My 1st interviewee is Mr. Can Ngo, he plays a big role behind launching this awesome website.

He is a naturally-talented, and most humble and kind-hearted businessman/leader I have ever met in my life.

Having been born in the refugee camp in Thailand, he immigrated to Canada shortly after, and established his own online business along with his best friend, and ever since he is the CEO of one of the fastest-growing Anime convention in North America, called Anime Revolution, based in Vancouver Canada.

I first met him at his event Anime Revolution in Vancouver back in 2013, and now he is married to my best friend, Arika.

Thank you very much for being my 1st interviewee, Can!!!

1. You have such an inspirational and unique path – why do you care so much about Anime and why did you think of starting this as a business related to Anime in the first place?

A.) Thank you for saying so! I honestly think that there are literally thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of people that found Anime as their ‘safe space’. Growing up in a government system had its challenges and Anime really was a great escape from ‘it all’.

The business started purely out of passion (as I guess most do) but also because I felt it would be a great space to give others a place to ‘belong’. I feel indebted to the stories, lessons, and solace that Anime gave me, and hope that by spreading my passion of Anime, it will in turn do the same for others out there, in similar or worse situations.

2. What change did you wish to see in the world before you started this business?

A.) I feel the world has a guilty pleasure in watching toxic online behavior. In a business like mine, much of our energy is spent absorbing the toxicity or persevering despite it.

3. Now that you started your own business, what change do you wish to see in the world in near future and further future?

A.) Anime, much like comic books once were, is still ‘taboo’ in most cultures, meant for geeks/nerds. I hope that people will come to see Anime as just another medium in which to tell great stories, stories that can inspire, change, and drive change for something better.

In the further future, I hope to see technological advances bridging language and more importantly, cultural gaps. I hope to see a world where we are able to not just understand the words from one another, but to understand the sentiment and nuance of our conversations.

4. Along the way growing this Anime convention to this extent, what was the biggest hardship you faced?

A.) I think just never knowing the right ‘pacing’. I’ve learned over the years that ‘timing is everything’. To succeed, we constantly have to be right on trend (or close to it). Sometimes we get it right, other (if not most times) times, we’re so close.

5. Did you have any embarrassing moments/anything that shamed you along the way?

A.) Tonnes of times! Though I am the president of the event, I’m not even close to what the true ‘fans/otakus’ are. I misunderstand jokes, miss punch lines, and genuinely feel a little out of touch. My core passion for Anime is my saving grace though, so I manage to survive any potential lost sleep over it.

6. Did you experience any failures? What kind of failures were they?

I once booked a tech company that used rope and tape to hold a projector on a makeshift stand. Not to mention, I unfolded their projector screen to find a dead cockroach pop out of it. I guess when they say ‘if it’s too good to be true’, they really mean it. This company had rock bottom prices but I definitely learned where to draw the line of ‘too cheap’.

7. What is your definition of failures, and what is failure to you?

This is a great question! My definition of failure has evolved (or maybe just changed) over the years. Today, I believe that failure has many flavors. In my previous answer, I feel I failed our attendee because I was unable to provide them the experience they deserve. However, a valuable lesson was learned from this ‘failure’, so I believe there was merit to the experience.

Another flavor of failure comes in the form of ‘giving up’ before exhausting all viable options. Knowing that you ‘could have’ but not pursuing that path due to procrastination, hesitation, fear, or similar sounding ‘excuses’ are a form of failure, to me.

8. What was the inner dialogue running around inside of your head when you were in the midst of those hardships?

I often told myself ‘we will succeed, there is no other choice’. I picked up a few books that taught me some valuable lessons about success, it’s that you need to eat, sleep, breath, think, and shower yourself in it. Do not spend a precious moment thinking about failure, use that time to think of ways to prevent failure and you shall succeed.

Usage of the pronoun ‘we’ (I hope it’s actually called a pronoun), gave me the strength to feel that I wasn’t alone. There is strength in numbers and being part of a team gave me the courage to continue, despite the hardships.

9. Looking back when you were in that time, what would you say to yourself?

If you’re afraid, work harder. If you’re worried, plan ahead. If you’re not laughing, you’re doing something wrong. If you stop caring, you’ve lost your way, go find it before you continue.

10. What drove/pushed you despite all those hardships above?

Fear and Hope. Fear that I would fail as many had expected. Hope that I could provide value in something I was passionate about.

11. Do you think your vulnerability played a big role (either in a positive or negative way) while establishing your business?

I think so. I think those that chose to help me realized that I’m in over my head. I never professed to ever be an expert at running conventions. I often asked for help and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my team.

12. Any message to entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, or anybody in the world?

Believe in whatever service or product you’re pushing. Provide more value than what you’re asking for (in money). Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Finally, understand that money and wealth are not the same thing. In the end, if you don’t know how to be happy with $1, trust me, you won’t truly know how to be happy with $1,000,000; money truly is just an amplification of who you are.

–The end of the interview—

Thank you Can, very much for your relentlessness toward your passion, your dedication, your humor (always), and being just genuinely you.