Every organisation has a story, but behind every organisation are people.

For ONEORVE, that story is not just about an idea, a vision or a company. It is also about the people who chose to believe in that vision and decided to take the journey with me.

Meet Conrad and Tint, two of the founding members and the people helping to build the foundation of ONEORVE.

Conrad

Conrad is Singaporean and 25 years old. He is a registered nurse who graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Health Sciences (Nursing) in 2021. He is currently pursuing his part-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing studies.

I first got acquainted with Conrad when we attended the ACLP course together more than a year ago. What started as simply being coursemates eventually developed into a friendship and, unexpectedly, a journey towards building something together.

Tint

Tint is 25 years old and a Myanmar citizen who has gone through Singapore's education system since he was young. He also graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2021, with a Diploma in Electronic & Computer Engineering.

Conrad and Tint have been friends for many years. That was how Tint eventually came into the picture when Conrad introduced him to explore ONEORVE together.

Interestingly, the two of them have very different interests, skills and capabilities. And perhaps that is precisely what makes the combination work.

From Friends to Founding Members

Long story short, both eventually decided to join ONEORVE. And somehow, they even went along with my rather crazy idea of creating another entity, ONEORVE & CO.

Looking back, I think what impressed me most was not their qualifications or age, but their mindset and character.

Both wanted to do more than simply achieve financial success. They wanted to contribute to something that could create a balance between profitability, social impact and environmental responsibility.

That was important to me.

From the beginning, I made it clear that I did not want them to simply join ONEORVE as employees working for a fixed income. Instead, I wanted them to have an opportunity to become equity holders and future leaders, with the potential to benefit far beyond what they might earn as conventional employees.

At the same time, I have chosen not to open ONEORVE to external investors at this stage. The organisation remains self-funded.

This may mean that we grow more slowly, but I believe there is value in building the foundations properly before chasing rapid growth. Less pressure from external investors means we have greater freedom to build the infrastructure, culture and principles of the organisation in a way that we believe can stand the test of time, hopefully for generations.

Character Before Experience

Both Conrad and Tint are still young. Naturally, they don't have all the knowledge or experience required to build and run an organisation.

But experience can be gained.

Skills can be taught.

Knowledge can be acquired.

Character and mindset are much harder to build.

They have already contributed significantly to building the foundational structure of ONEORVE. What they may lack in experience, they make up for with curiosity, willingness to learn and, most importantly, the right attitude.

For me, that matters more than having a long résumé.

After all, every experienced leader was once inexperienced. Every successful organisation was once just an idea. And every journey begins with people who are willing to take that first step.

Seeing Beyond the System

One thing that particularly fascinates me is their ability to slowly look beyond the conventional system they have been brought up in.

Most of us are taught a fairly predictable formula from a young age:

Study hard → get a job → work hard → earn money → retire.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that path. But I believe there is more to life and work than simply becoming another worker in the system.

To have the ability to understand what a founder is trying to build, especially when the vision is unconventional and may not make immediate sense, requires an open mind.

I believe both Conrad and Tint are beginning to see beyond the boundaries of what they were taught.

They don't have to understand everything today.

They just need to be willing to question, learn, explore and grow.

And for me, that is enough.

Building More Than a Company

It has now been almost a year since they joined ONEORVE.

While they have been helping to build the organisation, I have also been sharing with them what I have learned over the years, not simply about technology or business, but about what it means to become a director, a leader and eventually someone capable of carrying the organisation forward.

It will take years.

There will be mistakes.

There will be failures.

There will probably be moments when they wonder why they ever agreed to follow this crazy founder in the first place. 😂

But that is part of the journey.

I don't want to create an organisation where people spend their entire careers simply being told what to do.

I want to create an organisation where people have the opportunity to learn how to lead, make decisions, take responsibility and eventually build something of their own within something much bigger than themselves.

That opportunity may not come easily in the conventional working world.

The Beginning, Not the Destination

ONEORVE is still small.

We are nowhere near where I envision it eventually becoming.

But every big organisation begins with something small, an idea, a few people and the courage to believe that something different is possible.

Conrad and Tint are part of that beginning.

They may be young. They may still have much to learn. But they have something that cannot simply be taught in a classroom, the willingness to learn, the courage to think differently and the desire to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

And perhaps that is what building ONEORVE is really about.

Not simply building a company.

Building people. Building possibilities. And building something that can hopefully outlive all of us.

Now that I've shared a little more about who is behind ONEORVE, it is time to talk about why ONEORVE exists in the first place.

What is the real purpose behind it?

What am I actually trying to build?

And why do I believe there is a need for something different?

I'll share more about that in my next blog.

ONEORVE Founder