I would really like to share with everyone the power of sharing and the power of synergy. Some of you may have noticed my face appearing in alot more ads as usual. In fact, many of the ads my face appears in are the ads of ERC (Entrepreneur’s Resource Centre) which runs leading entrepreneurship programs (both Diploma and Degree).

Well, the reason this is happening is because AKLTG and ERC recently had a strategic alliance where we are now promoting each other’s courses and programs. For example ERC’s Diploma in Entreprise Development has incorporated my ‘Patterns of Excellence Program as one of its core modules. ERC’s Diploma in Wealth Management has incorporated my Wealth Academy as one of its core modules. As such, Whenever ERC sells their Diploma programs, they are effectively sellings seats in my seminars! These additional students that come to me as a result of ERC’s diploma program easily adds an extra $1 million + in revenue to AKLTG.

At the same time, I actively promote ERC’s diploma programs whenever I run previews for my Wealth Academy and Patterns of Excellence Programs, adding to their revenue as well. In addition, by leveraging on my brand name, ERC gets to further build their already strong credibility and are able to reach out to the studnet’s segment which they are new in.

The funny thing is that before I met up with the founder Andy Ong (who happens to also be a super high achiever, self made millionaire and author of 7 books), we saw each other as indirect competitors. In additon, he had the impression that I was an egotistical asshole and I too was told that he was an egotistical asshole.

So we had bad impression with each other before we met, which is one of the reasons we never ever attempted to get together. We found out later it was a mutual acquaintance who painted this totally inaccurate picture we had of each other. Turns out, Andy is really a nice guy…and has the same vision, values and srive as me (we found out is was the mutual acquaintance who was the real asshole who played us both out). I guess one big lesson to learn is that we should never form generalizations of other people (no matter what others say) until we really get to meet them ourselves.

After just one round of golf, we really hit it off and decided to forge this alliance which has proven a super big win-win for both parties. Although, we have to now share the profits of our participants with each other, the resultant comined marketing effort has resulted in the pie growing even BIGGER for both of us. The result? higher profits for both parties.

I have always believed that it is important to share. Some of you may not know this, but I only own 50% of AKLTG and I only own 30%-50% of all my other 7 companies (all consolidated into 3 main holding companies). In fact, I came up with ALL THE INVESTMENT money and gave away free shares to my partners. Some people think I am stupid as I would be earning less profits by giving away shares.

However, I have learnt in life that when you give shares to good partners, they will add so much value to your company that they will grow the original pie so many fold that you will find that everyone earns more and benefits more in the end. The reason I see so many businessmen remaining as one-man shows and never being able to expand their businesses is because they are so afraid of sharing their ideas, shares and profits. So although they hold 100% of the shares, it is 100% of a very small pie. However, because I gave away 50% of my company to great partners, they have increased my pie to 100th fold so that 100% of this super pie is much much more than 100% of a tiny pie.

I always like to give the example of Bill Gates and Microsoft. Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. Yet, does he own 100% of Microsoft? No! He started out owning only 50% and now, he owns less than 20% of the company. In fact, out of the 10 riches men in the world, 3 of them (i.e. Bill Gates, Steve Balmer & Paul Allen) come from the SAME company, Mircosoft! I always say, it is always better to own 10% of a $100 million company than 100% of nothing!

Whenever I run my Wealth Academy programs (next one coming up 5-8 october 2006, Singapore Expo), the biggets fear I hear from my participants in their business development proces is ,’ what if I share my ideas with people like investors, partners, friends and they STEAL IT?’ Well, let me say that IDEAS are CHEAP and FREE. If you never share your ideas and network with the right people, keeping that idea to yourself is worth nothing. YOu have to have the confidence to share your ideas, get feedback, get people on yoru team and turn that idea into reality. Wealth = 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

The trouble I find with the Asian (Especially Chinese culture) is a very selfish one. Traditionally, when a Chinese family discovers a new secret, they tend to want to ‘KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY ONLY’ and ‘KEEP IT AS A SECRET’, only to be passed down from one generation to the next. However, American’s mentality is very different. When an American discovers a new idea/investion/secret, they will go all out and share it with everyone and earns millions of dollars in royalty payments! This is probably why most of the world’s inventions were developed by the Chinese but made famous and cmmerically exploited by the Ang Mohs

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Su Zhou (China). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, ‘How come a millionaire like you is travelling economy?’ My reply was, ‘That’s why I am a millionaire.’ He still looked pretty confused. This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book ‘Secrets of Self Made Millionaires’). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex etc… (I shop at G2000 by the way) and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires (not those lucky bast**ds who inherited money) are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster. Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc… to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky). I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur’s Organization) a few years back (YEO is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worths well over $5m, travelled ecomony class and some even drove Toyota’s and Nissans. I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers’ and tycoons’ sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family’s wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation. Thank god my rich dad (oh no…I sound like Kiyosaki) foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, ‘What is the point in making so much money if you don’t enjoy it?’ The thing is that I don’t really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewelry or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while…it does not last. material happiness never lasts, it just give you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life.

Instead, what make ME happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see by companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries. What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone’s life. What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this BLOG is inspiring you.This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life’s work (be in teaching, building homes, designing, trading, winning tournaments etc…) and the money that comes is only a by-product. If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a life no better than a prostitute.