Business Timeline – Tyrone Shum

1981 – 1999

As a child I was very fortunate to have been raised up in a large family with five uncles and aunties who I saw every weekend for dinner when we were over at my grandparent’s place. As I was the first born in the whole Shum family, I was the centre of attention for some time. Though most would think I was spoilt all the time, in fact it was the other way around; I was disciplined and taught good values. In my immediate family, I have two sisters and one brother who are very unique showing great talent in their field of interest.

I spent a lot of my childhood with my grandparents, as mum (Alison) and dad (Henry) had to work in their business. To keep me occupied, I watched a lot of cartoons on TV, played LEGO and ate delicious homemade meals. Since everyone in my family knew how much I loved LEGO, every birthday until the age of 11 they would get me the large LEGO sets that would take me hours to build. Interestingly this is where I developed my talent and love of building of systems and businesses.

My favourite LEGO Set

During my primary school years I was very shy and kept to myself and the teacher most of the time. I found English to be very hard as it wasn’t my first language at home, though as I started to become best friends with my buddy Ben my English improved. I spent the first 4 years of schooling in a catholic school located in Strathfield, Sydney. Then for Year 5, when I was 10 years old the school didn’t cater for ‘boys’ and I had to make new friends in a public school located in the same area for a year. It was a very tough time for my family and me during the year where my mother passed away. Most of the year I learnt to become independent and also looked after my sister who I walked to school with. Looking back at this time of my life, it made me realise how I grew up so quickly and had to learn to be mature and look after myself whilst still learning how to do Maths and English at school.

From age 11 onwards I picked up jigsaw puzzles from my aunty who also loved that hobby. She showed me a lot of her framed 3000 piece puzzles and that kept me interested since then. I am glad she did because I was starting to struggle at school and I was not making any friends.

By the end of Year 5, our family moved out of Strathfield and I had to change schools again. You could imagine how that made me feel, I was just starting to get used to school and expected to finish there before moving onto High School. So for Year 6, I was at a new school located in North Ryde, Sydney, which was the same school my cousin had been since a little kid. My cousin is only a few months younger than me and born in a different year, but luckily for me I was to be in the same class and year as her, so settling down in the new school wasn’t that bad. By now I wasn’t a child anymore and I was becoming a young adult who embraced change where ever I went. Furthermore, I was to also meet my future university friends who I have become long time friends with.

I look back at my primary school years and it was a period of change. I saw how much I had improved in English, developed and grown as a young mature adult. If I could relive those moments there would not be a time to regret because it has made me into whom I am today. Only wished I hadn’t cried in front of the whole class when my best friend Ben and I got separated to different classes!

The Influence Of High School

A new chapter of my life started here, at a new school and completely new environment. From Year 7 to 12 I went to a private school in Summer Hill and it was boys only. My father knew it was best that I would go to a private boy’s school so I could focus on my academic studies and other interests I wanted to purse, and that I did! This school brought out the best in me, because it had offered a huge range of resources and activities for anyone who would embrace it. The highlights at school for me were:

Sports And Athletics Events Brings My Competitive Spirit Out.

After my mother passed away, my father ensured us kids would do plenty of exercise every morning. It became my passion at high school because I loved the thrill of physical competition. I won races at 800m and 1,500m and competed at our region school carnivals. I remember at the start of Year 7 I really hated Physical Education (P.E.) classes and would do anything not to participate. I dreaded the early 6am swimming lessons I had to take because I was not a proficient swimmer to pass any of the swimming tests in class. It turned out as I started in Year 7 looking like a plum with poor fitness, by Year 12 I was fit, health and strong and able to run 7km races without any hesitation. It was confidence building and sport allowed me to bring out my competition spirit.

Duke Of Edinburgh Was My Leadership Training

It was compulsory to do a co-curricular activity at this school and there was no way in getting out of it without either getting a detention or breaking a leg that would take a whole 5 years to recover. It was not as bad as I thought, because it gave me life experiences that I would not have gained anywhere else. There were three levels in the Duke of Edinburgh program, Bronze, Silver and Gold. The highest being Gold, and once I reached that level I was ecstatic to receive my Gold award from the Governor General of Australia. There were so many aspects to complete in this program that allowed me to explore my personal strengths and weaknesses. I made becoming a leader my strength because I was given the responsibility of House Captain and School Monitor (Prefect) at my school. I continue to use my leadership skills in business today to lead a team of people.

Symphony Orchestra Allowed Me To Enjoy Cultural Aspects Of Life

Yes, I was one of those Asian boys who took up Violin because mum and dad thought it looks good for their son. Actually I did it because I didn’t want to be part of Cadets, because I hated anything to do with the Army (No offence to the defence force). I actually played the Viola, which is a slightly deeper sounding instrument that looks like the Violin. I was part of the School’s Symphony Orchestra and String Orchestra where we performed at the Opera House, at our Speech Nights in the Homebush States Sport Centre and at other school events that required us. It taught me to be discipline to practice every night and allowed me to appreciate classical music. One of the aspects I still enjoy today where I can just listen to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performances and say they are brilliant!

Maths Classes Taught Me to Solve Problems Passionately

My favourite class at school has always been maths. Most people associate maths to geeks and I am proud to be one of them. I am just someone who enjoys solving problems and finding answers. I was ranked in the top 5% of the state for Maths and I am not telling you this to brag, but to let you know that I loved Maths with a passion and it made succeeding at it much easier. I even came back during my university days to tutor Maths to students at this high school. I learned that if I was passionate about a particular subject, I would learn the concepts and ideas much quicker and be able to apply them easier. Something that I believe is crucial to any business and workplace.

Overall I gained so much experience from High School which has been the foundation and core of my life lessons. This chapter of my life has been crucial because it has allowed me to develop and grow into the person I am today.

Continue to Part 2 of Tyrone’s Business Timeline