…the hardest thing is the ability to hold two contradictions at once. To see reality clearly, and also to remain optimistic – genuinely, irrationally optimistic – about your company’s ability to crush the category.

"…blood was dripping all over a freshly sanded floor. I was embarrassed, frustrated because I knew I’d be down and out for at least a couple days, and with everything that needed to be done, I couldn’t afford the delay. After my stitches and the adrenaline wore off, all I could think was, “What the F#@K am I doing with my life?”

Early on, armed with nothing but a Figma prototype, a deck, and boundless optimism, Liam and I knocked on doors at countless industrial estates across Singapore. The response seemed overwhelming: within a month, we had collected 14 LOIs, with a 100% conversion rate. We were psyched - surely this meant we had found PMF.

My mother grew paranoid. For months, she had my father bring a voice recorder to document all their conversations. He was an old-school contractor: handshake deals, verbal promises, recording site progress on pen and paper. The client was a director at a large bank.