Today, in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:
- 🎯 How an ex-Googler turned a layoff into Youtube videos with millions of views
- 💪 The often-overlooked skill that future proofs your career
- 🔑 The counterintuitive framework he used to achieve financial freedom at 35
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🎬 From Google Layoff to Full-Time Youtuber | Shao Chun Chen
While many people love to hate on Linkedin, I’ve built numerous genuine relationships on the platform.
One of them was with Shao.
Last summer, Shao sent me a Linkedin DM introducing himself.
We chit-chatted about about creating money content on the platform.
Fast forward to now. He’s been on a tear, rapidly growing his Youtube channel, 9 to 5 Millionaire Mindset, to millions of views.
What I find inspiring about Shao’s journey isn’t just his quick rebound from his layoff, but how accessible his career and money journey is for many of us.
Without further ado, I’m excited to put the spotlight on Shao:
Shao is a Youtuber based in Singapore, focusing on personal finance content, and a part-time lecturer at National University of Singapore. Previously working for companies like Google and JPMorgan, Shao has achieved his version of financial freedom and now resides in Thailand. Many have related to Shao’s journey so far; with 13k subs so far on his Youtube channel and being featured on popular publications like Business Insider, CNBC, NHK (Japan) and The Straits Times (Singapore).
You’ve had a successful career, working at places like Google, LinkedIn, and JP Morgan. Tell us about your career journey leading up to your layoff.
I grew up in a financially unstable family. I saw my mum break down crying when creditors came to our home demanding payment, so studying and working in finance became my top focus.
I eventually started my career working in Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan. Financially I was doing well. But within 3 months of working in finance, I knew the industry wasn't my thing.
However, it took me 5 years to finally have the courage to admit it to myself and give up the high salary of finance.
That’s when I took a 60% pay cut to transition to the tech industry as a Business Development rep at LinkedIn. That experience paved the way to my dream job at Google, where I spent 8 amazing years.
That journey made me feel like I had to “go down one mountain” to climb even higher on the new mountain.
At Google, I took advantage of the high salary and equity rewards to continue saving and investing. Eventually, I achieved my version of financial independence.
You can find out more about my journey in this feature by Business Insider.
What was your initial emotional reaction to the layoffs? What frameworks or guidance helped you move forward in building your career?
When I first found out I was laid off, I knew financially I was gonna be alright.
Having worked in the finance industry in the early 2010s, I saw how layoffs were so common. That shaped my saving and investing behavior, leading me to be prepared for the financial blow of a layoff.
But emotionally, being laid off was tough. No one really taught or prepared me for the sudden lost of identity, confidence and relevance.
I took time to really internalize my experience and shared my thoughts about being laid off in a Youtube video (see below). It blew up (~500k view), showing me that my layoff experience was shared by so many others. It also gave me the confidence to share my authentic voice on YouTube.
You achieved financial freedom at 35 primarily through your 9-to-5 career. What were the key financial decisions and habits that enabled this?
1/ Be active in your active income
- This means pursuing various ways to improve your earnings from your day job.
- For me, it was about improving my strategic thinking and leadership skills to get promoted—as well as interviewing externally at least once every 6 months to see if job-hopping presents a path to higher compensation.
2/ Be passive in your passive income
- When I first started investing, I was often seduced by the “shiny object syndrome”. I would invest in the hottest stock/FX/coin and often I would lose money.
- Even though I used to work in finance, the finance world is filled with really smart (and ruthless) investors. My younger naive self thought that my own part-time research and analysis could beat out these experts.
- It was only after I pivoted to investing in low-cost, diversified index funds like VOO and VUAA that my real wealth really grew.
3/ So be active in your active income and be passive in your passive income.
- Yet most of us do the opposite.
- We are passive in our active income (i.e. our regular day job) and we seldom actively pursue new opportunities, learning/conferences, or networks to further our careers.
- On the other hand, we are very active in our passive income (i.e. being up all night on forums reading up on which stock/coin/property to invest in)
- This approach takes us in the wrong direction, and that’s how so many of us destroy wealth, instead of build wealth.
Since the layoff, you’ve launched a Youtube channel with millions of views. What skills from your corporate career have proven most helpful in building your channel?
The ability to sell and not shy away from pitching a sale:
- CEO of a Fortune 500 company = Sales
- Founder of a startup = Sales
- Partner at a consulting firm = Sales
- Doctor with stubborn patients = Sales
- Politician with undecided voters = Sales
So I argue that in any field, your job becomes a sales one as you become more senior.
The ability to sell myself became even more crucial amidst a layoff where the convenient narrative is that poor performers are being let go.
To safeguard my reputation and future earning capability, I had to sell myself even more to avoid such an unfair judgement.
The ability to pitch yourself is as much a testament of your confidence as it is your resilience, given that you will receive countless rejections. And fortunately, my past sales jobs have made me rejection-proof.
You’ve also started consulting projects and teaching at the National University of Singapore. What can you share about how you found your initial consulting clients?
- Word of mouth - After 10-15 years of experience, I was able to tap on existing networks of people whom enjoyed working with me.
- Outbound communication - No one knew I was starting my own consulting and coaching service. As I was laid off, most people assumed I would be finding a new job. So being intentional and prominent on LinkedIn and having my own YT channel helped me build leads.
- Start small - I quickly realized that no one would immediately pay me the same rate as my corporate job. This is because I no longer have the backing of a big corporation like Google. So I started small. I offered people low-cost trials and positioned it as “you are getting the expertise of an ex-Googler for a fraction of the market rate”—then I built from there.
If you could go back, would you have done anything differently with how you built your career after the layoffs?
Bet on myself bigger and earlier.
When I got laid off, I panicked. I did so many interviews in hope of staying on my career track. It was almost like a breakup where I desperately wanted a rebound.
What I have come to realize is:
Trust and believe that as long as you are hardworking and kind, good things will always come your way.
What are the top 3 actions you'd recommend to professionals who've just experienced a layoff?
There are plenty of post-layoff advice out in the market so I don't think I can add more value there.
So let's talk about what folks who are still employed, but may be at risk of being laid off, can do:
- Be financially nimble - As layoffs become more common, we have to prepare for it financially just like we do for any emergency. Having a 3-6 months of emergency funds is a good start.
- Redefine your relationship with work - Layoffs used to happen when companies are struggling. But now it happens even when companies are extremely profitable. So the “invisible contract” that you have with your employer has drastically changed. Be intentional in what you want to get out of your job. For me, it was not a promotion or a title like “youngest VP”, but aiming towards financial freedom.
- Accept that layoffs are a part of your career path - Because it is getting so normal, accept that layoffs are bound to occur at some point. Thus, it's our responsibility to have a strategy for when it happens.
Where can we go to learn more about you?
- My YouTube channel - Shao Chun (I’m at 13k, help me get to 20k subs!)
- My LinkedIn
✨ From the Community
- I shipped an AI consulting proposal builder. How I built it. 🚀
- In 2020, I moved from SF to Singapore a week before the borders shut down.
- 📩 Want to be featured in our Community Spotlight? Reply and let’s chat! We have a badass line-up ex-bank COO, national record holder in powerlifting, AI consultancy founder, product managers, and more.
