Chan with a Plan

Chan with a Plan

By Max ChanEducationSelf-Improvement
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Chan with a Plan episodes

  • 3 important business lessons you need to learn in order to be successful

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    Max provides insights on 3 key points based on this past week's episode with Dr. Michael Ho on building a personal brand that services people worldwide.

    TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:28] How Max's first company name was a failure and why he decided to rebrand 
  • [3:36] Why you need to get help in order to be successful in business
  • [5:16] The need to find purpose and why only focusing on money is a terrible reason to start a business

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 10 min
  • How to build a personal brand that services people worldwide for beginners

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Dr. Michael Ho, Founder of DR. HO’S, a company that has developed and formulated a line of products that have helped millions worldwide live a healthy lifestyle. We discuss his career journey in depth, from starting out running his own clinics, to transitioning in creating and developing his line of products and expanding his business worldwide, all through the power of building a trustworthy personal brand.

    QUOTES

    • “I want to create a brand that people will trust, so putting your own name behind something will ensure someone will realize, hey if you put your name behind something there’s more likely hood that this product is trustworthy.” - Dr. Ho [19:01]
  • “I think to build a [successful] brand, you have to help your customers the best you can with the right intentions.” - Dr. Ho [25:50]
  • “[To be a successful entrepreneur] is to have a purpose. You gotta ask yourself why are you doing this, if your only purpose is to make some money, well that’s a very weak purpose, and not very inspiring for yourself and for your team.” - Dr. Ho [42:05]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:27] Meet Dr. Ho 
  • [1:28] How Dr. Ho got started in product development
  • [10:05] How Dr. Ho decided to mass produce his first device
  • [13:08] Discussing whether Dr. Ho still has his clinics or has he now focused on only his product lines
  • [17:02] Choosing the name and building the DR. HO'S brand
  • [21:58] Additional business branding lessons from Dr. Ho 
  • [26:19] Deciding the right time to build additional products
  • [30:49] Expanding to other markets effectively
  • [36:01] The future of marketing and what messaging will resonate with younger audiences
  • [38:12] A major roadblock that Dr. Ho had faced in growing his personal brand and what he did to overcome them to continue to grow the business
  • [40:16] Biggest business lessons for new and aspiring entrepreneurs
  • [46:07] Contacting Dr. Ho
  • [46:20] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    DR. HO'S

    Chan With A Plan

    Max Chan on LinkedIn

    48 min
  • How to get promoted faster and signs you should quit your 9-5 job

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    Max provides insights on 3 key points based on this past week's episode with Christine LeLacheur on The Great Resignation and the future of work. 

    TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:26] How being visible with executives through attending social events helped Max land multiple promotions and raises, working at his first job out of university
  • [2:02] Shorter tenures are now the norm and it's expected for someone to leave a job after a certain period of time
  • [3:35] When to quit your job

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 6 min
  • The Great Resignation and the future of the workplace

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Christine LeLacheur, Co-Founder of the C Factor Community and Founder of Cheurfire Consulting. We discussed The Great Resignation, what the future of work will look like and how managers can help their team transition effectively back into an office work environment, as well as what to do with the team members that have become disengaged due to the fact they have to go back to the office. 

    QUOTES

    • “So if nothing changes [if you do prefer to work remotely for the majority of your work week] you’ll probably still unfortunately going to have that where people who are getting that face time in will continue to be top of mind [for those promotions]” - Christine LeLacheur [10:36]
  • “[When it comes to unhappy employees coming back to the office] as managers, I think we need to look at what is your sphere of influence, right so there are things that you can make an impact on from your role but also understanding that there are things outside of your control and not taking on the burden of the outcomes of those situations.” - Christine LeLacheur [22:23]
  • “You’re basically dealing with these younger generations that have seen multiple economic downturns with massive layoffs happening and so they were given the message that they were expendable and therefore they needed to think about their own career.” - Christine LeLacheur [38:04]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:39] Meet Christine
  • [1:39] Overview of The Great Resignation
  • [4:47] The future of work
  • [9:47] Will working remotely for the majority of your work week affect the chances of you getting a promotion
  • [11:32] Zoom fatigue and how it can’t replace face to face interactions
  • [14:13] Are employees working more now because of being remote and not having a commute
  • [16:29] The difficulties of a hybrid model and what would the ideal hybrid work model look like
  • [18:49] Advice for managers getting ready to go back to the office
  • [21:39] Dealing with team members that are not happy going back to the office
  • [26:00] The subtle difference between thinking of quitting and actually quitting
  • [28:22] Managers being short staffed due to an influx of resignations due to The Great Resignation
  • [30:49] Having conversations with your disengaged team members
  • [33:55] How to become more approachable as a manager and creating a psychological safe work environment
  • [36:41] Discussing possible consequences of the younger generation having shorter tenures than their older counterparts
  • [38:34] How younger generations are going to shape the future of work
  • [40:10] Discussing whether we are moving towards a more gig economy work culture
  • [42:01] A major roadblock that Christine had faced and what she did to overcome it to move her career forward
  • [44:46] Contacting Christine
  • [46:20] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • C Factor Community
  • Cheurfire Consulting
  • Christine LeLacheur on LinkedIn
  • Christine LeLacheur on Instagram
  • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 48 min
  • How to overcome career setbacks to steer you into a career path you‘ll love

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    Max provides insights on 3 key points based on this past week's episode with Andrea Yacub Macek on overcoming curveballs to steer you into a career path you'll enjoy.

    TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:38] Job search advice for recent graduates to help them mentally and tactically prepare for a possible gruelling job search
  • [3:08] Why you shouldn't take a job that you don't 100% believe is the right fit for you and mindset tips on how to overcome job opportunity scarcity
  • [3:58] Finding career clarity and why experimenting in your 20s is crucial to discover what you truly want in your career later in life

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 7 min
  • How to overcome career obstacles and achieve your career goals

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Andrea Yacub Macek, founder and CEO of AYM Consulting, a career coaching company. We discussed 2 significant career curveballs she had to face in her career that were both a blessing in disguise as each curveball helped give her career clarity and guidance needed to move her career in the right direction. The main message she wants to provide is that linearity does not equal success and as long as you are making moves that helps you get one step closer to discovering what you truly want, that's all that matters.

    QUOTES

    • “[When looking for signs a layoff is coming] In my experience with myself and with clients, typically it’s a reorganization, a leadership change, a budget reason most of the time.” - Andrea Yacub Macek [16:54]
  • “[When I got laid off from my job] I was very relieved and I know that’s not always the emotion that people feel, rightfully so when they get laid off but I was at a place mentally, emotionally with that job that it was not healthy anymore.” - Andrea Yacub Macek [29:58]
  • “Sometimes these unexpected events like a layoff will happen to you, if you’re already looking for something else, you aren’t sure what you want to do, I hope for you, it’s going to push you in the right direction, cause it’s done that for me multiple times in my career.” - Andrea Yacub Macek [33:39]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:33] Meet Andrea
  • [2:19] The 2008 recession (1st career curveball) and its impact it had on Andrea as a soon to be Masters Graduate trying to enter the workforce
  • [7:09] Andrea’s networking strategy to land a higher education job opportunity and advice to professionals trying to network to advance their career
  • [11:14] Common misconceptions of the job search that Andrea had as a recent graduate looking for her first corporate role
  • [13:12] How much should you tinker your resume when you are already getting a consistent amount of interviews but aren’t landing that job
  • [14:35] Getting laid off (2nd career curveball)
  • [16:25] Additional signs a layoff is coming at your company
  • [17:25] How Andrea knew she was being let go on her first day back at work, coming back from her honeymoon
  • [19:52] Discussing how performance plays a factor in who gets laid off in an organization
  • [21:31] Signs at an interview that this company is not right for you
  • [23:46] Accepting a less than ideal job because you need the money and what you need to do to plan your next move after
  • [25:08] Perspective on job hopping
  • [28:05] What happened after the layoff conversation Andrea had with her former company and what she did short term to adapt to this change in her life
  • [32:57] Job searching after layoff and what led her to start her own career coaching business
  • [35:53] How Andrea landed her first client for her career coaching business and her current business strategy to grow it
  • [37:27] Difference between employee and employer that Andrea realized as she started her own business
  • [39:14] The difference between the 2008 recession and COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to how it affects someone’s career
  • [41:00] A major roadblock that Andrea had faced and what she did to overcome it to move her career forward
  • [43:59] Contacting Andrea
  • [44:27] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Andrea Yacub Macek on LinkedIn
  • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 47 min
  • How to launch a product successfully

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Nicole Andani, VP of International Sales & Marketing at Northern Response, a company that reaches 90 countries worldwide. We go in depth on product development and product marketing, from finding the right product to build, finding key subject matter experts to help you with your launch and marketing your product effectively to your target market. 

    QUOTES

    • “I always say when something is in the market and successfully selling, it’s proof of market, it is selling and so if you can capture just a piece of that pie by having just a unique spin or twist on those types of things, then you can make a good living for yourself.” - Nicole Andani [6:16]
  • “Everything is Google searchable now, you will be surprised how many resources are online and how many angel investors want to invest in this process [of building a product].” - Nicole Andani [27:03]
  • “One of the biggest mistakes [entrepreneurs make] is not planning and giving yourself enough time for a product launch.” - Nicole Andani [58:48]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:30] Meet Nicole
  • [3:07] Popular product categories you should build in 
  • [6:07] Building a product in a category that already has a lot of competition
  • [8:36] Finding and researching the right product to start your business and understanding the marketing fundamentals in order to have a successful product launch
  • [17:42] How much should one plan before starting to invest in a prototype and how to acquire funding
  • [27:37] Finding resources to help build your design and build your product if you don’t have that expertise
  • [29:10] The use of focus groups to ensure you are building the right product for your target customer, finding your unique value proposition and the consequences if you do not do proper customer research
  • [34:30] Discussing whether it’s better to build a test product first or to do a fundraiser to see the demand and use the money from the fundraiser to build the product
  • [38:14] Key subject matter experts you need to work with in order to build a successful product
  • [45:13] Defining your product’s price to generate a healthy margin in order to be profitable
  • [47:53] Marketing your product and finding the right channels to market your product effectively
  • [53:28] Evaluation of whether your product is successful
  • [58:06] Common mistakes that entrepreneurs make when starting their product creation journey
  • [1:03:15] A major roadblock that Nicole had faced and what she did to overcome it to move her career forward
  • [1:06:00] Contacting Nicole
  • [1:06:40] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Northern Response Company Website
  • Nicole Andani on LinkedIn
  • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 1 hr 9 min
  • Taking career risks to help you land bigger opportunities

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Lindsay Issler, an entertainment industry veteran currently a Brand Director at CBS. We go in depth with Lindsay’s career journey from getting her start in the entertainment industry and taking risks in her career in order to get to where she is today. Lindsay also provides advice for aspiring entertainment professionals that want to get into the industry themselves and what they need to do in order to be successful in the industry in the long run.

    QUOTES

    • “Dig your well before you’re thirsty, and take advantage of being a student and get yourself out there and start building relationships and planting seeds everywhere you can at these companies that you’re interested in.” - Lindsay Issler [8:16]
  • “I know that it’s a really personal thing, but I’m not really big on counter offers for a number of reasons, mainly that I felt like I was done with that experience at Lionsgate and I had outgrown it and I was already too far down the rabbit hole interviewing with other companies, that it wouldn’t have made sense for me to stay.” - Lindsay Issler [26:06]
  • “Taking risks and doing challenging things that scare you, put you out of your comfort zone and just make you feel like you have to rise to a challenge are important to have, like those are the types of experiences that you have room to grow.” - Lindsay Issler [33:54]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:25] Meet Lindsay
  • [1:09] Lindsay’s thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the entertainment industry 
  • [4:23] How Lindsay got her start in the entertainment industry
  • [7:42] Advice for soon to be grads and recent grads on how to break into the entertainment industry 
  • [9:57] Knowing your why when it comes to wanting to get into the entertainment industry
  • [16:59] The future of new movie releases as the COVID-19 pandemic dies down
  • [18:22] Advice on getting promoted in the entertainment industry
  • [21:56] Evaluating her opportunity with Fox and the risk of joining a company that was going through being acquired
  • [27:37] Lindsay’s next move after Fox and what she needed to do to get to the next step of her career
  • [33:39] Advice on taking calculated risks to further your career
  • [35:51] What Lindsay looks for in her next hire for her team during the interview process
  • [41:27] Discussing whether it’s a good time right now to try to pivot into entertainment as the industry is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic
  • [44:06] A major roadblock that Lindsay had faced and what she did to overcome it to move her career forward
  • [45:51] Contacting Lindsay
  • [46:43] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Lindsay Issler on LinkedIn
  • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 49 min
  • From crippling debt to debt free and growing a 6 figure net worth in 5 years

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Amanda Henry, founder of Lady Boss Finance, a platform created to equip young professionals with the blueprint for navigating the corporate workplace and their personal finances to live abundant lives. We go in depth with Amanda’s story of how she graduated from an ivy league school with $65K in debt, paying it off quickly and going into detail in her investing strategy to build a 6 figure net worth to set herself up for long term financial success.  

    QUOTES

    • “It is true when they say you can only decrease your expenses by so much, and I’m not even somebody who had a legit social life and so, I can only imagine how hard it is if you’re more you know out there person.” - Amanda Henry [29:40]
  • “[When it comes to investing] One of the things I’m really thankful for in terms of understanding your benefits package and just for any professional out there, make sure you understand what all is available to you, like companies do want to invest in your well being and in your success and there’s likely some sort of benefit that you are not taking advantage of.” - Amanda Henry [44:42]
  • “At the end of the day, personal finance is personal, it is not my place or anyone else’s to tell you what’s going to make the most sense for you and your family because we all have different things we’re trying to achieve and on different timelines.” - Amanda Henry [56:17]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:24] Meet Amanda
  • [9:03] Advice for students wanting to juggle a job and school in order to pay off some of that student loan
  • [13:42] Differences between working in an educational environment and working in a corporate environment
  • [15:32] Learning lessons when Amanda started to pay off her student loan
  • [22:07] The importance of negotiating in your career 
  • [24:15] Amanda’s experiences on moving to a new city for her new job at Google and why she decided to leave her current job at the time
  • [25:40] A walkthrough of Amanda’s financial strategy in paying off her debt from her start at Verizon to her current tenure at Google 
  • [32:36] Thoughts on investing while you’re paying off your debt 
  • [34:00] The logistics of your 401K when you move to another company
  • [35:45] How Amanda calculated the right amount for her emergency fund
  • [38:46] Amanda’s journey getting into Google
  • [44:28] Amanda’s investing strategies in building her 6 figure net worth and learning lessons along the way
  • [1:02:41] Career advice for recent grads in finding the right work environment for them to start their career
  • [1:06:15] How Amanda started Lady Boss Finance and the future of the brand 
  • [1:16:36] A major roadblock that Amanda had faced and what she did to overcome it to move her career forward
  • [1:21:11] Contacting Amanda
  • [1:22:01] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Lady Boss Finance on Instagram
  • Lady Boss Finance on TikTok
  • Lady Boss Finance on Twitter
  • Amanda Henry on LinkedIn
  • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 1 hr 24 min
  • How companies hire and what you need to know to achieve job search success

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Joseph Kim, the Director of Talent Acquisition at Kira Systems where he has led growth efforts to scale the company by more than 500%. We talk about job search strategies in general and what recruiters look for in selecting a candidate from 1st round screening to sending out that coveted job offer. In addition, we also dive deep into Kira Systems’ hiring process to get an inside look at how his company evaluates candidates so you can get an idea of what companies such as his, looks for in a standout application to increase your odds of engaging with more companies that want you as their next hire. 

    QUOTES

    • “I’ll tell you right now, many Talent Acquisition professionals are very biased towards you having done the role before, or the job before, unless you are applying for an early career job, they will want to have seen you do something similar in capacity as opposed to taking a chance.” - Joseph Kim [23:57]
  • “[When it comes to finding proper salary information] I think what you need to be doing is asking other professionals in your network who are in a similar role, if I want to be let’s say a senior accountant on a finance team what’s the kind of compensation I should expect to ask, or what I should be expecting in terms of compensation.” - Joseph Kim [1:01:17]
  • “[When it comes to reaching out to recruiters] I feel like a lot of people send those notes without doing the leg work involved to prepare for those conversations or do the work that makes me want to engage with you.” - Joseph Kim [1:28:01]

    • TIMESTAMPS

    • [0:05] Meet Joseph
  • [4:44] Difference between a 3rd party/agency recruiter compared to an internal company recruiter
  • [10:01] The importance of LinkedIn as part of your overall job search strategy and what to do to optimize your LinkedIn profile to increase messages sent to you from recruiters for potential job opportunities
  • [16:24] An overview of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and what it does as part of a company’s recruiting process
  • [20:01] The process of creating a job ad for a new role
  • [23:16] How close of a match you need to be with the job ad in order to apply and have a good chance at getting an interview
  • [26:38] Discussing if ATS systems auto-reject resumes that don’t fit a certain criteria outlined by the recruiter
  • [28:53] How much time on average does a recruiter spend looking at a resume
  • [32:28] Joseph’s tips on writing a good resume to increase your response rate for online job applications
  • [37:44] Does Kira Systems emphasize on cover letters for their online job applications and Joseph’s opinion on cover letters for your job search
  • [39:22] Additional documents you should upload as part of your online job application to strengthen your candidacy
  • [41:45] Resume tips for recent grads 
  • [47:31] Average amount of candidates that get selected for a 1st round screening at Kira Systems
  • [50:33] Reference and Background check process at Kira Systems
  • [54:29] How Kira Systems competes for top talent against the big companies that everyone knows and wants to work for
  • [59:12] How compensation is crafted at Kira Systems and why some companies ask salary expectations at the 1st round screening call
  • [1:00:58] Finding good accurate salary information for a role you are interviewing for to not eliminate yourself out of the running for an opportunity
  • [1:04:23] Discussing Kira Systems interview process and what they look for in a candidate 
  • [1:14:24] Joseph’s thoughts on thank you notes and follow up Emails from candidates
  • [1:15:57] If a candidate doesn’t get the role at Kira Systems that they interviewed for, is it ok to apply to another role in the future, how soon can you apply again and how many can you apply to at once
  • [1:17:47] Would Kira Systems be proactive in reaching out to a candidate that’s on file that didn’t get the job they apply for to apply for another role at the company
  • [1:19:09] Joseph’s thoughts on 1 way video interview screenings 
  • [1:20:53] Joseph’s opinion on professionals job hopping for a better opportunity
  • [1:23:04] The advantage of being a referral candidate for a job opening compared to going in completely cold and tips from Joseph on how to network properly to get that referral
  • [1:27:17] Best practices when wanting to reach out to the recruiter who posted the job ad on LinkedIn
  • [1:32:06] Joseph’s opinion on sending your LinkedIn profile as part of your online application if you apply to a company’s job through LinkedIn directly
  • [1:33:04] A major roadblock that Joseph has faced and what he did to overcome it to move his career forward
  • [1:35:08] Best practices on how older workers can collaborate and work well with younger professionals that are part of the Gen Z and Millennial generation 
  • [1:38:03] Contacting Joseph
  • [1:38:48] Outro

    • RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

    • Kira Systems
  • Joseph Kim on LinkedIn
  • Chan With A Plan
  • Max Chan on LinkedIn
    • 1 hr 41 min

About Chan with a Plan

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Providing career advice in easy actionable steps, for frustrated professionals, helping you overcome career challenges so you can stop feeling confused and defeated and start feeling focused and…