Justin Wang is the CEO of The Property Investors Alliance (PIA) and is a wealthy individual in more ways than one. This is in terms of both his financial acumen and his deeply philosophical base of personal knowledge – gained as an offshoot of his Chinese heritage and cultural influences.
He built PIA at the time where he realized the profitability of the Sydney residential property. His considerable charisma would go on to spearhead a veritable empire of altruistic financial freedom. Now that he is on top of his game and sitting pretty, Wang takes a moment to share his story.
From his humble beginnings as a factory worker when he migrated to Australia to his ultimate prosperity as a property mogul, what follows are some gems on entrepreneurial endeavour – ‘the teachings of wealth’ – direct from the man behind the success.
The humble beginnings
Wang associates his accomplishments with always insisting upon his dream, despite his humble origins. “I always believe as a child that if you have a dream, that if you can keep it and be ambitious, that you will eventually achieve it,” he says.
He credits his grandmother with instilling the crucial discipline for fostering his innate abilities. His upbringing was greatly influenced by the Chinese tradition. Speaking about his grandmother he recalls “she always taught me how to be useful and to accumulate good karma”.
It was this fortuitous and fruitful approach – of understanding the process of giving and receiving – that would prove to be of great importance in Wang’s professional life. “My success is measured in two folds – one is financial freedom and the other is helping people,” he explains.
Finding a calling
When Wang became a teacher, he noticed his colleagues struggling with money concerns. It was here that he found a way to ‘give back’ and to ‘find his calling’ – all in the one serendipitous instance. He was able to align his spirit of collaboration with his skill for finance to ‘break the mould’.
Wang explains that only ‘a few people work for fun’ whilst most work ‘for the bread and butter – for survival’. Luckily, in his lifetime he was able to transcend a mediocre existence for one that met loftier goals – but, it was an experience that was not without its fair share of trials and tribulations.
He elaborates “I resigned from being a high school teacher, I wanted to try something else and eventually I came to Australia – because I wanted to find financial freedom. However, I found it very difficult at first to make money in this country, even though the income is higher here than in China I could only save a few dollars.”
Making the dream a reality
Even though Wang initially felt frustrated with his lot in Australia, he quickly found a way to remedy the situation. This was how PIA was born. ‘Ever since I created this concept it has been going well,” he says with an easy sense of confidence.
Wang, once more, credits the realization of his dreams to his two-fold approach to prosperity. “To illustrate my definition, I invest in a business and then I advise others to do so. If I didn’t do that, I probably would not have achieved so big a portfolio as I currently hold today,” he divulges.
He always tells his staff to “make an investment yourself and then share with other people”. In this way, Wang likens the process to a turbomachine, or to an ecosystem. “By doing this information will spread quickly and it will leverage the property,” he says.
The wheels in motion
Now a firmly established enterprise, Wang’s business is a thriving entity built on three symbiotic branches. The keyword here is ‘alliance.’ “What we’re doing is all related to property for the investors. In today’s language, this corresponds to the concept of a ‘platform.’ I believe that the whole industry must be integrated,” he attests.
The modern digital world and its propensity for networking is the perfect facilitator for a collaborative environment – one that works greatly in Wang’s favour. “The more and more that individuals use the PIA platform to start their own portfolio and business, the more everyone wins.”
Wang adds “my business partners don’t actually work for me, rather they engage in the platform and set up their individual businesses. The internet provides and connection for everyone and it makes the connections almost feel physical.”
Entrepreneurial advice
For Wang, the priority of a business owner always lies with the stakeholder/s. This includes all parties to the arrangement, as well as the interests of society as a whole. He gives an example: “in looking after my real estate agent, I also must consider the investors and their client’s interests, aka the purchaser. It goes beyond this, extending to the developer and the entire community.”
This holistic approach is the cornerstone of Wang’s success, and functions as a valuable lesson in entrepreneurial tactics. “If we consider all sides then the business won’t encounter any undue difficulties. If you are not taking care of all sides, you would think that this would jeopardize one parties’ interest – and, then you would most likely find this would cause trouble for your business,” he elucidates.
In engaging his customers, Wang is very focused on listening to his people. This comes down to transparency. “We deliver the truth about the Sydney property market through the thorough knowledge that is easily digestible. We provide the best strategy to assist them with investing,” he says.
It’s also about anticipating needs, saving customer’s valuable time and ‘going the extra mile.’ Wang explains “in hiring a PIA consultant, you are provided a flexible service. We are prepared to go to people’s homes after hours, and we always handle things in an efficient and hassle-free manner.”
Concluding thoughts
Justin Wang is the embodiment of the self-made businessperson. From unassuming beginnings to a life as a property magnate – he now personifies the paradigm for financial freedom. It always comes down to abundance as generated by collaboration. “Life is not about yourself, your wealth and your fame. Sharing and inspiring other people is more fun than being successful by yourself,” he says.
Wang’s favourite quote? A line from a book by Zig Ziglar. “If you can help other people achieve what they want, you can achieve everything you want.” It’s certainly a poignant ‘teaching of wealth’ with many applications – especially for those seeking out their own future as an entrepreneur.