The Jay Kim Show Episode #47: Shing Chow

It would be hard not to acknowledge the meteoric rise of Shing Chow’s Hong Kong startup Lalamove. Since its inception in 2013, Shing has led the company to massive growth, and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, many in the Hong Kong startup scene believe Lalamove is on track to become Hong Kong’s first startup valued at over $1 billion.

But Shing’s success as a startup founder and CEO didn’t happen overnight and his entrepreneurial journey is much less well-known. After working for one of the world’s most prestigious consulting firms, Shing ditched the security of his corporate career and spent four years barely scraping as he attempted to turn his love for poker into a career.

After Shing’s persistence paid off (he would go on to earn $30 million over eight years at the poker table) he switched gears once again and used his poker winnings to found his own tech startup—despite not having any technical or managerial expertise. The rest is history.

Listen in to Jay’s conversation with Shing as he shares how having a bias for action led him to his ultimate success, as well as:

How to turn a hobby into a living
The easiest way to enter the tech industry with no tech experience
Why it’s sometimes better to borrow an idea than to start from scratch
How to ace hiring when you’ve never hired someone before