Success. A simple 7-letter word that's eluded one so many individuals. I don't consider myself particularly successful compared to the movers and shakers of the industry - or any industry, in fact - but if I were to juxtapose my ambitions against my achievements, then I would conclude that I have performed satisfactorily.

Having born into a humble household and gone through an impoverished childhood where formal education was more of a luxury than necessity, I learnt life lessons and acquired life skills through the School of Hard Knocks. Back in the day when making ends meet on a daily basis was much of a challenge in itself, there was very little else on everyone's minds - or priority lists - other than survival and self-preservation.

Despite all that, I believed in shaping my own destiny. I believed in carving a niche for myself, and most importantly, I believed in achieving success one day. I knew well that success could not be achieved overnight. I knew I had a long road ahead of me, and I knew it would eventually take everything for me to taste the fruits of success - even if it meant enduring numerous failures and setbacks along the way.

From my initial stint as a direct sales representative with an encyclopedia publisher, which I served my tenure for several years and excelled in my métier, to my subsequent attempt to launch my own co-publishing firm dealing with children's reference books, I realized that (1) one could only achieve so much in employment and that my true passion was entrepreneurship, and (2) going into business, especially as a first-timer, was more insurmountable than one might already imagine.

The co-publishing business was a volatile one, considering the short shelf life of hardcopied reference materials. With the advent of CD ROMs and the Internet came the decline and eventual demise of what used to be the most ready form of information available.

Instead of vertical expansion, which I felt was mostly a lost cause, I opted for lateral expansion and leveraged on the growing demand for quality preschools that were evidently lacking in a time when most parents sent their children to government-owned/linked kindergartens.

It was then that I had my vision of introducing the age-old Montessori pedagogy and methodology to Singapore, then un-exposed to such a brand of education, and beyond. I started sourcing for good partners and finally found Modern Montessori International (MMI) based in the United Kingdom. It took me many meetings with the predominantly reserved MMI London Board of Directors and a whole lot of persuasion, which I had to dig back into my direct sales background/training, to finally convince them to grant me the MMI franchise.

Initial rights were restricted to teacher training in Singapore, but we soon negotiated with the Board to have the brand name propagated to Malaysia and, thereafter, worldwide. From a small single-office training centre along Victoria Street, we grew strength-to-strength to become what we are today - a global educational group of companies with over 70 centres and specializing in adult training, child development services, local/international franchising, and other corporate business like investment and consultancy.

Managing over 500 staff in more than 10 countries is no mean feat. I always believe in adopting a completely hands-on approach when it comes to business management, with my finger on every pulse of my business. This way, I have a perfect idea of what's going on within my operations and I can also be more actively involved in the overall expansion process.

In every successful SME, it is pivotal to engage highly qualified professionals with proven track records to serve as middle management. They act as effective ‘transitioners' between the upper-tier of the management and the staff working at ground level. Clear communication channels are a must for systems and policies to be implemented smoothly in such environments.

I would like to see myself as an inspiration to my employees, or colleagues which I prefer to perceive them, and I certainly hope that my own rags-to-riches success story can somehow motivate them to climb higher and reach further. It never fails to delight me whenever I see a promising individual striving his/her best in trying to fulfill an ambition or achieve a goal in life - however unreachable that target may seem to be, for I once did, too, have such lofty ambitions and set myself to it without ever looking back.

Being in a business that nurtures young minds, I know the importance of education. More specifically, I'm not only an advocator of lifelong learning but a doer and practitioner as well. My recent completion of a second doctorate degree (in Business Administration with Southern Cross University of New South Wales, Australia) after years of hard work gave me a great sense of gratification and accomplishment. Having done all that at my age, in spite of family and other commitments, I hope to see myself as an exemplary father, employer and citizen.

No one chooses to be poor, but no one should remain poor if he/she embarks on a lifelong quest to seek success through determination, perseverance and sheer hard work. If I can do it, then so can you.