'What would you do If this was your last day on earth' | The Final Word - video Dailymotion

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What would you do if this was your last day on earth? This question motivated Blade Auto Center owner Robert Tan to build and grow his business.  He's here to share with us important life lessons.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 So what would you do if this was your last day on earth?

00:05 This question motivated Blade Auto Center owner Robert Tan to build and grow his business.

00:11 He's here to share with us important life lessons in the studio.

00:16 Robert, thank you so much for joining us.

00:18 Thank you very much for the invitation.

00:20 Congratulations on your success.

00:22 Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

00:24 We've come a long way, no?

00:26 I know. From university.

00:28 And now from entrepreneur to author.

00:33 How were you able to make that crossover?

00:35 It's all about life lessons.

00:37 Yes. Well, I've been an employee for 20 years.

00:41 And somehow some major events came into my life in the year 2004, which prompted me to start my business.

00:49 And through, I actually met Robert Kiyosaki in one of my trips before.

00:56 And he shared a story with me about his rich dad and his poor dad.

01:01 I saw my future in the life of poor dad.

01:05 So I said, I really have to make changes so that I can move to a different future.

01:11 So that was really the trigger from you becoming a full-time paid employee to becoming the entrepreneur that you are today, the owner of Blade Auto Center.

01:21 Yes. The second big event that happened was, within that year, one of my uncle, who I love so much, died in an accidental gun shooting.

01:35 I'm sorry. I mean, there was cops and robbers firing at each other in Valenzuela, and he was accidentally shot in the middle.

01:42 Of a crossfire.

01:43 Of a crossfire, yeah.

01:45 So that lesson brought to me was, no matter how much you take care of your life, you don't know if you will have tomorrow or not.

01:54 That instant moment, 12 words came into my mind. I felt like God was really talking to me.

02:01 And the 12 words were, "What would you do if this was your last day on earth?"

02:06 "If this was your last day, would you still do this?" "Will you still hold the grudge against people?" "Will you still feel bad towards your relative?" "Will you still do this and that?"

02:17 Well, the quick answer was, "Of course not. None of those things would matter anymore if tomorrow you will not be here."

02:24 And what's also very important, Robert, is that you were also thinking of your family and your family's future.

02:32 That earning a salary on a monthly basis would not be sufficient to be able to support them.

02:39 Actually, honestly, I love my job as an employee. I was already the president of the company.

02:46 But somehow I know that my future is not with that company, no matter how much I love that business.

02:52 And that prompted me to think further to the future.

02:57 I had a four-year-old twin at that time and a two-year-old daughter.

03:02 So I said, "If I were to be saying goodbye tonight or tomorrow, what will happen to their future?"

03:09 And I talked to my wife and I said, "We really have to make this change in my career so that I can guarantee something that I can pass on to my kids."

03:18 So what made you decide, you and your wife, Frances, who I've also known since college, get into this business of car accessories?

03:27 It's a very niche market.

03:30 Well, that's the very nice thing. When you open your doors to your faith, you pray, a lot of doors will open.

03:38 And in one of the chance encounters when I was attending one of my kids' parties, I met with one of the sons of the owners of a big shopping mall chain.

03:50 And I pitched some ideas to him.

03:53 And somehow when I said car accessories, he told me that this is a niche that is not very well served yet.

04:01 And I would have a good opportunity to make it in this category.

04:05 As you said, it's not a very common industry.

04:09 So that will give you the opportunity to shine if you are in something that is not very well populated.

04:16 It's really very important to study the market. Just don't get into business just like everybody else.

04:23 That's right.

04:24 And what I really like about your life lessons is lesson number two, Robert.

04:31 Never forget who was with you from the very start.

04:35 You build a lot of relationships. Don't make any enemies and never burn your bridges.

04:42 Always build on relationships past and present.

04:46 Yes, definitely Rico.

04:48 You know, when you are starting and you are very down in your life, that is the time you will know who is with you and who are not.

04:56 If you are already down in the ground, you will know who is coming to you, who is helping you,

05:02 and who will still be hurting you if they see you are trying to get up.

05:07 And it's also very dear to me when I read your dedication portion.

05:16 And it says to mom and dad, thank you for teaching and inspiring me to work hard and never give up on my dreams.

05:23 How important were they in your life, especially during the times that you were facing a lot of challenges,

05:30 and your start to become an entrepreneur?

05:34 They were very, very instrumental to this because they showed me what my life would be.

05:40 And at the time that I was really down in my career and I had a very tough life at that time,

05:48 they were my pillars, they were my rock, they were the ones who helped me through all of this,

05:54 through daily talk, opening my mind, sharing, being my inspiration to do what I'm doing.

06:03 But of course, getting into a business, it's not a bed of roses.

06:07 A lot of problems, especially starting from ground up.

06:12 How important is your relationship with your wife, Frances, in building your business?

06:20 I'm very blessed to be both on the same page kami that time.

06:25 Same wavelength.

06:26 Very important. Same wavelength. We were both thinking the same.

06:29 We wanted to provide a future for our kids.

06:31 So, hindi siya naging mahirap pag-uwi mo, pareho yung kinakanta namin.

06:38 Mahirap kasi kung iba yung gusto mong mangyari at ibang gusto gawin ng partner mo, di ba?

06:44 And taking a look at the book, you have seven lessons here.

06:47 Robert, which part of the book is closest to your heart?

06:51 All of them are important to me, but I guess the most important one would be to keep your faith.

06:58 In life, you know, sometimes it will be very tough.

07:02 You will go through challenges, you will go through whatever problems that you will have.

07:07 Pero, as I came to know now, lahat yan, that is all part of the plan.

07:14 I went through a horrible time with the company. I went through all of those challenges.

07:20 Lahat yan is a preparation for what I am to do now, what I am supposed to achieve.

07:26 Lahat yan pinaghandaan ko, nang hindi ko alam na yun na pala yun.

07:31 And now, you have set in stone this very successful business, which you will be handing over to the next generation, your kids.

07:39 Is there already a sequel or another book coming up after seven lessons that life taught me?

07:45 Who knows? It hasn't been written yet, Rico. It hasn't been written yet.

07:49 Congratulations on the success of Blade Auto Center and congratulations on becoming a successful author.

07:57 Thank you, Rico. Thank you very much.

07:59 Book author and Blade Honor Center owner, Robert Tan.

'What would you do If this was your last day on earth' | The Final Word

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