A recipe to a successful mentor-mentee relationship

(An EO Melbourne Mentorship Program Story)

“Access to knowledge is easy, but access to wisdom is difficult.”

- Kym Huynh

Founder of WeTeachMe and EO Melbourne’s Past President

During one of their most recent mentorship sessions, John Paolacci, Director at KMG Advisory, invited over Kym Huynh, his mentee, to his house and prepared his father’s gnocchi with him. Kym watched John closely while he cooked gnocchi in his kitchen. Kym found meaning and inspiration from this experience.

“I appreciate the degree of care that he takes in explaining every step of the process. John was incredibly specific and very conscientious and thoughtful that I understood the ingredients used, where the ingredients were sourced from, and how much to use in the cooking process so that the gnocchi comes out the way that his father makes it. It made me question whether I applied that specificity to the things that I do in my life. John is a lot more deliberate in how he does things and the processes he uses, and I derived a lot of value in that by just watching how he operates and how he works. That's an example of an intangible benefit that comes out of the mentorship program,” Kym shared.

Care and Love

Kym acknowledges that this was only possible because John has opened up himself in his home and welcomed him. Although this is the third time that Kym has participated in EO Melbourne’s Mentorship Program, he cherishes the learnings during their sessions together and the relationship that developed along the way. “He shared something with me that's quite intimate to him and special to him. That was a big learning for me, just seeing the intention that John puts into his cooking, how he shares it with others, and the love that he puts into it.”

“Through that interaction, I was able to ask a lot of questions and understand what was John's journey, what were his lessons, what are the things that are important to him, what were the failures, what are the things that he did well, what are his concerns, what are the things that he's most proud of, and how is he with his family. These are the intangible benefits that I've taken away so far from our mentor and mentee relationship,” Kym remarked.

Open to change

For John, on the other hand, he finds the experience as an eye-opener in various ways. “What I’ve found in mentorship is that it gives me exposure to a younger perspective or a different generation. If you hang around with people your age or who have similar experiences, (whilst) I think it's good you share a lot of common knowledge and other things, it doesn't necessarily challenge you or put you into the picture of what's happening out there.”

Seeing how the younger generation can use technology seamlessly and use it to their advantage personally and professionally has opened John’s eyes and made him more open to change. “I think the change part is a big element for a mentor, where a lot of the times if you keep doing the same thing and you're not exposed to new experiences it's very hard to not only change but even consider making a change or consider the need or benefit in making any changes,” he added.

As a mentor, it was an opportunity for John to share his knowledge and experience but also reflect on his business and personal life. John explained, “The exposure I've had to Kym and his business and his objectives, in terms of what he wants to achieve, has helped me assess from my perspective: am I doing things like that in my life? This mentorship has made me confront issues that are relevant to me personally and relevant to my business.”

Trust and friendship

Both Kym and John find the experience refreshing as it does not only help them learn more on how to deal with their respective businesses but also enhance their perspectives in life and contribute to their personal development. Moreover, they both appreciate the bond that was formed between them because of the program.

According to Kym, “I put a lot of value on his friendship. There's something quite bolstering in knowing that another person sees you and hears you and understands you and reassures you that whatever issue you have for that month and whatever issue you're experiencing is normal. It’s quite bolstering knowing that you have a friend and ally every step of the way, someone in your corner shouting for you and cheering for you and working with you. That’s a benefit that I didn't anticipate coming into the mentoring program. I thought it would be – here’s my problem, here's the issue, here's how to resolve it, this is the person you talk to – and you just get to it in a very methodical problem-solving approach. But what I've come to experience with John has been more of inner strength and fortitude. Again, that came as a big surprise, a very welcome surprise.”

John acknowledged that through the mentorship program, “you get the opportunity to meet someone and get to know someone. It allows you to delve into their life in a way that you wouldn't normally do with a person that you just met. So, I think personally and professionally, it's been a major benefit to me. If I can see that Kym gets some benefit or development out of our interactions, then that gives me a lot of fulfilment, knowing I'm able to assist and help while I'm also developing myself.”

Kym echoes the same kind of appreciation for John. “Having the benefit of his experience and his wisdom is invaluable to me. The interesting thing is that I came to John for business advice but what I'm getting from him is life and wisdom, which I think is 10 times more impactful than the business advice.”

Many others have become part of the program either as a mentor or as a mentee. From John’s and Kym’s experiences, there are a lot of things one can get out of the program, but it can only be achieved as long as one puts in the effort and the right ingredients to make it a success.

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Are you interested to be an EO Melbourne mentor or mentee? Learn more about our Mentorship Program and apply to be a mentor or mentee through this page.

What quirky hobbies do entrepreneurs have?

Hobbies can help an individual learn new things, acquire additional knowledge, declutter the mind, bond with people who share the same interest, and warm the heart. Hobbies are beneficial to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of a people, especially entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Intriguingly, some entrepreneurs have quirky hobbies, showing us their fun side that we do not get to see most often. Here are some of the interesting pursuits of EO Melbourne members that they do when they’re not on their laptops or immersed in their business.

Kitesurfing

Kitesurfing is the leisurely pursuit of Cesar Aldea, Founder and Managing Director of Aldea Consulting.

According to Cesar, “I started kitesurfing back in 2007 when I arrived in Australia. I love it because it keeps me fit and takes my mind away from any pressing problems, allowing me the time to reset and come back to it with a fresh mindset.”

Flying a helicopter

Getting into the air is also a penchant of Honeycomb Strategy Managing Director John Bevitt. “I started learning to fly a helicopter last year when I turned 30,” he declared.

“It was something I've always wanted to do. My wife bought me a trial flight for my birthday and I absolutely LOVED IT. In terms of what I love about it - it's the feeling of seeing something familiar from a new perspective, looking down over Melbourne and seeing so many familiar places. Just the freedom of flying in a 3d space and being able to move in any direction (compared to a plane for instance) is simply wonderful,” John shared.

Growing cacti

“I love cactus for some weird reason,” says Andrew Colliver, Executive Director and Co-founder of Banjo Loans. He explained, “My interest commenced on visiting our happy place in Sorrento and there was a massive cactus garden against a Mexican-looking wall. It was further reinforced on a trip to California 2 years ago. Each variety is so unique; they can be very tricky to plant and some sting like crazy – and they grow so slowly. Patience is required, a virtue I lack.”

“Some varieties have incredible flowers growing from a hostile-looking plant. They appear to be the adaptive masters of growing and surviving in a hostile environment – the poster child of a weird individual combined with resilience. And unrealistically, I somewhat expected a dinosaur to suddenly appear one day and start munching on them which would just cap off a great day,” Andrew said.

Stacking books

WeTeachMe Founder and EO Melbourne Past President Kym Huynh stacks books. “You would be amazed at how many options or variations are possible,” he remarked.

“I find the art of stacking books both meditative and cathartic. From the endless variations (all vertical, all horizontal, half up/half down, sort-by-alphabet, sort-by-colour, sort-by-size, sort-by-genre, sort-by-author and the endless combinations thereof, including but not limited to combining with art, photo frames filled with pictures of loved ones and cherished memories that instantly transport one to moments of pure unadulterated joy, and objects discovered in strange and foreign lands) to conscious choices in symmetry or asymmetry (perfect if one feels a sense of anarchy or looming irony), stacking books perfectly combines art in its creativity and expression and organisation in the structure of carefully-selected or curated books.”

“In this sense, I find that it mirrors life quite beautifully, and I'm sure there are theoretical links to leadership here in that it requires both creativity and structure for one to be effective and free. In actuality, I'm just practising leadership in each corner of the bookshelf or coffee table. That's what I'll just keep telling myself. Stacking books is practising life in a safe and contained environment where it is OK to fail or make mistakes,” he reflected.

Collecting and restoring Saab cars

“I collect Saab cars and restore the classic 900s,” shared James Murray, Founder & Managing Director of Work Healthy Australia. “I started doing it about a year ago,” he continued. “Once, I had a head-on collision in a Classic Saab 900 and walked away. If I had been driving my Ute I would have had a much worse outcome!”

“I drove Saabs for many years after that but stopped when they went under in 2011. Last year, I realized that SUVs were not for me as I missed my Saabs too much. Since then it’s all Saabs! I have two of the wagons that I use for work and they are both crazy fun to drive,” James revealed.

Paragliding

A sports enthusiast and Executive Director of Sports Tech World Series, Johann Odou is into paragliding since 2012/2013.

“There is something magical about flying. Learning to operate in a different world, one where you go up, down, left, right, forward and back. It's a pretty special feeling to be able to look down on birds flying,” Johann quipped.

Collecting chess sets from the USSR

Rankin Business Lawyers Principal and Founder Rob Roy Rankin has a fascinating hobby. “I collect chess sets with a focus on sets from the USSR.”

Well, if one is a chess enthusiast, why not collect sets from the land of the chess champions? Chess and Russia have a long history together as it is believed that their rulers were partial to this game.

Rob recalled, “I started collecting chess sets back in 1991 when I made my first visit to the USSR. Chess was such an enormous part of Russian and soviet culture in the 20th century and the variety of chess sets produced in that period is incredible. So much of the nation’s culture and history can be gleaned form each set and every piece of each set is a small work of art.”

pinball machines

Dylan Smith, Founder and Managing Director of Rubix, found pinball machines cool. “I started only two years ago and now, I’ve got fifteen of the beautiful creations.”

What makes him take interest in pinball machines is that “I love every tiny little aspect of it. I strongly believe it is the ultimate example of lessons on how to run a global long term business using some of the most complicated and advanced skill sets, whilst keeping a diverse global customer base happy and screaming for innovations, but then complaining when the machines deviate from their definition of pinball.”

He added, “Disciplines include software engineering, mechanical engineering, game theory, manufacturing, pricing, global distribution, support, innovation, sound, lighting, theme licensing, cost of goods, fussy customers, theme integration, storage, business operations, artwork, tournament management and world ranking algorithms plus lots more!”

Cooking new and interesting food

Of course, there are also hobbies that we may find simple, yet relevant in the current situation. For Ben Stickland, Founder and CEO of Alliance Software, he found his interest in preparing food for his family. “I'm enjoying cooking as a hobby, works well in lockdown. Every weekend, I figure out at least one new meal and cook it. My goal is to transition our family to new & interesting food, and a few months in it is working well. It works for me because my wife and children all love food and so it's allowing us to explore new meals together,” he shared.

While most of his growth as an entrepreneur comes from the people he interacts with, many of which are from EO, he finds personal and professional growth through the readings that he does. Still, cooking provides a different kind of value. “Cooking is about an escape. It's a small, completable project. Often as entrepreneurs, we're working on big things that sometimes don't have clear finish lines. When I cook a meal, it's done. Delicious or disgusting, it's done,” he added.

There are many other hobbies out there that entrepreneurs can be involved in and benefit from. What rare or quirky hobby do you have that is not on the list above? Share with us why you enjoy it through the comments section below.

Music Makes Better Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs live busy lives as it is, which are often filled with stress and pressure from various angles. With the challenges that the current crisis brings and the uncertainty that the future beholds, they need more than ever to turn to methods and solutions that can contribute to their mental health. Music is one tool that brings energy to a lethargic mind and respite to a weary soul.

Let’s see how busy entrepreneurs use music as they go through the rigours of their journeys.

“Music has a significant effect on my mood and my emotions.”

– Kym Huynh

WeTeachMe Founder Kym Huynh finds music as an integral part of the human experience. “I use it to lift my mood and comfort, boost general happiness, and reduce anxiety. For me, music is an easy – and powerful – way to transform how I feel and, consequently, how I think.”

Kym, former President at EO Melbourne, also talked about how music has piqued his interest in the human mind.  “I'm particularly curious about how music can influence cognitive function. A tool I use for concentration –  https://brain.fm/ -- creates functional music that is optimised for focus. I find that the frequency of this music shifts me into one of focus and concentration, and the cerebral shift starts from minute 2 onwards.”

“I also listen to 432 Hz frequency music as part of my morning routine that was taught to me by Warren Rustand, called the 10.10.10. Without fail, this frequency of music, combined with the 10.10.10. in my morning routine, prepares me for an exceptional day. As a side benefit, music tuned to 432 Hz is softer and brighter. It is said to provide greater clarity and is easy on the ears,” Kym added.

“Music is good to start your day and end your night.”

– Tui Cordemans

For Tui Cordemans, Director at Koh Living, there is nothing like a hard trance to move your stress levels and get the energy flowing. “As COVID hit, I went back to my 20’s and started running and listening to hardcore trance which stopped any thought patterns and got me ready and pumped for the day.”

She described how she starts her mornings with energy-boosting music. “I have been listening to albums such as trance essential and hard trance anthems. I highly recommend this strategy if you are experiencing any negative thought patterns because the music is so intense and loud that you just have no place for any other thoughts. During stressful times, having an empty mind is potentially the best place to go to have a mental break. In the mornings, it is very easy to start with this music because your mind is not exhausted from the day.”

This is in stark contrast as to how Tui ends her nights, as well as the kind of music she listens to when she caps her day. “On the flip side, when I want to relax at the end of a night, I often enjoy pure silence. I find this extremely relaxing. I became accustomed to this after spending years doing meditation. If I do listen to music at the end of a day, it has to be classical as I find it dissolves my day into pure bliss. Pretty extreme change from my morning music, I know.  My brain is fairly exhausted from the day, so silence or listening to classical music works for me. Something like Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky, The Four Seasons, Vivaldi or even Rigoletto by Pavarotti – all great stress busters!”

“Music has a huge effect on my wellbeing.” 

– John Liston

“I would go as far as to say it’s the single most important thing in my day-to-day life,” said John Liston, Director at Liston Newton Advisory. “I have Spotify on throughout the entire day. I use it for energy and momentum when doing work. I use a good song to celebrate a win during the day or to get my energy back up if it’s been a hard day. I use it when cooking dinner and spending time with the kids to make things more upbeat and fun.”     

Apart from having it at home, music is also part of his work environment. “In the pre-COVID days, we would have a UE Boom in our open-plan office and play music throughout the day. It’s hard to always get everyone to agree on taste, but it’s a great way to generate mood and energy in the office,” John shared.

John’s top three chill songs include: “Give Me Tonight” by Dustin Tebbutt; “Old Pine” by Ben Howard; and “Fading” by Valis Alps.

“Music is core to me as an individual.”

– Dean Cherny

Dean Cherny has been in the music industry for so many years. He is the CEO and Founder of Marketing Melodies and storePlay, as well as Managing Director of DJ Dimension – all of which are related to music. “As you might expect, music plays a massive part in my well-being. It is core to me as an individual and something that compliments almost every part of my life. From training in the morning to hanging out with the kids, I love having a soundtrack to everything I do,” Dean remarked.

He shared an experience he recently had with his family. “Only last weekend, I watched my two daughters grooving and singing along to Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff as we built Lego, and it bought such a smile to my face. These soundtracks also allow me to build a bridge with my kids as I share stories about the artists and my time in the music industry.”

Outside of the home, music still plays an integral part in his entrepreneurial life. “While my company Marketing Melodies primarily focuses on using music to help create ambience in retail spaces, we also realise the importance of using music to stimulate, boost, and motivate the workforce in these environments.”

Dean stated the significance of music in a work environment. “The correct playlists can indeed help boost productivity in shops and offices. More laidback, relaxing music works best for periods of concentration, whilst more upbeat music helps to boost energy levels towards the end of the day.”

And if you’re curious as to what are Dean’s must-listen music, here are his top five ‘chill’ artists and albums:

1. David Gray - White Ladder

2. Massive Attack - Blue Lines

3. Maxwell - Maxwell’s Urban Hand Suite

4. Morcheeba - Big Calm

5. George Benson - Give Me The Night

What is music to you?

Let us know how music has played in your personal and professional journey. Comment below your thoughts or share your favourite songs that have become a significant part of your life.

The unrelenting pursuits of Kym Huynh

"God hasn't given me some special power. God hasn't made me any different to the average person. Where I attribute my successes in life to is my unrelenting pursuit of excellence in every single thing that I do.” - Kym Huynh, Founder at WeTeachMe.

Is being an entrepreneur something that is innate or does it develop over time? That may be subject to debate, but Kym Huynh, one of the founders of WeTeachMe, believes that one is born to it, and that is evidenced by patterns of behaviour over time. “I believe that you're born an entrepreneur. I believe there are inherent traits and characteristics that consistently manifest over and over and over in one's life. It's only when you reflect that you connect the dots; that the behaviour is consistent with that of being an entrepreneur,” the young businessman professes.

Coming from a family consisting of hardworking parents who arrived in Australia as immigrants, Kym lives and breathes what he learned and saw from them. Kym, thinking of his parents, recounts, “They left Vietnam after the Second World War and they came to Australia as refugees, on the boats. For them, they left an entire world that they knew behind them -- their culture, their family, their language and their innate sense of belonging -- and they started their life again in a strange and foreign land. To do something like this requires an inordinate amount of courage, tremendous bravery, unrelenting persistence, and dogged resilience; and these are qualities that I live and breathe each and every day.”

Given their experiences and the challenges they faced, Kym learned a lot from his parents. One of the things he learned is the results that come from being unrelenting. Kym likens this to waves that hit sea cliffs. The waves keep on hitting and no matter what happens, it will always keep on hitting. “And one day, if I hit something hard enough, and if I hit it the right way, something’s going to give.” That is the philosophy that Kym lives by. With conviction, he avowed, “I may not be the best, and I may not be the fastest learner, and I may not be the cleverest, but I will be unrelenting. I will never give up. And one day, somewhere, something is going to give.”

Kym exhibited his unrelenting attitude and his entrepreneurial abilities early on. When he was eight years old, he used to collect papers, odd bits and pieces of them with varying colours, textures and designs. He would approach his classmates and sell them his papers and they would gladly buy the papers at 50 cents or for a few dollars. Unbelievably, Kym's papers were always sold out, leaving him happy with his venture.

Three years later, like any kid in school, Kym moved towards collecting marbles, which was the playground’s currency. One day at lunch, he observed his schoolmates as they set out to win marbles. The good ones cheered when they acquired three to five marbles for their winnings. Kym thought, “there must be a better way I can quickly amass a lot of marbles.” An a-ha moment came. He rounded up his schoolmates and announced a new game he devised. With a container lid at hand, he placed it on the floor and challenged the other kids to throw their marbles into the container lid, at 10 to 15 meters from where he stood. If they could get their marbles to land and stay in the container lid, he would give them 50 marbles. But if they missed, he got to keep their marbles. The kids excitedly lined up, and showed off their throwing prowess, only to their dismay. His plan worked. He eventually amassed hundreds of marbles, and he gleefully went back to his classroom with the marbles in his arms. Alas, he tripped and the marbles flew everywhere, leaving the other kids to rush and seize whatever they could.

Kym has many anecdotes to share about his childhood. While they may sound funny,  these incidents left a dent in his life, which laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial journey. For instance, there was this time when his mom asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up. The boy who sold papers in school and amassed large quantities of marbles answered without batting an eyelash, “I want to be a dolphin trainer.” His shocked mother countered, “No. You’re going to be a lawyer.” And so, he trudged the path to becoming a lawyer. He loved the cases he worked on, but he later found out that his bigger passion lies in business. Still, he credits his experience as a lawyer for training him how to research, and how to structure and articulate his thoughts, which he applies to many facets of his life, including business.

Then again, Kym didn’t go after his passion in the onset. He was just starting to practice law and was travelling in South America when he met a freak accident. The car he was a passenger in drove off a cliff. Scenes from his life flashed before his eyes – him hugging his mother, devising games with his kid sister, spending time with his closest friends – and he thought it was going to be his end. Luckily, the car landed on a tree and he survived the ordeal. He was transported to an operating table and spent a year in recovery. That incident left a significant impact on his life because it made him realise that life is short.

Kym declares, "Life goes by in a blink of an eye. So I want to make sure that if I dedicate my time to something, I want to dedicate it to something that makes my heart beat, something that I am truly passionate about, and something that I will stay awake for days-on-end to accomplish. I want to live a life that is intensely passionate and extraordinary in every possible way.”

It was then when he took a turn towards his passion and opted to take the business track where he was able to recognise the need to seek other people’s help. Growing up with his parents working multiple jobs and working incredibly long hours, Kym became independent at an early age. As a result, he never asked for anything and he did things on his own. That was his methodology at first until he found a better way of doing things. “In business, there are so many lessons, so many obstacles, and so many hurdles that if you try to solve everything yourself, it will take you an inordinate amount of time. What I learned was that there should be no fear in reaching out to someone who has achieved what I want to achieve, and to sit down with them and ask them to share their experiences or their nuggets of wisdom. This alone will save me years of learning the hard way myself.”

One particular nugget of wisdom he received from his parents, which he considers as a very important one, is the value of learning. “They've always said to me: In life, you can lose your house, your car, your money, your clothes, and all the material possessions that you have amassed. You can lose everything. But you will never lose what you have learned.” The idea of continuous learning has stuck with Kym his entire life as he has seen firsthand how learning can be transformative not only to one’s life but also to those that surround that person.

Wanting to take that idea a step further and as his way of honouring his parents, Kym planned to set up something that can encourage learning, one that will lead to changing the individual, those surrounding the individual, the community and, eventually, the world. From that seed of vision sprung WeTeachMe: home to Australia's best and most popular classes.

Along with three other friends, Kym co-founded WeTeachMe. As Kym would put it, they started on the smell of an oily rag. With basically nothing, these four individuals worked only on the idea that they could increase knowledge in the world by disseminating and democratising education. And being young, green entrepreneurs, they committed several mistakes along the way.

Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Kym recognises that errors and miscalculations are part and parcel of the learning process. As Kym quotes George Naddaff, a serial entrepreneur and founder of New Boston Chicken, "No business, no problems. No problems, no business."

The biggest blunder Kym can remember was when they did not conduct customer research prior to launching the first WeTeachMe platform. There they were, pouring all their energy and spending sleepless nights designing and developing the initial website. However, after they launched their “baby” to the public, a month came and no one visited the site. It was heartbreaking, but more than that, Kym felt sad for the team. Sitting down with one of his mentors, Kym voiced his misery and asked where they went wrong. “Did you do any customer development?” he was asked. Learning from that, they sprang into action and talked to hundreds of customers before they launched the second platform. Only then they were able to see growth on their site. Now, they are the biggest school in Australia.

But did you know that this entrepreneur who loves learning often feels like he knows a little? “What I love about EO is that I constantly feel like I am the dumbest person in the room. It’s a feeling I have never quite shaken off, nor do I want to. I constantly feel like I have to run and chase to keep up with my peers. I love that feeling because that's when I'm most challenged and when I am most engaged.”

As much as he loves challenges, this lawyer-turned-entrepreneur also gets tired, so when things get tough and when business gets difficult, he goes back to his family, which he considers his fortress. He recalls the words of entrepreneur, educator and public servant, Warren Rustand, “No success in life compensates for failure in the home.”

And that’s what makes him unrelenting. “I am not afraid to put myself out there, grab risk by the proverbial horns, try new things, and leap in all-guns-blazing. But, I cannot take credit for this, because behind that is a very strong family that believes in me, and supports me in every single thing that I do. For me, even though I may be taking a risk, I like to think of it as taking a risk from a position of strength.”

Kym makes sure that he pays attention to four things that make up life as a whole: business, personal, family, and community. He puts a premium on his relationships in these various aspects of his life. In fact, relationships play a key role throughout his journey, and he gets recharged by conversing with people close to him or spending time with them. That same connection with people got Kym to sell his bits of papers when he was eight. “I found that my classmates bought the paper, not because of the product itself - the product was great, by the way - but mostly because of the relationship they had with me.”

He may have tripped and dropped his marbles, but Kym never gives up. Now, this man who loves learning has a company about learning, and he continues to learn in the process. There is no stopping Kym as he is unrelenting in his pursuit of excellence.

More of Kym Huynh on his LinkedIn profile. Read about WeTeachMe at https://weteachme.com/.