At least I will have some ideas on setting up my mindset to the correct path to be an entrepreneur.:)

Thanks again for all the insight, particularly BL. Appreciate it~

One thing about mentorship and aspiring young people, i suggest to leave it to the young people to look for the mentors. I’m a strong supporter of giving help when help is asked and needed. I’ve left comments to myself most of the time.

And seriously, I believe the older generations should give their great insights to other veteran or greenhorn.

Just like my professor, an entrepreneur, He is a great inventor of more than 100 products which is currently patented within the market. But he is not a selfish man. He is willing to share his knowledge with others.

So I really look forward to see the older generation enpassing their skills to the younger generation to help them to learn and of course to continue to sustain their credibility towards another extended level.

It’s not just about the American dream but helping others fulfilling their dreams as well. ;)

I have seen many disrespectful younger generations who that words for granted and really think the whole world earn them everything. But imagine that when you first started your own business. There are also alot of trials and tribulations that you had been through. I believe there are hard and difficult times when you wish for an opportunity to be granted to you.

And this goes to the veteran/greenhorn nowadays. Often not alot of people would like to enpass all their knowledge to the next generation. So what can the younger generation? They only can make mistake. Hence learn from their own mistake. That’s how I gone through..

Who was never a green horn before? Who never wish someone could lend a helping hand to them? However, I believe the older generation can mentor the younger generation through different methods by sharing their experience.

And the younger generations who close their ear and stick to their own way then let them be. Seriously, nobody can help them if they do not want to listen. The older generation just do their best and younger generation are the ones who should be choosing whether to listen or not listen. Laws or imperial order should not be enforced to them. It’s just like tie them down and suffocating them without enabling them to think. Young entrepreneurs today should be independant. They should learn as much from studying as well as trying to be innovative.

Look at the kids overseas. I can tell you they are way better and much luckier than the kids in Singapore because they eventually breed kids at younger age of 8yrs old to 12yrs old to invent new products and of course the kids are more innovative that the older generation can imagine. But because the older generation actually support the younger kids to invent. They invent all sorts of things and was encourage by the government as well as having their goods patent in the market. Though they don’t have the engineering ideas but they had specialist from different area to co-operate with them to help them successfully invent a product and this is what the society want. A team that work together and can harmonize together inorder to achieve sound productive achievement. The kids are all greenhorns. But seriously, babies don’t just learn to crawl when they are new born. They need the adult to help them and support them. I believe all of us had been babies before that come out from our mother’s womb. And I seriously think instead of just critizing them. We should actually help them or provide them with adequate feedback.

And also has anybody who started out never made a mistake? I found one very interesting phrase in the company that I work for. If nobody ever made a mistake then in reality they are not learning.

Your mind needs to open like a parachute to show that it’s working. ;)

I fully understand that the dynasty of “imperial edicts” are over & the younger generation are free to question their seniors.

While I am ready to let the youngsters give me feedback, the METHOD which they do it sounds as if the whole world owes them the answer. Youngsters of this generation are now better informed in this Information Age but that doesn’t mean they can talk back in a defiant manner. They must remember that although they might be current with information, all these are only theories. People like me weather all kind of real life battle experience. How can a scholar general who never fought a war in his lifetime ever question a veteran general like Norman Schwarzkopf in a defiant manner?

Remember the CNA interview with MM Lee Kuan Yew engaging a young audience? That’s the classic example of how “capable” our youngsters are. They are totally clueless about engaging a veteran figure like Lee Kuan Yew. I can see that LKY is very willing to share his views & insights but the ATTITUDE of the youngsters really put him off. They shoot questions off their mouths without consideration of the situation. In SAF, we called it “SA” or situation awareness.

I encourage youngsters to engage their mentors in the correct way. Many mentors are willing to share if they are approached correctly in whatever discipline, entrepreneurship or not.

Ramcem, it is good that you are taking time to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs. One point to note though, is that times have changed and perhaps treating the coach’s instructions as “imperial edicts” may be not for our time. Many a time in business, we need to be bold enough to question “why is the market/people doing things this way? Any ways we can do it better than them?” To foster this kind of mentality in our business folks, they have to have an enquiring and very very independent mind that think through instructions, words, advice, books, etc that they come into contact. Nevertheless, I believe that it is important to question with tact and respect for others. Wisdom can come from many ways, and learning to disagree is important.

To add on to Claris’ point, I am happy to see that many funding, mentorship, entrepreneurial venture schemes here have quite a few hurdles to pass through before handing out the good stuff. These hurdles can incl, interviews, biz plan presentation, experience, good teamwork, multiple reviews by various agencies/committees, etc. It would take a tough and patient businessman to get through all these I feel and to some point, a few of them have mentioned that these hurdles can have the possible effect of defeating the help that was intended in the first place. I guess good things come to those who wait.

What ppl today lacking is true passion together with commitment. Most just want to get rich by working hard and then intend to sell off the company. Often that kind of thought could not sustain them when real trial comes. Most will sell off their project when they yet to harness their product’s potential, and most project probably never seen end of day in another’s company’s hand.

“When the going get tough, the tough get going”. Yes, one have to be tough to become entrepreneur, but often it is the determination to fulfil own’s vision to create a product/service that unique and serve customer first rather than monetary desire that keep one going trial after trial. Nothing can take the joy of seeing the customer used the product and benefit from it.

In fact, the best way to train the student is to encourage the student to do something on their own, and independently, to let them feel the pain and struggle of achieving what they want, without having a mentor first. These student have to be self-reliant and reflective of their own action. It only with these thought can they seriously think of what they really want in their life, and sacrifice time, effort and money to achieve them. Giving them too much resource to assist them gives them the thought that they are lucky, smart and intelligent which in fact is not. Most often, these will only make them take thing for granted. This also make them realize that entrepreneur is never a bed of roses. It is fact full of thorn. It is only when you get use to the pain that the thorn has no effect. And it is through great pain and struggle can you really achieve great thing. Forget about what other preach you to say “If you love your job, it is not a job” . If you are doing something great, it is really just pain and struggle because you need discipline and focus, and these two often means you may not always get to do things you like in your venture.

Only when hardship and understanding come, can they find meaning in their passion and commitment. If what they developed is not their “baby”, perhaps it was never a passion in the first place.

We shouldn’t live in america dream where the press will want you to believe it’s all easy money. In fact, it is not, those people who the another company really buy over their product has actually struggle hard for few years and obtain the expertise, knowledge and skill to create innovative product.
Read the true story of “Writely” the AJAX word processor that is acquired by Google.
http://earlystagevc.typepad.com/earlystagevc/2006/03/sam_steve_and_j.html
The press will want you to believe that these people is lucky. But without skill, expertise and knowledge and potential to do great thing, how lucky can you be ? Maybe, one can be lucky to get interview to work in Google, but then get reject after screening because of lack of experience and skill.

So, this story tell us that we should focus on doing what we do best to innovate product and forget the “hype” that we can diversified into many “money-making product” and come out as winner. In other words, LESS business is more $$$$.

There always bound to be some who become rich by diversifying into many product area, but then, we ask yourselves, do we really want to bet on it ??? Sometimes, it just more than meet the eyes to find out why that somebody succeed etc connection, reputation, wealthy family and investor.

and yes, do dream big but start everything small.

Contrast it when I was learning from my mentor when I first started out, his instructions to us are like imperial edicts. Sometimes I do feel strange by the instructions but nevertheless will strive my best to fulfil his orders. Later when the dust settle do I see his wisdom. I would be a fool and learned nothing if I argue back.

In a nutshell, Singapore youths have a lot to catch up compared with their more hungry overseas counterparts.

~Ramcem