Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author Eric Ho on making your own way to the top
Eric Ho dropped out of college at 19. Not because he lacked ability or drive, but because he was determined to achieve something great and wanted to get started. Ho knew that the well-trodden path of further education wasn’t for him. Instead, he wanted to build a business and make money, and he wanted to start immediately.
Using his experience of working in his dad’s restaurant, Ho became an entrepreneur at the age of 21 by developing his own fast food franchise, YO YO Noodle.
One thriving business would be enough for most people, but the catering industry didn’t fulfil Ho. He began investing in his own steel and tyre company, and by the age of 24, Ho lived a luxury life of supercars, dream houses and holidays.
Yes, this still wasn’t enough. Ho felt that money alone could no longer satisfy him and as a result he fell into a deep depression, losing all direction in his life.
In 2000, during a trip to Africa for volunteer work, Ho found purpose in helping those in need. When he returned to Britain he set up H-Giving, a nonprofit charitable organisation aiming to help improve life for children in Africa.
In 2011, Ho went to Kenya to witness first-hand the plight of street orphans who had been left to starve. He and his H-Giving team helped build an orphanage, providing a home for 63 children and an education centre for over 340.
This passion for helping others gave Ho the motivation to systemise his businesses, to allow him to earn money from passive incomes. Today, Ho travels the world holding motivational seminars and talks, using his own experiences to educate other people about how to free up more time and financial freedom. And, Ho does it all in his inimitable way, with an ethos of learning to ‘master the form and flow with the formless.’
On stage recently at The Best You Expo in London, Ho was at once impressive, real and relatable. Speaking about the power of Facebook marketing, Ho reached into his pocket for his phone before holding it out towards a man in the front row:
“Have a look at that,” he asked. “This is the amount my companies made using Facebook marketing last year. What does it say?”
The man quickly stood up to read the screen, reading aloud the figure £700,000.
Ho was far from boastful. “It’s not millions, you’re disappointed,” he joked. “But it’s still good. Beer money, right?”
That’s the Ho factor. It’s about harnessing new ideas and technology, and sharing a wealth of knowledge and time with networks across Europe, Africa and beyond. Ho teaches that whilst not everyone is born with the right resources, with the correct guidance anybody can achieve success and happiness.
For more information visit www.erichoofficial.com