House of Becoming

"At home we don't talk about business, we don't talk about money — we talk about love. This is the only language that we talk about." — Robert Choi

Episode Summary

Robert Choi left a decade-long fintech career to return to Shing Lung Hong, the Sheung Wan hairy crab and quality food business his grandfather founded in 1957. He talks with Tiff and Eric about learning the business by watching his mother run it almost single-handedly, the culture shock of trading corporate structure for family-run instinct, and how a once-skeptical family came around to marketing. The conversation also covers how Shing Lung Hong protects its quality promise at scale, and why hairy crabs became the springboard into rice dumplings, fermented tea, and Crab Palace (蟹王府), the Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai that his father named and is still proud of today.

In This Episode

• Robert's path from a decade in fintech to the third generation leading a business his grandfather founded in 1957
• The science-class show-and-tell that made eight-year-old Robert "the hero of the class"
• What his mother, who ran the shop almost single-handedly, taught him that his corporate career never did
• Inside the four-stage, human-only crab selection process behind Shing Lung Hong's six quality guarantees
• Why hairy crabs led to rice dumplings, fermented tea, and Crab Palace (蟹王府) — the family's Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai
• Robert's take on legacy: quality and promises kept, not just a product sold

Robert's Advice for Scaling Without Losing Quality

1. Know exactly why your product is better — and be able to say it in one sentence. If you can't explain why a customer should pay a premium for you over the wet market down the street, nothing else you build will hold up.
2. Build a repeatable process for the one thing you can't compromise on, then delegate the rest. Shing Lung Hong's crab selection happens four separate times before a crab reaches a customer — everything else around it can be handed off.
3. Let the story carry the differentiation. Customers aren't just buying a crab — they're buying a promise and a memory. Robert designs marketing and in-person workshops around that emotional connection, not just the product spec.

Visit Shing Lung Hong

• Shop: 120 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
• Website: www.slh.com.hk
• Also stocked on: HKTVmall and PARKnSHOP
• Instagram: @slh_hk
• Facebook: facebook.com/slhhk
• Restaurant: Crab Palace (蟹王府), the family's Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai

Enjoyed this episode? Follow House of Becoming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and leave us a review — it helps more listeners find the show.

"There are probably quite a lot of professionals just like me who focus so much on whatever professional service they deliver, instead of presenting themselves, telling their story, and connecting with people out there. I think that's what we should be working on." — Derek Chan

Episode Summary

Picking up where Part 1 left off, Tiff and Eric get hands-on with Derek to actually build out the strategy — starting with pricing. Instead of one flat rate across the board, they map out a tiered ladder: group classes to scale his time, and a premium one-on-one offering that bundles in the nutrition and lifestyle coaching Derek already does informally. From there, the conversation moves into content and outbound sales — the four types of content every service business needs, why Derek's personal story might be his most underused asset, and a step-by-step LinkedIn outreach sequence built for people who hate selling. Derek leaves with a clear next step: build the outbound engine, starting with the content he's been avoiding.

In This Episode

• ​How Tiff and Eric help Derek design a pricing ladder — from group classes to a premium, nutrition-inclusive tier — instead of one flat rate for every client
• ​The four types of content every service business needs: authority, relatability, polarizing opinion, and lifestyle
• ​Why sharing his personal story, not just his expertise, is the missing piece in Derek's content strategy
• ​A practical LinkedIn outreach sequence : how to nurture leads without ever feeling like you're selling
• ​The mindset shift from "delivering a great service" to "building trust before someone ever buys"

Coaching Takeaways

1. ​Build a pricing ladder — segment from group classes for cost-conscious or younger clients up to a premium one-on-one tier that bundles nutrition and lifestyle coaching, so Derek stops undercharging his most experienced work.
2. ​Diversify the content mix — layer in relatability, personal story, and polarizing opinion content alongside the scientific, authority-driven posts Derek already leans on.
3. ​Build the outbound funnel — top funnel (content that builds trust and authority), middle funnel (a LinkedIn nurture sequence: ask an opinion, offer a freebie, invite to a webinar), and bottom funnel (an actual sales script that addresses the cost of doing nothing).

Follow Derek

Instagram: @coach_derekc

Connect with the Hosts:

• ​Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ​Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Enjoyed this episode? Follow House of Becoming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a review — it helps more listeners find the show.

"I'm a very simple person. I just need to live a healthy life and be able to influence the others to also live healthily and happily as well." — Derek Chan

Episode Summary
Derek Chan has spent 12 years building one of Hong Kong's most trusted personal training practices — entirely on referrals, with zero paid marketing until this past summer. In this episode, Derek walks Tiff and Eric through his path from a bullied, overweight kid to master trainer, and why he eventually shifted his focus from just relieving pain to correcting the biomechanics that cause it in the first place. Derek opens up about the parts of running a business that don't come naturally to him — self-promotion, networking, being on camera — and why "nerding out" on the science has always come easier than selling himself. Then Tiff and Eric step into coaching mode, helping Derek see his real point of differentiation in a crowded wellness market and start mapping out how he might segment his client base and build a more predictable pipeline.

In This Episode

• Derek's journey from hospitality and tourism into 12 years as a personal trainer and, eventually, a pain therapist
• Why his business has run on 100% referrals — and what that says about trust in the wellness industry
• How Derek treats root causes instead of symptoms, and why that's the real story behind his brand
• The self-promotion struggle many experts face: being excellent at the craft, uncomfortable with the marketing
• Tiff and Eric's early read on where Derek is leaving money on the table with his current pricing and positioning
• A first look at building a predictable client pipeline instead of relying on word of mouth alone

Want More?

Tiff and Eric only had time to scratch the surface of Derek's pricing and marketing strategy in this session. If you'd like us to dive deeper into the marketing and pricing strategy, let us know in the comments.

Follow Derek

Instagram: @coach_derekc

Connect with the Hosts:

• Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Enjoyed this episode? Follow House of Becoming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a review — it helps more listeners find the show.

"If everyone is doing the same thing and you're just following, you're just a follower. If you want to be an influencer or a leader to stand out, you have to have your own perspective and your own speciality." — Alan Wong

Episode Summary

How do you run three English learning centres and build a 30K-follower luxury travel account — without one eating the other alive? In this episode, Alan Wong joins Tiff and Eric to unpack the discipline, the delegation, and the decade of trial and error behind his double life as an education CEO and a family-oriented travel KOL. Alan walks us through his hour-by-hour daily schedule, how his wife became his unofficial "gatekeeper" for brand deals, and why his niche — a couple-and-family lifestyle account in a sea of solo influencers — became his biggest differentiator. Then Tiff and Eric step into business-coach mode, working with Alan live to map out a six-month plan for scaling his influencer business: a talent-tiering system, a rate card, and a plan to finally get his time back.

In This Episode

• How Alan actually splits his time between running three learning centres and building a luxury travel brand — and the daily discipline that makes it possible
• Why his wife acts as "gatekeeper" for brand deals, and the one filter he uses to decide what's worth saying yes to
• Alan's vision to grow beyond a solo influencer into an agency model, building a roster of trusted creators he can recommend when he says no
• Which customer segments he's targeting next as he scales his personal brand
• Business Coaching Segment: Tiff and Eric work with Alan live to build his six-month growth plan — delegating repeatable tasks, building a tiered rate card for brand collaborations, and freeing up time for bigger partnerships
• Alan's one piece of advice for any business owner building a personal brand on the side
  

The Coaching Takeaways

Tiff and Eric's three action items for Alan's next six months:

1. Delegate — identify what's repeatable in the English Wise business and hand it off, freeing up time to grow the influencer side
2. Protect the brand as a North Star — let a clear brand vision keep guiding which collaborations, restaurants, and hotels he says yes to
3. Build the system — a tiered rate card (junior / senior / creative director) to route brand requests efficiently, control pricing, and unlock bandwidth to pursue high-value partnerships
   

Follow Alan

Instagram: @alaninfinity

Connect with the Hosts:

• Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Enjoyed this episode? Follow House of Becoming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a review — it helps more listeners find the show.

Labels can break you, or they can become the reason you build something bigger. Leanne, wellness creator, mindset coach, and founder of The Blu Journal, shares how she turned being told she was "rebellious" and "useless" for dropping out of college into a life built on purpose, community, and unapologetic self-trust.

This conversation goes far beyond a typical founder story. Leanne opens up about the mental health crash that forced her to leave school, the stereotypes she had to unlearn in a Chinese household, and the tiny mindset shifts that helped her rewrite the story she was telling herself. She also reveals how she went from event planning to running retreats, women’s communities, and a growing wellness brand with nearly 16K Instagram followers.

You'll discover:

• Why Leanne created Beyond the Label Podcast to challenge family and societal expectations
• The "spiritual proofs" practice she uses to train her brain to expect success
• How she shifted from hiring for skills to building a "heart-led business" based on shared values
• What mindset coaching really looks like
• Why consistency, compassion, and imperfection are key to becoming a better leader

Leanne and the hosts also get real about female entrepreneurship, perfectionism, and why trying to do everything alone is often the fastest way to burn out. They unpack the pressure many women feel to be flawless from day one, and why progress matters more than polish.

If you've ever felt boxed in by expectations, this is your reminder that you do not need permission to start over, build differently, or be fully yourself. This episode is perfect for anyone craving a mindset reset, starting a business, or trying to break the labels that have been following them for too long.

Follow Leanne on Instagram : @leanneblu

Connect with the Hosts:

• Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Follow Us:

• ⁠Instagram⁠
• LinkedIn⁠
  

Building trust as a leader isn’t just about policies or words—it's an architecture you craft through authentic connections, vulnerability, and consistent action. In this episode of House of Becoming, Eric and Tiff share behind-the-scenes strategies from their own leadership journeys across global companies like Riot Games and Apple, revealing how trust is built from rapport, full honesty, and genuine curiosity. Discover how even seasoned parachute leaders approach initial trust, navigate cultural differences across APAC, and learn to read the room—avoiding common pitfalls like the "I know it all" attitude that erodes credibility.

You'll learn actionable frameworks for fostering trust in diverse teams: from mastering the art of asking the right questions during one-on-ones, to intentionally sharing personal stories that break down barriers. They break down real stories of tough conversations—pivoting strategies, admitting mistakes, and turning errors into opportunities for growth. Plus, they highlight the crucial role of vulnerability, showing how transparency actually strengthens the bond between leader and team.

This episode is perfect for leaders at any level who want to move beyond surface-level relationships to inspire loyalty, drive results, and cultivate a high-trust culture. Whether managing cross-cultural teams or navigating organisational change, these insights equip you to embed trust into your leadership DNA—deliberately and effectively.

Connect with the Hosts:

• Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Follow Us:

• ⁠Instagram⁠
• LinkedIn⁠

In this episode, hosts Tiff and Eric address the heavy, unspoken realities of burnout. Eric shares his raw comeback story, and together, they dive into the science of Emotional Contagion, unpacking how a leader's mood dictates a team’s baseline productivity. Beyond the theory, Tiff and Eric share their personal, practical tips to help you build mental resilience and stay calm in the eye of a storm.

Leadership Resilience Toolkit Shared by Tiff & Eric :

1. ​Exploring Different Breathing Methods
2. ​Celebrate Small Wins
3. ​The 45-Minute Meeting Pivot
4. ​Building Your Own Circle of Trust
5. ​Visualise Success

Resources :

1. ​Burnout Immunity by Kandi Wiens : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181109968-burnout-immunity
2. ​More on CliftonStrengths Assessment : https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx
3. ​Dr. Sigal Barsade on Emotional Contagion at work : https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-of-work/201410/faster-than-a-speeding-text-emotional-contagion-at-work#:~:text=These%20groups%20also%20displayed%20more,were%20spread%20by%20the%20confederate.

Connect with the Hosts:

• ​Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ​Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Follow Us:

• ​⁠Instagram⁠
• ​LinkedIn⁠

In today’s fast-paced work environment, effectively managing a team comprised of diverse personalities is crucial for success. Have you ever wondered how to tailor your leadership approach to meet the needs of each team member? In this episode, we’ll explore insights from Tiff and Eric, who share valuable lessons learned from their experiences in managing talent. By the end, you’ll have actionable strategies to enhance your leadership skills and better connect with your team.

Connect with the Hosts:

• Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Follow Us:

• ⁠Instagram⁠
• LinkedIn⁠
  

In today’s episode, we dive deep into the journey of Eric as he transitions from a corporate leadership role to becoming an entrepreneur. We’ll explore the insights he gained along the way, including actionable tips that can help you attract more clients in your own entrepreneurial journey.

Connect with the Hosts:

• ​Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ​Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Follow Us:

• ​⁠Instagram⁠
• ​⁠LinkedIn⁠

In this episode, Tiff and Eric explore the critical shift from individual contributor to a leadership role, emphasizing mindset, relationship-building, and strategic empowerment. Whether you're aiming to lead a team or aspiring to grow within your organization, these insights clarify how to navigate this transition confidently and authentically.

Links & Resources:

• ​[McKinsey Report] It really isn’t about 100 days: Read the Article

Connect with the Hosts:

• ​Eric Tan - ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ​Tiff Ho - ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Follow Us:

• ​⁠Instagram⁠
• ​⁠LinkedIn⁠