Episode 92: Bernard Chong & Made In America: My Story by Sam Walton

ABOUT BERNARD

Bernard stands at the helm of a billion-dollar investment empire, seamlessly navigating traditional businesses and cutting-edge tech startups alike. His diverse portfolio spans industries from Retail, Real Estate, and Entertainment to food and beverage. His interests range from animation (ASI Studios) and radio communications (Energy FM) to food and beverage (Tim Hortons/Kko Kko), entertainment (RKB Productions), and IT (Thirty One Digital), among others. A luminary in the esports industry, Bernard gained international acclaim for founding the award-winning Bren Esports (now APBren) in 2017. Bernard’s philanthropic endeavors are as extensive as his business ventures. As the co-owner of Synergy88 Studios, the Philippines’ first Microsoft-accredited art supplier specializing in mobile games and 2D character designs, he contributes to the flourishing creative industry. His upcoming ventures include the U.S. expansion of Mendo Coffee Company, a new mobile app platform, housing developments in Panama, the BrenNetwork investment fund, and the launch of the BrenSEED Foundation—a global Education-focused non-profit. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Bernard is an avid Legos enthusiast, chess player, and comic book aficionado, with a particular fondness for Batman. Currently residing in Beverly Hills, CA, he is a devoted father and Family man.

CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

• The power of trust in others.
• Understanding what someone is good at and getting out of their way.
• The importance of knowing one’s blessings.
• Curiosity is key to understanding people
• What we can get from helping people with no expectations in return.
• Stepping away from work to relax.
• Needing to meet people with a colorful past.
• “We, as a leader, should really find every good person we can and try to get them and attract them and hopefully be aligned with them in how to go about business or shared dreams or shared projects.“
• “When you meet a good employee, a good person, and you want to troubleshoot a different area, you just put the good person there and the value, the culture will suddenly change.”

The MAIN QUESTION underlying my conversation with Bernard is, How open, curious, and prepared are
you for the opportunities and people in both the world you see and what’s beyond its borders?

FIND BERNARD

• Website: linktr.ee/brenchong
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iambrenchong
• LinkedIn – Full Podcast Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/episode-92-bernard-chong-sam-walton-made-america-john-m–8oowe/

CHAPTERS

00:47 – Introduction & Bio

02:40 – Who are you today? Can you provide more information about your work?

04:25- How did your path into your career look like, and what did it look like up until now?

24:50 – How does the work you’re doing today reconcile to who you were as a child?

28:58 – What does leadership mean to you?

32:23 – Can you introduce us to the book we’re discussing?

36:40 – What lessons have you taken away from the book?

36:59 – What are you up to these days? (A way for guests to share and market their projects and work.)

This series has become my Masterclass In Humanity. I’d Love for you to join me and see what you take away from these conversations.

Learn more about The Book Leads and listen to past episodes:

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• Read About The Book Leads – Blog Post

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John M. Jaramillo Leadership Performance Coach

John M. Jaramillo is founder and leadership performance coach and consultant at Coach It Out, LLC.

In that capacity he helps clients throughout the organizational hierarchy break through to their next level of leadership performance and effectiveness. Clients realize just how much more of their abilities, experiences, and goals they can bring to the table. His professional experience in the public and private, profit and non-profit sectors allows him to transfer lessons across business industries, organizational structures, and leadership needs.

In addition to coaching, he enjoys writing, presenting and speaking on leadership branding and design as well as hosting two podcasts -- The Book Leads: Impactful Books For Life & Leadership and Mindset Talks: Life Beyond The Checkboxes.