August 4, 2025 • 58 mins
Join Alka Sharma as she welcomes Fong Chua, who shares his journey from real estate to coaching, public speaking, writing, and podcasting. Fong discusses overcoming fears of public speaking and perfectionism, emphasizing mindset's role in success. He reveals key moments and strategies behind his book "Make More Work Less." Learn steps to becoming a real estate investor, the value of coaching, and tips for finding deals. Fong highlights networking, relationship-building, and partnering with knowledgeable agents. Tune in for final advice on real estate success and how to connect with Fong, and don't forget to subscribe!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hi, everyone, and welcome.
Welcome to another episode of ask the expertspodcast.
We are so grateful to have each and everyonewho tune in week in and week out to listen,
learn, and grow.
This show would not be possible without you,the viewers, and so we want to acknowledge you.
(00:25):
We want to thank you for your loyalty, yourparticipation.
And I have to say, over the last month, we havehad incredible entrepreneurs.
We've had amazing guests.
It's truly it's just incredible just to evenknow how many guests we've had, but this is
(00:46):
because of you, the viewers.
Without you, this would not be a show, and itwould not be possible.
I do, however, have one request that yousubscribe to the channel.
We bring you value each and every week.
We bring you amazing guests to the show, so wedo request for you to subscribe to the channel,
(01:08):
click the link below, and this will help ustremendously.
My guest today is none other.
He is multifaceted into the multiplediscipline, the industries he has accomplished,
the success he has had, and I'm just gonnashare a little bio of Feng Chua.
(01:32):
Fong Chua is a real estate investor.
He's a speaker, three times best sellingauthor.
Fong has helped entrepreneurs, speakers, andauthors to gain how they can help in terms of
the branding, marketing, and positioning to goout and speak.
(01:55):
And this is the skill that Phong Chua trulyhelps entrepreneurs and highlights their
visibility, and this is what he does best.
Together with his partner, Jessica, they areauthors of the book, make more work less book
series.
And this series is helping entrepreneurs,authors, and speakers to gain the visibility
(02:23):
and how they can create the multiple streams ofincome so that they can position themselves,
you know, have the visibility that they wantand also to create financial future.
Please give a warm welcome to the inspiringPhong Chua.
(02:45):
Phong, welcome to the show.
Hey.
Awesome.
Thank you for having me.
Excited to share and, very happy to be sharingsome time with you.
Absolutely.
Fung, as we want to you know, you have you havea very extensive, buyer, very extensive, the
multidisciplinary that you are involved in.
(03:09):
As we wanna get to know you a little bit more,and it's always good to know to get to know
entrepreneurs.
It's always good to know their story, theirbackstory, especially of the success that they
have garnered and what truly in has been thatinspiration, the great, the tenacity that it
(03:29):
takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
So I would love for you to share with ourviewers what has been the catalyst to your
success?
So maybe take about few minutes sharing with usyour inspiration and how did you get to where
you are today.
(03:49):
Yeah.
Awesome.
That's a very loaded question, and I'm happy toshare that story with everybody here.
And, always glad to be able to, share myexperience and all that kind of stuff.
So, I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta,Canada.
My I'm my family is fairly traditional.
They're they're they work hard.
They taught us to work hard, find a good job,and be in that job for the rest of our lives
(04:13):
kinda thing.
And I was in the, I was at a crossroads betweenbecoming an accountant or be becoming an
engineer.
And my dad, who's an accountant, basically toldme don't be an accountant.
It's no fun.
So I'm like, okay.
I guess I'll be an engineer to the event.
I got into engineering, and I graduated andfound a job in engineering and thought, okay.
(04:34):
I guess this is gonna be the next forty yearsof my life doing engineering and doing
calculations all day and all that kind ofstuff.
So I was I I was thinking I was gonna be set.
And then 02/2007, 2008 came along, and that'swhen the oil and gas, industry completely went
downhill.
(04:54):
And being in Edmonton, Alberta, our entireeconomy is based on oil and If it's good,
everybody's happy.
If it's bad, everything's bad.
So I was in the company where we went from ahigh of 800 some employees down to a 125.
Everybody was being let go, and there was nowork, no jobs, and all kind of stuff.
(05:14):
And that was when my girlfriend at the time,who's now my wife, goes, you know what?
We need to do something different.
What if the comp the entire industry ofengineering is not gonna work for us?
What do we have to fall back on?
So she picked up Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which Ithink a lot of people out there, got their
start from that book.
We read that book and we're like, wait aminute.
(05:35):
How come none of this stuff was taught to us inschool?
How come our parents didn't tell tell us aboutthis kind of stuff?
And we started kinda doing a deep dive into,real estate, into business.
We collected that purple book series thateverybody kinda has when you fall, reach out
for that.
And then we signed up for webinars, seminars,three day boot camps, and workshops, and
(05:56):
whatnot.
And that's when we started doing some realestate stuff.
We looked into doing wholesaling, leaseoptions, all that, but buy fix and flips, buy
and hold.
And then we we kinda hit this this this wallwhere, okay, we know how to analyze deals.
We know how to, calculate certain numbers andall that kind of stuff, but we were missing one
(06:19):
aspect of how do you actually pick up a deal.
How do you actually buy a property?
How do you actually go and negotiate something?
And that was our our missing element.
Being engineers, we're very kinda closed off.
We sit down, put our heads down, docalculations, and we rarely go out and and
socialize.
(06:39):
We rarely go out and network.
And that was the biggest element that we weremissing when it comes to investing in real
estate than having a business.
So I remember my very first call to build evenmy power team.
Like, even having a lawyer or a realtor or aproperty manager on our team was a big task for
(07:01):
us.
Picking up the phone, we were already shaking.
Oh, okay.
What if they don't wanna work with us?
What what do I ask them?
What did they do?
I'm like, wait a minute.
In retrospect now, we want to hire them.
Of course, they wanna talk to us.
Right?
So we were that nervous even to pick up thephone to find the right lawyer for our team and
whatnot.
So fast forward a little bit.
We have a a power team, but we're still missingan element of pushing us towards finding right
(07:28):
deals, having that peace of mind that this isthe right way to go and whatnot.
And then we were introduced to coaching.
Coaching was the one thing that we're missing.
We were missing that person to guide us along,to challenge us along, to for us to kind of
bounce ideas off of so that we have that peaceof mind that, okay, this is gonna work and that
this is the right path forward.
(07:49):
Somebody who's been there done that to shareshare with us the unknowns that, we were kinda
challenged with.
So then with coaching, we then were able tobuild our real estate portfolio from zero
properties to about, 23, 24 properties over 30some units in the span of five, six years and,
(08:10):
was able to have anywhere from, what do callit, four plexes to condo units to, to
apartments and all that kind of stuff.
So we were kinda getting hang of that.
And then I go, okay.
Coach, what's next?
And he goes, well, why don't you start writingbooks?
I'm like, okay.
Let's start writing some books.
So, I go, but wait a minute.
(08:30):
What's the first part?
Like, what's the first step?
And he, well, why don't you just start puttingthings together?
And don't you do Toastmasters and all kinds ofI'm yeah.
Do Toastmasters.
I was at the time, I was also thinking, hey.
I need to work on my speaking skills and,ability to connect with people.
So I was doing speeches all the time, behindthe scenes.
And my coach then goes, well, if you're doingspeeches already for Toastmasters and whatnot,
(08:54):
why don't you just put up a whole bunch ofspeeches together and publish your first book?
I'm like, ah, that changes everything.
Makes it sound so much more easier.
So we published our first book, and then withina span of three, four years, we we published, I
think it was four, five books.
To date, we have about eight books now.
And then Hey, Chin.
Moving on, we go, okay.
(09:15):
What's next?
And he goes, why you start doing some speaking?
Like, okay.
Sure.
Let's do some speaking.
And I remember him going, why don't you comespeak on one of my stages?
I'm like, okay.
Sure.
How long do you want me to speak for?
Ten minutes, five minutes, seven minutes?
And he goes, I'll give you two hours.
I'm like, what?
Two hours?
That's too long.
I can't do that.
And then, again, he goes, well, didToastmasters.
(09:36):
I'm like, yeah.
That's different.
I mean, when you're in Toastmasters, you couldtalk about anything, and people don't really
need to care about what you talk about.
They just kinda give you feedback on how youpresented and all kind of stuff.
So and on top of that, they're not paying tolisten to me speak, whereas people are paying
to go to this event of his.
And he goes, oh, you'll be fine.
(09:57):
What do you talk about during those messages?
I'm like, oh, I talk about real estate,mindset, business, and goes, perfect.
That's what I talk about.
Why don't you put about all all your speechestogether and put a PowerPoint, and there's your
first two hour presentation?
I'm like, oh, okay.
So that's how I did my first presentation infront of it was I think the event was over two
days, and there was over a 100 people there.
(10:17):
And it was a two hour presentation that I had,and that kinda broke my broke my little hump
towards doing speaking.
And ever since then, I've been speaking atdifferent events, either virtually or, live in
Canada, in The States, and whatnot.
And then, in between this period of time, I wasalso helping other people build their real real
(10:38):
estate portfolios.
I was coaching people in speaking, coachingpeople in in book writing, and also coaching
people in, what else, in some business conceptsand all that kind of stuff so that they have
some guidance as to how to start and whatnot.
Then COVID hit, and then people were kindaclosed off about going to do speak engagements
(11:00):
and doing this and doing that.
And then I go, okay, coach.
What's next?
He goes, why don't you start a podcast?
I'm, okay.
Great.
Let's start a podcast.
So my podcast has been on for about five yearsnow.
Yeah.
Oh, just over five years.
And, I've been able to interview people fromall over the world of different successes,
different industries, learning from them,sharing their stories, and and whatnot.
(11:22):
And, because of that, I was also fortunateenough to be then asked to speak on some of
their stages and some of their platforms andwhatnot, which, spans from being virtually
speaking at in Australia and Indonesia andNigeria and all that kind of stuff.
So, yeah, that's kind of my story and, how Igot to where I am today and and then meeting
(11:43):
you.
That's incredible.
Well, that is so powerful.
You know, it takes a lot to you know, you youyou you mentioned mindset because mindset is
one of the biggest.
You know, when we are first starting out, youknow, as in as an entrepreneur, but starting
out as a business of any kind, you know, as astartup, but then we we may not be sure as to
(12:10):
what we wanna do.
But it takes a lot.
It takes a mindset to say, I'm gonna go andafter I'm gonna conquer what I wanna do.
I wanna conquer my public speaking.
Like I said, you and many of us were onceafraid of speaking in public.
(12:31):
I mean, Toastmaster because it's a smallintimate group, but speaking in large
conferences, seminars, you know, it it is afear that comes in.
Could you share with us the mindset initiallywhen you are fearful?
What are the strategies that so the viewerslistening can also adapt to if they find
(12:56):
themselves in a situation that they are askedto do a presentation, that are asked to speak.
What are some of the strategies that you've hadto overcome?
So can you share with us, please, as to whatthat is and how is it possible that they too
can do it?
I think every everybody has the ability to dospeaking.
(13:18):
Everybody can speak.
Everybody can, build up that confidence tospeak in front of large groups of people and
one on one and all those scenarios.
And what I find funny is that, as you mentionedbefore, we all went through this process of
building that confidence.
I think interviewing so many people and so manypeople who are speakers and platform platform
(13:40):
sales peak speakers and whatnot, if you askthem, they were introverts to begin with
sometimes.
They were just able to switch turn on theswitch and start building that confidence to go
out there.
And many, cases where people think that, hey.
You're an extrovert.
You're so much energy.
You do all this kind of stuff.
You can't be an introvert.
Well, honestly, I I I like sitting in my homebeing by myself and doing, what I need to do
(14:04):
kind of thing and not socializing for a periodof time because deep down inside, I'm an
introvert kind of thing.
But for for people who who wants to break outof that fear and be able to be comfortable
being in front of people, it's just a matter ofrepetition.
Going out there and and asking questions, goingout there, connecting with people who are
(14:25):
actually doing it, and asking what theirexperiences was similar to right now.
Me sharing about, okay, how how do I breakthrough that comfort zone, or how do I break
through that fear?
For for me, it was just saying yes andcommitting to it.
There was a few speak engagements where I saidyes so fast, I didn't even realize what I was
(14:47):
saying yes to.
So there was this one instance where they go,okay.
Do you wanna speak on on our at our event?
I'm like, yes.
I'll be there.
I'm like, what time?
I'm like, okay.
No problem.
I'll be there.
And then I said yes to all their stuff.
And then finally, I asked the question, whatexactly is this conference about?
And they go, well, rainwater conservation.
(15:09):
I'm like, shoot.
I know nothing about rainwater conservation.
I guess I'll figure it out later.
So I was luckily, my topic was about leadershipand and mindset.
I was able to kinda mold that with the theme ofrainwater conservation, so therefore it worked.
You'll be surprised how many how how far youcan go by just saying yes and then figuring it
(15:32):
out as you go.
Nothing needs to be perfect.
Nothing needs to be polished before youactually do it.
And the thing is sometimes if it's toopolished, people can't relate to you.
They wanna see authenticity.
They wanna see you for who you are.
And the other thing that I always keep in mymind is that most people who are in the
(15:53):
audience wishes that they're speaking, wishesthat they were able to be on stage.
They wish that they were the person sharingtheir stories and all kind all that kind of
stuff.
So, therefore, I'm like, well, if they're theif they're thinking all that, that means that
if I'm here and I'm speaking, I have an abilityto share where they're not being able to share
(16:17):
their story.
So when I start thinking about that way, it'snot about me.
It's about the audience.
About, they are paying attention.
They're spending their time and sharing it withme so that they can learn something or they if
they can get some sort of knowledge from me.
And if I keep on thinking them up myself abouthow nervous I am, then I'm not respecting their
(16:38):
time enough to do what I need to do.
So that's one thing I keep in mind.
For people who are, let's say, just startingout, well, build that confidence through
networking and building relationships and allthat kind of stuff.
And people go, oh, I'm shy.
I don't I don't wanna go and and and network.
And, well, the truth of the matter is when youare in those networking rooms, everybody is so
(17:01):
willing to share and so willing to talk thatyou probably don't have to say much.
You just you just go, hi.
My name is Phuong.
What do you do?
And then all of sudden, they go on this wholething.
Uh-huh.
Mhmm.
Uh-huh.
Interesting.
Tell me more.
Right?
So you just have to kinda keep the conversationgoing.
But if you're an introvert and you don't wannasay much, you probably don't need to.
And then as you build that confidence and youget more comfortable around the people, then
(17:23):
you start sharing more and you start buildingmore relationships.
And that confidence will come, and then all ofa sudden, hey.
Maybe you get asked to do a ten minutepresentation.
Maybe you get asked to do a thirty minutepresentation.
And then as each step comes to you, you kindabuild that confidence and build, more, what
what do call it?
That that ability to take the stage and andshare information and inspire others and
(17:48):
motivate.
So, that's that's my recommendation.
Just one step at a time.
What's the worst that can happen?
You get a no.
Or maybe you mess up on a sentence or two.
Own it.
It's okay.
Everybody knows that there's a growing process,so it's not that big a deal.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Very well said.
Like I said, you know, you don't have to beperfect.
(18:10):
You know, I'm just gonna share a little bit ofwhat I used to go through, and I used to always
even like on social media, I would always makesure that if I was putting anything out
content, it had to be perfect.
It had to be polished.
It had to be perfect.
But now, you you know, I've changed thatmindset to, you know, I'm just gonna put
content out.
(18:31):
As long as I put the content out I mean, ofcourse, it has to, you know, the Brahman,
everything has to be perfect.
But as long as you put the content out, youknow, that's what matters.
And even speaking, you know, as you as long asyou make it yours, but you're authentic.
And I think people relate to that.
So thank you so much for sharing that, Thong.
(18:53):
I wanna add a little bit more to the wholevideo stuff and posting stuff online.
Yes.
I had a really, really big challenge postingstuff online.
It was because I felt it had to be perfect.
And I had an issue, and my my coach kinda goes,well, what's the worst that can happen?
And why don't you take on this challenge whenyou do this challenge?
I'm like, I don't know.
(19:14):
Once that camera turns on and I see that thatred light blinking, I I freeze up.
I start to think too much, and it turns out I Idid some reading that when when there's a
camera on you meant like, subconsciously, youhave this feeling that you you have to be
perfect because so many people are watching andall that kind stuff.
(19:35):
Yes.
It's called, ego depletion.
And as the time goes on, your you you startbreaking down, and you start stuttering, and
you start messing up because you feel all thispressure.
And I'm like, okay.
That's what I have.
That's my problem.
And I told people that I'd self diagnose myselfwith ego depletion.
And I was in this, mastermind class, and I wassharing everybody, okay.
(19:58):
You don't have to try and solve this because Ihave this problem.
So, therefore, there's nothing anybody else cansay here that can solve this problem.
And then one person stood up and goes, whydon't you, do one video a day for a year?
I'm like, yeah.
That's not gonna work.
And before I was able to reject that idea,another person in the mastermind class stood up
and goes, well, if Fang does it, then I'll doit.
(20:19):
I'm like, shoot.
Now there's competition.
And then two other people stood up and goes,oh, yeah.
If they're gonna do it, we'll do it too.
Oh, that's good.
Before I was able good.
Well and there's and then there'saccountability.
And all of a sudden, before I was able to sayno to any of this stuff, the first person who
challenged us took out their phone, went onFacebook Live, and goes, hey, everybody.
(20:42):
So we're doing this mastermind, and four of ourmembers have just agreed to do a challenge of
doing one video a day for
But they put you on the spot.
For the next year, what are you gonna betalking about, Phong?
And I'm like, shoot.
Now I have to speak because it's live, and nowI'm committed.
So okay.
The four or five of us are in this competitiontogether.
(21:03):
We're holding each other accountable, and I'min the airport flying back to my home.
And I had a three hour layover, and I'm like,okay.
I gotta do my first video or else I'm behindalready.
And that three hours felt like forever.
I did a 172 takes because I felt everything hadto be perfect.
I stopped and started, stopped and started, andall of sudden I hear an announcement of baby
(21:26):
crying, all this stuff going on behind me.
And I'm like, oh, I'm exhausted.
And that was the day when I go, you know what?
I can't do a 172 takes every single time.
I can't spend three hours doing a two minutevideo every single time.
So therefore, from that moment forward, Irecord it.
I feel okay about it.
(21:46):
I don't look at it.
I don't listen to it.
I post it, and that's it.
So that's how I did my first first few videos,and then I kept that going for a whole year.
And then and then the podcast and all that kindof stuff.
So it's it's surrounding yourself with peoplewho could hold yourself accountable.
And then also having that that that competitionalso helps too.
(22:08):
Absolutely.
You know, there's always, you know, healthycompetition.
There's nothing wrong with that.
You gotta have competition, but in a healthyway and people who surround yourself with
people who support you, who uplift you, and whobelieve in you.
And, Feng, there are times that, you know, youmay not believe in yourself, but if other
people, like, in the mastermind group orwhatever, but if they believe in you that you
(22:32):
have that potential, you can go a long way.
So I totally agree with that.
You know, competition, a healthy competition,and accountability.
So let's let's diverse to you talk a lot aboutunlocking the potential.
You've helped entrepreneurs to unlock thepotential.
(22:55):
What have you found is the hardest thing tounlock in spite of all the tools entrepreneurs
may have, what is the hardest to unlock, andhow can we overcome overcome the abilities, the
(23:15):
potential we have?
I think the biggest is the mindset.
We kinda talked about that before.
Growing up, having a certain mindset is verydifficult to change that because that's what
you're used to.
That's what you're comfortable with.
For instance, the whole investing in in certainin real estate and businesses, finances, all
kinds of stuff, people grew up with a certainmindset as to what money means to them.
(23:40):
And if you wanna break through and earn more,make more, and all that kind of stuff, well,
you have to have a different mindset becauseyour current mindset got you to where you are
today.
And unless you break or alter that mindset,you're not gonna get get to the next level.
So the hardest thing to get people to theirnext level to to their full potential, you have
(24:02):
to break or alter what their current mindsetsare.
And that is one of the toughest things becausesometimes we are set in our ways.
We're comfortable in that.
And until there's somebody who comes along thatshows you the way, somebody that comes along
that shows you, hey.
You could do videos easier, or you could writea book, or you can invest in real estate by
(24:22):
using this mindset or having that strategy andthem showing you the ins and outs, the pros and
cons, the benefits, the the potential paths asto, okay, if you take this, this suggestion,
this would happen or this would happen.
It's one of those things where I try andexplain it to my clients going, okay.
(24:44):
Here's the three, four, five different ways of,approaching this.
Here's the three, four, five different outcomesthat may come.
Which one are you comfortable with?
Which one is most likely?
Which one is not likely?
And if the worst thing does happen, what aregonna do about it?
And then after that that, when they go throughthat exercise, they realize, okay.
(25:06):
The fear is not as high any anymore.
The risk is not as high anymore, and,therefore, they're willing to take that next
step to try something else.
Try writing that book.
Try do starting a podcast.
Try putting an offer out.
And then as each little step is taken, all of asudden, they're willing to do another step and
(25:26):
then another step and another step.
But it's that ability to kinda paint thepicture of here are the options, here are the
different outcomes, what are we gonna be doabout it, And then that mindset starts to
change a little bit, and it starts to grow andstarts to expand.
So the mindset is the toughest thing to change.
Absolutely.
And, you know, as long as you we have theoptions to to be able to see, you know, I was
(25:52):
so essentially, it's your strengths andweaknesses.
Where are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
And how to, really help that to move forward inlife in general?
And I really wanted to I'm curious to knowbecause, Fang, you've had such an incredible
path, incredible success.
(26:12):
What has been the catalyst, would you say, toyour success?
What have been those moments in your life orwas there a moment or moments in your life
where you thought I am deserving of earningmore?
Was there a moment or moments in your life asyou have gone through that have shaped you
(26:36):
today?
I would say it's one of those it's gonna be avery left brained answer for you.
Okay.
And that is seeing them doing a calculationwait a minute.
I need how much to retire?
In order for me to survive, I need to take I Iremember going, okay.
If I wanna retire at the age of 65, and at thetime, I was I think I was 28 at the time.
(26:58):
And I go, I I need to put in $20.30, $40,000 ayear in order for me to have 1 point some
million dollars by the time I'm 65 to retireoff of, but then that money is gonna deplete by
the time I'm 90.
But what if I wanna live longer to than 90?
What happens then?
And then you started going, hey.
(27:18):
This math isn't mapping.
Right?
I need to do something different to expand thattime period and increase that amount of money
that I have.
So having done that calculation, I quicklyrealized, okay.
I can't rely 100% on my my job.
You need to diversify into either stocks.
You need to divide diversify into real estateor whatever it is or businesses.
(27:39):
And then you go, okay.
If this doesn't work, I have this to leverageover this.
Right.
If this doesn't work, I have this to leverageover that.
So then now you you have other other paths tobuild that so called retirement fund if I ever
retire.
And if I'm happy with what I'm doing, I mean,never retire because I'm having fun making
money.
(27:59):
So so so that was the moment.
The the moment of realizing if I follow thetraditional path that everybody follows, what
do I need?
And how possible and how hard is that gonnamake be?
And if it doesn't seem feasible, what am Igonna do to change that or make it easier?
And that's when we started doing all this otherstuff.
(28:21):
Absolutely.
Would you say, Feng?
What was what has been the one conventionalrule that you have either peep that you pivoted
from and you have learned to leverage on thesuccess?
You have learned to leverage on, you know, thereal estate investing.
(28:44):
You've you've leveraged.
What has been the one conventional rule thatyou can share with us that have really mass
that you've mastered, you know, owning yourlife and what it truly means to have the
success that you are having.
I think the the the saying where if you workhard, you can do things yourself.
(29:10):
I've heard that before.
I've heard where, okay.
You don't need to build relationships.
You don't need to go out and talk to people.
Because, like I said, I was I was brought upvery, very much an introvert.
My parents are introverts.
I remember think, because I lived in this, whenI grew up, I lived in this cul de sac.
And very common, kids would be willing to goout and knock on doors of their friends and,
(29:37):
hey.
You wanna come out and play?
Right.
Yeah.
My parents didn't believe that.
Okay?
My parents didn't believe that you should beable to go to your next door neighbor's house
and knock on their door and go, hey.
Is Billy able to come out to play?
And then that kind stuff.
They don't believe in that.
They told me that if if you go out and you playand their kids and your friends see you play,
(29:59):
and if they can come out to play, they'll comeand join you, which is the whole if you build
it, they'll come kinda thing.
Right?
Yeah.
So I grew up with that mindset.
But in business, in real estate, if you buildit, they may not come.
If you have a website and you don't tell peopleabout it, that nobody will know it exists.
If you write a book and you don't talk aboutit, nobody knows
(30:21):
it there.
Right.
Mhmm.
Right?
So that's one thing that complete changed mythought process because I do have to go out
there and talk.
I do need to go out there and share what I haveand what I do and what my skill sets are, or
else nobody would know about it.
And that was completely different than what Iwas grown, grown up to to do.
Right?
I was grown up to, okay, just focus on your ownthing.
(30:43):
You don't have to boast.
You don't have to talk about it.
You don't have to promote yourself.
People will find out.
I mean, well, that's not necessarily true.
So that's one thing I think lots of people needto grasp and understand is that you if you
don't go out in there and tell people aboutwhat you do, nobody would know.
And I find it funny now in retrospect wherewhen I'm working with a client, they go, oh, I
(31:07):
don't know.
My website's not perfect yet.
Once I launch it, I I what's gonna happen?
Like, all these people are gonna come like, no.
Not everybody's gonna notice a website if youdon't talk about it.
Right?
So you could launch it and just kinda build itthen slowly tell more people, and it's not
gonna happen right away.
So don't worry too much about it because if youdon't talk about it, nobody knows.
(31:29):
Sound great.
You you gotta be seen.
You gotta be seen, you know, to be heard.
Gotta be visible.
You know?
And oftentimes, you know, most of us, we wehave that we have that mindset that, you know,
everyone's gonna come to my party.
Everyone's gonna come and, you know, I'm gonnabe that person.
(31:49):
I'm gonna but, yes, that will come, but youalso have to do your part to do that.
So okay.
So let's talk about your book.
You know, you and your wife, you are authors ofmake more work less.
That is such a great title.
And, you know, when we when we look at thatshare with us where did that title come from,
(32:14):
and what does it mean when you obviously, it'sa book series that you both have, you and
Jessica.
But where did that title come from, make morework class?
Because ultimately, this is what we all want.
We want to have that end goal in mind in ourgolden years when we retire.
So can you just share with us that inspirationfrom for that book title?
(32:37):
Yeah.
So when we were starting out, we were we werevery open to so many different ideas as to how
do we build wealth.
From real estate to stocks to gold and silver,precious metals to network marketing, to, using
insurance and all this kind of stuff.
So we were implementing and setting updifferent foundations of wealth in our in our
(33:00):
lives.
And as we were doing this, we were very excitedto share what people hey.
This is what we're doing, and this is whatwe're doing now.
And people started to notice, people started toask us, hey.
Tell us more about this insurance thing or tellus more about real estate.
Tell us more about this.
And then that conversation goes for a goodthree, four hours each time because I we have
so much we wanna share.
And that's when my coach goes, okay.
(33:22):
Put that in the book.
And once you put that in the book, then you cango, hey.
Read this book first.
It's a good introduction to all the stuff thatwe do.
Everything that we've said in our our lives nowis in this book.
And if you have specific questions aboutwhatever it is, then we'll dive deeper into
that.
Right?
So at least it kinda weeds out people who mayor may not be interested in real estate or may
(33:42):
or not be interested in in gold and silver andfocuses the conversation next time kinda thing.
So then I'm like, okay.
Well, now we have this book idea.
What do we call it?
And it, I I would have to contribute the nameto our our coach.
And once, the our coach says, hey.
Do make more work less.
I'm like, ah, that makes sense.
Because we can make more and work less if weset up all these things.
(34:07):
Right?
If the insurance doesn't work, the gold andsilver is there.
If the gold and silver is in there, there'sreal estate.
If it's like, all this stuff, we've set it up.
Yes.
There's gonna be some some some work to kindabuild everything.
But once it's built, then you certain thingscould be kinda set it and forget it, right, if
you so choose to.
So, therefore, you're making money in all thesethings or building wealth in all these things,
(34:30):
but you're not really actively doing it.
I'm like, oh, that work makes perfect perfectsense.
And then we figured, okay.
Wait a minute.
We with regards to real estate, I have so muchmore I can share.
And then that's why we had make more work lesswith cash flow.
So then the make more work less with cash flowreally focuses it on how do you kinda build a
(34:51):
real estate portfolio and finding cash flow andproperties.
And then we figure, wait a minute.
If I can communicate better and speak better,that also allows us to make more work less.
So then our next book is, like, make more workless by connecting, and then make more work
less with branding, and make more work lesswith, unlocking your potential and changing
your mindset.
So that name kinda fit with all these otherthings that we were working on, and it just
(35:15):
kinda fit, naturally.
So that's how that came about then, why we haveso many books.
Amazing.
I love that.
What's the one principle in your book thatpeople have quoted either they've misunderstood
or they've applied incorrectly.
What is that one principle?
(35:37):
Can you share with us?
One principle that most people applyincorrectly.
Yeah.
Or either that they apply incorrectly or theymisunderstand as to what, what is required of
them.
I guess okay.
So we had this one there's this one, aspectthis one part in our first book, and I was
(36:00):
talking about how how people in general are arekinda last minute things.
We we tend to wait till the last minute toprepare for this.
We are, we would be last minute to prepare forour speech or, push it to the end before we go,
okay.
Let's do this and make the decision, where youcould've made that decision a long time ago.
(36:22):
And I was kinda talking about this, and I say,hey.
Why don't we kinda plan ahead and startthinking before the last minute kinda thing?
And I had somebody come up to me and was like,I don't understand that.
I'm like, why why won't you understand that?
It's fairly straightforward.
And I didn't realize that this individual whocame up to me is one of those, like, big
(36:44):
planners.
They will never wait till the last minute, sothey couldn't grasp that idea that people wait
till the last minute to do things.
I'm like, yeah.
That's that's not you.
I'm talking to other people who are, like, lastminute planners.
Right.
Yeah.
It it it's one of those things where I realizedthat you could write a book, you could do
speeches, you could do presentations and allthat kind of stuff, and you're trying to
(37:07):
connect with the general public and generalpeople, but you're not always gonna connect
with some.
And because lots of people feel that, hey.
If we apply all this stuff, it's gonna work forme, but that's not the case because everybody's
different.
Different.
But it's not necessarily a what are theyapplying incorrectly.
(37:28):
It's what are they applying that doesn't fitthem, their personality, and their lifestyle.
Right?
I can be talking about all this real estatestuff, and they go, well, let's apply it.
But then real estate might not be the avenuethat's best for them, personality wise or
lifestyle wise or characteristic wise.
So that, I think is one of the things that, Ican say where it may or may not be applied
(37:55):
correctly because it doesn't fit everybody.
Right.
Exactly.
And not everyone is made to be a landlord.
I mean, when I first invested in my when Ifirst bought my first investment property, you
know, I rented it out.
Then, obviously, in Toronto, it's not landlordfriendly, and I had to one of my tenants, he
(38:18):
had to he didn't pay me for one year.
And I had to go to the landlord tribunal board,and that in itself was very costly.
But it really put a dent on, you know, if youwanna become a landlord.
There's nothing wrong with being a landlord,having an investment property.
But just know that if you if you do wannabecome a landlord, you have to just, you know,
(38:45):
just suck it up.
You gotta make it work.
And for me, you know, people always say to me,well, why don't you rent be a landlord in
Alberta or Calgary, you know, up north?
And but so, anyway, because of that experience,I I did not wanna become a landlord.
But just to know that, you know, you can startoff with, you know, in a small way.
(39:08):
You don't have to go into multifamily, but justknow that it is a process.
People who wanna get into real estate firm,what would you say what would be the first step
that they need to take to become a real estateinvestor?
How did they start?
Can you share with our viewers what did theyneed to do?
(39:28):
I would say find somebody who's already doingit and start asking them a lot of questions
Some questions.
To what's their experience like?
What was their very first property like?
How did they build their first deal?
How did they find their first deal?
What are their ins and outs and failures andchallenges?
Ask ask people who's doing it right now and whoare actually doing well in it.
Don't ask the ones that are not doing wellbecause they're gonna scare you away from doing
(39:52):
it completely.
So reach out, ask the people who are alreadydoing it and doing it well about their
experience and whether or they can give yousome tips and whatnot.
Second thing is to build some knowledge aboutit, and be able to kinda analyze deals on your
own time, read more books about it so that youcan actually apply the the stuff that you're
(40:16):
reading, hearing.
You could apply it to the questions you'reasking the other person who's doing it and
seeing where's the gaps.
Right?
Because you can read as much as you want, butthere's always gonna be something that's
missing that's not there in practice.
Right.
And that is where the mentor or the coach orthe person who you're talking to will be able
to fill in the gaps for you.
So I think getting knowledge and havingsomebody you can bounce ideas off of, who's
(40:40):
been there, who's done that, who's doing itwell, is two very, very important pieces.
Absolutely.
Let's talk about you know, the we talked aboutthe mindset.
And what do broke people do to become wealthy?
As, you know, you shared your story, you know,those moments when you shared that you were
(41:03):
deserving of more and earning more.
So what do broke people do who wanna becomewealthy?
What what are they doing that's wrong?
I I try to stay away from the word of whatthey're doing wrong.
It's how what are they looking at from aperspective that does not add to what they want
(41:28):
is usually the the case.
So for instance, investing in your future.
And most people go, okay.
Why am I paying so much for a coach?
Well, because I wanna grow.
I wanna be able to do this and that and investand build relationships and build a portfolio
and all kinds.
I said, wow.
That's so expensive.
I would never do that.
I'm like, okay.
(41:48):
And and that's the mindset.
Most people won't put more money into,education or, informal education, and that's
one of the biggest differences.
People are willing to go, okay.
I'll put money into postsecondary education,university, colleges, and all that kind of
stuff, but they won't go and hire a coach thatwould actually fast track them in business,
(42:10):
fast track them in whatever it is.
Just imagine if you were, trying to learn pianoor trying to learn karate or something like
that, and you're only doing that by readingbooks and not hiring somebody to actually teach
you how to play a piano and actually sit thereand show you how to do, scales and all that
kind of stuff.
Your the amount of time you're gonna spendreading and practicing on your own is gonna
(42:36):
complete, what do you call it?
Overpower how much time you need to get to thesame level if you have a coach with you.
Same thing with business, same thing with realestate.
And that is the mindset of most people.
They don't believe that they need a coach tohelp them get to one step to another.
They figure they could do it on their own.
(42:56):
Right.
And the moment that you start opening up yourmind to asking questions, realizing that if you
pay for somebody to to guide you and coach you,you actually fast track that that time.
Because we're gonna you're gonna be giving upsomething, either money or time.
Mhmm.
What do you what do you wanna what do you wannaleverage?
(43:17):
Right?
How much is your time worth?
If your time is worth a $102,100, $300 an hour,then maybe paying somebody to fast track that
is better.
Right?
So it's that mindset thing of what's what isyour time worth?
It's collapsing time.
Exactly.
Get it because I
think I I think the like, if we bring it downto another level, what's like, some people are
(43:42):
going, I can I can learn how to bake a cake orbake muffins by reading, or you can make a
phone call to your friend who's done already?
What's faster?
It's probably faster for that person to tellyou over the phone than you finding a recipe,
And it's even faster if that friend comes overto your house and shows you and bakes with you
(44:03):
as to how to do it.
And you probably do it right away, right,rather than doing your research.
Same thing.
It's that whole willing to have that coachmentor beside you to guide you along the way.
Absolutely.
It's it's collapsing time.
And also, you know, coaches coaches, yes, thatthat can be expensive.
You know, it's their time, but they're gonnafast track you.
(44:26):
So if we it's also having the the mindset of agrowth mindset, not a fixed mindset.
Because if you're a fixed mindset and you'vealways stayed in that way, You know, you're not
you're unresponsive to what people say to you.
You're not willing to learn.
And I'm not saying that because I that was me.
(44:46):
I would not be willing.
I always for the longest time, I always had a afixed mindset.
You know, people say to me, well, you gotta domeditation.
You gotta do yoga.
Well, no.
I don't think I want to.
You know?
And I always stayed in that mindset until whenI switched my mindset to a growth mindset
because because I want to improve.
(45:07):
I want to learn.
I wanna be good, whatever that may be.
So I think that is also what I've got to learnin my life is you gotta be you gotta be open.
You gotta be responsive.
You got to know, you know, whether it doesn'tmatter what people say to you.
You may not like it, but just listen.
(45:29):
Mhmm.
Yeah.
I I remember when I first when we first startedout, we were paying, I think, our coach $5,600
a
month Mhmm.
For for a year or something like that.
And people go, wow.
That's so much for $500 $5,600 a month.
Why would you do that?
I'm like, well, this is something we'recommitted to.
We we believe it's gonna work, and we'll we'llsee kinda thing.
(45:51):
Right?
And when you're committed to that kinda, thatkinda investment in yourself, you really wanna
make something happen.
And very shortly after that, when we firststarted, we we got our first property.
And our first property cash flowed $5,600 amonth.
So then all of a sudden, say, it's covered.
Yeah.
But what's stopping us from getting the second,third, fourth, fifth property?
(46:14):
Now that's all bonus.
Right?
And most people don't see past that.
They see the initial investment and go, what ifit doesn't work?
And they're so fixated on if it doesn't work,then you're down $5,600 a month, and you're
screwed for the long period of time kind ofthing.
Right?
(46:34):
But then I'm like, well, yeah.
Put put your nose down, work hard, listen towhat your coach says, and then guess what?
You get your first, second, third, and then allof a sudden, hey.
It's all it's all taken care of.
Exactly.
The the the first property is always the mostdifficult.
But once you you know, it's cash flowing,you're building equity on the property, you
(46:56):
know, so then you can then it compounds andthen it becomes so much easier.
But I think that is such a great advice.
What would you say, Fang?
People who want to buy the first investmentproperty, what how how do they go about what
how do they go about finding deals?
(47:17):
Because there's so much I mean, I'm sure aboutthe landscape in Calgary right now.
What is the landscape in Calgary?
Oh, I'm in Edmonton.
So Edmonton.
Yes.
And and Edmonton is usually, like, a yearbehind what Calgary's market is.
It's it's fairly healthy.
I mean, like, the stuff that's around my place,they they got sold fair fairly fairly quickly.
(47:40):
And it's the entry point's not too high, sotherefore, it's very, competitive.
I would say that if anybody wants so assumingthat people have that mentor and the coach that
they're already kinda talking with and assumingthey have some base knowledge as to what
they're actually getting themselves into.
(48:01):
Now we're talking about, okay, what's the nextstep of doing real estate investing?
And I would say, build those relationships.
Go connect with other investors.
See what kind of deals they talk about.
See what kind of deals that they may have ormay not have and all that kind stuff.
See how you could add value with otherinvestors.
And then also build a network of realtors andagents with you so that if they do find a deal
(48:25):
before they put it in the market, they can talkto you first.
But you have to be out there telling people,hey.
I'm interested.
I'm in the market to buy property.
I'm in the market in in investing.
Because if you don't do that, people don'tthink of you at all.
So for for us, when we were building it, we hada a realtor that we worked with.
We made sure that, yes, we may or may not wantproperties that's already listed.
(48:50):
However, we set up a a few different filters, afew different searches so that we could get
familiarized with that area, with that type ofproperty, looking at what's being listed,
what's coming in, what's being sold, and whatare the verbiage underneath them to see, hey.
Maybe this is a motivated seller.
And then start putting out offers.
(49:10):
There's nothing there's there's nothingstopping you from learning by doing.
And, therefore, you could just put out anoffer.
You don't have to be afraid of it.
If it doesn't get accepted, fine.
If it doesn't get accepted and you don't wannago through with it, you can always bow out if
you need to.
Right?
So there's it's just learning by doing.
(49:31):
So, therefore, having that realtor sending you,listings, getting familiarized with that, Now
it's another level of education versus justreading the books because you're actually
actively doing it, and then you could activelyput out offers.
After a while, once you start getting morecomfortable, like, for instance, now we put out
offers without even looking at propertiesbecause we wanna save our time.
(49:55):
Lots of people out there who goes, okay.
We need to invest in a property.
And the first thing they think about is, okay.
Let's set up sometimes with their realtor, havethe realtor send us a whole bunch of listings,
have the realtor then book a whole bunch ofshowings.
We're gonna spend our entire day looking at allthese different properties.
Out of those ten, twelve properties, we liketwo of them.
(50:15):
We'll put out offers on two of them only tofind out that both of them are either pending
or, or rejected.
So then now you start from scratch.
Well, now you wasted everybody's time.
However, if I could put out offers now and itgets accepted, I could still go and do my due
diligence without the competition, which savesme so much more time.
(50:38):
Now it's a completely different story if it'snot even on the market yet.
And those ones will come from networking,building relationships, having a good kinda
bond with your agents so that they can come toyou first.
If you don't have that bond, why why do theycome to you?
Right?
They might as well just list it and havecompetition instead.
(50:58):
Exactly.
Build relationships, you know, network havethat portfolio of, you know, mortgage brokers,
real estate agents, you know, real estatelawyers who because when you do find a deal,
you know, they can assess that deal for you.
So for would you recommend initially peoplewhen investing in a property, would you
(51:21):
recommend that they work with a real estateagent?
Or can they how does that work?
I would say first starting out, I will workwith a real estate agent.
Mhmm.
And before how how I picked buyer agent at thetime was I interviewed, I think, five five
(51:41):
realtors at Starbucks one after another, and Ispent, like, a whole I I spent a whole morning
at Starbucks meeting realtor after realtorafter realtor, property, what was it?
Mortgage broker after mortgage broker aftermortgage broker to see which one I want them to
work with.
Thanks.
And then with regards to, an agent or arealtor, you want somebody who understands
(52:02):
investing.
Mhmm.
It'd be great if they were also in propertymanagement themselves
Right.
And have some background of, what do call it,inspections.
Right?
Because if you're first starting out, you mightwanna have your first agent with that
knowledge, which allows you to ask themquestions.
Right.
(52:22):
When they start showing you properties, theycould go, okay.
From an inspector's point of view, you might beanticipating this challenge and this problem
and this problem and this this potential thing.
Now you get to learn as you go through theseproperties.
On top of that, if you do have an inspectorcome in and your realtor is able to kinda get,
give you more feedback on what the inspector'slooking at, then you actually learn a lot more
(52:46):
as well.
If you're working with an agent who has noproperties of their own and are not interested
in investing at all, but you're investing, thenyou're gonna get so much lot of backlash as to
how you're putting your offers in.
Because you don't wanna buy property at marketprice.
(53:06):
You're gonna be giving a discounted offer orsomething like that because you're not gonna
buy it at market.
You need to buy you have to make money on thebuy.
And if the realtor is not understanding howinvestment works and they don't invest
themselves, they feel embarrassed offering youroffer.
Mhmm.
So therefore, there's already a disconnectthere.
(53:28):
Right.
And that's why I like to interview my myrealtors first before I go, okay.
Let's work with you and go and put in an offerbecause, I don't want there to be any conflict
between me and the person who's supposed torepresent me.
Right?
So for people first starting out, I wouldrecommend having that agent so that you have
(53:49):
somebody to bounce ideas off of.
As you get more experience, you might wanna dostuff on your own, whatever it is, and expand.
You may even start partnering up with yourrealtor or having your realtor as one of your
your deal finders and all that kind of stuff asyou start expanding up.
But when you first start, you have somebody tocome bounce around with.
That's a great, great idea, valuable tips.
(54:11):
Fung, this has been such a powerful, a greatconversations.
Truly have been appreciated to have you on.
Your final question, and I always like to askthese, you know, questions to my guests, It's
about your about your life.
So everything all the success that you've hadtoday and the success that you've had, if
(54:38):
tomorrow all your files were deleted, Whatwould the three things that you want people to
take away from your knowledge?
Three things.
So three three kind of points of advice that Iwould like people to remember.
(54:58):
Right.
About yes.
About your life.
Yes.
I I I I would say the very first one is don'tbe afraid to reach out and ask.
Because everything that you ever wanna do,everything that you ever want to achieve has
been done by somebody already or has beenattempted by somebody already.
So by reaching out and finding those peoplethat are doing what you want to achieve to do
(55:22):
is the very first thing that I I I recommendevery anybody to do.
That that's my first one.
The the second one is having that positivemindset.
You can waste all your energy complaining andjudging and and, being negative when
unfortunate things happen to you, but then thatis energy that you've wasted and energy that
(55:45):
you could've spent on something more positiveand something that's a little bit that allows
you to grow more.
Yeah.
And then thirdly is surrounding yourself withthe people who could actually support and, be a
motivation to you.
If you don't have those people, it's verydifficult to push that stone up by yourself
because every step you take, you have your youhave people that's pushing you down two more
(56:10):
steps below you.
So making sure that you making sure that yousurround yourself with the right people to get
you to where you wanna be.
However, having said that, I understand that alot of people who, whose closest people may be
the most negative or your detractors.
(56:30):
And therefore, you have to be able to segmentin your mind what you share with which people
so that you allow your mind to be supported bythe people that are gonna support you and not
having the people who don't support you affectyou.
That is so true.
I mean, family and friends, you know, you yougotta be you gotta you gotta choose what you
(56:52):
wanna share with those individual family orfriends.
But, absolutely, you know, it is so true as to,like, you are the five people that you hang
around with.
And so be wise as to what you share withindividuals.
Fang, this has been so amazing.
What what where can people connect with you sothat we can support you best?
(57:15):
Awesome.
Well, you can find me on Facebook thenLinkedIn, Feng Chua.
You can find my YouTube page which is Your AreaTV.
And then you can find my podcast on Spotify andall the other podcast outlets and that is the
peak potential success show.
Wonderful.
And your book, make make more work less.
Work me where where's your book available?
(57:36):
Yeah.
On Amazon, all my books are there.
Okay.
Amazing.
Well, Song, this has been incredible, and thankyou so much to you, the viewers, for tuning in
to another powerful episode with Fang Chua.
He truly has been such an incredible, themultifaceted and multitalented as to what Fang
(57:58):
has shared with us today.
But we truly appreciate your time today.
And as we said, you know, the request that wewould like is for you to subscribe to the
channel.
In this way, we can bring more amazing guestsfor you and to bring valuable content.
So click the link below and subscribe to thechannel.
(58:19):
It will mean so much to us.
But in the meantime, thank you so much to eachand everyone for tuning in to the show.
Until next time.
Thank you.
Bye for now.
Thank you so much, Wong Fong.
This has been so incredible.
Awesome.
Does that fit what you were
(58:39):
looking for?
Yes.
Hi, everyone, and welcome.
Welcome to another episode of ask the expertspodcast.
We are so grateful to have each and everyonewho tune in week in and week out to listen,
learn, and grow.
This show would not be possible without you,the viewers, and so we want to acknowledge you.
(00:25):
We want to thank you for your loyalty, yourparticipation.
And I have to say, over the last month, we havehad incredible entrepreneurs.
We've had amazing guests.
It's truly it's just incredible just to evenknow how many guests we've had, but this is
(00:46):
because of you, the viewers.
Without you, this would not be a show, and itwould not be possible.
I do, however, have one request that yousubscribe to the channel.
We bring you value each and every week.
We bring you amazing guests to the show, so wedo request for you to subscribe to the channel,
(01:08):
click the link below, and this will help ustremendously.
My guest today is none other.
He is multifaceted into the multiplediscipline, the industries he has accomplished,
the success he has had, and I'm just gonnashare a little bio of Feng Chua.
(01:32):
Fong Chua is a real estate investor.
He's a speaker, three times best sellingauthor.
Fong has helped entrepreneurs, speakers, andauthors to gain how they can help in terms of
the branding, marketing, and positioning to goout and speak.
(01:55):
And this is the skill that Phong Chua trulyhelps entrepreneurs and highlights their
visibility, and this is what he does best.
Together with his partner, Jessica, they areauthors of the book, make more work less book
series.
And this series is helping entrepreneurs,authors, and speakers to gain the visibility
(02:23):
and how they can create the multiple streams ofincome so that they can position themselves,
you know, have the visibility that they wantand also to create financial future.
Please give a warm welcome to the inspiringPhong Chua.
(02:45):
Phong, welcome to the show.
Hey.
Awesome.
Thank you for having me.
Excited to share and, very happy to be sharingsome time with you.
Absolutely.
Fung, as we want to you know, you have you havea very extensive, buyer, very extensive, the
multidisciplinary that you are involved in.
(03:09):
As we wanna get to know you a little bit more,and it's always good to know to get to know
entrepreneurs.
It's always good to know their story, theirbackstory, especially of the success that they
have garnered and what truly in has been thatinspiration, the great, the tenacity that it
(03:29):
takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
So I would love for you to share with ourviewers what has been the catalyst to your
success?
So maybe take about few minutes sharing with usyour inspiration and how did you get to where
you are today.
(03:49):
Yeah.
Awesome.
That's a very loaded question, and I'm happy toshare that story with everybody here.
And, always glad to be able to, share myexperience and all that kind of stuff.
So, I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta,Canada.
My I'm my family is fairly traditional.
They're they're they work hard.
They taught us to work hard, find a good job,and be in that job for the rest of our lives
(04:13):
kinda thing.
And I was in the, I was at a crossroads betweenbecoming an accountant or be becoming an
engineer.
And my dad, who's an accountant, basically toldme don't be an accountant.
It's no fun.
So I'm like, okay.
I guess I'll be an engineer to the event.
I got into engineering, and I graduated andfound a job in engineering and thought, okay.
(04:34):
I guess this is gonna be the next forty yearsof my life doing engineering and doing
calculations all day and all that kind ofstuff.
So I was I I was thinking I was gonna be set.
And then 02/2007, 2008 came along, and that'swhen the oil and gas, industry completely went
downhill.
(04:54):
And being in Edmonton, Alberta, our entireeconomy is based on oil and If it's good,
everybody's happy.
If it's bad, everything's bad.
So I was in the company where we went from ahigh of 800 some employees down to a 125.
Everybody was being let go, and there was nowork, no jobs, and all kind of stuff.
(05:14):
And that was when my girlfriend at the time,who's now my wife, goes, you know what?
We need to do something different.
What if the comp the entire industry ofengineering is not gonna work for us?
What do we have to fall back on?
So she picked up Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which Ithink a lot of people out there, got their
start from that book.
We read that book and we're like, wait aminute.
(05:35):
How come none of this stuff was taught to us inschool?
How come our parents didn't tell tell us aboutthis kind of stuff?
And we started kinda doing a deep dive into,real estate, into business.
We collected that purple book series thateverybody kinda has when you fall, reach out
for that.
And then we signed up for webinars, seminars,three day boot camps, and workshops, and
(05:56):
whatnot.
And that's when we started doing some realestate stuff.
We looked into doing wholesaling, leaseoptions, all that, but buy fix and flips, buy
and hold.
And then we we kinda hit this this this wallwhere, okay, we know how to analyze deals.
We know how to, calculate certain numbers andall that kind of stuff, but we were missing one
(06:19):
aspect of how do you actually pick up a deal.
How do you actually buy a property?
How do you actually go and negotiate something?
And that was our our missing element.
Being engineers, we're very kinda closed off.
We sit down, put our heads down, docalculations, and we rarely go out and and
socialize.
(06:39):
We rarely go out and network.
And that was the biggest element that we weremissing when it comes to investing in real
estate than having a business.
So I remember my very first call to build evenmy power team.
Like, even having a lawyer or a realtor or aproperty manager on our team was a big task for
(07:01):
us.
Picking up the phone, we were already shaking.
Oh, okay.
What if they don't wanna work with us?
What what do I ask them?
What did they do?
I'm like, wait a minute.
In retrospect now, we want to hire them.
Of course, they wanna talk to us.
Right?
So we were that nervous even to pick up thephone to find the right lawyer for our team and
whatnot.
So fast forward a little bit.
We have a a power team, but we're still missingan element of pushing us towards finding right
(07:28):
deals, having that peace of mind that this isthe right way to go and whatnot.
And then we were introduced to coaching.
Coaching was the one thing that we're missing.
We were missing that person to guide us along,to challenge us along, to for us to kind of
bounce ideas off of so that we have that peaceof mind that, okay, this is gonna work and that
this is the right path forward.
(07:49):
Somebody who's been there done that to shareshare with us the unknowns that, we were kinda
challenged with.
So then with coaching, we then were able tobuild our real estate portfolio from zero
properties to about, 23, 24 properties over 30some units in the span of five, six years and,
(08:10):
was able to have anywhere from, what do callit, four plexes to condo units to, to
apartments and all that kind of stuff.
So we were kinda getting hang of that.
And then I go, okay.
Coach, what's next?
And he goes, well, why don't you start writingbooks?
I'm like, okay.
Let's start writing some books.
So, I go, but wait a minute.
(08:30):
What's the first part?
Like, what's the first step?
And he, well, why don't you just start puttingthings together?
And don't you do Toastmasters and all kinds ofI'm yeah.
Do Toastmasters.
I was at the time, I was also thinking, hey.
I need to work on my speaking skills and,ability to connect with people.
So I was doing speeches all the time, behindthe scenes.
And my coach then goes, well, if you're doingspeeches already for Toastmasters and whatnot,
(08:54):
why don't you just put up a whole bunch ofspeeches together and publish your first book?
I'm like, ah, that changes everything.
Makes it sound so much more easier.
So we published our first book, and then withina span of three, four years, we we published, I
think it was four, five books.
To date, we have about eight books now.
And then Hey, Chin.
Moving on, we go, okay.
(09:15):
What's next?
And he goes, why you start doing some speaking?
Like, okay.
Sure.
Let's do some speaking.
And I remember him going, why don't you comespeak on one of my stages?
I'm like, okay.
Sure.
How long do you want me to speak for?
Ten minutes, five minutes, seven minutes?
And he goes, I'll give you two hours.
I'm like, what?
Two hours?
That's too long.
I can't do that.
And then, again, he goes, well, didToastmasters.
(09:36):
I'm like, yeah.
That's different.
I mean, when you're in Toastmasters, you couldtalk about anything, and people don't really
need to care about what you talk about.
They just kinda give you feedback on how youpresented and all kind of stuff.
So and on top of that, they're not paying tolisten to me speak, whereas people are paying
to go to this event of his.
And he goes, oh, you'll be fine.
(09:57):
What do you talk about during those messages?
I'm like, oh, I talk about real estate,mindset, business, and goes, perfect.
That's what I talk about.
Why don't you put about all all your speechestogether and put a PowerPoint, and there's your
first two hour presentation?
I'm like, oh, okay.
So that's how I did my first presentation infront of it was I think the event was over two
days, and there was over a 100 people there.
(10:17):
And it was a two hour presentation that I had,and that kinda broke my broke my little hump
towards doing speaking.
And ever since then, I've been speaking atdifferent events, either virtually or, live in
Canada, in The States, and whatnot.
And then, in between this period of time, I wasalso helping other people build their real real
(10:38):
estate portfolios.
I was coaching people in speaking, coachingpeople in in book writing, and also coaching
people in, what else, in some business conceptsand all that kind of stuff so that they have
some guidance as to how to start and whatnot.
Then COVID hit, and then people were kindaclosed off about going to do speak engagements
(11:00):
and doing this and doing that.
And then I go, okay, coach.
What's next?
He goes, why don't you start a podcast?
I'm, okay.
Great.
Let's start a podcast.
So my podcast has been on for about five yearsnow.
Yeah.
Oh, just over five years.
And, I've been able to interview people fromall over the world of different successes,
different industries, learning from them,sharing their stories, and and whatnot.
(11:22):
And, because of that, I was also fortunateenough to be then asked to speak on some of
their stages and some of their platforms andwhatnot, which, spans from being virtually
speaking at in Australia and Indonesia andNigeria and all that kind of stuff.
So, yeah, that's kind of my story and, how Igot to where I am today and and then meeting
(11:43):
you.
That's incredible.
Well, that is so powerful.
You know, it takes a lot to you know, you youyou you mentioned mindset because mindset is
one of the biggest.
You know, when we are first starting out, youknow, as in as an entrepreneur, but starting
out as a business of any kind, you know, as astartup, but then we we may not be sure as to
(12:10):
what we wanna do.
But it takes a lot.
It takes a mindset to say, I'm gonna go andafter I'm gonna conquer what I wanna do.
I wanna conquer my public speaking.
Like I said, you and many of us were onceafraid of speaking in public.
(12:31):
I mean, Toastmaster because it's a smallintimate group, but speaking in large
conferences, seminars, you know, it it is afear that comes in.
Could you share with us the mindset initiallywhen you are fearful?
What are the strategies that so the viewerslistening can also adapt to if they find
(12:56):
themselves in a situation that they are askedto do a presentation, that are asked to speak.
What are some of the strategies that you've hadto overcome?
So can you share with us, please, as to whatthat is and how is it possible that they too
can do it?
I think every everybody has the ability to dospeaking.
(13:18):
Everybody can speak.
Everybody can, build up that confidence tospeak in front of large groups of people and
one on one and all those scenarios.
And what I find funny is that, as you mentionedbefore, we all went through this process of
building that confidence.
I think interviewing so many people and so manypeople who are speakers and platform platform
(13:40):
sales peak speakers and whatnot, if you askthem, they were introverts to begin with
sometimes.
They were just able to switch turn on theswitch and start building that confidence to go
out there.
And many, cases where people think that, hey.
You're an extrovert.
You're so much energy.
You do all this kind of stuff.
You can't be an introvert.
Well, honestly, I I I like sitting in my homebeing by myself and doing, what I need to do
(14:04):
kind of thing and not socializing for a periodof time because deep down inside, I'm an
introvert kind of thing.
But for for people who who wants to break outof that fear and be able to be comfortable
being in front of people, it's just a matter ofrepetition.
Going out there and and asking questions, goingout there, connecting with people who are
(14:25):
actually doing it, and asking what theirexperiences was similar to right now.
Me sharing about, okay, how how do I breakthrough that comfort zone, or how do I break
through that fear?
For for me, it was just saying yes andcommitting to it.
There was a few speak engagements where I saidyes so fast, I didn't even realize what I was
(14:47):
saying yes to.
So there was this one instance where they go,okay.
Do you wanna speak on on our at our event?
I'm like, yes.
I'll be there.
I'm like, what time?
I'm like, okay.
No problem.
I'll be there.
And then I said yes to all their stuff.
And then finally, I asked the question, whatexactly is this conference about?
And they go, well, rainwater conservation.
(15:09):
I'm like, shoot.
I know nothing about rainwater conservation.
I guess I'll figure it out later.
So I was luckily, my topic was about leadershipand and mindset.
I was able to kinda mold that with the theme ofrainwater conservation, so therefore it worked.
You'll be surprised how many how how far youcan go by just saying yes and then figuring it
(15:32):
out as you go.
Nothing needs to be perfect.
Nothing needs to be polished before youactually do it.
And the thing is sometimes if it's toopolished, people can't relate to you.
They wanna see authenticity.
They wanna see you for who you are.
And the other thing that I always keep in mymind is that most people who are in the
(15:53):
audience wishes that they're speaking, wishesthat they were able to be on stage.
They wish that they were the person sharingtheir stories and all kind all that kind of
stuff.
So, therefore, I'm like, well, if they're theif they're thinking all that, that means that
if I'm here and I'm speaking, I have an abilityto share where they're not being able to share
(16:17):
their story.
So when I start thinking about that way, it'snot about me.
It's about the audience.
About, they are paying attention.
They're spending their time and sharing it withme so that they can learn something or they if
they can get some sort of knowledge from me.
And if I keep on thinking them up myself abouthow nervous I am, then I'm not respecting their
(16:38):
time enough to do what I need to do.
So that's one thing I keep in mind.
For people who are, let's say, just startingout, well, build that confidence through
networking and building relationships and allthat kind of stuff.
And people go, oh, I'm shy.
I don't I don't wanna go and and and network.
And, well, the truth of the matter is when youare in those networking rooms, everybody is so
(17:01):
willing to share and so willing to talk thatyou probably don't have to say much.
You just you just go, hi.
My name is Phuong.
What do you do?
And then all of sudden, they go on this wholething.
Uh-huh.
Mhmm.
Uh-huh.
Interesting.
Tell me more.
Right?
So you just have to kinda keep the conversationgoing.
But if you're an introvert and you don't wannasay much, you probably don't need to.
And then as you build that confidence and youget more comfortable around the people, then
(17:23):
you start sharing more and you start buildingmore relationships.
And that confidence will come, and then all ofa sudden, hey.
Maybe you get asked to do a ten minutepresentation.
Maybe you get asked to do a thirty minutepresentation.
And then as each step comes to you, you kindabuild that confidence and build, more, what
what do call it?
That that ability to take the stage and andshare information and inspire others and
(17:48):
motivate.
So, that's that's my recommendation.
Just one step at a time.
What's the worst that can happen?
You get a no.
Or maybe you mess up on a sentence or two.
Own it.
It's okay.
Everybody knows that there's a growing process,so it's not that big a deal.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Very well said.
Like I said, you know, you don't have to beperfect.
(18:10):
You know, I'm just gonna share a little bit ofwhat I used to go through, and I used to always
even like on social media, I would always makesure that if I was putting anything out
content, it had to be perfect.
It had to be polished.
It had to be perfect.
But now, you you know, I've changed thatmindset to, you know, I'm just gonna put
content out.
(18:31):
As long as I put the content out I mean, ofcourse, it has to, you know, the Brahman,
everything has to be perfect.
But as long as you put the content out, youknow, that's what matters.
And even speaking, you know, as you as long asyou make it yours, but you're authentic.
And I think people relate to that.
So thank you so much for sharing that, Thong.
(18:53):
I wanna add a little bit more to the wholevideo stuff and posting stuff online.
Yes.
I had a really, really big challenge postingstuff online.
It was because I felt it had to be perfect.
And I had an issue, and my my coach kinda goes,well, what's the worst that can happen?
And why don't you take on this challenge whenyou do this challenge?
I'm like, I don't know.
(19:14):
Once that camera turns on and I see that thatred light blinking, I I freeze up.
I start to think too much, and it turns out I Idid some reading that when when there's a
camera on you meant like, subconsciously, youhave this feeling that you you have to be
perfect because so many people are watching andall that kind stuff.
(19:35):
Yes.
It's called, ego depletion.
And as the time goes on, your you you startbreaking down, and you start stuttering, and
you start messing up because you feel all thispressure.
And I'm like, okay.
That's what I have.
That's my problem.
And I told people that I'd self diagnose myselfwith ego depletion.
And I was in this, mastermind class, and I wassharing everybody, okay.
(19:58):
You don't have to try and solve this because Ihave this problem.
So, therefore, there's nothing anybody else cansay here that can solve this problem.
And then one person stood up and goes, whydon't you, do one video a day for a year?
I'm like, yeah.
That's not gonna work.
And before I was able to reject that idea,another person in the mastermind class stood up
and goes, well, if Fang does it, then I'll doit.
(20:19):
I'm like, shoot.
Now there's competition.
And then two other people stood up and goes,oh, yeah.
If they're gonna do it, we'll do it too.
Oh, that's good.
Before I was able good.
Well and there's and then there'saccountability.
And all of a sudden, before I was able to sayno to any of this stuff, the first person who
challenged us took out their phone, went onFacebook Live, and goes, hey, everybody.
(20:42):
So we're doing this mastermind, and four of ourmembers have just agreed to do a challenge of
doing one video a day for
But they put you on the spot.
For the next year, what are you gonna betalking about, Phong?
And I'm like, shoot.
Now I have to speak because it's live, and nowI'm committed.
So okay.
The four or five of us are in this competitiontogether.
(21:03):
We're holding each other accountable, and I'min the airport flying back to my home.
And I had a three hour layover, and I'm like,okay.
I gotta do my first video or else I'm behindalready.
And that three hours felt like forever.
I did a 172 takes because I felt everything hadto be perfect.
I stopped and started, stopped and started, andall of sudden I hear an announcement of baby
(21:26):
crying, all this stuff going on behind me.
And I'm like, oh, I'm exhausted.
And that was the day when I go, you know what?
I can't do a 172 takes every single time.
I can't spend three hours doing a two minutevideo every single time.
So therefore, from that moment forward, Irecord it.
I feel okay about it.
(21:46):
I don't look at it.
I don't listen to it.
I post it, and that's it.
So that's how I did my first first few videos,and then I kept that going for a whole year.
And then and then the podcast and all that kindof stuff.
So it's it's surrounding yourself with peoplewho could hold yourself accountable.
And then also having that that that competitionalso helps too.
(22:08):
Absolutely.
You know, there's always, you know, healthycompetition.
There's nothing wrong with that.
You gotta have competition, but in a healthyway and people who surround yourself with
people who support you, who uplift you, and whobelieve in you.
And, Feng, there are times that, you know, youmay not believe in yourself, but if other
people, like, in the mastermind group orwhatever, but if they believe in you that you
(22:32):
have that potential, you can go a long way.
So I totally agree with that.
You know, competition, a healthy competition,and accountability.
So let's let's diverse to you talk a lot aboutunlocking the potential.
You've helped entrepreneurs to unlock thepotential.
(22:55):
What have you found is the hardest thing tounlock in spite of all the tools entrepreneurs
may have, what is the hardest to unlock, andhow can we overcome overcome the abilities, the
(23:15):
potential we have?
I think the biggest is the mindset.
We kinda talked about that before.
Growing up, having a certain mindset is verydifficult to change that because that's what
you're used to.
That's what you're comfortable with.
For instance, the whole investing in in certainin real estate and businesses, finances, all
kinds of stuff, people grew up with a certainmindset as to what money means to them.
(23:40):
And if you wanna break through and earn more,make more, and all that kind of stuff, well,
you have to have a different mindset becauseyour current mindset got you to where you are
today.
And unless you break or alter that mindset,you're not gonna get get to the next level.
So the hardest thing to get people to theirnext level to to their full potential, you have
(24:02):
to break or alter what their current mindsetsare.
And that is one of the toughest things becausesometimes we are set in our ways.
We're comfortable in that.
And until there's somebody who comes along thatshows you the way, somebody that comes along
that shows you, hey.
You could do videos easier, or you could writea book, or you can invest in real estate by
(24:22):
using this mindset or having that strategy andthem showing you the ins and outs, the pros and
cons, the benefits, the the potential paths asto, okay, if you take this, this suggestion,
this would happen or this would happen.
It's one of those things where I try andexplain it to my clients going, okay.
(24:44):
Here's the three, four, five different ways of,approaching this.
Here's the three, four, five different outcomesthat may come.
Which one are you comfortable with?
Which one is most likely?
Which one is not likely?
And if the worst thing does happen, what aregonna do about it?
And then after that that, when they go throughthat exercise, they realize, okay.
(25:06):
The fear is not as high any anymore.
The risk is not as high anymore, and,therefore, they're willing to take that next
step to try something else.
Try writing that book.
Try do starting a podcast.
Try putting an offer out.
And then as each little step is taken, all of asudden, they're willing to do another step and
(25:26):
then another step and another step.
But it's that ability to kinda paint thepicture of here are the options, here are the
different outcomes, what are we gonna be doabout it, And then that mindset starts to
change a little bit, and it starts to grow andstarts to expand.
So the mindset is the toughest thing to change.
Absolutely.
And, you know, as long as you we have theoptions to to be able to see, you know, I was
(25:52):
so essentially, it's your strengths andweaknesses.
Where are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
And how to, really help that to move forward inlife in general?
And I really wanted to I'm curious to knowbecause, Fang, you've had such an incredible
path, incredible success.
(26:12):
What has been the catalyst, would you say, toyour success?
What have been those moments in your life orwas there a moment or moments in your life
where you thought I am deserving of earningmore?
Was there a moment or moments in your life asyou have gone through that have shaped you
(26:36):
today?
I would say it's one of those it's gonna be avery left brained answer for you.
Okay.
And that is seeing them doing a calculationwait a minute.
I need how much to retire?
In order for me to survive, I need to take I Iremember going, okay.
If I wanna retire at the age of 65, and at thetime, I was I think I was 28 at the time.
(26:58):
And I go, I I need to put in $20.30, $40,000 ayear in order for me to have 1 point some
million dollars by the time I'm 65 to retireoff of, but then that money is gonna deplete by
the time I'm 90.
But what if I wanna live longer to than 90?
What happens then?
And then you started going, hey.
(27:18):
This math isn't mapping.
Right?
I need to do something different to expand thattime period and increase that amount of money
that I have.
So having done that calculation, I quicklyrealized, okay.
I can't rely 100% on my my job.
You need to diversify into either stocks.
You need to divide diversify into real estateor whatever it is or businesses.
(27:39):
And then you go, okay.
If this doesn't work, I have this to leverageover this.
Right.
If this doesn't work, I have this to leverageover that.
So then now you you have other other paths tobuild that so called retirement fund if I ever
retire.
And if I'm happy with what I'm doing, I mean,never retire because I'm having fun making
money.
(27:59):
So so so that was the moment.
The the moment of realizing if I follow thetraditional path that everybody follows, what
do I need?
And how possible and how hard is that gonnamake be?
And if it doesn't seem feasible, what am Igonna do to change that or make it easier?
And that's when we started doing all this otherstuff.
(28:21):
Absolutely.
Would you say, Feng?
What was what has been the one conventionalrule that you have either peep that you pivoted
from and you have learned to leverage on thesuccess?
You have learned to leverage on, you know, thereal estate investing.
(28:44):
You've you've leveraged.
What has been the one conventional rule thatyou can share with us that have really mass
that you've mastered, you know, owning yourlife and what it truly means to have the
success that you are having.
I think the the the saying where if you workhard, you can do things yourself.
(29:10):
I've heard that before.
I've heard where, okay.
You don't need to build relationships.
You don't need to go out and talk to people.
Because, like I said, I was I was brought upvery, very much an introvert.
My parents are introverts.
I remember think, because I lived in this, whenI grew up, I lived in this cul de sac.
And very common, kids would be willing to goout and knock on doors of their friends and,
(29:37):
hey.
You wanna come out and play?
Right.
Yeah.
My parents didn't believe that.
Okay?
My parents didn't believe that you should beable to go to your next door neighbor's house
and knock on their door and go, hey.
Is Billy able to come out to play?
And then that kind stuff.
They don't believe in that.
They told me that if if you go out and you playand their kids and your friends see you play,
(29:59):
and if they can come out to play, they'll comeand join you, which is the whole if you build
it, they'll come kinda thing.
Right?
Yeah.
So I grew up with that mindset.
But in business, in real estate, if you buildit, they may not come.
If you have a website and you don't tell peopleabout it, that nobody will know it exists.
If you write a book and you don't talk aboutit, nobody knows
(30:21):
it there.
Right.
Mhmm.
Right?
So that's one thing that complete changed mythought process because I do have to go out
there and talk.
I do need to go out there and share what I haveand what I do and what my skill sets are, or
else nobody would know about it.
And that was completely different than what Iwas grown, grown up to to do.
Right?
I was grown up to, okay, just focus on your ownthing.
(30:43):
You don't have to boast.
You don't have to talk about it.
You don't have to promote yourself.
People will find out.
I mean, well, that's not necessarily true.
So that's one thing I think lots of people needto grasp and understand is that you if you
don't go out in there and tell people aboutwhat you do, nobody would know.
And I find it funny now in retrospect wherewhen I'm working with a client, they go, oh, I
(31:07):
don't know.
My website's not perfect yet.
Once I launch it, I I what's gonna happen?
Like, all these people are gonna come like, no.
Not everybody's gonna notice a website if youdon't talk about it.
Right?
So you could launch it and just kinda build itthen slowly tell more people, and it's not
gonna happen right away.
So don't worry too much about it because if youdon't talk about it, nobody knows.
(31:29):
Sound great.
You you gotta be seen.
You gotta be seen, you know, to be heard.
Gotta be visible.
You know?
And oftentimes, you know, most of us, we wehave that we have that mindset that, you know,
everyone's gonna come to my party.
Everyone's gonna come and, you know, I'm gonnabe that person.
(31:49):
I'm gonna but, yes, that will come, but youalso have to do your part to do that.
So okay.
So let's talk about your book.
You know, you and your wife, you are authors ofmake more work less.
That is such a great title.
And, you know, when we when we look at thatshare with us where did that title come from,
(32:14):
and what does it mean when you obviously, it'sa book series that you both have, you and
Jessica.
But where did that title come from, make morework class?
Because ultimately, this is what we all want.
We want to have that end goal in mind in ourgolden years when we retire.
So can you just share with us that inspirationfrom for that book title?
(32:37):
Yeah.
So when we were starting out, we were we werevery open to so many different ideas as to how
do we build wealth.
From real estate to stocks to gold and silver,precious metals to network marketing, to, using
insurance and all this kind of stuff.
So we were implementing and setting updifferent foundations of wealth in our in our
(33:00):
lives.
And as we were doing this, we were very excitedto share what people hey.
This is what we're doing, and this is whatwe're doing now.
And people started to notice, people started toask us, hey.
Tell us more about this insurance thing or tellus more about real estate.
Tell us more about this.
And then that conversation goes for a goodthree, four hours each time because I we have
so much we wanna share.
And that's when my coach goes, okay.
(33:22):
Put that in the book.
And once you put that in the book, then you cango, hey.
Read this book first.
It's a good introduction to all the stuff thatwe do.
Everything that we've said in our our lives nowis in this book.
And if you have specific questions aboutwhatever it is, then we'll dive deeper into
that.
Right?
So at least it kinda weeds out people who mayor may not be interested in real estate or may
(33:42):
or not be interested in in gold and silver andfocuses the conversation next time kinda thing.
So then I'm like, okay.
Well, now we have this book idea.
What do we call it?
And it, I I would have to contribute the nameto our our coach.
And once, the our coach says, hey.
Do make more work less.
I'm like, ah, that makes sense.
Because we can make more and work less if weset up all these things.
(34:07):
Right?
If the insurance doesn't work, the gold andsilver is there.
If the gold and silver is in there, there'sreal estate.
If it's like, all this stuff, we've set it up.
Yes.
There's gonna be some some some work to kindabuild everything.
But once it's built, then you certain thingscould be kinda set it and forget it, right, if
you so choose to.
So, therefore, you're making money in all thesethings or building wealth in all these things,
(34:30):
but you're not really actively doing it.
I'm like, oh, that work makes perfect perfectsense.
And then we figured, okay.
Wait a minute.
We with regards to real estate, I have so muchmore I can share.
And then that's why we had make more work lesswith cash flow.
So then the make more work less with cash flowreally focuses it on how do you kinda build a
(34:51):
real estate portfolio and finding cash flow andproperties.
And then we figure, wait a minute.
If I can communicate better and speak better,that also allows us to make more work less.
So then our next book is, like, make more workless by connecting, and then make more work
less with branding, and make more work lesswith, unlocking your potential and changing
your mindset.
So that name kinda fit with all these otherthings that we were working on, and it just
(35:15):
kinda fit, naturally.
So that's how that came about then, why we haveso many books.
Amazing.
I love that.
What's the one principle in your book thatpeople have quoted either they've misunderstood
or they've applied incorrectly.
What is that one principle?
(35:37):
Can you share with us?
One principle that most people applyincorrectly.
Yeah.
Or either that they apply incorrectly or theymisunderstand as to what, what is required of
them.
I guess okay.
So we had this one there's this one, aspectthis one part in our first book, and I was
(36:00):
talking about how how people in general are arekinda last minute things.
We we tend to wait till the last minute toprepare for this.
We are, we would be last minute to prepare forour speech or, push it to the end before we go,
okay.
Let's do this and make the decision, where youcould've made that decision a long time ago.
(36:22):
And I was kinda talking about this, and I say,hey.
Why don't we kinda plan ahead and startthinking before the last minute kinda thing?
And I had somebody come up to me and was like,I don't understand that.
I'm like, why why won't you understand that?
It's fairly straightforward.
And I didn't realize that this individual whocame up to me is one of those, like, big
(36:44):
planners.
They will never wait till the last minute, sothey couldn't grasp that idea that people wait
till the last minute to do things.
I'm like, yeah.
That's that's not you.
I'm talking to other people who are, like, lastminute planners.
Right.
Yeah.
It it it's one of those things where I realizedthat you could write a book, you could do
speeches, you could do presentations and allthat kind of stuff, and you're trying to
(37:07):
connect with the general public and generalpeople, but you're not always gonna connect
with some.
And because lots of people feel that, hey.
If we apply all this stuff, it's gonna work forme, but that's not the case because everybody's
different.
Different.
But it's not necessarily a what are theyapplying incorrectly.
(37:28):
It's what are they applying that doesn't fitthem, their personality, and their lifestyle.
Right?
I can be talking about all this real estatestuff, and they go, well, let's apply it.
But then real estate might not be the avenuethat's best for them, personality wise or
lifestyle wise or characteristic wise.
So that, I think is one of the things that, Ican say where it may or may not be applied
(37:55):
correctly because it doesn't fit everybody.
Right.
Exactly.
And not everyone is made to be a landlord.
I mean, when I first invested in my when Ifirst bought my first investment property, you
know, I rented it out.
Then, obviously, in Toronto, it's not landlordfriendly, and I had to one of my tenants, he
(38:18):
had to he didn't pay me for one year.
And I had to go to the landlord tribunal board,and that in itself was very costly.
But it really put a dent on, you know, if youwanna become a landlord.
There's nothing wrong with being a landlord,having an investment property.
But just know that if you if you do wannabecome a landlord, you have to just, you know,
(38:45):
just suck it up.
You gotta make it work.
And for me, you know, people always say to me,well, why don't you rent be a landlord in
Alberta or Calgary, you know, up north?
And but so, anyway, because of that experience,I I did not wanna become a landlord.
But just to know that, you know, you can startoff with, you know, in a small way.
(39:08):
You don't have to go into multifamily, but justknow that it is a process.
People who wanna get into real estate firm,what would you say what would be the first step
that they need to take to become a real estateinvestor?
How did they start?
Can you share with our viewers what did theyneed to do?
(39:28):
I would say find somebody who's already doingit and start asking them a lot of questions
Some questions.
To what's their experience like?
What was their very first property like?
How did they build their first deal?
How did they find their first deal?
What are their ins and outs and failures andchallenges?
Ask ask people who's doing it right now and whoare actually doing well in it.
Don't ask the ones that are not doing wellbecause they're gonna scare you away from doing
(39:52):
it completely.
So reach out, ask the people who are alreadydoing it and doing it well about their
experience and whether or they can give yousome tips and whatnot.
Second thing is to build some knowledge aboutit, and be able to kinda analyze deals on your
own time, read more books about it so that youcan actually apply the the stuff that you're
(40:16):
reading, hearing.
You could apply it to the questions you'reasking the other person who's doing it and
seeing where's the gaps.
Right?
Because you can read as much as you want, butthere's always gonna be something that's
missing that's not there in practice.
Right.
And that is where the mentor or the coach orthe person who you're talking to will be able
to fill in the gaps for you.
So I think getting knowledge and havingsomebody you can bounce ideas off of, who's
(40:40):
been there, who's done that, who's doing itwell, is two very, very important pieces.
Absolutely.
Let's talk about you know, the we talked aboutthe mindset.
And what do broke people do to become wealthy?
As, you know, you shared your story, you know,those moments when you shared that you were
(41:03):
deserving of more and earning more.
So what do broke people do who wanna becomewealthy?
What what are they doing that's wrong?
I I try to stay away from the word of whatthey're doing wrong.
It's how what are they looking at from aperspective that does not add to what they want
(41:28):
is usually the the case.
So for instance, investing in your future.
And most people go, okay.
Why am I paying so much for a coach?
Well, because I wanna grow.
I wanna be able to do this and that and investand build relationships and build a portfolio
and all kinds.
I said, wow.
That's so expensive.
I would never do that.
I'm like, okay.
(41:48):
And and that's the mindset.
Most people won't put more money into,education or, informal education, and that's
one of the biggest differences.
People are willing to go, okay.
I'll put money into postsecondary education,university, colleges, and all that kind of
stuff, but they won't go and hire a coach thatwould actually fast track them in business,
(42:10):
fast track them in whatever it is.
Just imagine if you were, trying to learn pianoor trying to learn karate or something like
that, and you're only doing that by readingbooks and not hiring somebody to actually teach
you how to play a piano and actually sit thereand show you how to do, scales and all that
kind of stuff.
Your the amount of time you're gonna spendreading and practicing on your own is gonna
(42:36):
complete, what do you call it?
Overpower how much time you need to get to thesame level if you have a coach with you.
Same thing with business, same thing with realestate.
And that is the mindset of most people.
They don't believe that they need a coach tohelp them get to one step to another.
They figure they could do it on their own.
(42:56):
Right.
And the moment that you start opening up yourmind to asking questions, realizing that if you
pay for somebody to to guide you and coach you,you actually fast track that that time.
Because we're gonna you're gonna be giving upsomething, either money or time.
Mhmm.
What do you what do you wanna what do you wannaleverage?
(43:17):
Right?
How much is your time worth?
If your time is worth a $102,100, $300 an hour,then maybe paying somebody to fast track that
is better.
Right?
So it's that mindset thing of what's what isyour time worth?
It's collapsing time.
Exactly.
Get it because I
think I I think the like, if we bring it downto another level, what's like, some people are
(43:42):
going, I can I can learn how to bake a cake orbake muffins by reading, or you can make a
phone call to your friend who's done already?
What's faster?
It's probably faster for that person to tellyou over the phone than you finding a recipe,
And it's even faster if that friend comes overto your house and shows you and bakes with you
(44:03):
as to how to do it.
And you probably do it right away, right,rather than doing your research.
Same thing.
It's that whole willing to have that coachmentor beside you to guide you along the way.
Absolutely.
It's it's collapsing time.
And also, you know, coaches coaches, yes, thatthat can be expensive.
You know, it's their time, but they're gonnafast track you.
(44:26):
So if we it's also having the the mindset of agrowth mindset, not a fixed mindset.
Because if you're a fixed mindset and you'vealways stayed in that way, You know, you're not
you're unresponsive to what people say to you.
You're not willing to learn.
And I'm not saying that because I that was me.
(44:46):
I would not be willing.
I always for the longest time, I always had a afixed mindset.
You know, people say to me, well, you gotta domeditation.
You gotta do yoga.
Well, no.
I don't think I want to.
You know?
And I always stayed in that mindset until whenI switched my mindset to a growth mindset
because because I want to improve.
(45:07):
I want to learn.
I wanna be good, whatever that may be.
So I think that is also what I've got to learnin my life is you gotta be you gotta be open.
You gotta be responsive.
You got to know, you know, whether it doesn'tmatter what people say to you.
You may not like it, but just listen.
(45:29):
Mhmm.
Yeah.
I I remember when I first when we first startedout, we were paying, I think, our coach $5,600
a
month Mhmm.
For for a year or something like that.
And people go, wow.
That's so much for $500 $5,600 a month.
Why would you do that?
I'm like, well, this is something we'recommitted to.
We we believe it's gonna work, and we'll we'llsee kinda thing.
(45:51):
Right?
And when you're committed to that kinda, thatkinda investment in yourself, you really wanna
make something happen.
And very shortly after that, when we firststarted, we we got our first property.
And our first property cash flowed $5,600 amonth.
So then all of a sudden, say, it's covered.
Yeah.
But what's stopping us from getting the second,third, fourth, fifth property?
(46:14):
Now that's all bonus.
Right?
And most people don't see past that.
They see the initial investment and go, what ifit doesn't work?
And they're so fixated on if it doesn't work,then you're down $5,600 a month, and you're
screwed for the long period of time kind ofthing.
Right?
(46:34):
But then I'm like, well, yeah.
Put put your nose down, work hard, listen towhat your coach says, and then guess what?
You get your first, second, third, and then allof a sudden, hey.
It's all it's all taken care of.
Exactly.
The the the first property is always the mostdifficult.
But once you you know, it's cash flowing,you're building equity on the property, you
(46:56):
know, so then you can then it compounds andthen it becomes so much easier.
But I think that is such a great advice.
What would you say, Fang?
People who want to buy the first investmentproperty, what how how do they go about what
how do they go about finding deals?
(47:17):
Because there's so much I mean, I'm sure aboutthe landscape in Calgary right now.
What is the landscape in Calgary?
Oh, I'm in Edmonton.
So Edmonton.
Yes.
And and Edmonton is usually, like, a yearbehind what Calgary's market is.
It's it's fairly healthy.
I mean, like, the stuff that's around my place,they they got sold fair fairly fairly quickly.
(47:40):
And it's the entry point's not too high, sotherefore, it's very, competitive.
I would say that if anybody wants so assumingthat people have that mentor and the coach that
they're already kinda talking with and assumingthey have some base knowledge as to what
they're actually getting themselves into.
(48:01):
Now we're talking about, okay, what's the nextstep of doing real estate investing?
And I would say, build those relationships.
Go connect with other investors.
See what kind of deals they talk about.
See what kind of deals that they may have ormay not have and all that kind stuff.
See how you could add value with otherinvestors.
And then also build a network of realtors andagents with you so that if they do find a deal
(48:25):
before they put it in the market, they can talkto you first.
But you have to be out there telling people,hey.
I'm interested.
I'm in the market to buy property.
I'm in the market in in investing.
Because if you don't do that, people don'tthink of you at all.
So for for us, when we were building it, we hada a realtor that we worked with.
We made sure that, yes, we may or may not wantproperties that's already listed.
(48:50):
However, we set up a a few different filters, afew different searches so that we could get
familiarized with that area, with that type ofproperty, looking at what's being listed,
what's coming in, what's being sold, and whatare the verbiage underneath them to see, hey.
Maybe this is a motivated seller.
And then start putting out offers.
(49:10):
There's nothing there's there's nothingstopping you from learning by doing.
And, therefore, you could just put out anoffer.
You don't have to be afraid of it.
If it doesn't get accepted, fine.
If it doesn't get accepted and you don't wannago through with it, you can always bow out if
you need to.
Right?
So there's it's just learning by doing.
(49:31):
So, therefore, having that realtor sending you,listings, getting familiarized with that, Now
it's another level of education versus justreading the books because you're actually
actively doing it, and then you could activelyput out offers.
After a while, once you start getting morecomfortable, like, for instance, now we put out
offers without even looking at propertiesbecause we wanna save our time.
(49:55):
Lots of people out there who goes, okay.
We need to invest in a property.
And the first thing they think about is, okay.
Let's set up sometimes with their realtor, havethe realtor send us a whole bunch of listings,
have the realtor then book a whole bunch ofshowings.
We're gonna spend our entire day looking at allthese different properties.
Out of those ten, twelve properties, we liketwo of them.
(50:15):
We'll put out offers on two of them only tofind out that both of them are either pending
or, or rejected.
So then now you start from scratch.
Well, now you wasted everybody's time.
However, if I could put out offers now and itgets accepted, I could still go and do my due
diligence without the competition, which savesme so much more time.
(50:38):
Now it's a completely different story if it'snot even on the market yet.
And those ones will come from networking,building relationships, having a good kinda
bond with your agents so that they can come toyou first.
If you don't have that bond, why why do theycome to you?
Right?
They might as well just list it and havecompetition instead.
(50:58):
Exactly.
Build relationships, you know, network havethat portfolio of, you know, mortgage brokers,
real estate agents, you know, real estatelawyers who because when you do find a deal,
you know, they can assess that deal for you.
So for would you recommend initially peoplewhen investing in a property, would you
(51:21):
recommend that they work with a real estateagent?
Or can they how does that work?
I would say first starting out, I will workwith a real estate agent.
Mhmm.
And before how how I picked buyer agent at thetime was I interviewed, I think, five five
(51:41):
realtors at Starbucks one after another, and Ispent, like, a whole I I spent a whole morning
at Starbucks meeting realtor after realtorafter realtor, property, what was it?
Mortgage broker after mortgage broker aftermortgage broker to see which one I want them to
work with.
Thanks.
And then with regards to, an agent or arealtor, you want somebody who understands
(52:02):
investing.
Mhmm.
It'd be great if they were also in propertymanagement themselves
Right.
And have some background of, what do call it,inspections.
Right?
Because if you're first starting out, you mightwanna have your first agent with that
knowledge, which allows you to ask themquestions.
Right.
(52:22):
When they start showing you properties, theycould go, okay.
From an inspector's point of view, you might beanticipating this challenge and this problem
and this problem and this this potential thing.
Now you get to learn as you go through theseproperties.
On top of that, if you do have an inspectorcome in and your realtor is able to kinda get,
give you more feedback on what the inspector'slooking at, then you actually learn a lot more
(52:46):
as well.
If you're working with an agent who has noproperties of their own and are not interested
in investing at all, but you're investing, thenyou're gonna get so much lot of backlash as to
how you're putting your offers in.
Because you don't wanna buy property at marketprice.
(53:06):
You're gonna be giving a discounted offer orsomething like that because you're not gonna
buy it at market.
You need to buy you have to make money on thebuy.
And if the realtor is not understanding howinvestment works and they don't invest
themselves, they feel embarrassed offering youroffer.
Mhmm.
So therefore, there's already a disconnectthere.
(53:28):
Right.
And that's why I like to interview my myrealtors first before I go, okay.
Let's work with you and go and put in an offerbecause, I don't want there to be any conflict
between me and the person who's supposed torepresent me.
Right?
So for people first starting out, I wouldrecommend having that agent so that you have
(53:49):
somebody to bounce ideas off of.
As you get more experience, you might wanna dostuff on your own, whatever it is, and expand.
You may even start partnering up with yourrealtor or having your realtor as one of your
your deal finders and all that kind of stuff asyou start expanding up.
But when you first start, you have somebody tocome bounce around with.
That's a great, great idea, valuable tips.
(54:11):
Fung, this has been such a powerful, a greatconversations.
Truly have been appreciated to have you on.
Your final question, and I always like to askthese, you know, questions to my guests, It's
about your about your life.
So everything all the success that you've hadtoday and the success that you've had, if
(54:38):
tomorrow all your files were deleted, Whatwould the three things that you want people to
take away from your knowledge?
Three things.
So three three kind of points of advice that Iwould like people to remember.
(54:58):
Right.
About yes.
About your life.
Yes.
I I I I would say the very first one is don'tbe afraid to reach out and ask.
Because everything that you ever wanna do,everything that you ever want to achieve has
been done by somebody already or has beenattempted by somebody already.
So by reaching out and finding those peoplethat are doing what you want to achieve to do
(55:22):
is the very first thing that I I I recommendevery anybody to do.
That that's my first one.
The the second one is having that positivemindset.
You can waste all your energy complaining andjudging and and, being negative when
unfortunate things happen to you, but then thatis energy that you've wasted and energy that
(55:45):
you could've spent on something more positiveand something that's a little bit that allows
you to grow more.
Yeah.
And then thirdly is surrounding yourself withthe people who could actually support and, be a
motivation to you.
If you don't have those people, it's verydifficult to push that stone up by yourself
because every step you take, you have your youhave people that's pushing you down two more
(56:10):
steps below you.
So making sure that you making sure that yousurround yourself with the right people to get
you to where you wanna be.
However, having said that, I understand that alot of people who, whose closest people may be
the most negative or your detractors.
(56:30):
And therefore, you have to be able to segmentin your mind what you share with which people
so that you allow your mind to be supported bythe people that are gonna support you and not
having the people who don't support you affectyou.
That is so true.
I mean, family and friends, you know, you yougotta be you gotta you gotta choose what you
(56:52):
wanna share with those individual family orfriends.
But, absolutely, you know, it is so true as to,like, you are the five people that you hang
around with.
And so be wise as to what you share withindividuals.
Fang, this has been so amazing.
What what where can people connect with you sothat we can support you best?
(57:15):
Awesome.
Well, you can find me on Facebook thenLinkedIn, Feng Chua.
You can find my YouTube page which is Your AreaTV.
And then you can find my podcast on Spotify andall the other podcast outlets and that is the
peak potential success show.
Wonderful.
And your book, make make more work less.
Work me where where's your book available?
(57:36):
Yeah.
On Amazon, all my books are there.
Okay.
Amazing.
Well, Song, this has been incredible, and thankyou so much to you, the viewers, for tuning in
to another powerful episode with Fang Chua.
He truly has been such an incredible, themultifaceted and multitalented as to what Fang
(57:58):
has shared with us today.
But we truly appreciate your time today.
And as we said, you know, the request that wewould like is for you to subscribe to the
channel.
In this way, we can bring more amazing guestsfor you and to bring valuable content.
So click the link below and subscribe to thechannel.
(58:19):
It will mean so much to us.
But in the meantime, thank you so much to eachand everyone for tuning in to the show.
Until next time.
Thank you.
Bye for now.
Thank you so much, Wong Fong.
This has been so incredible.
Awesome.
Does that fit what you were
(58:39):
looking for?
Yes.
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