"You're too young. Why don't you just enjoy being your age?" Rebellious and ambitious, I started my own business just to show everyone how wrong they were. At age thirteen, I sold hand-painted T-shirts from the backyard at my parents' house. A year later, I pestered my father for enough money to start a small juice bar with two friends. Smiling triumphantly, I paid him back just five months later, but the the bar closed within a year. Looking back, Newton's law taught me to know better. What goes up must eventually come down. The crux is how to maintain a sustained upward motion.
With my strong entrepreneurial spirit, I have never been quite like the rest of my friends. I am always the dreamer, the inventor and the doer. I wake up in the middle of the night with earth-shattering ideas for intriguing new business concepts. With each new venture, I realize that entrepreneurs are not greedy capitalists, but agents of change.
What's in the bag? Business of Software 2010
English: This statue is also known as "Statue of T...
English: Harvard University Harvard Yard Harvard S...We see opportunites that others do not and we create something from nothing. Several years ago, I decided to learn as much as I could about business and meet every entrepreneur in my community. Whenever possible, I attend foreign investment fairs and charitable fundraisers, and sit next to a corporate vice-president, magazine editor or bank president. We usually have great conversations. Every successful person gave me the same advice: devour as much information as possible about my proposed ventures.
At age fourteen, I made my first international relocation, moving from Malaysia to Brazil. Studying in a multicultural environment has dramatically broadened my personal perspective, my business contacts and my understanding of the world economy. In four years, I have established friendships with people from a dozen countries and formed a "San Paolo office" in my bedroom at the dorm. My management team includes a financial analyst from India, a high-tech consultant from Japan, and me, the visionary. Combining our diverse strengths, we design and sell inspirational CDs on the internet. We form a special blend that is versatile, open-minded and dynamic: traditional Confucian team spirit with Gandhian perseverance and Japanese diligence.
The unique combination of business and international studies at Harvard is an excellent fit for my talents and skills. The cross-cultural program will enable me to become a multidisciplinary problem solver and to launch my "garage company" on a global scale. In Harvard's superior learning environment, I will further develop my intellectual capabilities and entrepreneurial drive, adding lustre to the distinguished program. I am prepared to meet the challenges of Harvard and open the doors of entrepreneurial possibility.
Entrepreneur of the Century
Dos Entrepreneurs
English: Entrepreneurial activity in the US - spec...