Being a competitive sportsman for the better part of my growing up years, the dream of competing at the Olympic Games was a natural one. Three knee injuries later, that dream has evolved to perhaps attending the Olympic Games (one that is firmly within my control).

TiE Con represented somewhat of a similar aura for the entrepreneur in me. Being there as an attendee this year can be likened to being a spectator at the Games. You are present; you can feel the atmosphere and recognize the importance to those battling to secure funding or connecting with speakers. But you somehow your life’s work does not hang in the balance like those ‘competing’.

I think my one-year here set me up decently well to work the crowd and to connect with speakers. But the contacts made – while extremely valuable would not be the highlight of TiECon for me.

Two speakers – both very aptly speaking as keynotes were what blew me away. The first was Naresh Goyal, Founder & CEO of Jet Airways. His story of going from a baggage handler in a small Indian airport to the owner of India’s first privately owned airline was truly inspirational. It might have happened in a different time, but his story was a clear reminder that success, in every definition of it, is a direct function of hard work and perseverance.

The other memorable speaker was John Wood, founder of “Room to Read”. “Room to Read” is a non-profit social enterprise that aims to bring literacy and learning to children in all the rural parts of the world. His goal is noble, like many others, but his methods and philosophy is truly exceptional and unlike any other I have seen. He believes in maximizing the donors’ dollar – more than 80% of donations go directly to the children (a staggeringly high statistic for a non-profit). More importantly, he believes these children need to be helped today and now. He answers to this belief by benchmarking his non-profit with one of the fastest expanding corporations in the world – Starbucks. In the last 3 years, “Room to Read” has opened more local language libraries around than world than Starbucks have opened coffee joints. How’s that for scalability and walking the talk? John reminded me of something I lost site of for a while – that one man can exact change in the world.

So while TiE Con was meant to be about contacts, business and understanding entrepreneurship better. It turned out to be so much more than that. It was about fanning the flames of passion and an awakening to closely held yet recently marginalized values in life.

Times are crazy but when the World starts spinning at its regular speed again, I do believe these lessons would be the ones I will carry with me through beyond my remaining time in the Valley.

Carlos, CEO of Human Network Labs (HNL), has a knack for putting people at ease that, coupled with his rich history in entrepreneurship, which he shared with us, made for a very interesting session.
His advice to all of us was “not to embark on the entrepreneurship track” and throughout the session, he expounded his reasons.
I don’t believe in narratives, especially when it comes to learning - thus I have listed the lessons I came away with from the session with him:

-Being able to communicate with people is paramount to becoming a successful entrepreneur
–>An entrepreneur should try to serve the needs of people and provide a solution to their needs and the best way of finding out these needs is through interaction

-Start early on the path of entrepreneurship, and expect to fail
–>Use initial startups to gain experience and hone your skills

-Be an expert in what you do
–>You must have the expertize in the area of your start-up, or you might end up losing the plot

-Getting the right individuals to form the team is vital
–>A great team leads to better innovation, a greater sense of belief in the idea and better execution and chance of success

-Ensure that people you explain the idea to come away with the same vision, especially if they’re possible team members
–>Get people to tell you what they think you told them once you have explained your idea to them to ensure they are on the same page as you

-An entrepreneur leads an ‘abnormal’ lifestyle
–>Friends and family might not understand your reasons, so be prepared to lose some of them

-Don’t bother about trivials, such as name, during initial stages
–>HNL is just a temporary name for them. The initial stages should be about developing the product and getting it ready

In hindsight, I would definitely say that there is no substitute for the impact of hearing them directly from the horses’ mouth. However, I hope the lessons were useful.

Domo! Alvin Lai desu!

In the class of Technology Entrepreneurship I’m enjoying at Stanford University, I have the privilege of exploring creativity and brainstorming from Tina Seelig, the Executive Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. Here’s an brief list of what I’ve garnered from the session:

• No bad ideas
• Build on ideas
• No hiearchy, but take turns
• No conformity, conventions and limits
• No best idea, don’t limit potential
• Wild ideas
• The facilitator and the honored participants
• Additional Tips
• Ending thoughts

Check out my take on creativity and brainstorming!

Domo! Alvin Lai desu!

With just 3 months left in the Valley, it’s a good time to look back.

Very different from a regular student exchange program, groups of NUS Overseas Colleges participants in Silicon Valley actually get a job working full time for a salary, get together to form households, rent full sized houses, buy their own cars, pay their own bills, you get the idea, it’s very much like settling down in America, for real.

The NUS Overseas Colleges program is quoted from its website to “infuse a spirit of enterprise into NUS education, providing NUS students with a globally-oriented educational experience.”

Indeed, that is true, with so many valuable components painstakingly pieced together over the years and only made possible with the work done by the people before us, with staff like Jupe forming strategic alliances with high technology startup companies for internships and previous batches of NOC students handing down contacts and relationships of worthy organizations and individuals.

Because of this we are very privileged to be able to have very awe-inspiring mentors like CEOs from Digg, Meebo, Google and so on.

The buddy system where the incumbent batch would be assigned to help the incoming junior batch to ease in and settle down is especially heartwarming, as it encourages the spirit of paying it forward, forming close friendships the process.

All these would never be easy for a single person starting up here alone (actually I know of just one, the CEO of Red Pod). We are so lucky to be able to benefit from the time accumulated fruits of labour!

But of course that’s pretty much what everybody enjoys in the process, are there other intangible and subtle stuff that is not immediately obvious to the onlookers?

Plenty!

Just being here with a couple of friends in this big wonderland called America with plenty things to do, I’ve become a more independent and resourceful person, constantly finding out the hows and the wheres to do new crazy exciting stuff.

I’ve done crazy hikes and scaled half dome in Yosemite National Park, planned and executed a successful and enjoyable outdoor camp trip where we slept under the stars, met up with a stranger who works in Intel to go para-gliding and many more!

Moving out of my comfort zone, charting out and venturing into previously unexplored places. Getting lost and finding your way around, being ever ready to take on challenges and conquer the unexpected.

I will return to Singapore stronger, better and ever ready to take on new challenges that come by my way.

Just a mere 3 months, and I’ll be back. Life will never be the same again

Wow! I just gottasaythatagain. WOW!

After blogging about Farzad’s session in a whole new style, I’ve received tonnes of feedback – mostly great and encouraging ones:

Great! Fresh outlook! Cute! (for the Domo-kun banner, woo!) Well done! Looking good! Direct to the point! Great style! Good humor!

Even from friends who are not from the NUSEA/NOC network! Thanks Alastair and Ah Buang!

And of course from our most lovely dear program manager Jupe!

THANKS!

It feels AWESOME to receive fan-mail! I can attest to the ego trip!

But of course there were a few thoughtful people who gave useful and interesting pointers to improve upon:

Too much self advertisement

Several links to alvinlai.com – my personal blog. An introductory post for readers to check me out, a couple of posts to illustrate my writing styles. Too much? You tell me

I think this blog is an excellent avenue for NUSEA members to be heard, why not let our readers get a good glimpse (or ogle) at who we really are, how much fun we are having while reaping a full, wholesome, and rich experience in leapfrogging hurdles and relishing the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship process?

Really? Why not?

That is why I encourage the concept of guest blogging! Everyone should take this opportunity to let our readers know you better! Where better place can you portray yourself personally along with a YOUNG VIBRANT PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ENTREPRENEURIAL organization in the world’s most renowned tech hub of innovate SILICON VALLEY CALIFORNIA!? I’m so psyched up as I’m typing this! XD

So what are you waiting for! Guest blog!

My dear friend Derek Du Wenyu has made a great headstart over everybody by submitting his thoughts on Farzad’s mentorship session! I’ve updated the post! Check it out on Mentorship Session with Farzad Naimi!

Come on guys! Don’t lose out!

An informal blogging style

An informal blogging style might not represent NUSEA in a manner that everybody would like – some prefer a more professional corporate style.

After someone told me that it would look weird to have Domo-kun splashing across the front page on the NUSEA blog, I chickened out and removed the banner. But after some good consideration, I got it back up.

WHY?

Because I believe that it doesn’t do harm. I feel that a blog is supposed to be personal, fun and interesting to read. Pictures that catches your eye definitely do well to attract readers.

What’s more the Domo-kun image serves as a striking bold introduction to a new start and a new blogger contributer – me!

That is exactly what guest blogging is about!

Who’s our target audience?

Fellow bloggers? Professionals? Entrepreneurs? NOC alumni? NUS? Singapore? California? So many! As we fondly recall our favorite person saying we are AMBASSADORS! You must always bear some AIR (Attitude Integrity Responsibility) in your head! We will never never forget that!

Is the blog nicely geared toward our target audiences? Remember that means YOU TOO!

Thoughts to keep in mind

There were also some good pointers that were floating around too, I might as well just post them here as a good reference point to fall back on should we return to them in the future:

Great motivations for blogging (I didn’t edit to preserve the full meaning the author/commenter had intended):
1. archive of lessons learnt in each session
2. new mentees will not feel unprepared when joining
3. avoid asking the same questions each time over and over again (it should be continous and progressive. not walking on the same spot each time)
4. act as resources (sounds like a rails plugin!) that we can always have a common place to share our lessons learnt.
5. this is community driven. it is collaborative efforts and we could see different perspective on that.

Interesting, personal guest blogging style or formal corporate risking readership?

Monitored content – permission from mentors to avoid potential liability issues.

Recommendations

There were a couple of recommendations on how to move this forward too:

Podcasts

So that peeps who missed the mentorship sessions don’t miss out when they read the exciting notes!

Link Exchange!

Like link up with local NOC bloggers (e27, TheDigitalMovement), of course! Always welcome!

Separate/another blog for mentorship

Someone suggested having a separate blog for mentorship, apart from the main NUSEA blog bringing total to 2 NUSEA blogs. (I’m not so sure about this, tell me!)

Did I miss out on anymore points?

Tell the world who you are and what say you!

For obvious reasons I have not identified who commented on what, but if you’d like, I think it would be excellent if you can let others know what you think for more vibrant discussions! Those with great positive constructive feedback need not shy away, in fact you should let the world know how awesome of a person you are! I can edit this post to identify you if you wish!

REMEMBER! It’s all about you!
This blog is for you! YOU YOU and only YOU! This is an excellent avenue to share your thoughts, your passions, your dreams (SO cliche, but I like XD).

The world’s your oyster.

Fire away comments!

PS: You might wonder why I chose that bowl of something for a blog post image and what’s that. Easy. I love nice food, and images of nice food attraction attract (thanks Vincent for point pointing (walao double smack in the forehead – can u guess how psyched up I was typing that?) that out!) attention and curiosity. Now can you guess what’s that?

I have just learnt about what coaching is for the past two months and I would say that it has been quite a unique experience overall. The upsides of coaching is that it allows me to build cohesion amongst my two mates whom I carry out my coaching sessions with, so I can understand better their problems and also cultivate my sensitivity towards them.

Coaching is also a good way to reflect on how good I am in becoming a intermediate medium in solving other people’s problems. With friends, these problems are normally short termed and it is seldom that we coach each other about obtaining long term corporate objectives which align with the company vision, since we will only be working for a year.

In coaching, it is inevitable that we portray our “emotional inner selves” but this sometimes could get too emotional that the coach may find that he/she is not in the right position to comment. Also, the coachee tend to talk a lot about many other issues underlying the same problem and this could really dilute the definition of the real problem.

In coaching, we should focus and narrow down on the issue. Most of the time, I feel that problems are not well quantified and defined due to the constrain of time or due to circumstances that the coachee is “forced” to arrive at a conclusion which he/she is not even convinced herself. As a result, a solution is derived too hastily and may not always be the best way to solve the coachee’s problem. The aftermath is that the coachee would feel there is another reason which is the real cause of the problem.

My take on coaching: The coach is never to make decisions for the coachee, but to facilitate the coachee in making decisions to improve and move on.

I have already made some foray into redesigning the skin of this blog. The design of the blog is far from complete, but I want the colour scheme of our blog to conform to the colours we present. Orange and Blue (or Cyan). It’s part of our branding exercise.

The next question that comes about is the relevance of the old NUSEA logo. I have discussed with the people around me about the idea of changing the NUSEA logo.

The old logo didn’t really fit into the image I want to project about NUSEA - Young, Vibrant, Passionate. Almost everyone I talked to likes Brian’s design of the new NUSEA logo.

David and Valerie brought out a good point. Even though the new logo is aesthetically pleasing, are we showing disrespect for what the alumni has set up for us so far? Something as important as to the logo should not be changed so frivolously by the ascension of a new committee. The point of view I take is - If our existing logo does not bring out the image I want to portray - Does it justify my changing of the NUSEA logo?

I just got back from a little road trip a weekend ago. But perhaps “little” isn’t exactly the right word here. It started out, innocently enough, as a visit to Yellowstone. 18 hour drive, cross 4 states, no big deal. It gradually developed, however, into an excursion covering 3 National Parks, 2 major cities and more than 3000 miles of American asphalt. And my goodness, the things I saw and did. But I’m not going to give you a running commentary of my trip. This isn’t the Travel Channel. No, I’m going to be talking about the spirit of adventure…

It’s something we all experience in some measure or other during our time here, and more often than not, on a personal level. It took a leap of faith to be able to uproot ourselves from comfortable, familiar Singapore and make the commitment to come live here for a year in the first place. But even while here, rather than settling down into a routine, we find ourselves constantly trying out new things. Things we wouldn’t normally be able to do back home. Snowboarding, skydiving, high-rolling in Vegas, nerve-wracking presentations in Stanford, you name it. Adventure’s the name of the game. 

And what a fitting topic for Silicon Valley, USA. For it was in the same spirit that the Americas were discovered, the West was won, and Google was founded. A profound sense of excitement ran common through all these, and in my time here often have I seen demonstrated the same boldness and willingness to try that has become the hallmark of the Bay Area culture. The air is constantly thick with that sense of adventure, and there’s always a buzz going round. People starting companies, investing in companies, buying other companies…never a dull moment.

I mean, you have to admit that it takes a sizeable amount of chutzpah to say “You know what; I think I’ll quit my stable, bill-paying, 9-to-5 job, and start a company of my own. I could be bankrupt by next Christmas, but hey, at least I’ll have memories!” And then be adventurous enough to do it.  

Entrepreneurs are the latter-day Indiana Joneses among us. They are (largely) fearless, gung-ho, daring to try anything and to risk all they have over little more than an idea. Some find their Holy Grail along the way. So many more fail. But hardly any stop trying. Colonel Sanders approached more than 1000 restaurants with his recipe for fried chicken before one finally agreed to give his idea a try. The rest is history.

What inspires these people? What drives them to give up that security and stability in their lives to pursue these ideals? Surely not the money. Many of these individuals are hot-shot CEOs and Vice-Presidents, with pay scales that would be obscene to most of us. I’d like to think it’s the passion in their veins, the thirst to always lead the pack in seeking the unexplored. And I am vindicated whenever I talk to an entrepreneur, and I see the sparkle in their eyes, and hear the passion in their voice when they discuss their latest venture. These people are excitement junkies. They crave adventure. 

What about the rest of us then? How many of us walk the safe, beaten path, afraid to tread where few have been? How many of us could do with some adventure in our lives? I’m proud to say that those of us who come here are living it right now. Since I came, I’ve taken every opportunity to do stuff I’ve never had the chance to before. And I think I’m better for it.

But what about you, dear reader? What’s your adventure? It doesn’t have to be an earth-shattering effort. Whatever it may be to you, I promise you it will be vastly more fulfilling than if you simply chose not to do anything at all. Take inspiration from the Silicon Valley story. Dare to do something different. Feel free to explore the unknown. You may even discover something about yourself along the way. What an adventure that would be.

In the Beginning

I feel compelled to explain to the readers the history behind the title “RainMakers”. The first RainMakers newsletter was singlehandedly penned by the ex Vice President of Media and Publications from NUSEA, Gwendolyn Regina Tan, as an effort to update the folks from Singapore what we were up to. She wrote the following words in the first newsletter to introduce the concept of RainMakers.

The Wise Words of Gwen

“Why should you aim to be a RainMaker? Because a rainmaker is “a person whose

influence can initiate progress of ensure success”. The phrase connotes an entity so powerful that even nature can be subverted. Rain falls on what was dry land. All of us have the potential to strike it big. Do not just dream, make it happen. Be a rainmaker.” – Gwen

“You must be the change you want to see in the world”

- Mahatma Gandhi

We used this quotation for our second RainMakers newsletter, back in March 2006. This was what Gwen wrote on the first page of our newsletter to explain our “quote of the month”.

“All of us were chosen to come here to learn something, to learn lots of things. Some of us already have dreams and goals, while the rest are still formulating them….
… Contemplate and examine your heart for your true passion and of that something that you really want to achieve in your life time. Most of us observe the world in which we are in and do nothing but complain or analyze these faults through lengthy academic essays. And most do not see anything wrong with that, but what if you do? I say, if you find it pointless and an utter waste of time in mere complaining, do something about it.”- Gwen

Gwen was not someone who used sexy words to make herself look intellectual (unlike Guy Kawasaki who admittedly used Latin names for that reason). She really meant every word she said. She was a doer. She was a change agent. She challenged the status quo. She made things happen. She was the spirit and the flame behind RainMakers.

And here we are now

Everyone in the RainMakers team are on a mission. We want to continue igniting and fanning this flame of rainmaking. We want to cultivate within ourselves the values needed for entrepreneurship. Righteousness, courage, creativity, freedom, respect for others, care for community. We want to grow and nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship in all of us. We want to make things happen.

Take our hands, and join us in this journey.

People. The one reason that makes Silicon Valley what it is. The fascinating, eccentric characters that populate the Bay Area are also the chief cause of its phenomenal success on the international stage. These individuals came from all over the globe, made the Valley their home, and in their own little way, each contributed their genius to the status quo. For me, the draw of Silicon Valley isn’t the obscene amounts of money generated here, or the fancy technology that is the lifeblood of the area. Its biggest attraction is its heart and soul – the people of the Valley.

I’m referring, dear reader, to the characters we meet each and every day as we go about our busy lives here. I can say that I have never met as many interesting and varied people in all my time in Singapore, as I have over the span of my few months here in the Valley. Every one of these individuals has something to offer, and I can honestly say I have reaped the benefits of interaction with them. All it took was an open mind, a forthcoming attitude and a willingness to share.

I’m sure we all have similar stories. Truth is, there’s no place else quite like the Valley. No place else offers such a melting pot of diversity. I for one have had my eyes opened to so many new experiences simply by talking to people here, from colleagues to new friends I made and continue to make along the way. It’s given me a whole new perspective on the things around me. They say that travel makes you look at home in a new light, and somehow the cynical side of me always doubted that, until now.

Enlightenment certainly doesn’t only come from the famous and successful Guy Kawasaki-types who hold panel discussions or sold-out seminars. Like I mentioned earlier, everyone has something valuable to share. For instance, I have found myself amazed by the stories of people who had fled their homeland to come to the Land of the Free, to eke out a better life for themselves. One doesn’t have to dig very deep to find inspiration in the everyday man. This is especially true in a place like the Valley.

So how do you go about meeting people and learning from them? Well, allow me to offer one humble piece of advice: be honest, be open. Listen, and not only hear, what people have to say, and give your side from the heart. People can tell right away if you’re being forthcoming, and more often than not, they will return the honesty in kind. That’s when the exchange becomes enriching and real.

If you’re like me, you don’t see people as potential resources to be tapped in future, or gateways into companies or jobs or stuff like that. You enjoy meeting people for their stories, for what they can share. And for what you can share with them as well. So go out there and start meeting people. May your experiences be as enriching for you as they have been, and continue to be, for me.