I hire entrepreneurs, not managers
Originally written in Chinese. Translated with AI, reviewed by Gary. Read the Chinese original →
Today I attended NEXEA's DisruptInvest Summit and heard mentor Alan share stories from his early days as a founder. It moved me, so I wanted to write it down.
The host asked him how he had expanded into Southeast Asia back then.
His answer was simple: respect the local culture.
But what really struck me was the method that followed. Not throwing money at ads, not holding launch events, but this:
As soon as he landed, he hired a taxi for the whole day.
On day one, he toured the financial district, looking at the buildings, the pace, the flow of people.
That night, back at the hotel, he wrote down everything he'd observed.
On day two, he went into every office building and looked, floor by floor, at which companies were there.
Back at the hotel, he and his co-founders analysed the city's business structure and judged how big the market was and whether it was worth doing.
This kind of homemade, do-it-by-hand approach is very real.
Much of the time, starting a company isn't about making slides and running models. It's about getting your feet in the mud and smelling the market.
He said he once sent Malaysians to lead new markets, and it didn't work well.
So he changed strategy: hire a local directly as country manager, and give them 25% equity.
His reason was blunt: I'm hiring an entrepreneur, not a manager.
Because in the early stage of opening a market, what you need is "founder mode": the spirit of going all in, taking risks and breaking new ground. Not someone who executes and reports KPIs.
Finally, the host asked him: "If you could go back 20 years, what would you tell yourself?"
Alan thought for a moment and said: "I'd tell him to enjoy it."
He said he has forgotten the glorious prime moments, but he clearly remembers every difficult stage, every failed attempt, every late night spent working out a solution.
What really stays with a founder isn't the high points, but the low points they got through.
What's truly worth remembering isn't just the moment you reach the top, but every choice not to give up when you were at the bottom.