Bernard
Liang
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Tech · Entrepreneurship
7
Oct
Attending Nordic integration summit
Last year while I was working at SJ, we attended "Nordic Integration Summit (NIS)". It's an integration conference focused on the Azure ecosystem, with leading experts from the field speaking about the technology and new updates. One of my colleagues in our team is one of the founding members. This year they called me and wondered if I was interested in attending again, as my own company. I was a little skeptical about if I wanted to dish out 4000kr to attend, but in the end I think it was entirely worth it and even felt inspired to attend more summits in Europe - perhaps 2-3 a year. First and foremost I really enjoyed meeting up with and talking trash with my old colleagues from SJ. Many have new assignments, some even new employers. I would say 70% of my original motivation to go came from catching up with familiar faces. Secondly, It's been over a year since I was working with Azure. Although I may not remember everything from the presentations, I did feel it was great reminders, review, and inspiration for what's to come in the ecosystem before my Azure migration project begins Nov. 1. Microsoft is really pouring their all into AI-driven cloud services. Third and last, I actually managed to network a bit as well with both other professionals in the field as well as consultancy companies. I took a few LinkedIn contacts and wished also that my NFC contact card had already arrived. Also wished my AI note-taking device had already arrived for that matter. I don't enjoy networking for the sake of networking, but I have no qualms about organic conversation and finding interesting people or potential business partners that I would maybe like to stay in touch with. Networking is actually very important - this deserves its own blog post. Similar to attending the startup events, it's all about exposure. Exposure. And exposure. I also got the idea that I will start going to coworking spaces to increase exposure. Even with ample pauses and presentation lengths, it still felt like two longs days that left me drained, but it was nevertheless very rich. Another takeaway I'd like to raise is: be curious. Curiosity is the ultimate network and connection tool. No matter who you speak to, however senior they are, if you sit in the very front row along just a seat apart from the presenters themselves, curiosity will always be rewarded and rarely faulted. Be foolish, be hungry
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Entrepreneurship · Growth
2
Oct
Why international trade?
A number of my project leads in my pipeline right now pertains to international trade. When I pitched one of them to my brother to get him involved he wondered why I was so interested in distributing pet food? It's not about the pet food for me. First and foremost, I have always simply enjoyed connecting people and creating win-win deals. It's a part of my optimization mind I think. Naturally I gravitate toward problem solving and it often involves either my own resources or contacts within my network. I watched a short about why Sapiens outcompeted the other Homos the other day, and a core secret was network. In the specific context of the pet food company, they have a need which I might be able to use my geographic advantages to help solve. In the process, I learn, I grow my network, and I co-found another daughter company under my name. He said he's not particularly interested in becoming a distributor. Me neither. But there might be people who wouldn't mind becoming our distributions contact, or logistics contact. They just don't have the network or capital to provide the business. That leads to my second point. I want to capitalize on the resources I have, which, other than IT capability, is network and capital. I've come to realize that my family network might be one of my greatest assets - not that my parents run a company. It's the opportunities that run through the network created by my family and relatives. Only as an entrepreneur can I fully realize that potential, and contribute to it with my own network I build and contacts I make. Out of the projects leads I currently have, at least 3 are related to international trade and import/export from China. It is probably not a coincidence - the other most valuable unique position I have is my dual identity between Sweden and China. I've seen how powerful that can be if leveraged correctly from my freelance photography friend. If my life of moving around has been building anything, then it has been preparing me to enter this seat. He is also entirely correct though that we also need to filter opportunities because we have limited time, energy and capital. I may run out, burn out. But I also fear waiting too long for the "right" opportunity to emerge. I'm testing out the waters by getting started first and see where it leads me because I also believe the "right" path will reveal itself from motion, not from standstill. We are also in an unprecedented era where we can command a legion of virtual assistants. I know my habit of starting things but not finishing, and I'll keep that in mind - while I optimize my project pipeline and management. Hope I'm not thinking too naively. out.
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Entrepreneurship · Philosophy
21
Sep
What should I invest my time in?
I’m a little torn between investing my time in consulting versus these business ventures. I guess it’s the same dilemma for anyone really - invest your time and energy in your job or in your side hustles? I thought about the difference between each. When I take certs and am working, I’m investing in a skill whose value is directly proportional to my income. It’s linearly proportional however. Linearly proportional not only to my income but also how much I work. Whereas as an entrepreneur your revenue, and therefore your income, has the potential to scale independently of time spent working. Saving and investing is a first step out of this hole. However, for the average performing investor, it’s a slow process whose real benefits take years to show. Going self-employed is a next step. It is both an investment in my own brand and network - it’s an entrepreneurship - but it also frees up additional capital to engage in investment. It enhances the first step. I’m obviously still quite green to make predictions and probably optimistic. But you know, I like to theorize. We’ll see how this pans out 🤩
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Entrepreneurship · Growth
21
Sep
Opening up to entrepreneurship
I have spent the entire day today working on my business digital infrastructure, like my personal page or project's dashboard. Every time I'm working on these things I get so into the flow that I almost forget to eat. While walking to lunch I power walked to get to where I needed to be and I felt so fulfilled. I felt like I was on a mission. And everybody else were NPCs. It kind of felt like my purpose was bigger than everything around me, I felt like looking down from atop a mountain. I thought about one of my friends who has complained that although he had a paying job he didn't feel like he had a purpose. The only times I've felt this way have always been when I drive my own project. I think we easily get stuck inside a box in modern society - study, find a job and climb some corporate ladder. It is no new insight and cliche financial freedom jargon, I know. But the more time I spend as an entrepreneur the more I feel the truth behind it. The first hurdle breaking free from the "standard path". A lot of people are unable to get off it because life is working out. Another friend of mine is building a successful photography business because she had difficulty landing a job in Stockholm. But her side-hustle is booming. I also edged baby-steps toward self-employment but the final push came because I also couldn't fint a project through my contract broker. I've always had a feeling I was pulled toward entrepreneurship. But I was also restricted by the idea that I should first find a job and do entrepreneurship as a side hustle. That may not be entirely incorrect, since I have a cash generating consultancy now and can always fall back on employment. It wasn't until I registered my own company, and have capital (soon), that I have felt the freedom to explore projects. And I think the best is feeling the freedom to build whatever business I want, regardless of if it makes money. But in the beginning people easily get stuck on whether it makes money, because a lot of time they need it to. I'm in it for the experience, network and connections. But I do believe that with passion one of them is bound to also become profitable. What might give more returns between 20 business and 2000 integrations? For now, I'm mostly just interested in starting building businesses. Albeit, I know starting things is my great strength and finishing things is even bigger weakness. P.S. yesterday someone in my bachata class like my Ukrainian trident T-Shirt, I got it from a dear friend from Ukraine a few years ago. That got me interested in if would be possible to set up a webbshop for Ukrainian merchandise. 100% of proceeds go to Ukraine, as mentioned, profitability isn't my biggest goal, creating things however is. I'm doing some research and pulling on some strings in my network to see if this can become something.
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Growth · Entrepreneurship
15
Sep
Why is there such a difference in mentality from being employed?
I was talking about this with a friend the other day. I shared with him that as an employee I felt very complacent. Firstly, I didn't really need to stress myself at my job - whether I worked more or less than work hours had zero impact on my pay. I was often most diligent at the beginning of a new job, and especially my first years as a working employee, but once I had more or less learned the ropes I started cruising. As sole consultant, or entrepreneur, I'm much more mindful of how I spend my time. I own my time in a different way now - it doesn't belong to another company, it belongs to myself and how I invest it has direct impact on my business. I think it also varies person to person based on personality perhaps, I feel much more motivated investing my time in projects and ventures, than in acquiring another Microsoft IT certificate. In the long term, this will definitely pay off. My time and energy is my own to allocate, and I have full responsibility over where life goes from here.
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Entrepreneurship
15
Sep
I'm registering a holdings company!
I started the process of registering a holding company today - LiangX Ventures AB. In short, the idea is that this enables me to diversify my business beyond IT consulting because I can move cash generated from IT consulting into the parent company tax-free and reinvest it in other types of businesses. This is a massive advantage as I see it because I can take advantage of tax deferral and timing beyond merely within the IT industry. Investment projects have long been on the table between me and my friends, and this is the vehicle that is going to allow us to explore those business opportunities. The real advantage is that we can use pre-tax money. Another reason I'm starting this process now already is that the shares that I own in Grannsam are owned privately currently, and there are both legal and tax advantages to owning them through a holdings company. What baffles me a little bit is however how few people know about or take this route. Information mismatch. The benefits seem huge, an obvious step toward building wealth as I see it, once you see it. Small win for the sole entrepreneur.
1
Art · Philosophy
13
Sep
Art is the process of self-expression
I think expression is central to our human experience and we do that through different mediums. The whole reason I decided to explore dance a few years ago was because I felt like I could express myself in painting and music but always felt uncomfortable and awkward in moving my body. Don't we all need ways to express? And we do so by creation. So isn't that what art is all about then, about creation and self-expression?
0
Art
13
Sep
Why mobile photography
There are always moments in life that capture my eye — sometimes it's purely aesthetically beautiful, sometimes there is a story told. I only do mobile photography because I'm actually quite lazy and more often than not I don't explicitly go out seeking these moments. So it is very useful to have a good-enough camera always in the pocket. Granted it doesn't offer the full range of possibilities as a professional camera, but it is one of the tradeoffs one accepts for convenience and mobility. I also don't feel like I enjoy photography the same under pressure like a photographer. I found out about this word "glimmers" I think it fits well into those moments I see and want to capture - sometimes it's landscape, sometimes a scene, sometimes a person. Probably I have some performance anxiety and spontaneous photography is performance-free. If it works out it works out.
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