Daan van Rossum: Navigating Career Shifts, Vietnam Work Culture Landscape & Entrepreneurial Persistence and Trade-Offs - E309

Daan Van Rossum, Founder and CEO of FlexOS, and Jeremy Au discuss and reflect on three major themes:

1. Career Navigation to Entrepreneurship: Daan's journey began with founding Cyberfood, a food delivery startup all the way back in 2000 using fax machines. He went on to become a marketer at Media Highway for 7 years, worked with Ogilvy for 9 years, and moved from Chicago to Singapore to Vietnam. He then founded Bright and later spearheaded the growth of Dreamplex, Vietnam’s top coworking space, and FlexOS, an HR service platform that provides tools, guides, and community events to remote teams. He shares the decision-making process behind each career move and underscores the value of prioritizing goals, understanding risks, and embracing change as an integral part of the entrepreneurial journey.

2. Southeast Asian Work Landscape: Daan shares his insights on the productivity and cultural aspects of Southeast Asian work environments. He explains the stark contrast between working models, such as Singapore's mostly hybrid approach, and Vietnam's strong return to full-time office work due to factors like evolving job markets and trust dynamics. Daan acknowledges the gradual convergence of work trends globally, yet points out that certain regions are not yet ready for hybrid or remote models due to their recent transition from manufacturing to knowledge-based industries and the need for foundational structures like trust and KPIs.

3. Personal Trade-offs and Growth: Daan’s personal experience of facing challenges and making trade-offs to prioritize family time stresses the importance of aligning personal and professional values. He talks about the toll his work was taking on his well-being, took time to delve into underlying issues, and made transformative changes for a more fulfilling life.

They also delve into the challenges and opportunities in remote work, the evolving landscape of co-working and office spaces, and the impact of market differences on these models.

Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/daan-van-rossum

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com

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