To make ends meet, his parents, who did not receive any formal education, sold fruits — an experience from which he drew an important lesson that he applied throughout his entrepreneurial journey.
"It’s all [about] hard-knock lessons — seeing my parents earn a decent living through their wholesale fruit business. In the business of wholesaling, time is of the essence and we needed a fast turnaround time because we were dealing with perishable goods. We received [the fruits] and sold them immediately."
While he is working towards leaving a lasting legacy, he is ensuring that his children would also make a name for themselves in their own ways — to become "their own bosses". Hence, Chun Chuan says it is important to set life goals, both for the short and long term. He describes life goals as important guides and lifetime scorecards, without which, one would be "running around like a headless chicken".
"When you have a guide and goals in your life, then you will know how to maintain your scorecard," he adds. To do so, Chun Chuan, 62, does not believe in setting hard and fast rules for his children, but allows them to pursue their own dreams. "I told my children to go to university and get a degree. Whether or not they want to be professional is secondary.
"If they know they are not going to be professionals, then they have more time [during their university days] to build connections. All of them played polo competitively and have built good contacts and friendships while representing their universities or colleges, so I told them to continue that momentum as it could be good for their future businesses," he shares.
For instance, he sent his youngest son Garvy to boarding school in the UK at the age of 13 so that he could have the best possible learning environment and global exposure. At the age of 16, Garvy’s O Level results, coupled with his polo-playing talent, earned him a place at the University of Virginia. He was the youngest student in his batch.
Interested in sociology since his early years, he went on to obtain a double major in anthropology and social science. However, Garvy had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. "I have always dreamt about having my own business. I aspired to be an entrepreneur and be my own boss. Being in charge and making the important decisions with regard to my business is fulfilling.
"I can always choose the work that I like to do and that makes the most of my strengths and skills," he says.
Before completing his tertiary education, Garvy has his first taste of entrepreneurship in setting up a restaurant with the backing and support of Chun Chuan, which eventually led to a successful French fine dining restaurant in Ipoh.
Journey to Success with Lifelong Learning
While Chun Chuan believes that the traditional way of running a bricks and mortar outfit is important, technology is important to improve the way companies like his are run. He did not have to look further as he found his go-to tech guy in Garvy, who is currently CEO of Doctor2U and the group’s IT vice-president. Doctor2U, a product of the group, is a digital health-tech company launched three years ago to offer on-demand doctor house calls via an app.
Garvy sees better prospects in being involved in the family business, which led to the starting up of Doctor2U.
He says the main objective is to build a patient-centric model as the company is in the healthcare industry. "We have already successfully done so with our vertically-integrated model between Doctor2U’s technology-driven platformand BPHG, the bricks-and-mortar medical centres.
In more than three years, tens of thousands customers have used the app. Various medical centres have come on board and offered their services.
Nevertheless, Garvy acknowledges that he has been dealt a good hand. He is grateful to his father, who has not only showed him the ropes when it comes to managing a business, but has also instilled traditional values — such as the importance of hard work — in him.
