This is the question I was asked during a talk I gave to Seed the Future Program organized by Shinhan Future’s Lab Vietnam.
Question: Thank you, Mr. Hung. This is not a question that… I think you used to have a good job with a high position. So how did your family react, when you decided to quit a good job and become a founder? And how do you try to make your family believe in your belief / ambitions when you make the decision? And also during the time that you were developing the business from zero to success?
Watch the full talk here: 8 + 1 ENTREPRENEUR THINGS TALK.
Answer: It is… I mean, there are two stages here. And the first stage is that when I started the company, 12 years ago, at that point of time, we got married, me and my wife, but then we didn’t have kids yet. But I do share with her that whenever we have kids, then we cannot, both of us cannot really be corporate person like this. Because we would not have enough time for our kids, our children, right? So my thought is that one of us, either me or my wife, need to do something else. So that, we need to prepare for more flexibility in time to work, so that when we have children, then we can really maintain a balance in our life. And then at that point of time, then I’m luckily to be the one who have a chance to co-found KMS. And then that’s very good. And that’s how I convinced my wife. And at the very first, first few years, it’s hard. It’s hard. It’s hard for us. But fortunately then my wife, she has a good job at that point of time and she covered most of the things in the family. And then my salary is very humble, very little at the first year or so. But after that, when things are going well, then they become better. I have a lot of time to take care of my little daughter. So whenever she got sick or anything, then I can stay home and then take care of her. My wife, she travel a lot and she have a lot of work to do. And then sometimes then it’s hard for her that she can stay home to take care of the little girl. But then that’s me there. So that’s convincing, right? Most of that is like that.
But then I think the second stage is quite harder than the first stage, the time that I resigned (from KMS, the company that I co-founded), I told my wife that I really need to withdraw from the current position so that I can go on with my happiness pursue. And then that cause a lot of worries in there, with my wife. Because, you know, female usually worry about days in and days out and finance and kind of things, right? So when I told her that I have that plan, she really, she she worried a lot. But things turned out that we don’t need a lot.
The thing is that for COVID 19, the crisis currently that we have, then I would urge you yourself to ask yourself the question: What is the most important thing that you need in this life, that you need to do, if tomorrow you have to die? Ask that question. If you can seriously answer the question, you don’t see that you need a lot, right? You don’t need a lot. And that’s the thing I realized. And then because I believe in that, so I withdraw from my position so that I can focus more on my spiritual development journey, which is I focus on understanding more about myself, about the mental states that I have in my body and kinda things. And it requires a lot of time. And the good thing is that after a while, I influenced my wife to quit her job as well. So now she’s taking all a part time job. And then she just finished one gap year for her, (after giving up) the very top position in the market for a big one multinational company as well. So, that’s my personal story. I don’t know if it works for you or not, but then at least then I share so if you can get used of that, then please.
Viet Hung | A Happiness pursuer | Author of The Happiness Journal, Tản mạn về Hạnh phúc and NGẪM CAFÉ
Sách tôi dịch: Thiền cho người mới bắt đầu, Nổi loạn và tự do, Bài chú giải Kinh Mangala Sutta, Sức mạnh của sự hoài nghi và thiền chánh niệm (vipassana), Những nguyên lý để sống hạnh phúc
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