I remember my grandfather flying in from Japan and each time hearing about how he had started a new business. Every business he had started was an exciting story that pioneered the way. As an example, he was the first one to introduce and import certain fruits to S. Korea. He described areas of land he had purchased and described in great detail how he envisioned the area that would be "bustling one day", looking at me and said with a chuckle, "...by the time you're age comes around". He had so many stories, and since then I had been intrigued to not only be a success, but to make a difference to a community or in the world, just like my grandfather did.

So began my journey as an entrepreneur, and I asked my dad for my first job at age 6 to work in his factory. I "opened" my first business at age 7 selling Japanese action figures (that weren't in North America, but are a phenomenon now) at a park in my townhouse community at the time. I obtained my first "warehouse of items" each time when my grandfather would come to our home with the next hottest toy in Japan. I had some old toys that were "out of fad" and had my first round of Japanese items to sell. I made a modest profit (the bigger kids I knew around the block either threatened me to sell to them at an unreasonable price or convinced me of a "fantastic" trade!). With that money, I bought my grandfather his favouite North American beverage and a bag of sweets, and put away the rest. At age 13 I started working at a gas station (I knew my parents would be upset for not studying like the rest of the Korean kids!), and a few consecutive nuts and bolts jobs from there.

I always loved travelling and started backpacking around the world, after quitting my job at one of the Big 5 consulting firms. However, the main purpose of those trips were for a deeper learning about myself and engage with people from all races, whether the media portrays certain people negatively or not. I learned that 90% of the world's population are good people and just like you and me.