Ep 118: The Uncharismatic Leader We All NEED | Chen Chow Yeoh (Co-Founder, Fave & KFit)

So This Is My Why

Not everyone has to be a Steve Jobs.

The charismatic, big picture, visionary leader that everyone gravitates towards.

We also have (and need) those who execute.

Who double down on the nitty gritty and ensure that things actually get done. And well

Which brings me to today's STIMY guest: Chen Chow Yeoh.

Speak to anyone in the Southeast Asian startup scene and they'll likely have heard of Chen Chow and have a tremendous amount of respect for him.

He's an OG in the space:

• Co-Founder of Fave - one of the fastest growing fintech platform in Southeast Asia
• Co-Founder of KFit.com - which revolutionised how people approached fitness in Asia Pacific
• Regional Operations Director in APAC & COO (Malaysia) for Groupon

But he never had a plan. 😅

Chen Chow:

❌ Was one of the top 8 people who scored the worst in his English exams at Cornell University;

❌ Didn't get a promotion at Accenture (and cried about it ☹️)

❌ Landed his role at Jobstreet by chance

❌ Was rendered obsolete in Groupon when he joined - he was hired for a sales role but by the time he finished serving notice at his previous company, that role was obsolete!

But:

🔥 At Accenture, he did eventually get that promotion. By buckling down & putting in the work.

🔥 He did odd jobs at Groupon & within 3 weeks of joining, was promoted to COO!

🔥 He worked with Joel Neoh to turn Groupon Taiwan from a $1 million loss making monster to $8k in profits in 8 months!

🔥 He has never formally applied for any jobs - people always go to him

But he is not like his charismatic, visionary counterpart.

He just does the work.

Great work, in fact.

And this, is his story.

So are you ready?

Let's go 😎

Highlights:

• 2:04 Catching the 5am bus
• 2:56 Going to Cornell University
• 6:59 Failing to get a job promotion
• 8:13 A coincidental offer from Jobstreet
• 12:16 Joel Neoh
• 13:47 Why take the leap to Groupon
• 15:38 Never formally applied for a job!
• 17:36 From random jobs to COO?!
• 21:57 Inferiority or imposter syndrome?
• 24:54 Don't ask for more?!
• 27:29 How to turn a $1 million loss making business into $8k profit in 8 months in Taiwan
• 35:29 Co-Founding KFit
• 39:35 Raising $1 million from friends & family?!
• 41:11 Landing Pieter Kemps from Sequoia as an investor!
• 50:47 Turning KFit into Fave
• 54:05 Laying off 50% of staff but still being good friends with them
• 59:30 How to bring 2 company cultures together during an acquisition
• 1:01:36 China
• 1:11:55 What are Chen Chow's strongest features?
• 1:12:33 Will Chen Chow stay even though Joel has left?
• 1:14:04 A competitor Chen Chow really admires

📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/118

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