Out of the Comfort Zone: Singaporean Chris Quek’s Quest to Build His Own Legacy Beyond the Family Empire - Part 2

Christopher Quek wants to be his own man.

In this episode and the last, I talk to Chris, a third-generation member of a well-established family business in Singapore. Against his father’s expectations, he left the family business and his home country to pursue entrepreneurship in Malaysia, where he became an e-commerce entrepreneur. Upon returning to Singapore, he sold his inheritance to raise the setup capital for his venture capital firm TRIVE.

We explore his journey of transformation in two parts.

Last episode focuses on his pursuit of his own identity—his desires, his actions, the why and the how.

In this episode, we’ll dive into his current work as a VC investor, building up the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Singapore and Southeast Asia. We’ll discuss the legacy he hopes to create for his country and the region; and we’ll explore his expectations for his children as a father at age 46.

Episode Breakdown:

0:34—Setting the stage and the tone for this and the next episode

2:23—Kicking off with a big question: Is Singapore still relevant after 50 years? Here's an entrepreneurial view

"In 2015, when Singapore celebrated its 50th birthday as a nation. Singapore evolved itself out of necessity where it built a whole nation, a workforce of engineers, scientists, bankers, lawyers, doctors, specialists. We started losing a whole generation of entrepreneurs."

7:11—Bridging the Generation Gap: How to Turn ‘Parents’ Old Ways’ into a Future-Proof Family Business

"I actually have a network of over 300 family business owners across Southeast Asia. And there's always this common themes that starts first.  Number one, how do I talk to my parents? How do I have a good working relationship with my parents and a family relationship back at home?  Number two, I don't like the way that my parents are doing things and I need to transform this business. How do I convince my parents that I can transform this business as well?"

11:04—Turning Spare Millions into Family Business Magic: The Synergy Cycle of Tech, Money and Southeast Asian Economy

"Everyone gets to have food on the table. What we didn't realize that what this family business did was that it took that technology, have more food, more quantity, and decided to sell it cheaper to a poorer province, where those villagers were now able to obtain more quantity of food for their families."

21:35—Breaking the Patriarchal Mold: How Self-Development Earned Me My Father’s Respect

"My father has been an Asian patriarch with an iron fist. He now talks to me about the side businesses that he's doing. He asks me as his advisor and no longer sees the son on whom he used to look down."

25:41—Still Figuring It Out: The Never-Ending Saga of Self-Discovery

"I still believe that I'm evolving. I'm still learning more in terms of understanding my identity."

28:27—Fatherhood and Fortune: What’s the Game Plan for Your Next Generation, Chris?

"Anybody who wants to help the next generation is to be a mentor of values rather than a mentor of processes."

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Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Christopher Quek

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