The 2021 Madness. What's Next

The 2021 Madness. What’s Next?

by with 3 Comments Personal FinanceReflection
The 2021 Madness. What's Next
The 2021 Madness. What’s Next

The past 2 years have been madness. I believe you saw how COVID-19 took the world by storm. Your company might have been left paralyzed, our governments scrambled and ordinary people that you know became separated from their loved ones.

Just as we think that things are becoming more stable, Omicron emerged. When will this ever end?

First thing first, for readers following Wealthdojo, I would like to thank you for all the support you have given by sharing my articles. It is really a pleasure.

As you know, it is a yearly tradition to write a reflection of the year so that we don’t miss the lessons we learnt (Read More: 2019 Reflection. 2020 Reflection). In this annual 2021’s reflection, I have a new epiphany.

What if things never really ends and these will continue forever?

History In Context

100 Years Of History And The Stock Market
100 Years Of History And The Stock Market

In the last 100 years, things were crazy. If you travel through time to the 1900s and tell someone that you can find all the information in the world in a 6 inch metal piece (smartphone), they will think that you are crazy.

Do you know what else is crazy? Imagine all of these happening just in the last 100 years.

  • 1.3 million Americans died while fighting nine major wars.
  • Four U.S. presidents were assassinated.
  • 675,000 Americans died in a single year from a flu pandemic (This wasn’t even COVID 19. 777,000 and counting died because of COVID-19)
  • 30 separate natural disasters killed at least 400 Americans each
  • 33 recessions lasted a cumulative 48 years.
  • The stock market fell more than 10% from a recent high at least 97 times.
  • Stocks lost a third of their value at least 12 times.
  • Annual inflation exceeded 7% in 20 separate years.

Every single time when we thought things are crazy, we bounced back as a human race to be where we are now. I believe things will be crazier from now on. (Maybe the Metaverse isn’t that crazy after all. More on the Metaverse in the points below.)

The Crazy Things That Happened in 2021

Let’s start with my pet peeve. Over 35% of all the American dollars ever printed by the U.S. government has been printed in 2020! These American dollars are given out for people like shopping vouchers. I cannot imagine how inflation will be like in the near future. This has raised food prices and (unintended so they say) impacted countries like Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen where people are rioting in the streets for having nothing to eat.

We also saw terrible companies’ stock soar insanely high. Companies such as Gamestop (GME), AMC saw great gains. The worse part of it all is that I see speculators trying to rationalize those buys.

One of the biggest property developer in China, Evergrande is on the verge of collapse.

HDB is being sold for millions. Good Class Bungalows are being snapped up like hotcakes in Singapore.

NFT are now sold for millions with the current record of $69 million. Did I mentioned cryptocurrency already? Anyway, here’s the NFT that was sold.

Christies NFT Auction 69 Million
Christies NFT Auction 69 Million

Investing in 2021 is like going to NTUC before PM Lee gives his speech. There will be lot of people buying, stocking up on toilet paper and cup noodles. There will be fair share of people taking photos or videos of situations. It is funny, exciting and everyone will have a story to tell.

Please enjoy my reflections as I reflect on the 2021.

No One Gives a Damn About Long Term Investing Anymore

If they are, they are probably very seasoned investors or part of a Long Term Investing community.

It is not easy being a self directed long term investor. We live in a world of instant gratification. If you want food, just hit the Grab App and you will get it in 30 minutes. If you want a dress, just hit the Shopee App and you will get it in 2 to 3 days. If our internet connection is down for 15 mins, we behave like the world is over. In a world where things comes so easily, the virtue of patience becomes very hard.

The stock market is one where we see unique individuals. Some people treat it as a place to buy high quality companies. Others might treat it like a platform to instantly change their lives by putting all their savings in one company/coin. I don’t think there is right or wrong to this. I just wonder if they do get their intended results.

Social media changed the stock market completely. 🚀🚀🚀. Everyday, we are going to the moon. HODL. 🚀🚀🚀. It almost makes investing looks like it is easy money until it is not. Corrections happen and people suddenly becomes a “long term investor” again. Well.. at least until the correction is over.

AMC TO THE MOON
AMC TO THE MOON: I wonder how this Youtuber is doing now.

I find it so difficult to talk about investing now when their expectation is getting multi-baggers in the next few weeks. If it is not 100%, don’t even bother.

I wonder if people will be ever satisfied by buying and holding quality companies anymore. That being said, my own investment thesis is still investing and holding on to the quality companies in the long run.

Burn Outs Are Real

Do you remember holidays? Holidays are mostly overseas trips requiring you to pay buckets loads of money for you to take a photo over a scenic location. (Kinda look like this).

Burn Outs Are Real
Burn Outs Are Real

Jokes aside, I noticed the lack of holidays causing burns outs among my friends. Doctors, healthcare workers, teachers and people from all walks of lives are reported to have face anxiety, depression and burn outs in the pandemic. It is so hard to walk away from our work now and worse still, we can’t even go for a holiday.

I always thought that holidays were a temporary reset that we need in a driven society. There is always an email that you need to reply. There is always a whatsapp work group chat that you need to give attention to. You are constantly engaged. Although holidays are temporary relief much like Panadol, you might feel that at least it gives you the opportunity to disengage yourself from work and enjoy that moment.

*Important* If you find yourself constantly feeling helpless or trapped, having an increasing cynical outlook of life or lacking motivation, back pains, shoulder aches, gaining those extra pounds around your belly, those might be signs that you are experiencing a burn out. You might need some help. 

I’m not suggesting that I’m an expert to help with burn outs. Pandemic or not, I believe it is very important to take breaks or just a time to do nothing. I can tell you that it is not easy to do nothing. We have NOTHING in our culture that focuses on doing NOTHING. I grow up learning that I should not waste time and I was punished for wasting time.

Took me 5 years to learn that relaxing is not wasting time. This is so important that I’m going to bold and type this sentence again. RELAXING IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME.

Burn outs are real. Take breaks.

The Common Man Behaves Like Experts

Put a smart phone in the hands of ordinary man and they behave like experts. In my university days, I learnt about Bunning-Kruger Effect in Behavior Economics. Dunning-Kruger effect is generally reported as an irrational tendency among certain incompetent individuals systematically to overestimate their true level of competence.

Dunning-Kruger effect
Dunning-Kruger effect

An obvious example is ordinary man or woman becoming “experts” in vaccines overnight and being able to share certain theories. For companies like Moderna who aren’t even sure if their vaccines will work on the Omicron without new data, how can the common man be so sure?

I struggle with this a lot. It seems like everyone thinks there is a conspiracy theory everywhere and they are very convinced about their own theory. The trust in the government is tested regularly with every strain or every spike in COVID-19 cases. Though I feel annoyed when there are heighten restrictions on dining, I believe we are doing all we can to get through this.

Thinking deeply, I believe the struggle of this generation will be to find the right information. We have an overload of information and it is our duty to sleeve through all the noises. I see this in investment as well. There is probably someone you know who talks about Bitcoin and may be earning money if you know what you are doing.

For me, I placed high importance in finding places with right information.

Be Open Minded AND Keep your Eyes Open

I would like to finish off with this statement. I can’t help but feel that the world is constantly changing. Something that might have worked 5 years ago might be obsolete now.

Floppy discs, CDs, DVDs, MP3 players, the pager, overhead projectors, fax machine are just some technologies that once took the world by storm and are obsolete today. The world is changing and so should our minds.

Be open minded.

Be Open Minded
Be Open Minded

I’m currently learning about everything related to the Metaverse and recording them here. You can follow the page if you wish to be updated. I believe that this is an emerging trend and we are still early in the adoption of the technology.

It is also important to keep our eyes open. With the new shiny object in the room, there will be new scams, new rug pulls (I just learnt this term) and new ways to be cheated. Open your eyes and move. There is no guarantee that we will not be hurt but it is important to keep moving.

Final Thoughts

This is probably my last article for the year. Wishing all of you good health and may fortune favor the brave.

What about your reflections in 2021? Let me know in the comment below.

Chengkok is a licensed Financial Services Consultant since 2012. He is an Investment and Critical Illness Specialist. Wealthdojo was created in 2019 to educate and debunk “free financial advice” that was given without context.  

Feel Free To Reach Out To Share Your Thoughts.

Contact: 94316449 (Whatsapp) chengkokoh@gmail.com (Email)
Telegram: Wealthdojo [Continuous Learning Channel]
Reviews: About Me

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.

Sell In May and Go Away

Is Sell In May and Go Away Still Relevant?

by with One Comment General EconomyMoney Mindset

It is May. Singapore just entered phase 2 “heighten alert”. I’m also at “heighten alert” right now. Some Gurus that I know have started to preach about “Sell In May and Go Away.” It is hilarious to think that such an age old advice wasn’t taken into context. Not taking advice into context is often the worse possible advice/bullshit in your financial journey.

Sell In May and Go Away
Sell In May and Go Away

Is Sell In May and Go Away still relevant?

Let’s take a look at history on how this sentence came into existence.

In the UK, aristocrats, merchants, and bankers usually would leave the city of London and escape to the countryside because summer was too hot. Summer in this case typically starts in May when the weather warms up. They will sell away their shares in May and enjoy their holiday in the countryside. As a result, there will be less volume in the market due to lower activity. In those times, it is not easy to monitor share price from far away. Hence, I believe that’s why they sold it in May.

In the US, investor also mimic the same behavior as they spend more time for vacation.

Fast forward to 2021, with the entire world mostly in a lockdown, semi lockdown state, there isn’t really a countryside to escape to. With digitalization, I believe that it is more easy than ever to monitor your positions in any countryside.

Hence, I really don’t think it is relevant in this age and time anymore

 

Final Thoughts By Wealthdojo

People will always rationalize things that happen with logic (could be flawed logic). In the current correction, it is easy to point conveniently to an existing phenomenon.

In my opinion, a correction is not due to low volume (as suggested above) but a high volume of selling activities. Hence, the suggestion of “Sell in May and Go Away” is false in explaining the current correction now.

Hope that this sets some context into investing.

May you invest with a strategic theme. Take care.

 

Chengkok is a licensed Financial Services Consultant since 2012. He is an Investment and Critical Illness Specialist. Wealthdojo was created in 2019 to educate and debunk “free financial advice” that was given without context.  

Feel Free To Reach Out To Share Your Thoughts.

Contact: 94316449 (Whatsapp) chengkokoh@gmail.com (Email)
Telegram: Wealthdojo [Continuous Learning Channel]
Reviews: About Me

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.

 

What 2020 has taught me

What 2020 has taught me?

by with One Comment Guest WriterMoney ManagementMoney Mindset

As we reach the end of 2020, we should all give a pat on the back to ourselves for getting through it. It’s been a year of change to the way we work, hang out and even the way we live. Even though 2020 is coming to an end, we know that things are not going to be changing much at the strike of 12am on 1 Jan 2021. 2021 will be the year we are all still adjusting to the new normal. 2020 has taught me many things as we all slow down and start to realize what really matters in our life.

Today, I invited a young Singaporean blogger with a 9 to 5 job, Shan to share more on her thoughts about 2020 with regards to wealth management, family, work and everything else. Thank you Shan for your contributions. Happy reading!

What 2020 has taught me
What 2020 has taught me

Family

My family definitely has spend a lot more time together in 2020. With my brother coming back from UK in March 2020 due to the pandemic, we have been spending more time together. Without travelling this year, we have managed to save a little more but have been spending it after circuit breaker as we are out for nicer meals once in awhile.

On the other hand, my mum has been cooking more often with on weekdays. She has also started new hobbies like gardening to help her pass time at home. I realised that just the simple evening talks and walks make me so happy on a daily basis. As my brother will be going back to study overseas in 2021, I definitely will miss the time we spent together since March 2020 when he came back.

 

Work

Work has been a huge learning journey due to the restructure in our roles and also expansion of duties. I am happy to be able to learn more after the restructure but the main thing is that people in the team has been leaving and the workload is getting heavier. This makes the remaining team members having to shoulder the work and it is not easy.

On the other hand, I am glad that my contract got extended, even though I was not offered a permanent, full-time role but a small increment was given so I am grateful for that. 2020 has been a really tough year for fresh graduates, from job searching to entering a role with a lower starting pay, no one wants to have it this way when they graduate. Wealthdojo has an article outlining the 3 Money Beliefs That Will Destroy Your Life with one of it being “If you work harder, you’ll be able to earn more”

💡
“If you work harder, you’ll be able to earn more” is really something to ponder upon, there are many people who are willing to work hard and long but does it guarantee them the equal rewards as the effort they have put in? Not necessary and this is why it is important to look out for trends and to know your strengths to put them to good use at the right areas. Working smart is also very important.

The future of work looks to be very different as digitalization, data and technology looks poised to be the future. Even work in my department seems to be going towards digitalization for technology to do it and once done, no human touch will be needed as it can be done by a robot and data easily tracked. It is as though the future jobs will be taken over by technology as I can see the shift towards that and jobs that will be still be in demand will definitely be those maintaining the technology.

With a shift of jobs being automated, it sets me thinking on whether will I be replaced eventually, judging by the large administrative stuff that I do currently, I can see my job being automated in the near future considering that the pandemic has increased the pace of it. I wasn’t imagining this outlook when I started work as everyone was still thinking about automation but the pandemic has really gotten everyone to hasten the speed of digitalization.

 

Finances and Portfolio

2020 taught me that investing is really volatile but rewarding if you stay invested and invest in companies that you have done sufficient research. No one can predict the markets and this was so evidently shown this year. Many expected 2020 to be a bad year for the markets but if you were investing consistently in 2020, almost all assets are in the green. Particularly US stocks and also cryptocurrencies where Bitcoin recently crossed the US$23,000 mark as more institutions put money into it. 2020 has pushed my portfolio into the the green for the first time as I enter the US market, buying VT, VOO, Tesla and LMND which are all currently in the green. I have managed to save much more and has really made me a few steps closer to my financial goals.

Read more: Ending 2020 with a $30,000 portfolio and dividends collected revealed! | Tesla stock price crashed like soufflé?

Conclusion

2020 has taught me about resilience and that being financially prepared is important to ensure that in times of crisis, you are not going to be struggling and worrying about your expenses. At the same time, it has revealed to me the vulnerabilities of working for others where you can be made redundant due to the economic conditions or because the company is cutting costs. There really is no iron rice bowl and the only way to secure your future is to keep up-skilling and re-skilling. Your skills will determine your employability. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as we move into Phase 3 and 2021!

More about SingaporeanTalksMoney

She is in her 20s working in a salaried 9 to 5 job like many other Singaporeans. To her, money is a form of freedom as it will allow her to spend more time with her family and also to do things that she likes. As she embarks on her journey towards financial independence, she hopes to document it down and share her journey with everyone particularly for herself as well to reflect on it.

Find out more about her: SingaporeanTalksMoney

 

Final Thoughts By Wealthdojo

I’m a big fan of reflections. One of my favourite quote comes from John C Maxwell.

It is said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from other’s mistake. But the wisest person of all learns from other’s success.

I’m on a mission to collect mistakes and success from various gurus and financial bloggers in Singapore. Let’s all learn from each other’s mistakes and successes and be the wisest one of them all.

Chengkok is a licensed Financial Services Consultant since 2012. He is an Investment and Critical Illness Specialist. Wealthdojo was created in 2019 to educate and debunk “free financial advice” that was given without context.  

Feel Free To Reach Out To Share Your Thoughts.

Contact: 94316449 (Whatsapp) chengkokoh@gmail.com (Email)
Telegram: Wealthdojo [Continuous Learning Channel]
Reviews: About Me

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.

The Year of Impact 2020 What did it teach us

The Year of Impact 2020: What did it teach us?

by with 3 Comments General Economy

2020 has been an exciting year. Words like “WFH”, “Zoom”, “COVID19”, “Essential workers” that made no sense in 2019 has became buzz words. Everyone has been affected. I believe it will be good to look at this year and see what we can learn from this (this is what I have learnt in 2019). I have invited the best financial bloggers in Singapore to share about what kind of impact 2020 has on them. Let us know in the comments if this resonates with you.

The Year of Impact 2020 What did it teach us
The Year of Impact 2020 What did it teach us?

 

#1: Wealthdojo says… “Life Goes On”

On 7 April 2020, the Singapore Government announced the implementation of the circuit breaker. It wasn’t pretty. It caused a huge uproar in my company. The financial services industry is one that we need to meet people face to face. My colleagues were worried that our consultancy business will be affected. Almost all of us are anxious to know how we can conduct our business when we cannot meet our clients or prospects. How can we help our clients claim for their critical illness bills if we cannot go out to get their original receipts? Will this be the end of financial services?

In one week, all these questions were resolved. Though, it felt like ages.

In one week, I changed my business processes. I have conducted business meeting with my clients and prospects over zoom. I quickly adjusted to the new norm while learning new skills. I have also helped my clients transit into the new norm with a special message for them.

Life Goes On.

Those that didn’t adapt into the new norm were left irrelevant quickly. We shouldn’t be complacent thinking that things will remain the same. Business trips fell almost 100%, there is huge transition into E-Commerce, we are primarily working from home. I believe many things will change over the years. 2020 just accelerated many changes.

Keep Relevant. Life Goes On. 

For those of you who are new, check me out at 6 Levels Wealth Karate.

 

#2: Frugal Youth Invest says… “Slow down pace of life”

If not the circuit breaker, we would have continued to focus on our work or self and overlooked our closed ones. Circuit Breaker has forced us to slow down our pace of life, spend quality time while fighting the pandemic together. 2020 has taught me the importance of work life balance and how we can fall back on our closed one for support, something that we have always overlooked because of our busy schedule.

Check Weiming out at Frugal Youth Invest.

 

#3 Life Finance says… “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose“

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The year started on a high note – stocks kept soaring to new heights, brushing aside the snippets of bad news which popped up every now and then. And then everything went belly-up – markets crashed, economies faltered, and oil prices slumped. In response, interest rates were cut to zero, but still nothing could stop the bleeding. In the chaos, financial pundits opined that the world had changed irreversibly, and buy-and-hold was a fool’s mantra. Instead, they proclaimed, now was the time for selling first to buy back lower when the true crash came, buying alternative investments instead of stocks, day-trade and be nimble. Sell options. Anything but staid and boring buy-and-hold, or even buy-on-the-dips. Fast forward almost a year later, stocks, markets and economies are emerging from the rubble, and the old school buy-and-hold and buy-on-the-dip investors have seen their investments recover, and maybe come out a little ahead, while half the pundits have vanished.

Sounds familiar? But that’s not about 2020. That’s the story of 2008.

Check Life Finance out at LifeFinance.

 

#4: Rachel says… “Struggles happen in your life for a reason”

2020 taught me that I can get through anything. Whenever you’re struggling, it can seem like the struggle will never end. But struggles happen in your life for a reason. They teach you how to be resilient and maintain faith in yourself to get through it. I’m grateful for the tough times that 2020 has brought into my life because I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process.

Check Rachel out at heyitsrachel.

 

#5: Jocelyn says… “Regain some work life balance”

2020 will probably go down in memory as the year of upheavals and change. I count myself among the lucky ones to have been able to keep my job and health during this trying year. I picked up a new craft during circuit breaker out of interest and a desire to fill my time. That has grown into an online business selling handmade crochet items! It is not easy to juggle a full time job with a side business selling time-intensive handmade items but it has been incredibly fulfilling 🙂
On the investing side of things, I made a good call to pivot away from our local shores in search of better growth opportunities. Cloudflare, Alibaba and Tencent are some of my frontrunners of the year. Looking ahead to 2021, I hope to regain some work life balance and continue growing my portfolio!

Check Jocelyn out at Financial Freedom by 40

 

#6 Marc says… “Focus & Prioritising”

For many, 2020 has been the age of information overload & massive overwhelm. While it’s great that many of us have been making full use of the time in lockdown to learn, upgrade and upskill ourselves, many of us have been caught up with watching too many programs, participating in too many workshops and learning from too many online courses. Because of that, lots of us are stuck, paralysed, and have not progressed as much as we would like. And so, I realised that instead of just absorbing new information into our lives, taking action, aka “implementation”, plays a huge part if we want to grow too. As our time and attention is limited, this also means Focus & Prioritising is extremely important too – and if not, we will just be trying to sign up for every webinar or Facebook Live and just hopping from 1 topic to another (potentially wasting thousands of dollars & countless hours of our precious time & money in the process.

Check Marc out at Master Implementers.

 

#7 The Moss Piglet says… “Reflect and to identify the mistakes you have made”

2020 is the year I learnt to appreciate everything I have.

This has been a long year. I am convinced that 2020 had more than 12 months. The first quarter was going great for me. Projects were moving smoothly, stocks that I bought were going up. Those months are now a distant memory and it sure feels like they happened in a different year.

Then Covid-19 hit and it all became a blur. First off, I hope that everyone that was directly affected by the virus is doing okay. I found myself having more time to spend with my wife and 1 year old kid, this I truly appreciate. I also found out that it was near impossible to work at home while taking care of your restless child. Others were not so fortunate, my poor workers were locked up in their dormitory rooms for 4 months. Each of them were so afraid of getting tested positive of the virus. From them I learnt to appreciate what I have and the importance of extending your care and concern for others’ well-being.

It is an important time to reflect and to identify the mistakes you have made. After every storm comes a rainbow. I am sure that there will be a lot of opportunities post Covid-19 and we must prepare ourselves to capitalise on that.

On a final note, I would like to wish all Wealthdojo readers a brand new 2021 with happiness and good health. Cheers.

Check YeeSiang out at The Moss Piglet.

 

Final Thoughts By Wealthdojo

Wishing you guys the best! It is less than 30 days before 2021. It is a time to reflect on what happened in the previous months and see what we can learn from this year. Don’t let it go to waste!

Write down your reflection in the comments below! I look forward to see your comments.

Special thanks to Weiming, LF, Rachel, Jocelyn, Marc and Yeesiang for your contributions and wishing you a great 2021 ahead!

 

Chengkok is a licensed Financial Services Consultant since 2012. He is an Investment and Critical Illness Specialist. Wealthdojo was created in 2019 to educate and debunk “free financial advice” that was given without context.  

Feel Free To Reach Out To Share Your Thoughts.

Contact: 94316449 (Whatsapp) chengkokoh@gmail.com (Email)
Telegram: Wealthdojo [Continuous Learning Channel]
Reviews: About Me

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.

5 Ways Tony Hsieh Changed The World Quote

5 Ways Tony Hsieh Changed The World

by with No Comment General EconomyMoney Mindset

This post is dedicated to Tony Hsieh. He died on 27 Nov in a house fire. He is well known to be the CEO of Zappos which was later sold to Amazon for USD$1.2Billion. In his years, he made many impact to the world and these are the some I’m personally thankful for.

This is a non personal finance post. However, I believe we can learn from the actions and the values that he had. Here are 5 ways Tony Hsieh changed the world.

5 Ways Tony Hsieh Changed The World Quote
5 Ways Tony Hsieh Changed The World Quote

 

The Fore-Runner For E-Commerce

People would have agreed that Alibaba, Lazada, Shopee or even Amazon to be the success icon for e-commerce. To put things into perspective, Amazon started in 1994, Alibaba started in 1999 but only found success years later. Zappos started in 1999 and found resounding success by doing something that people thought was crazy then.

They sold shoes online and offered free 60-day shipping AND returns policy. In 2003, Zappos decided to give customers 365 days to return the shoes, as long as they were in “like new” condition and in the original box.

In 1999, this was a crazy idea. It was a time people bought shoes from stores because people could actually try them to see if it fits. Mind you, there was barely any online shopping and a lot of distrust buying things online. Many people also thought that the return policy would kill their financials as it was expensive then.

Fast forward 20 years later, you can buy almost anything online and return policies are a norm. They were certainly way ahead of their time. Do you have an idea that people thing is crazy?

 

The Focus on Customer Service

In an era in which we demand cheaper and better products, Tony focused on customer service. Many businesses become so focused on the product or service that they end up forgetting the most important factor that ensure their business prosper: their customer. Tony did not.

In 2004, Zappos’ customer loyalty team embarked their 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year shift. In a world where customer service is a cost center, Zappos employed 25% of their staffs (2004) as customer services. There are no scripts and no time limits on phone calls. It was just a full time job making sure their customers were happy.

Fast forward 20 years later, your business’s reviews online can make or break your reputation. Just look at how Lemonade is focusing on customer satisfaction now. Have you gave a good review to someone recently? Maybe you can do so for me =)

 

Quirky Corporate Culture

After Amazon bought Zappos over, the employees in Zappos was afraid that the corporate culture in Zappos would change. Amazon was known to have an intense corporate structure as compared to Zappos experimental, fun and quirky culture.

Tony maintained the culture and Amazon has been keeping a hand-off approach for Zappos.

In the famous CEO statement, Tony titled his speech “Zappos And Amazon Sitting In A Tree” and assured the culture will remain the same or better. It is one of the best CEO statement I have ever read. In it, he reassured that his employees will still have a job and the leaders will continue running the company. Please have a read.

Personally, I related to this strongly. I’m working in the Financial Services Industry where our performance are measured with sales. It is not a secret that the company I work for is profit driven (just like most companies). However, I’m blessed to be in a District (aka sales team) where we measure success differently. As a result, the culture of the district is one that focuses on delivering the best value to our clients in terms of strategic planning and also claim experiences. I’m very thankful as I don’t think it will be easy to find a company that is accepting of a culture like ours. It is much easier to focus on my client needs in such a very supportive culture. Does your company have a supporting culture?

 

Relationships

When asked what was his greatest achievement, he mentioned:

“The relationships and friendships. We focus a lot on company culture, so these are not just co-worker relationships but true friendships, where people choose to hang out with each other after work or go on trips together. [That also applies to] the relationships with our vendors and other business partners.”

In an age where we are more connected digitally but disconnected physically and emotionally, his focus on relationship struck a chord in my heart. I have friends (whom I don’t hang out much anymore) who were constantly on their phones, checking their emails/Facebook notification/ Instagram notification during the time we were having lunch/dinner. Connecting with them was a struggle as they will be distracted every 3 seconds looking at their phone. The relationship that we have now are conveyed through a “like” on Facebook and it disturbs me greatly. I do treasure the Facetime I have with people now.

Tony’s focus on relationship (you can have the same with wealth) inspires me and I hope that it will be my greatest achievement in my life too. When was the last time you sat down with someone and look into him/her in the eye and talk?

 

Happiness

5 Ways Tony Hsieh Changed The World Delivering Happiness
5 Ways Tony Hsieh Changed The World Delivering Happiness

One buzzword for the younger generation would be “Happiness”. Although his book is on business lessons, it is applicable to many life lessons. One of my favourite is “Go with your heart”. This statement is easy to say but not easy to practice. Sometimes, it would mean breaking expectations that has been subconsciously imposed on us.

In the world’s culture asking us to do more, earn more, it is not easy to go with your heart. I dare say that most parents want their children to be an engineer, doctor or a managerial job that is “stable”. It took me great courage to go with my heart by venturing into the financial services industry and also the investment industry. There were many heartaches, my parents felt it was a waste for a University Graduate to be an insurance agent, , many times they asked me to find a “real” job, many times I felt like giving up. Nevertheless, in every leg of the journey where I followed my heart, I learnt more about myself. It wasn’t easy but then again life never was.

Are you following your heart? What is your heart saying?

 

Final Thoughts By Wealthdojo

Things are never really the end. It is the start. Because of Tony, I believe many people have believed things are possible and we are living in their version of the world that they have dreamt up.

What’s your vision of the world? Are you participating in your vision or are you letting people fill it up for you? Are you the educated poor? If today is the last day you are living, what would you be doing?

Look forward to see your comments.

 

Chengkok is a licensed Financial Services Consultant since 2012. He is an Investment and Critical Illness Specialist. Wealthdojo was created in 2019 to educate and debunk “free financial advice” that was given without context.  

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The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.