A Wise Old Man once said:
“Life’s not a sprint.
“It’s a marathon.”
But to what extent does that particular quote ring true, exactly? Well, we find out in the following article:
Ex-School Dropout Turn CEO Of A Company With Over $80 Million Revenue Per Year
At first glance, Vernon Kwek, 48, seems pretty darn impressive. The CEO of Primech Services & Engineering in Singapore, his company currently employs around 3,000 employees and has an annual turnover of SGD$80 million.
An overachiever, for lack of a better word.
But here’s the thing; it hasn’t always been smooth-sailing for him. In fact, Kwek’s illustrious history involves:
- Dropping out of school at the age of 14
- Filing for bankruptcy
- Served a jail sentence for four months
Yeah, hardly a past befitting someone of such glimmering status.
According to The Straits Times, his story started when he was just 13 years old.
Discovering that managers of cleaning companies could earn more money than an engineering fresh grad, he requested to drop out of school. And naturally…
His father forbade him from doing so.
Unwilling to give up, Kwek then ran away from home for two months, and his father eventually relented.
Kwek was then allowed to take up a full-time cleaner position, a job that gave him $430 a month. And because he was hard-working and resourceful, he was soon promoted to supervisor at the same age, earning an increased salary of $800.
“I asked the manager if he was sure. My dad became a supervisor only when he was 40. I was only 14. But he said: ‘Don’t worry. You have your dad’s genes. He has leadership qualities, you should have the same too’.”
“You’re a cleaner. I don’t have a future with you.”
And it seems that the manager’s words held true, as Kwek rose through the ranks a few years later to become senior supervisor, earning a figure of $1,100 a month.
He eventually left to serve National Service.
During this time, he confessed to skipping NS a couple of times and was subsequently punished for it. He also dated a girl, who went on to dump him for a university graduate.
‘You’re a cleaner,” she reportedly said. “I don’t have a future with you.”
And apparently, this was what set off Mr Kwek’s route to success.
“I actually have to thank her. If not for what she said, I would not be here today,” says Mr Kwek.
After National Service, Mr Kwek returned to his former company and operated as a subcontractor, earning an impressive $25,000 and driving a BMW 318.
However, he began to indulge himself and spent money wastefully on the advice of his friends.
When the company heard about his antics, they cut him off, and he effectively became bankrupt at the young age of 26.
More twists and turns
After crying over his loss for five whole days, Kwek went ahead and found a job. Again, his hard-working demeanour proved a real tool, and he was earning a five-figure salary after a year.
He was eventually discharged from bankruptcy after five years.
But like a hardened storybook penned by a sadistic author, Kwek’s ordeal has yet to conclude. One of his subcontractors was arrested for hiring foreign workers illegally, and he was implicated.
He ended up serving four months in Tampines Prison.
But His Story Isn’t Done Yet
Kwek went back to Jani King, the company he was working in before he was imprisoned.
He later joined WIS Holdings and was transferred to Primech ten years down the road. Back then, the company had 200 employees and made $500,000 a month.
Right now, he holds a 10% stake in the company and runs Primech as well as two cleaning companies, A&P Maintenance Services and Maint-Kleen. He’s also happily married with four children, all aged between nine and 16.
And despite all his setbacks, he said that he doesn’t feel ashamed of them.
“I did something wrong but it has brought me here. Why should I be ashamed?” he added.
And there you have it, people. Life’s not a sprint.
It’s a marathon.
So if you’re feeling down and out right now, just remember that as long as you don’t give up…
You’re bound to succeed. No matter how long it takes.
Gambatte!
If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:
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