Christine Khor is a powerhouse of an entrepreneur. She’s got an invigorating energy, with a down-to-earth confidence that rubs off on you.
Christine’s goal has always been to build capability, and the love for what you do. It’s about helping people build the career they want, and helping organisations build the capability and the teams that they need.
But, midway through her career, Christine came up against a wall that many people will find all too common. She realised that the career she’d made for herself, it wasn’t what she wanted to do. She was so focused on running the business, that she didn’t actually ask herself if she liked it.
“I quite loved the process of recruiting— I didn’t love running a recruitment business. Loving to cook doesn’t mean you want to own a restaurant.”
A large portion of working people, whether they’re building their own business, or working for someone else, can relate to this.
“49% of people think they’re in the wrong career. I don’t mean the wrong business. I mean the wrong career,” Christine says. She felt stuck.
But that feeling was a motivator. It was this knowledge, this complete understanding of being shackled in the wrong career, that led Christine to take the step and move into a different career. At 50. Founding a tech start-up. But she knew it was the right choice.
“I had been in that recruitment line for 20 years, and I no longer wanted to be in that line. And I’ll tell you something: you cannot be amazing at what you do if you don’t like it.”
That’s exactly right. It’s a stark lesson that many people can learn from.
So she made a switch. She created a new business that she was passionate about. She ignored the money, the success she’d built, and went for it.
Christine recognises that financial stability is important. But if money is the only thing that’s keeping you in your job, then it’s not fulfilling. That’s not success, for Christine.
For Christine, success is about the impact you’re making. It’s being able to help others love what they do. It’s about being inspired, and inspiring others.
“At the end of the day… when I can say those two things, then I feel I’ve had a great day.”
It’s about finding the lane that’s right for you. About finding the career that you’re so enamoured with that you don’t even think about the money. Because, as Christine says, if you do a great job, the money will come.
To hear the full conversation, listen to Episode 9 of It’s Never About Money.
