Jeremy Tan Shared His Experience Turning Down A Promotion

In 2016, I received a flattering promotion offer. My peers thought I was CRAZY when I said 'No'.

I was at the height of my career in finance. I’d just closed a big M&A deal and earned the confidence of management.

An opportunity to go to Geneva 🇨🇭 to lead an investment team was offered.

Numbers wise it was a very attractive offer. But, I chose not to take it.

Under the surface, past the dollars and cents… I wasn’t happy, something my wife noticed over time.

Sometime later in that period, my late father passed away. That, combined with my mental state at the time, made me pause.

I had to reevaluate my priorities. Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?

These are the lessons that helped me decide:

❇️1. Trust your gut instinct.

I looked at my past investments. Realized that I loved working with teams who disrupt the norm.

I loved the energy of startups that could innovate and do better. Coincidentally, those teams are growing in Southeast Asia.

These factors aligned and made sense. It was a firm belief, a gut instinct.

Though scary, I knew this was the right path to take.

If I could be an entrepreneur, why not do it in my home country? 🇸🇬

❇️2. Put values first

The entrepreneurial itch was always there. But I didn’t know what to do next.

After making up my mind, meeting Murli Ravi was the golden key.

He helped precipitate a lot of these discussions.

Before we even thought about venture,
We aligned on values:
- Value Creation
- Fairness and Integrity
If you want something to last, you need to get your values aligned.

❇️3. Build a strong relationship with risk.

My career history was working for big companies. To take a risk and establish my own was nerve-wracking.

I was never comfortable when I took the plunge. I only got settled when I went through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

In truth, even being employed comes with risks.

Now, if I ask myself,
“Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?”
The answer would be a resounding YES.

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Plenty of decisions can feel ‘Pivotal’,
But life and your career is a long journey.

Money isn’t everything and it’s worth thinking about your next move carefully.

What do you think?