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What does it really mean to grow a business?

Is it about scaling? Expanding? Pivoting?

In this episode, we sit down with Vernon Lim—founder of The Business Community and a seasoned growth advisor to SMEs across Singapore—to unpack what most business owners get wrong about growth.

It’s not just strategy. It’s self-awareness.Because sometimes, the real bottleneck isn’t the market—it’s you.

Your Takeaways:

🔍 The difference between growth, scale, and pivot—and why it matters💡 How a piano school owner faced a $500k decision🚀 Stories of SMEs turning fertiliser IP into regional success🤖 How traditional services are quietly transformed by AI🧭 A simple framework to navigate rising costs and shrinking margins

This one’s for the SME founder, the scrappy builder, the operator trying to make sense of a shifting economy.

It’s not just about growing.It’s about growing right.

🎧 Tap play. Send it to someone trying to figure out what’s next for their business.

Timestamps:

00:00 Understanding Business Growth and Scaling

03:43 Pivot vs. Total Change Explained

09:14 Leverage Core Competencies for Growth

11:21 Post-War U.S. Manufacturing Shift

15:39 Singapore Flower Nursery Business

17:58 Singapore Fertiliser Export Expansion

21:55 Scalable Mass Hiring Strategies

22:45 AI Replaces Marketing Consultants

Eager to grab the mic and be a speaker on Man on a Mission Show?

Follow our Host Tammy Ng 👇

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Get to know more about our guest speaker’s business!

Follow our Guest Vernon Lim 👇

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernonmonarchadv/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsvernon/

Website: https://monarchadvisory.co

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Get the latest insights from ASEAN’s boldest CEOs straight to your inbox 💌 Join our community of 200+ members: https://manonamission.asia/subscribe

What happens after the big exit?
The money hits. The dream’s real.
But then… what?

Joshua Chan built Ergotunes and Everdesk into multimillion-dollar brands.
Then he sold them.
And everything changed.

This one’s about identity, money, and meaning—when the hustle ends and the silence kicks in.

Your Takeaways:

• What no one tells you about life after a big payday

• Why becoming an ‘overnight millionaire’ isn’t what it seems

• The real cost of chasing success without intentionality

• How Joshua is building again—with purpose, not pressure

• His take on community, customer obsession, and creating brands that last

It’s not just about how to exit.
It’s about how to live after you do.

🎧 Tap play. Copy the link. Send it to someone who’s building a business they’ll be proud of.

After a $12M exit, ErgoTune’s founder Joshua Chan faced a challenge few talk about—losing his sense of identity beyond the "founder grind."

In this episode, we unpack what really happens after you exit: the emotional void, shifting purpose, and the truth about rebuilding when the hustle isn’t for survival anymore.

Founder Takeaways:
– How to prepare for the emotional crash post-exit
– Why purpose must replace panic in your next chapter
– What smart, sustainable risk-taking actually looks like
– Who really thrives in startups—and it’s not about personality
– Where to focus: customer acquisition over everything else

An exit isn’t the finish line—it’s just a new kind of challenge.

Interested in founder/CEO talks? Check out Man on a Mission Show.