My Interview with Callum Laing
“Prioritising family and lifestyle are what drove Winnie to set up an online marketing business.”
Callum has summarized it very well in our interview at AsianEntrepreneur.org. I love my work and I love my family too. After my first child was born I gave up my business and became a full-time mum. any parents know that kids can occupy you 48 hours a day. Lol. Till they all started to go to school and the house is quiet again for that few hours that they are not home. What shall I do in these few hours?
What’s your story?
“I was trained as a system analyst with a programming background so I started off being a bit geeky. After my son was born, I decided that being a full-time mum for my child is more important than my career. In the mid-90s, the internet had just barely started to be available to the public, so without a thought, I built my first website in between looking after my son.
People soon realised that there were business opportunities on the internet and affiliate programs were everywhere. As I enjoy travel, I built websites about travelling in Hong Kong and other countries with affiliate links to promote travel-related products. They were a huge success, and they brought me a very handsome income while I could stay home with my children.
Now that my kids have grown and go to school full time, I can spend more time on my business. From time to time there are friends who ask questions about promoting their business using website or internet marketing. So I decided to expand WL Media to help both SMEs and people like me, who want to earn a living while still enjoying the freedom of doing the things they prioritise most.”
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
I have worked for companies of different scale and business trips to other countries. Hong Kong remains my favourite for business.
“Singapore is very competitive though I still think Hong Kong has an edge. Not just because how easy it is to set up a company, how efficient and robust the legal and financial systems are, but also its closeness to China. Any business which plans to enter the China market will benefit from first starting a company in Hong Kong, then learn his way to China.”
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
“Mashpi Lodge in Ecuador. I was thrilled to find that in 2001, Roque Sevilla, a nature lover and the former mayor of Quito bought a large swath of the Chocó rainforest which was due to be logged, and has turned it into a hotel with floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows for people who wish to have a close-up experience with nature. The hotel was built by the joint effort of scientists and naturalists with a vision on conservation and sustainable ecotourism. He trained local loggers to staff his lodge and help on conservation rather than deforestation. And there are researchers in the Life Centre carry out ongoin monitoring and research. Visitors can join all kinds of walks with the experts there too. Find out more about them. They have certainly done a lot of amazing things!”
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
“I would go and study entomology and environmental study and work with conservation programs worldwide to get some hands-on experience. With my knowledge in digital marketing, I will help to raise people’s interest in nature and awareness of the big environmental issues ahead of us.”
Shameless plug for your business:
As I said in the interview, I am here to do what I want. I like to achieve without using dirty quick-fixes which is prevalent in this industry.
Whether it be in-house SEO training workshops, monthly promotional packages or a starter package for a new business we have a range of options available. But more importantly, we are willing to sit down with a business and understand enough about your goals, pain points and competitive environment to come up with online marketing strategies that will work.
The full interview with Callum at AsianEntrepreneur is here.