campaign was close to my heart for a special reason. 40 years ago, my father’s sight was saved by the ophthalmologist Fred Hollows. Like my late father, there are millions of people in the world who need timely access to eye care. I ran the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon this year, in September for him and the late, great Fred Hollows, and to raise funds for the adults and children in Africa, who make up a staggering 15% of the world’s blind population, get the eye care they need.

Within just a couple of months we raised and delivered $19,784 to beneficiaries in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Eritrea. Beyond that, a huge outcome of this campaign for me was the amount of awareness we generated for the issue of avoidable blindness. Changing the status quo is never easy, but with everyone’s collective effort the epidemic can be stopped in its tracks!

3. Artolution

Soon after the CT Marathon, I had the crazy idea of doing yet another marathon with Jonathan. This time, I decided to join him for the New York marathon in November to raise funds for Artolution. Artolution is an amazing organisation that empowers communities through collaborative art-making initiatives with the aim to ignite positive social change in the world.

2°C weather and an ankle injury having just run a full marathon in Cape Town – but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. We achieved our goal of $7000 to support the underprivileged, those in conflict zones and who struggle on a day to day basis just to be heard. And I got the honour of doing it all with my mentor and comrade.

4. Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre (AMKFSC)

For 40 years, AMKFSC has delivered targeted and community-based social services to help beneficiaries better cope with their personal social and emotional challenges in their lives. It is one of the 47 Family Service Centres in Singapore that, like Plano, strives to empower families and children achieve a better quality of life. This is exactly why earlier this year, our team at Plano decided to lend its support to the efforts by AMKFSC.

Talented artist and all-round beautiful soul David Liew created a stunning piece of art for the cause and all the proceeds from his piece went to AMKFSC.

As entrepreneurs, giving back is in our DNA – our product or service serves the benefits of people and hopefully makes the world a better place. Whatever level of success you’re at in your journey as an entrepreneur, bear in mind that paying it forward can come in many different forms, so find a cause that is the most meaningful to you.

One thing I know for a fact is that as long I’m alive, I’ll never stop supporting those most in need, no matter their race, colour or creed!