Discuss the nature of your business.
Basically we are an entertainment company, in other we produce entertainment, primarily focusing on kids. Personally I started by doing magic, but have expanded my team into different areas of entertainment like face painting, balloon sculpturing, games and much more.

What made you embark on this venture choice?
I have wanted to be a magician since I was very young as a child so I am really passionate about magic in terms, is a nature choice for me to become a magician. I also like children and can relate well with kids and hence choosing to focus on kids was another natural choice since I am confident that I am able to do it well.

How does your business work?
Currently we are providing quality premium entertainment at private parties or events to individuals or events companies but of course this not our long-term focus. I believe in creating value in the company. Now, I am at a phase in changing and creating and you should be able to see in the next few months.

What was your childhood dream? When did you decide that you would strike out on your own instead of working for someone else?
I am a person who is always on the go; I can't stand waiting for something to happen. I need to be doing something all the time. So it is during my army days that I will spend a lot of my free time thinking about magic, thinking about my business and I will carry a notebook whereby I will write down my ideas and shortly I begin to translate all these into reality.

Why does someone decide to be on their own rather than join an existing company?
Speaking from personal point of view, I am very passionate about what I do about magic. And like I say I very on the go person, I can't stand inefficiency and I have my own unique style to do things. Sometimes when I look at other business or even a shop, I will think why they are doing this; if they can change one certain part, you know, I think they can increase their profits quite a few times. Hence I decided to put my own ideas into my own business; what I believed in. Of course nowadays I still like looked at other people, and you know, think of better ways to do it but of course this helps me put my own ideas into perspective as well.

Are there at any point in your life that you experienced a significant event (WW2, racial riots of the 1960s, the Economic Crisis of the 80s or 90s, SARS, new competition or shifts in market behaviour and trends) which affected or influenced you and your business that made you change the way you think and do your business?
Definitely. During SARS, it was a very difficult time, all events are cancelled, as all schools are closed, no events are happening at that time. There was totally no income. I actually started a warehouse sale because I know all magicians quite "free" during that time. Magicians can put up their items for sale (second-hand items) at my office to sell. A lot of people turned up, actually it was overwhelming, my warehouse was fully packed. I also tried alternative ways to sell my shows and performances, with limited success. That is when I seriously looked at the business and "re-thinked" my business model. It is also during that time that I took part in the Technopreneurship and Innovation Programme at NTU and that has also helped me tremendously in deciding in new business model that I feel I am now very happy with and I am confident will grow in the long run.

What are some of the challenges in starting a business from scratch?
I was quite lucky because I started doing my business during my University days. There isn't a lot of pressure for me to do well because there was hardly any overhead; the overhead was very low and I just had to earn enough pocket money for myself during the time. So from there it slowly build up my business. I started the business alone at that time. Because I am expanding now, I realize that finding good partners and employees to grow your business is not easy.

Who/What motivates you?
When I see other people’s success whether it's in magic or business, they inspire me. This pushes me for the success.

Tell me about the first few customers and the first few years of business.
Actually first few shows were for charity. This is where I build up my contacts. I also do a lot of private parties during the first few years of business. My big break came when a magician friend actually get me to performed on Superstar Virgo, not many new comer or experience magician will have a chance to perform onboard an international cruiseline. It's on the cruise I learnt a lot of things, about performing and clients. I also realize how important it is to maintain a good relationship with clients and peers.

Please tell me some stories of your best day in business or your proudest achievement to date?
There are sometimes that I am given a huge tip, it shows that they like the show or I have done a very good show for them that I deserve such a huge tip. I think more importantly is the smile on the children's face and them thanking me for the show. There are days when kids actually ask for my autographs which make me feel good since I am not even a celebrity. I was also able to perform for important people, celebrities' example, Eric Khoo, Kym Ng and the ministers and traveled a few times because of that. There was one memorable trip in which I was making balloon sculptures at a restaurant for fun for some friends and a boy came up to me to ask for one. I gave him and he returned for an ice-cream for me!

Do you recall your worst day in business? Have you ever felt like giving up?
Yes definitely, there are in fact quite a few cases. Because I am very passionate about magic so when people cancelled the show without informing us, this makes me really sad about it. It is as though people don't appreciate magic or other entertainment that we put in lots of effort to produce. Of course there are some companies that don’t pay up or go bankrupt at the end of the event. But life's never perfect. It is important to learn from these mistakes and look forward to overcome these obstacles.

When was the moment you realized the business would work and support you?
I have been doing this since my University days. When I graduated, I was confident that I have enough shows to support myself at least. But I think more importantly was the period after SARS that woke me up momentarily that I cannot just depend on performance. That was the moment that I change my business model and I am now more confident that it will work for me and in the long run. And now, I know even if any bad thing, like SARS were to happen, it can still continue to grow.

What are some of the qualities that you feel you possess which differentiate you from someone who works for others?
I considered myself passionate, creative and unique. By having my own business I can experiment my ideas. I feel very passionate in what I do, like entertaining, magic and kids. I believe in my business and what I do, so it thrive me to be the best in that I am.

To succeed in business, what qualities are essential? What are some of the “secrets” in making a successful business?
You must be passionate in what you do. For instance if you would sell ice-cream and you yourself don't even like it, I don't think it's going to work. I think very importantly that you must be passionate and believe in what you are going to sell. So it's very important to be unique because I think Singapore is a very small market if you were to just follow blindly in what other people are successful in doing, chances are you can only be second in the successful one at most. It's very important that what you are doing is unique and create a niche market for yourself.

Who/What inspires you?
Walt Disney. He has a great vision and good passion. I remembered this story that even when he's on his death bed, he told a reporter about his dreams of a theme park.

Have you ever thought of expanding the business in some way or in multiple locations? How and where?
Definitely. I am currently working towards a scalable model. Singapore I feel it's a very small market, it's a good market though. There are many emerging markets but it's not an easy task. I am looking into it and if I can find suitable partners, definitely I would expand it overseas.

In your opinion, how would you define entrepreneurship?
An entrepreneur is someone who has a unique business idea or technology and who has a drive to commercialize it and make it popular.

To what extent does one’s educational level help or hinder entrepreneurial-ship?
I don't think educational level is important in entrepreneurship. I have seen many cases where those who go can actually be successful. Again it's the passion and the drive that push someone to successful.

As we try to select the final 41 entrepreneurs, what qualities would u think a person should have to inspire others?
Drive, Passion and Creativity.

What are some of your own values in doing business and what do you like to pass down to others, particularly the younger generation like us?
For my industry I would come in contact with lots of people and top on our list is service. I try to advocate to my staff that service is very important when we do our entertainment. We treat our client like friends. In terms of business, etiquettes are very important as well, to do business in the long run, one need to care for their partners and peers.

What advice would you give young people who want to start their own business?
Very important it's that you must believe in what you are doing. You must like what you doing. Taking the first step is always the most difficult, but if you never try, you will never know it. Believe in yourself and go for your dream. If you put your mind to you, you definitely can succeed.

Heard you got a nickname called "Mr. Bottle", how does that come about?
My friend gave it to me; it's a philosical reason behind it. It's so hard to explain it now but I have simplified the story because a lot of children do ask me why I am called "Mr. Bottle". This story goes like this: "Once upon a time, there's a boy who is very shy. He's so shy that he don't dare to talk to anyone in school so his father actually bought him a bottle, his father say in this bottle it's magic. The magic would make you grow stronger and braver everyday. So this boy would open the bottle for some magic everyday and soon it become really stronger and braver and even chase a bully away. Actually after many years he found out that the bottle was actually empty. But believing in the magic made him stronger and braver and that's how Mr. Bottle came about. Mr Bottle is someone who believes that nothing is impossible with magic

Is there anything you want to add on before we end this interview?
I am sure anyone who does business will have some odds to come about. I think very important whether in business or in life is to remember to put some fun into it. I am sure in business there are many obstacles that come in different ways but it is also important to learn from the mistakes. This will make you become better in your business.

My Personal Comment
What is truly admirable of Mr. Wee is his strong passion in magic and to bring joy to everyone's life. When finishing with the interview, he showed me a small little magic right in front me and yet I still can't figure out how he done that. Maybe that's the mystery of magic. I always thought there are tricks behind those magic but today I truly realized that it's not.