Faithful vs. Willful

we do a bit extended version we also do a bit of Praise [and] worship in the beginning cuz most of us here are Protestants uh when Catholics come in they just join the party usually … actually I came from Orthodox background in my church you just stand for two hours like this and no music right

it's not just [a] alcoholic group it's also we all Christians so we thinking how to do business right … we really care [about] doing it right first towards our employees and towards our clients and then we believe that through this our business will grow because God will bless us

fun fact about myself uh I'm a Methodist I guess and then like I came to Christ about 7 years ago uh yeah and uh I met my wife in China and then uh we came back to Singapore together and then we were Church hopping … I came to Christ uh uh and got married kind of like together

fact by myself I only started this at the age of 50 so it's still very young [for] you to get started

I like to help business to save all this kind [of] money right and and teach them all the proper you know administrative kind of stuff … church do you go uh I'm actually Roman Catholic so I go to S[t] Anthony it's in Woodland[s] … I come here because of [the] event but I kind of just walked in

what did bring me here was I was really I guess broken um around August really terrible State you know completely [hopeless] … I thank God that you know there [was] that light [at the end of] the tunnel I just started coming out for more events and this has really helped me

I wanted to get into work or businesses again for for purpose right rather than just for profits or just you know to bring the money back home

for my work we do identity and [access] management but it's really to connect with more professionals um to know your identity and what your identity in Christ and your identity in personal life as well and how to manage it a bit better

being a business owner sometimes you know you don't have many people to talk to I think that's really a struggle and what more [Christ-]minded people you know to guide you in the right direction you know when you're down

there's a lot of Methodist there a lot of uh [Presbyterian] uh I'm Lutheran … so within the building itself we hold another four more different churches uh that's because Singapore [scarcity] … within the [council] itself they will discuss and then they'll come together

can imagine like very proper like Orthodox and C[atholic] at some guy in jeans like this no no

I started um [Katach] with my husband actually so he's he's my rock my business partner and also my my partner in Christ so we very much intentionally

she's in the marketing business and we were discussing how to make marketing Redemptive and how to not use [urgency] when everyone else is doing it yeah and and this is like a tough question

she brought me to church to CHC to City Harvest Church here in Singapore it's not that I was not baptized all Russians are pretty much baptized from birth but I found Christ here in Singapore I I definitely get saved here … so I think I probably more [Pentecostal] person and Christian than than Orthodox honestly I don't think it's really matter … it's just about your connection which is most important

when I was in 500 startups uh they teach us that you have to have one metric that matter … and if that metric doesn't work it's like fail and everything is bad everyone has to optimize for it when I went to this DMV D[igital] Mission Ventures we didn't talk about metrics we talked about how to make decisions

I think identity it's a very big one and I think when we think about how do we um portray ourself at work and how do we influence people that we manage like I don't run a business but I do manage a team I think for me is trying to um be my most authentic self … in times where I have to make difficult decisions um I always find that just [praying] really helps

before I got married I always wonder why you know parents would want their kids to meet someone that is also a [believer] or also in Christ but after you know um I became a Believer I I realized that it's very important because it builds the foundation and I think that Foundation at home helps to build my identity when I go to work … cuz not everyone that works with you are likeminded and I think that it's not something that we should expect of everyone

I'm a very morning person … only person who knows the name of the cleaning Auntie yes she's my best friend … when I had the opportunity to go to Israel and I think wherever I look when when I look into the sky there were birds and then I really got reminded that you know if the birds you know don't do anything and God provides for what more about us you know it's not about [strife] it's not about how much we do

sometimes you don't do anything different and deal[s] are just fall[ing] in you sometimes you do everything you could nothing happening completely he actually he's he likes to turn on and to turn off the tap … of course I'm doing reports to my investors where I say that this is channel is productiv[e] … but deep in my heart I'm like this one is luck this one is also luck this one is also out of the blue but I cannot write the channel [as] Christ … I will put like God channel is the most effective

I do have fun sometimes calculating the runway of the company together with my wife … she's like this time it's like what four months 5 months don't you feel like [it's] very risky … it's always happened it's happened for the last three years no problem … but I know that if you give me too much money then that actually bad for me because every time when we are doing the business we have to you know learn how to uh cherish handle the resources … sometimes we learning through through through through being b[r]oken

I've been working [a] [F022] time 50 working very hard in a world [that's] driving [me] like nut right so I work very hard before this is a different part of my life right now second part of my life so I've learned to just be restful … [Lord] you close the door it is not for me to walk you open the door to work you I'm going to work hard … if we learn to tun[e in] it takes time right tun[ing in] need to listening holy spirit it's time to go rest the more important thing is to manage your kids

my problem is not being like too lazy my problem is always overworking because it's so exciting and and you're building something new and you have so many things to do and you feel like … it's on on you it's only as I should do it

you're still working but not like work but maybe like working in the Kingdom of the Lord … I don't believe in 100% retirement you know but you're always working but it doesn't have to be you know generating income you can be working you know in the house of the Lord … we are all very driven you know we are workaholic … I just have to say l[ord] i can't anymore I just have to let go I think it's not the best way … sometimes I think once you let that go you can really see that you know it's actually all about the Lord

initial motivation before this has has always been um money right prior to that know why I went to venture capital why I started being an entrepreneur it's always that that unicorn idea right … but now … my motivation to this is is building sustainable bu[sinesses] … go back to Foundation principles right … Revenue minus expenses equal profit … as [F022] as 1% better than yest[erday] all small steps it's still right

I think of um [role] prioritization as a hub and spoke type of model so the call the [hub] would be uh for me woman of God as my identity and then uh the spokes would be how I um show up as a wife as a daughter as a member of my church Community as a m[ember] of the marketplace … the toughest part of the practice for me because um I was condition[ed] … to always you know identify with work Excellence operational excellence your achievements … my personal practice … is to try to disidentify … from work achievements

last time I was yeah I was out every night sleeping very late because you doing all their networking sessions … how I balance the family I I bring family to to work that it's three in one my wife rests and kids experience something different

your work can be your life your identity your spiritual life can also be part of your identity your home is where you kind of like want to go and um rest … on the Android phones they have an automatic sleeping mode you can make it black and white you can disable apps … the only apps that works above 9[:]00 p.m. and before 9[:]00 a.m. is the Bible my uh a a notebook uh uh e Library uh app and Spotify … I've been doing this for 6 months it has tremendous it has impacted me a lot

I'm going to uh make a Friday holiday that's I'm just going to move all the all the meeting … my experience tells me when you move meetings you usually don't really lose much things … making one day rest a month when kids are at school

I need sleep so I'm going to go back to sleep and just just be mindful because [I've] been traveling as a family … for me restfulness is everyday walk that I take each [day]

for me it really resonates when the video talked about Psalm 127 … there was high periods of success and heavy you know workolic [obsessions] … I finished a project and I thought oh should I go chase for some more [deals] before year [end] … I was starting to feel that feeling of unrest … I've seen this pattern before … I don't have to chase and worry about finding the next one so I just took time to spend time with [them] … throw catch with my son … and just told myself it's okay God will take care of the rest

I have not been to church for many many months … I believe that maybe you can hear a bit of the the wear[iness] … I just go to Google and I press and then I just [type] in and I click on the link … just yesterday I I went to some networking event and it was over at the YMCA … I went to Far East … everything was all the Christ painting … I saw one picture another a picture … no business I not be making it … the workers are making more money than me … in the p[ig pen] … and I I just go back to [God] … for this week uh let me go back to church again

it's not just about even church it's it's about going back to [God] … nothing can replace your relationship with [God] if he's calling you and he's putting paintings around you everywhere there must be

you see that girl Yana right she she like to play [Monopoly] … despite she's being like a six years old kid she completely [beat] me … I threw the dice I get six I see eight times in a row … so he is like okay okay okay so sure I let your daughter to completely beat you and it will be super clear to you that it's because if I decid[e] that you're going to lose you're going to lose because you you must learn the lesson … and I'm I'm lucky that he's doing it with Monopoly but not with my real [business]

I struggle with with really you know [picking] up the the Bible and reading true as well I as my attention span issues … my wife is the one who actually um brought me back the the church and we have been going for 4 years or so since we had our kid … at the very start the more you listen to the [angrier] I actually got it's like you know God why have you done this why am I going through this … after a while you learn to to to trust and um trust in him … my [eldest] was five and is now into Pokemon [card] games

we all we all must say that we all not spending enough time … nobody really spend as much especially if they running a business … it has to be a lot of reassurance from other people around that hey no no no kids family God that that's what first must be the first thing don't don't make the same mistake as everyone else around including Christians … I think that's kind of one of the purposes of this group

I'll be more intentional about you know setting like 15 to 30 minutes before I restart work to spend some time in [the word] um cuz that's where I think office is like the most quiet

I think for me will be to spend more time in the [word] because uh sometimes you know even if it's just 10 minutes you give to the Lord he multiplies back to you so you do feel that your day is you can do more things you know because of the 10 minutes you give to the Lord

some people respond to me in WhatsApp oh I've got this and that and I don't have time … what should I say for for people who don't have time … I pray for them and maybe they will find time in church or they bump into old friend … pray for people it will help happen in other way it doesn't need to be here

I think you can always find time for important thing … it's about the priorities in your heart

I look at rest in two different aspects one is physical and one is mental … past two months ago I decided when I end work at 6 on is when I stop work uh I will spend time with him … I found that I have more strength physically because I'm mentally rested … weekends are the times where on my phone I'll put Do Not Disturb literally people's calls will just go to miss calls

I rest when I work out I rest when um I do meditative type of exercises like running … when I was communing with God I it was almost like a debate because I had this work situation that … I felt like there was a lot of Injustice going on and so it became a case of like how do I interpret Roman[s 3:22] where we're we are the righteousness of God by faith through Jesus Christ … it was always my self [righteousness] coming up and how do I just let it go right and let God's right righteousness come

if I go and spend more time with the family sometimes I wonder is this really resting … that is something that I have been [wrestling] with myself it is to spend more time with the family so that's something that I plan to do at least this year before the year ends especially … it's Christmas

Good evening everybody. Uh my name is [M012] all the way from Koala Lumpur. I so happened to be here visiting my brother and thought I would join this amazing entrepreneur group. It's amazing to worship God you know amidst all the different churches we may attend all as entrepreneurs.

Well, we thank you. We thank you for your love for us. We thank you that amidst all our struggles that you are real and you are here and you are moving in this place. Lord, we thank you for all that you're going to do and all that you have already done through Jesus. And we just want to lift this gathering of faith driven entrepreneurs into your hands. Would you bless us and be with us in Jesus name we pray.

Okay, I'm a investment advisor. So, I help people overcome their mental issues with investing. Is it before investing or after investing? during is why it's better to be in the right frame during investing. Uh fun fact about me, I have been investing for decades. So I'm able to invest in all sorts of things like options, forex. … I there was this company that I attended uh training at Cisco and then everybody was complaining how slow it was. Then I asked one of the participants say, "So, how do you solve your your company problem?" Say, "There's a free software called Zoom. You should download it." And I downloaded it. I like it so much I looked for it and invested it when it was went public. So that was it was funny because it was much much better than Cisco.

I'm I'm [FACILITATOR]. Uh I run a sustainable design company doing upcycle bags. Uh what brought me here is last year entrepreneur. I see some familiar faces and new faces as well. But uh I'm I'm here to really just grow this community, right? I I love the community.

My name is [F001]. Uh I am a marketing professional for more than 10 years in various industries. Then now I'm into coaching and digital marketing and also uh exploring partnerships to build business uh and and I'm from City Harvest Church. Yeah. And like Okay. I grew up in Singapore but I am not from Singapore.

My name is [M010]. Uh so I'm a wealth manager. Then for myself, same as preferred. So uh so doing investment, insurance, uh and for myself doing mortgage, loans, loans advisor. … in the past I used to think that dancing is only for girls, not for males. So uh but when I go uni I pick up dancing. So uh it's not really that. So that that's a fun way I guess. Yeah. Then I um actually change my perspective.

my name is [F047] and uh it's my first time here. All right. Hi. Hi. So who brought me here? I think God let me here. All right. So, I was uh very rare. I searched for event on event bright. So, I was led by the word faith driven and I happened to be only free on Wednesday 6:00 cuz every other day I'm fetching my son. So, Wednesday is my off day and I just live right across the street. So, I think God let me here. So, uh I one of my goal is to walk closer to God and to be one of his uh disciple.

Hi everyone, my name is [U001]. I run my own wealth advisory practice with Lex my colleague. So I also run my own startup uh Rise Up Capital where we want to rise up people in their finances, be better stewards in their wealth, not just chasing after returns, not just buying things of this world. So I'm on a mission to put financial influencers out there having a tough time to earn money. That's my mission. So fun fact about me. I was almost homeless once or kind of homeless when I was younger. But God has provided again and again for me and now I'm here in this community.

My name is J. I have retired about five years ago, but I don't think I want to, you know, waste my retirement season. I think God has referred me. I have done a bit of investing. Uh but I would invest more time into the Lord. Yeah. So that my my my you know retirement years can be much more meaningful.

I'm [M076] an I'm a businessman. I'm doing uh my passion and my calling is to missionaries and the community. So I'm doing a business to support them. And fun example, I don't know if you are old enough or young enough. When I was young, I live in a slum in Singapore. You know, opposite used to be a slum and then we have this bucket toilet, right? And then we have no water. So, and we play in front of the pocket toilet, right? So, one day my classmates came to my house and say want to play and so on. So, of course, they play in front of the pocket toilet and they were all going like this. This place is so scary for me. It was like there's nothing here after that. They never come back.

Hi everyone, I'm [U007]. I am in fintech but more so doing more of the front end like marketing go to market type of uh projects but I think about myself I've been playing golf ball for three years but last week I still realized I suck.

Actually, I've been involved in ministry in church every Wednesday. But for this, I chose to skip one time. All right. So, it's great to be here. I'm in the real estate. Um, one thing I learned about the real estate is it makes me um go from a what do you call a a private person to an open person. So I had a lot of fun yesterday when I actually buy cakes for agent and his wife and someone else. But in the end, God blessed me with a big scoop of ice cream. No need to pay. And that is good ice cream. So, um, which flavor pistacho? Oh, yeah. Oh, that's nice. And it's creamier. There's a brand I got. And one scoop is expensive. So, I I got double blessings. … being in the real estate industry brought me to uh get to know a lot of people and I learned uh to be able to, you know, open up and to embrace.

[M059] uh so I do financial advisory and I run a longboard coaching company called uh the longboard academy. So basically we work with uh corporate schools, general public. So, uh, I'm trying to pioneer the growth of the sport here in Singapore and I've been around four years already. So, I think that's something, you know. So, it's quite fun. Uh, and I think one one fun fact about myself, I skated for 24 hours in a row. Uh, yeah. Two years plus ago. So, that was fun. Skated like computer game skating or real skating? Real one. Real one. [F022] morning in uh Netherlands. Oh, okay. So that was very fun. So roll is skating. It's like skateboard, you know. Oh, the skateboard bigger wheel longer. Okay. Yeah. And half the time it was raining. Yeah. So So you got this this helmet that fully covers your head, right? I just wore a bubble by helmet. Yeah. Yeah. You work just fine. God really take cares of you. You still can come here and thank God. My bones are intact.

Hi everyone, my name is [M017]. I actually was in the other meet up. I saw I saw him and I'm over here today. Thank God for that. Even you see Jesus just now. Um I'm actually a a content creator. So I do full content and I also promote businesses. Fun fact, um I'm actually a boxer and I'll be fighting in two months time.

I would say that God lead me here through event. I was actually looking for uh something else but end up God lead me to here accidentally. … I'm working uh profession in IT doing data analytics and I'll be working until 31st October is because my company want to outsource the IT department to India so now I'm in a transitions to become maybe become an entrepreneur or I mean actually that's the right time to be entrepreneur in data analytics … give me an idea you have to make disciples of all nations then after the next day I meet up was on Saturday the next day I pray I come to church next day let's come to church the next day yeah so there's many ways I think so God also want to make use of us to experience God's kingdom

I'm S and basically I'm a dentist trained as a dentist but I'm uh at the end of my uh professional career soon and I'm transitioning full time into business and basically this year I both my husband and I feel really uh called to start a property business in the UK. We do basically mainly rock in development a bit of service accommodation. Um and also we use creative and then fun strategies. Um and in terms of the fun fact or interesting thing maybe not about myself but about what we're doing is we're doing actually a conversion. So we actually bought a bottle and we're developing it now. Um and we're hoping to so we bought it in cash and we're hoping to refinance it um and have the increase in value and then also provide um accommodation because in the UK it's um there's like a housing crisis.

she was saying that she's praying for her patients every time they come to the dentist's uh dentist room. And I was asking whether you tell that to the patient. Imagine you come to a dentist and a dentist instead of start working say I pray for you first. But that's what she's doing. And you know this is uh this is this is this is the approach we should all take. We pray for our customers. We also pray for our patients and for us to be skillful and wise and before and after.

I'm [F041] first time here so yeah um and I'm glad to be here so I'm in a full-time position right now I mean in my own patient but I'm going to start a business. God impressed upon me this idea one and a half years ago but I haven't really actualized it you know because working so it's in those above kind of time when you make so um this business idea is actually a marketplace for B2B business owners to transact with each other with no cash offering. So it's something like a multi level bottle of trade which I talked to there after when I didn't just complete my like is that from you because I have no idea what it is. Then when I talked to a lot of business owners nobody heard of the trade exchange in Singapore and when I Google it's very huge in the US and I recently connected with the CEO of the nonprofit organization that do the governance of all the US trade exchanges. … as I waited upon God during this past one and a half years uh actually a deeper meaning sink in which is during the end times when Christians were not allowed to uh have the trip mark of the beast. So we are not able to transact. So with no not no uh with no ability to transact the only way that we can survive as Christian as Christian owners they arenate each other be properties be goods and services whatever that's how we survive. So I was like, "Oh my god, that's okay." God, this becomes heavier and heavy. You then say that, "Lord, okay, whatever. I'll just do it." So I'm going to do it.

I'm back here for like fourth and the fifth time and uh I think [FACILITATOR] jokes get me back here. … It's the videos really. It's everything. It's the community. I've always longed to work in a Christian organization and although I'm not working now in a Christian organization, but I I love I love to be part of this community where you know we can all be there for each other and entrepreneurs and we all in the same journey. I was also called by the Lord to quit my job. I worked with banks most of my life banks and I used to run a fintech as well. Um but mostly yeah I think as a owner you do you wear a lot of hats but uh I'm more or less been a lot in business development for B2B financial services products and fintech products. So um currently you know I felt a strong calling by a year and a half back to uh start my own marketing company to help other B2B companies and uh especially like you know because that's my whole experience with working with SAS platforms with banks with uh yeah basically big tech and short kind of platforms. So um yeah, I thought it was odd and I would have rather just carried on with my job, but I really felt like uh God closed the obvious doors for me and open this path. … I've been going on my first uh proper mission trip. I can say I've waited for this for many years cuz I promised that to myself that when both the kids are out of school.

I'm a green influencer. So also known as that since that's why you get the green microphone. Yeah. Oh, okay. Thank you. That's since 2018. So I'm not just like being one of these because frankly speaking, there's too many sustainability consultants here. That's getting very \[Music\] I always ask them this very simple question. What are the 17 SGS? Most of them don't know and maybe if they heard about the 17 UN SDGs I would just ask them you know what circular economy yeah um my dream is to build eco villages and green schools uh I live in Cambodia for 5 years um it's a beautiful place is it's fun it's not dangerous as everybody thinks so um I walk on the streets every night I party a lot uh for every from until the sky is bright. Yeah. So, it's a very beautiful place. People are very friendly. I literally made friends from all over the world while being stuck in Cambodia because I refused to come back to Singapore during co um I know Singapore is going to be jail at home. So there I was like partying every night. Had a time of my life.

So my name is [M012]. Uh I actually work with the faith driven team full-time on staff. Um just joined a couple of months ago. I spent the last 14 years. So I got a t-shirt. I had to print my own t-shirt. Um that's the only t-shirt in Southeast Asia. I think so. I think so. Um so I I serve the the AP pack region. Um, so all the way from from China to Pakistan to New Zealand, Oceanana. Yeah, New Zealand. Um, so kind of growing the faith-driven movement, working with amazing people like Professor [FACILITATOR] and and lots of people around. Um, uh, yeah, quick, I I kind of worked in social impact. So I worked for an organization that did a nation building education called Teach for Malaysia for a good 14 years. Um, fun fact about me, I did a bachelor of theology but didn't become a pastor. My wife became a pastor, so she's a um she didn't she we studied together. Did she do homework for you? We both studied together. And then halfway through Bible school, a kid came out, so he's got some credits in theology as well. Um and uh so my kids are seven and three. Wife is a children's ministry pastor. Um so yeah, that's the fun fact. I'm from Malaysia, Talia [Damansara?] Evangelical Free Church, and hope to meet as many of you as I can tonight after the videos. So if you want to start a group and you feel like you didn't have enough reasons, this is one of those time when his trouble schedule which is massively diverse. Yeah. Fit the group meeting schedule. So if you felt like God is calling you, God also brought the person who accelerate the group start from can help you start a new from 3 weeks to 3 minutes.

So my name is [FACILITATOR] uh running FDE um have a company in marketing but on the software side we make a software for marketers to uh ideate the creative content to come up with ideas because we believe that content is the most important thing with all this AI uh revolutions happening around. Uh the fun fact about me apart from playing electric accordion is that I came uh to Singapore kind of accidentally about 13 years ago. Uh I wanted to go to study in Finland and I came to my supervisor uh to sign some paperwork and then he told me uh why Helseni why not Singapore and I asked him where is it and he showed me on Google map. So I made a strategic decision to start my PhD in Singapore which I did to end up running a business which has no any sense apart from just God leading me into the decisions that everyone else was thinking of foolish but so far it works right

FTE usually runs for eight sessions. Eight sessions has eight videos. Our group runs always on because we have so many new people coming in. And uh some uh people like Eden sometimes they come for 12th time. So we actually blindly different videos. So every time you come for session number five like today, you're actually very like you're going to see a different video. Today one going to be from a Singapore company very new called the doas [Endowus]. Have you heard about it and doas? Yeah. So, so today's video about them. If you know the founder he's Christian and he's not just Christian he's very you know uh powerful powerful influencer in the space.

I really enjoyed the sharing by in the video by [PERSON]. I think uh being working in the financial industry a lot of the it is as what he described the it is a battle is a arena where the spiritual battle is very strong right. Uh I think there are many um it's like in politics or law right this these two two areas is like you are really fighting all the time uh and battling and to make the right decision is all the more more difficult. Um, one of the things that I'm speaking to those who are in the financial industry, one of the things that uh you might struggle with already if you've been in the industry for a while is uh trying to uh achieve targets, right? And it takes a lot to realize that, you know, just surrender to God and say that I decided to leave everything to you and not go for these targets and instead go for what you want. Right? Um I remember one uh memorable uh situation where I was going into a client meeting and suddenly my mind went blank and and I felt God telling me to ask him one question. Is he running away from something? And that totally blew my mind because I didn't know uh I couldn't remember anything that I was supposed to do. I couldn't do any planning because my mind was uh totally uh messed up as I could only remember asking this question. Okay. So I went into the meeting and then the client started telling me everything that went wrong, right? his uh health is uh bad, his relationship with his wife is bad. Uh and the children doesn't like him. Uh everything seems to be going downhill here and worse the worst thing was he just lost his job, right? So imagine if you for those in the finance industry, you meet a client like that, poor health, lost job, right? What can you do for him? And so it was uh turned out to be uh uh just nice because I couldn't remember anything. So I asked him right I asked him right uh God put this question to me and are you running away from something and the amazing thing was that he broke down and cried and I was shocked because he didn't say anything he just cried and then I uh later on I asked him after giving tissue I asked him what what's happening so he told me that God had told him to go into the mission field but he had been uh not obeying that for many years many years right um and and just this recent weekend the pastor invited him to join him for a mission trip so so then I I told him then I guess the answer is they say then I guess I should contact him and say yes and that that was a pivot moment for him because after he said yes, his health improved. He found a job and uh the relationship with his children mattered. Uh not because God blessed him because of obedience. I think it's because he changed his mindset. It changed his his perspective in life. And that totally changed me also because after that incident I realized that that's exactly what I wanted to do with my practice with my with my work is to to so I begin to always ask God like uh what is it that you want me to communicate with this this uh client that doesn't mean that you're not preparing for the meetings anymore. Um I I prepare in a different way.

if you look in general you understand that the whole of Facebook entrepreneurs making this this important decision to be faithful versus to be beautiful [willful] every single every single decision even today we had a stories you know I wanted to continue I wanted to do it but God just told me you know no that that's what you're going to do it and the harder you push there the harder will be felt that you are looking the the brick wall right so we all actually face that and the moment we surrender that's the moment when things start suddenly working out

I used to run a robotics company uh it's called innovation branch I was uh around 23 24 years old, right? So quite quite a time back. So I had only like $800 in my bank account, right? So I was wondering like what should I do? And um I had no business mentor, no my parents were very employee driven, right? So they didn't really like me. Okay. Somehow I got my first client was HP. So what I did was I was praying to God. I messaged him over directors me over 100 times. He was so annoyed. He said, "You know what? I got to meet you meet you up for for um for breakfast." So he brought his family. He sent them home. He came out me. He said, "What if uh what if I to say no to you?" I said, "I will keep messaging you until you say yes." So he was quite driven by that. So Atlanta HP is my first client uh for $15,000. uh and $800 I generated 35k uh within I think eight months now. So very thankful that um yeah things didn't go well because I was very tired being a content uh being a oneman one man show but hopefully end of this year I would like to restart after two years. Uh if anybody want to bless me some investments be great. Um yeah so I I love education but if I'm going to start my robotics school it'll be mainly focused on the minority communities for those who cannot afford robotics and I teach them robotics in a very different way not a conventional. So you want to start you want to restart this business. Yes I have no I am a very I'm a very technical guy. You ask me do education like curriculum and development. I'm I'm your guy. I'm not very good business person. I'm looking for someone who can do the business angle and then all will be good. Yeah. So, so what does God tells you about this? I really don't know because it's my first time ever I hear I'm an ACS boy. So like ACS and everything, right? So I've never heard of I always do content for the Malay community, right? Muslim community. And being a Christian is very hard because many times the Muslim community has tried to convert me, ask me shahada and everything, telling me that become Muslim, I'm going to support you whatsoever. But it's been very hard for me as a Christian to work with the Malay community because they're very Muslims are very convincing people. But I'm very thankful that today [F043] caugh me today like huh Christian entrepreneurship group or such thing man I'm like oh my god so many people here. So thank god I'm here.

You pray for them just like our dentist. We should pray before every meeting. I mean this is what I learned particularly when joined Protestant church used to be. Yeah. This is what we should do. In fact most of the insights come in that moment not another half an hour or one hour they preparing the actual meeting.

I think during my my journey moving into a commission role uh fully self-employed and starting all startup um God has blessed me in different ways. So I think when when I I think just what you say about willful and and and playful [faithful], right? So the earlier start of the year is confession time for me. Let's start of the year I try to do something very willfully. I found I found a partner to do marketing with me. Real content, work overtime. So I do my day job and I record content, do edit, real post. We're working like 12, 14, 16 hours a day. And then for 3 months, you try to forcefully launch something, but that flopped that flopped so badly. And then I was looking at my daytime advisory business. Business wasn't going anywhere either. So thankfully clients who stayed with me, they didn't. But then I was looking at hey it's it's I think I need to surrender put this thing down and let God take the wheel. And during that time FD move here to to sac out like hey I want to join this community. I want to figure things out and then [FACILITATOR] came to Sant there's no reason for me not to come. So this is my third time here. Just a disclaimer to join SD you have to of course pray but also click the button go sorry. Yeah. Yeah. So, so that's where where I I realized we working on it making instant but so far you have to just you know Yeah. time and time again is where if you don't put God first don't put God at the center we try to use our own men thinking human thinking we end up going around in circles. We we we go round and round and round but once we just go just take new I'll just have the faith take that one take that one step forward and then yeah things will unfold by itself so even after that the realization of what has happened the first six months of the year I relaunched a new marketing angle and today I connected with someone who's in his 50s early 50s retired really but during my presentation today I was saying hey he was asking me should I leverage on my because she had no the borrower is always slave to the creditor. It's part of the Bible verses. He said, "Hey, biblical." So, I didn't expect much from that situation because he's a very savvy investor. But I said, "Hey, actually, I got a I got a space. I got a industrial building and if you need to run courses, you can use the space. If you want to um if you want to have an event, a ticket, you can use my space. You want to use it as as an office, I can open the doors for you. I wasn't expecting that. So that's why I also invited him. Are you free today since you're also an entrepreneur, right? This this one a bit tight. I promise his wife, but next month he'll be. So So I think I think it's that's what every one of you have to do. It is really it's really reaching out and hey let let God bless us in other ways because it's not just so many other things that can bless us.

You know how this community actually have started. I I just realized I never tell this story. So uh one of my investors my company he's Muslim and uh we met with him our monthly meeting and then uh he said hey [FACILITATOR] look such a cool thing like you open Facebook entrepreneur website I want to make that thing for Muslims Christians get such a cool thing I don't have that I want to make for Muslims and I see one of my good friends chair on the on the on the page. I'm like Alan actually name Christian or oh yeah actually we are running this same then I get into Christian accelerator and then I met Henrik Handski saying [FACILITATOR] you start the group and you experience by yourself and start the group and then everything actually kicked off. Uh so the point is that what you're talking about and I I do believe it's hard to run Muslims as we say but generally speaking ultimately still one of God right and very often he does bring us Muslims or some other people are facing they may be contributing their own way trying to convert you as you're saying but in reality maybe they converted theirel because I'm now that person preaching to him how great entrepreneurs every meeting and instead of investor updates I'm giving him FD updates

why do you need to walk super hard that [F022]? Is it helping your business or it's more like helping you to feel comfortable that you did your best so that you could eventually blame something else but not yourself or your business is not working or sales not happening? Isn't it just finding an excuse for yourself and trying to fool yourself when God may be telling you something else? Maybe he'll tell you think about Sab[bath]. Maybe you will rest one weekend and on Monday you will come up with a $10 million idea that you would never come up with if you're like a headless chicken working doing some small technical stuff, right? That could be the case. God knows you don't you don't listen to him. You don't pray before you make decisions. How would you know? Well, sometimes God just bang you straight in the head, but it's quite painful. So my rule is I try not to get into that level when I get killed.

I'm 61 this year. About three years ago, I was um okay. About three years ago, I was um my company actually sold the building. I was asked to go to another place and where this place is concerned is more retail um centric. So if you think about it at the age of um that should be about 58 I don't even have the net working I don't even have the contact I was asking God are you telling me I should quit because I do not know where I should start so okay I use this approach that I did about 20 years ago when I went to Shanghai and open a shopping center when I was with Capital Land. So, I use this approach. All right, God, I'm just going to jump in. I'm going to work hard is a deal. You open the door for me. I will knock on every door. I don't have the contact, but I'm I have competitors, the young ones. So many contacts. What am I supposed to do? How can I compete with them? My god. So I said, "God, that's my strategy. Does it work? I do not know. I'm going to count on you." So it was during co most of the young ones would be sorry, but would be at home, you know, maybe do one or two calls, but I went out and I walk and I knock on doors and I got the contract and within that year I closed 14 cases. All right. and never never give up because I know who do I have my creator. He creates the world. What should I fear? Yes, I fear people like him. People like the young ones. But I know one thing. My God in me is greater than he who's on this earth. If I look up, all I have to do, I'm seated up there. I'm not here. I fight up there. My resources are up there. I do not look at the situation here. It's easier to say. But at the age of 61, I close so many cases. Even right up to now, there's a young guy who is in my company and I'm competing with him. But I tell myself, I can do better because God in me is greater. And true enough, I close one case today. Yes. Glory to God. So can I encourage most of the time I look at I at it when I serve in the church most of the time we look at the situation we look at the storm we forot where are you seated in the heavenly kingdom you're looking down and your hand is up there God is holding your hand the resources are there all you have to do is just to ask and ask and I work hard and I get it because my God is with me. Every time when I walk out alone, I was afraid. I don't know whether they will reject me. But when I look at the person, I say, "Hi." And I say, "Your face glows. You look radiant." I say, "Yeah, because my God is so great.

I just wanted to address the other question about the balancing of your home work home and spiritual life and uh of course when you're working full-time you know um I was also uh looking at the Middle East market uh and um so it was uh [F022] hours and I think I was um trying my best but you know uh kind of ended up you know not spending enough time with my teenage children. Yeah. Uh which was not a good idea. So um anyhow, you know, um now that I started this company, I started the same thing again, right? So just working all the time like [FACILITATOR] is like, you know, I didn't want my lack of work to be an excuse to not doing well, right? to the point where I you know God brought me to this place and he said you know what I am the creator of heaven and earth I own everything. So, you know, if you you know, just quit striving like this much. And so, I obviously I ended up in a lot of uh uh odd situations at home where I'm not spending uh time with the family as a whole. And um you know, I I uh really like God just took me aside. He said, you know what, you are never going to succeed like this. So uh I was telling you earlier [PERSON] is that you know I actually uh invested I would say in a work space so that I can just go there in the morning and come back at 6:00 and then just be with my family cuz otherwise this is working till 10 every day. Like I would stop for dinner and I would just keep working till 10 10:30. There's no limit right to which you can you know if it's your own business you can just keep it's not healthy and it's very exciting it's very exciting and I love it I love it and it's that's my passion so I love it so I don't mind so you know but the thing is that I'm cutting off everybody else and uh to say that you know this is God's purpose which I declared at home and so these people are thinking like what kind of what God's purpose is that you're not spending So, you know, I think we just need to know that I I just need to be reminded that I'm a child of God and he's going to work out for me and it's going to work out and it's a journey. It's going to take you know its own course and it will work out right.

I try to practice it every time I could before I was telling my clients a lot you don't need my software you don't need my services because you're not ready for it right now. I can refer you to my competitor sometimes. … I got a sales partner um uh since we didn't sign the document eventually. I can tell you the terms. I got uh 30% of his company. He is uh working for me for free. Uh selling my product for free, hiring one person to sell my product for free. And uh what was inside there? There were a couple of other things, right? The sales team negotiated that, right? And then eventually over time we were sharing a lot of things uh between each other and that document become more complicated and complicated. Eventually six months we spend on negotiating this deal. I received an email saying okay [FACILITATOR] we are there everything is done terms essentially similar just a bit of protection for their site and then he call me this morning and say [FACILITATOR] I have bad news I say what happened he say you know what I think uh you are startup and you have less people than uh something like uh Salesforce for example or some CRM data or some very famous uh project. So for me, betting on you full-time is actually putting all my family uh on the table. And if for any reason it doesn't work out, then I have no money, no savings, nothing. And uh how this I just feel it's irresponsible for me to do that for my family. And I decided I'll just go to somewhere very big software provider just something very safe for him to resell and do. And I was thinking and I feel like are you all right? Right. If you if you can bet on something safe, you have your wives there, your kids, you just relocate to another country from Singapore to Philippines. uh you you have to bat on something that you know that that actually gives you a safe space. So I was not trying to convince him. I initially felt a bit bad and I spent so much time negotiating all these things because a lot of time legal drafting and all this stuff. But eventually I felt okay but I say what I'm thinking and I'm talking to you. I think what kind of next step I could make. I say, "Hey, how about I just give you almost the same terms and you just sell me without any risk, without giving me any company or anything and you test it whether it works for you or not. And if you see that it actually works, then you go for a bigger deal." And I'm thinking, hm, no, not enough. How do I bless him further? I think and I also give you stock options in my company. Completely no irrational because when you negotiate, right, you always want to keep the things as a final joker. I just thought, hey, I'm running this FD and I'm going to play all these formal negotiation games. Screw the people. No, cannot. Right. I just everything I can. I just, okay. He was super surprised because he also very serious business person. He's like, what? I don't know. Of course, I'm not going to reject like why I'm doing this. And then Yeah. And then my overall connection to this, I also give him a D book. Christian northern person that that's my message. That's why I'm doing this and I and I'm [F033] it will work. Honestly, why do we need all these skills and games is ultimately we don't help our partners don't love our partners or our don't sacrifice and give them first. Right? So this one is this morning's story.

I do not work for anybody. I'm very happily unemployed. Um I was a stay at home mom for 17 years and um I basically am director of a few companies which a lot of people don't know. So um I have a real estate agency. Okay. So not many people knows that but when I was talking about Cambodia properties and starting to do talks everybody was like you're in real estate. I'm like yeah I do have an agency. So because I was positioning myself as a green influencer was talking about building eco religious and green schools. So then I did a lot of talks. I was also doing a neuro tech business. Um I'm also into health. So basically I am a super collector. So I do events, I do training. Um I do have a WSQ. I mean I can do any WSQ because I'm active train but I don't like to do the training because means I got to stand there for many hours. So I'd rather get somebody to do it then I can sit at the back and clear my messages. So I do things in a very different way. So um I live by faith. … God has done a lot of filtering for me because when God is taking care of you, he is looking Oh, he's protecting me because certain things that do not happen is spiritual protection. Oh, that's for sure. And also sometimes certain things that happen that sound very negative, they are spiritual protection too. Oh yeah. Because our negative is not God's negative.

actually just share a short testimony. So actually two months ago, two months ago I met a accountant director client then we were talking about investing. So um after meeting them meeting a couple they in their 50s meeting them for um second time. So going for the third appointment so usually third appointments second appointment is like second and third is like the closing appointment for for me. So uh when we are scheduling for the third appointment um 2 days before uh I actually saw my calendar that I'm hosting a connect group. So I told without without hesitating I just sent a text to them that says uh I'm sorry I couldn't make it for the appointment because I have a cell that I need to host. Uh can we reschedu it? So that was like two days before in the morning for the whole entire day they didn't reply me. So I thought that I'm just going to lose this deal and it's not a small amount which after that I start praying. I'm like sh like why why did I not pray first before I send the test? Why did I like straight away reject them and uh like just put God first? So I decide to just pray and stuff. So at night evening um so they just reply me that they are okay to meet the following day. So basically when I go go for the appointment I also pray before the appointment meet them um everything goes smoothly and turn out they actually even increase the amount … after they signed document they left right then when I was going back along the Kang river um when I was like like walking and just thinking about all these things that happens actually I just have a verse that come to my mind um that God just told me that like even I'm not good at quoting verses so even like the birds right or the tree like they like God care for them they have worms comes to eat everything once more when I'm a child of God.

humans understand things are suffering the most efficient way. Unfortunately, right? So, quite often the experience comes through that.

sometimes his provision spoils us and then we have to be very careful right because it will be his care not to provide for us so that we will actually able to learn something.

So, I'm [FACILITATOR], I run two things. So one of them, I'm in AI and security compliance governance [...] We help them do that in a safe manner to make sure that guardrails are here. Especially now, we're doing AI [...] What brought me here is, I came as a very broken person about a year and a half ago, right, just coming out from something [...] and after about six or seven months, I could really see how it started transforming [...] because I want more [faith-driven] entrepreneurs [...] to meet each other. There's so many of us out there, but we just don't know each other

Okay, hi everyone. My name is [F033]. [...] Good to have my husband here. [...] I'm sure everyone felt an acceleration, especially right now. I just don't know how to identify myself actually. So I think I just entered into a season where I can say it is finished [...] I'm there as a fundraiser to start [a] business for them and to be sustainable. So it's a new season for me.

I serve [as] the barista but I actually chose [...] to write their [names] on the people's [cups] [...] if your name is Isaac, I write down your name you know, like, you are such a joy to be with so yeah, I believe that whatever [our] own interests, we can be a blessing wherever we go as well

I'm a licensed financial advisor for about twenty-five years. [...] I worked in a factory as a planning manager. So that was about fifteen years. [...] then I'm a sole director of a Korean [...] brand. [...] with the help of my son, he will finish his course in IT.

we used to run a traditional art gallery, but we had moved that [...] to a more project basis [...] I am probably here because I work here. [...] back to this space, the community space. [...] my background is not in arts and is not in social service, I'm in the shipping business for 20 years.

So I'm also running a business in marketing. It used to be an agency first, and now it's software business. [...] Very much a creative strategist, AI platform. [...] the reason I came to Singapore is to do my PhD [...] On AI. When AI was not called AI. It was called machine learning [...] A fun fact about myself is that I like to play music.

It's actually featured by C12. [...] C12 is about kind of never-ending MBA [...] So, if [FDE] is applicable for inspiring entrepreneurs [...] C12 is for business leaders who already have [established] business [...] every month you have meeting with 12 people in the round table, show your P&Ls

coming up a lot of the traditional Chinese family always thought money is probably the most important thing. Success has to be successful. There's no other alternative around it. [...] I worked in venture capital, I worked in other startups [...] All these through my efforts, whatever. So really, more recently, it's just [...] Who am I? And what does God want me to do? What is my role in all of that?

one of our businesses was [with a] partner, so we had to break off that partnership [...] what does this identity look like for us? [...] But we kept saying, like, hey, we know who we are [...] we are children of the [King] [...] Many of the businesses out there [...] they are trying to instill fear for sale of products [...] We may receive less business now, but what we saw from that is just that referral becomes a lot more powerful [...] We do the right thing.

so my husband [...] we were both running [...] And at the time, right, as a woman, it was very natural thing to just support my husband [...] So when there was time [...] when the [Lord said] speak up, you know, I was a bit devastated. [...] And I couldn't imagine because, well, you know, we start things together, we have a common pool of money. [...] where is the money coming from

when I decided to [step out], I don't even want to register my [company] [...] it was just $2,000, but it was like clear a[ sign] from the [Lord] to move away. [...] I need to have my own space as well. I cannot just have the same office as him. [...] I mean, there was peace, but I also don't know where the [funds are] gonna be [...] It was quite effortless when I decide to just accept all things to move that direction. [...] Right now, you know, talking right now is easy because it has come to pass, but at that time, I really don't know

Deviating a little bit from this, I think [...] testimony is very, very important. For me, it was testimony that led me to F[D]E, right? From hearing from another faith[-driven] entrepreneur listening to their struggles, and how they've come and overcome it.

[F022] term struggle, very familiar [...] As an entrepreneur, it's always a [F022] term struggle, right? There's always the running joke. You want to be closer to God, you be an entrepreneur, every day you'll be praying for something, right? [...] entrepreneurs struggle a lot, it's very easy to give up, it's very easy to lose focus, and that's why the community is very important.

Between other tech players [...] very largely funded American organizations [...] over a few hundred million funding from America already. [...] The Asian Pacific market, or Southeast Asia in particular, is quite underserved, and it will be for a very [F022] time because corruption is very [rampant]. [...] People are just looking for that quick mark. So we feel that this could be a period of endurance [...] So it's not all easy and rosy throughout, but that's just a conviction that you have. By God.

Hi, I'm [M041]. [...] For me, I'm not doing business, business per se. I'm a [sales] worker [...] no fixed salary [...] and I used to run the agency in the financial plan space [...] so the journey was up and down and it was quite tough for the employees [...] recently, I came across a [...] program [...] And I thought that was very good to actually use it as a structure to reinvent myself.

I'm doing it for the goodness of the community [...] as well as the Christian community. [...] you read the whole book. It's about [rebuilding] the walls of Jerusalem and I think the [nobles'] predecessors were very greedy [...] [taxing] the poor people and stretching them [...] so they realised that this cannot work for the community

I always wonder how people listen to [...] Oh, from [God] [...] I think that he is listening or being able to hear or experience [...] so maybe [we] could have a class on that [...] but you know, when she said oh, from God [...] it's not that [I'm] skeptical but [...] in times of [confusion?] is hard to discern

And [M055] told me [...] And it's known over spiritualized things. [...] You know, you try to be in the middle when you're not catching every single thing and attributing it to the only provision in your life. [...] And every time when I cry, well, can you, you know, when I cry, is it really you or not you? Actually, it's... I found that's just my own excuse

People give you very different perspectives, very often. [...] They sometimes just can prophesy something to you [...] One of these sessions that you're running, particularly 12 ladies come. [...] They were like literally one hour crying, [hugging] each other.

[FDE] was never about sales. [...] somebody stand up and say hi my business is about making cake by the way do you want a cake today is 20% of the way people don't stay with us very [F022] [...] Sometimes very, very successful entrepreneurs, not necessarily Christian [...] Then they say honestly I would just in the right moment, right place, I was super lucky. We Christians we know it

Usually you should [have] a council to ask a few people for their opinions and you run a mini panel. [...] A panel of people for the idea suggestions. [...] if everybody is [...] really, really sure about something. usually you're very late [...] because everybody knows about it [...] a gallery like mine [...] I just keep looking to ask a lot of people just to reassure yourself

I think what I came to is prayer should be always first. [...] Once I introduce one investor to another fundraiser. [...] I just had a very strong idea that I should talk to that lady [...] I should talk to her about her struggle with [...] coming out from Egypt [...] But I just keep getting this message. Talk to her about coming out from Egypt. [...] So she enters the room and says, I feel I should talk to you about coming out from Egypt. But then they cry

Redemptive entrepreneurship [...] The idea is that it's just [I] sacrifice first and we win together. [...] Here I do the [I] sacrifice first then we win together

we were running campaigns for a brand [...] they sell an app that use Gen AI to draw a picture [...] sell to millions of Americans. Turn over the 50 million dollars. [...] I was praying every night, oh please let's walk away from us because [I] cannot make this kind of decision [...] and then I met the CEO of the company in London. And I just started talking about Jesus [...] one and a half hours. [...] I don't want to deal with you anymore. [...] they just, you know, break up with us. and it feels so good.

So we know that we heard about statistics, that every [ten start-ups] [...] will fail. So it is not easy to be successful [...] So, someone called me earlier, was just wondering about [...] do we pra[y first]? Or we start a business and he will [...] bless the business? So, which way is correct? [...] So, then I tried to recall, did I actually pra[y] about my business before I start the business?

So the day I built one of my business in water, an e-commerce business [...] because of [her] cancer and then we bought a [...] machine. [...] I first ordered two units from overseas. One for my friend and one for my son [...] because he wasn't sure what he wanted to do [...] no purpose [...] So I'm gonna encourage [him] [...] start [a] website for me [...] So then I start to think about how to do this business and then pass it over to the next generation. [...] Maybe to one of them.

I feel like sometimes people are spending too much time with prayers [...] Spending a lot of time with prayers because you just don't want to make a decision. You're afraid to make a decision. [...] you keep praying because you are afraid, because you don't really trust God [...] And it's always the evil one is very smart, huh? [...] The evil is pretty real.

thank you for this gathering. It's a very, very small group today, and thank you for this. [...] You know that small group can make a great job in Singapore. So we thank you for this provision, thank you for your bring[ing] up of this program.