Building a $2 Million Business at Age 24, Managing a Billion Dollar Hedge Fund Portfolio, and Being Innovative with May Ling Lai (Ep 01)

Learn how innovation, smart hiring, and culture can help founders scale while building a business around real purpose. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE This interview takes place on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea over a bottle of wine!  May Ling Lai tells her story of how she built a $2 million business from scratch in 2 years at age 24, before going on to manage a billion-dollar hedge fund portfolio.  She talks about strategies for navigating a male dominated industry as a female entrepreneur, why you should always be open to pivoting, and the rewards of pro-active networking.  She explains the importance of innovation and discusses how to identify a problem that needs to be solved and then transform that idea into a business-building process. May then talks about scaling, why most small business owners never do it, and how to think about decisions relating to debt and equity for business growth.  She then identifies the #1 most important skill for executive leadership. She discusses how to hire the right people, manage them effectively, and explains the “real” responsibility of the CEO. May then explains the importance of company culture, having a purpose-driven business, and building a team that is passionate about your mission.  She talks about how to run effective meetings that accommodate different personality types, how to process failure constructively, and how to avoid the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make that exacerbates stress.  She also explains how she structures her international lifestyle, books the best flights, and how her childhood trips to China inspired her minimalist packing. She recommends her top 3 travel destinations and offers packing tips for women on how to remain fashionable while travelling the world for extended periods without ever checking luggage. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU See my Top 10 Travel Apps See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!