The Story Behind GOVINME

Born in December 1988, he is the eldest of five siblings and the eldest grandson among his cousins. Growing up, leadership was a responsibility he often found himself carrying.

He was raised in a Southeast Asian middle-income family during a period when the oil and gas industry was booming. Engineering seemed like a promising path, and he was encouraged to pursue it.

2006 — During his engineering bachelor's degree, he became actively involved in student committees and the country's political movements at his university. He was drawn to opportunities to represent others, organise people, and contribute to something larger than himself.

His engineering bachelor's degree was supposed to take eight semesters — four years. But in his seventh semester, he failed.

That setback changed his direction. In 2010, he started over, this time pursuing business studies and spending several more years in college and university. Throughout that period, he remained active in student leadership, eventually serving as President of the University's Student Representative Council.

2016 — After graduation, he ventured into entrepreneurship. He co-founded a marketing and advertising company and explored businesses in food and beverage, home landscaping, and other areas. Within a few years, those businesses had failed.

He began asking himself a difficult question:

He could not ignore the pattern. He had held leadership positions and taken on responsibilities, but something was missing.

Determined to improve, he attended leadership courses, read books, and listened to talks and podcasts. Over time, those efforts brought him to a realisation that changed how he understood leadership:

He wanted to organise people, yet he struggled to organise himself. His time, finances, and health needed greater attention. Before taking on more responsibility for others, he needed to become more responsible for how he managed his own life.

That realisation became the starting point for GOVINME.

As he built more organised routines, healthier habits, and better ways of managing his responsibilities, his life gradually improved.

GOVINME grew out of that process. He developed it by adapting an idea familiar from his involvement in leadership and politics: the structure of a government.

A government can set a long-term vision — perhaps looking 30 years ahead — and translate it into missions, responsibilities, and shorter-term goals. Ministries work within their areas of responsibility, while their efforts must remain aligned with the country's wider direction.

He began to see how that structure could help him lead his own life.

Within GOVINME, he organised those responsibilities into three ministries:

Each ministry has its own objectives and key performance indicators — simple measures that help us see whether we are making progress. Those objectives become monthly priorities and weekly actions. Together, they support one greater vision for our life.

As Prime Minister of our own government, our responsibility is to keep that vision in view, monitor progress across the ministries, and make thoughtful decisions about our time, energy, and resources.

GOVINME is a system shaped by setbacks, reflection, and the ongoing work of improving himself.

It reminds him that holding a leadership position does not automatically mean he is prepared to lead well. Leadership also lives in the everyday choices he makes: how he spends his time, manages his finances, cares for his health, and acts on what he learns.

Learning to lead has given him a stronger foundation for taking responsibility for others. That is the possibility he wants to share through this planner.

As of September 2026, he continues to lead the company he co-founded in 2016. Today, he guides a dedicated team of more than 20 people across multiple regions, generating millions in annual revenue while continuing to grow in strength, reach, and ambition.

As you develop your self-leadership, you can become better prepared to lead within your family, workplace, organisation, or company. Perhaps one day, your journey may even lead you to serve your country.

Wherever that journey takes you, lead honestly. Stay true to your values. Be willing to learn, and take responsibility for your actions.