So you want to be a Squillionaire?

The Sunseeker in Sai Kung

The other day, a friend of mine who is a filmmaker and producer asked me if I wanted to be filmed for an American TV show. While my days in front of the camera are long gone, I could hardly say no to this project as it's a reality show about travel, food and entrepreneurship (some of my favorite topics) And besides, millions of people in the United States are potentially going to see it and hear about hiphongkong.com! Kewl.

The show, which will air on the ABC network in March, is called the Erik Kaiser show. The star of the show, Erik Kaiser, is a dashing American entrepreneur who reminds me of a younger, fitter Donald Trump, both in his upright capitalist demeanor and in his somewhat feathered hairdo. Erik is the kind of guy who is inspired, driven, whose brain never stops whirring and is constantly calculating how much profit can be made off an idea. He's the type of person who has to keep a notepad by his bed for when he wakes up in the middle of the night with one of those awesome ideas.

Eric Kaiser and Craig Leeson the Director

The crew met at the Upper House Hotel early one Sunday morning where Erik was staying. When Erik came down, he was wearing a slim cut suit with a tie and some rock and roll “Men in Black” looking sunglasses. Apparently this was his outfit no matter where he went, even if he was going to the beach. He shook my hand with the firmness and fervor that only an American businessman could have. His teeth were straight, white and bright as diamonds. I probably would have bought Amway products from him if he had asked but I might just buy the book he recently wrote instead. (http://www.forofficeuseonlybook.com/Home.html)

The series, which is a two-hour special on Asia, focuses on entrepreneurialism. How did the savvy businesspeople being interviewed go from ground zero to becoming squillionaires? What mistakes did these entrepreneurs make along the way and what did they do right that made their ventures such a success? The director thought I’d be great for the role as I’m now in the process of monetizing hiphongkong and expanding aggressively out to other countries in South East Asia.

Basically, the objective was to interview Wayne, a mega successful restaurateur and the owner of 53 venues in Asia including Jaspas and Wagyu. We’d head out on his Sunseeker to the Jaspas in Sai Kung then proceed onto Millionaire’s Bay. The plot was that Wayne introduces me to Erik at Wagyu and he invites both of us to come out on his boat the next day. We go cruising, have lunch, chat about business, Wayne shows Erik how to cook one of the dishes, and then we proceed to the beach.

The problem is- Erik can’t get out of work mode and his beach gear is actually the same suit, but instead of long pants, he has short pants! I am supposed to think he’s a yuppie workaholic because of this- so despite our flirty exchanges on the bow of the boat, in this one scene on the beach, I diss him and walk away.

The actual filming was really fun! It's always cool to participate in the creation of something then to see it live. There was a proper camera crew with two cameras, a sound guy, a preview monitor and the director. We had hidden mics taped to us and the filming took place from several different angles.

There was plenty of champagne on the boat, and a beautiful ‘99 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol with the lobster, prawn, pizza and spare ribs lunch. The business banter during it all was really enlightening.

Erik says there are SO many opportunities. The question is- which one do you take? He says in order to make his conclusion, he’ll create a matrix of opportunity and whatever idea churns out the bigger profit for the least amount of time, effort and energy- that’s the opportunity he focuses on. Wayne also brought up a similar point. He said that over time his restaurants have come up with a successful formula. They follow this formula every time to ensure profit.

For example, they were looking into opening a restaurant on a gorgeous beachfront location in Phuket, but the rent was just too outrageous for the piece of land they were looking at. No matter how they swung the numbers, it wasn’t going to be profitable. They decided that as good as the idea was, it wasn't monetarily feasible so they chucked it out the window and went to Vietnam instead.

From all this, I've learned the importance of mapping out a plan to secure a formula that will generate revenue and to follow that every time. I've also learned not to waste my time and energy on things that only a few people will look at or appreciate.

Wayne also repeatedly said that they were always coming up with ‘hare-brained’ ideas. Personally, I think it’s worth it to let your imagination run because ideas spark other ideas and while one may not work, at least there is innovation going on and eventually something may take off. You just have to do it!

Wayne also taught us about not being afraid to take a risk. He had the compunction to move from his native land, Australia, to carve out a business path for himself in Asia, a continent he knew little about initially. The bottom line is- dream BIG and make it happen.

Some entrepreneurs get a kick out of watching the numbers in their bank account get bigger. These people don’t just want freedom- they want a private jet, a Boeing, not some dinky Lear!

As for me, I work to live, not live to work. I do the things I’m passionate about and for me, being able to make a living off doing the things I like to do is already a dream come true! I don’t necessarily care about numbers growing in my bank account (though perhaps the process of making money is fun). What is important to me is creating something of value for my life and for the lives of others.

I’d really hate to become one of those people that has it all and is jaded because of it, or to be one of those people who steps on others to make money or to be one of those people who works so much that they have no time or balance to enjoy their lives.

While I enjoy the boat trips, the good wine, the fabulous views and comfortable surroundings that money can buy, I feel even more lucky and grateful that I am able to experience those things as a result of doing something I have a passion for. Hopefully, I can learn some lessons from these awesome entrepreneurs and monetize my business from the valuable information I gleaned off filming this show!

 
The Cast and Crew. It's a Wrap!

ERIK KAISER VENTURE FACEBOOK GROUP
 

• ‹ previous
• 29 of 31
• next ›