How many of you ever entertained the thought of retiring at 35?
For Ah Boys To Men star Wang Weiliang, 36, that became a reality when he sold his three properties and his car two years ago.
In an interview with Chinese media zaobao.sg, Weiliang shared that in 2021, after the pandemic, he felt really lost and the thought of retiring came to him.
“I sold my car and my houses and the first week I was so proud of myself for being able to retire at 35. In the second week, my back started aching, and by the third week, I thought: ‘Wow! Cannot. Retiring this young is not practical at all’,” he recalled.
That was when Weiliang decided to start a movie company with fellow Ah Boy Joshua Tan, 33.
According to Joshua, he apparently had no choice but to say yes to Weiliang’s business proposal.
“That’s because Weiliang knows where I live and he kept knocking on my door,” he laughed.
Jokes aside, Joshua admitted that he agreed to join his pal on his business venture as he wasn’t getting more jobs himself, and it led to him doubting himself.
“Did everyone forget about my existence?” wondered Joshua. “There are some things I’ve always wanted to try but didn’t have the chance so I wanted to create the opportunities for myself. I didn’t have the guts to do it by myself and since Weiliang came to me with that idea, I was okay to jump on.”
The duo went on to start Hong Pictures late last year, with Weiliang the legal owner of the business and Joshua, the producer.
Besides Hong Pictures, Weiliang and Joshua also co-own a creative production company, Paperplane Productions, as well as a music school Seed Music.
So how has business been for the pals, who’ve known each other since 2012?
According to Weiliang, their company hasn’t started making money yet.
Likening themselves to property developers, Weiliang explained: “We haven’t started selling anything yet. We’re still looking for people to buy the content we produce. Just like the developers, we’re currently ‘building the houses’. The money has to come from us first. When we manage to sell our work then we’ll get the money back.”
And while working with a good friend may seem like a really fun thing, it hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine for the Ah Boys.
In fact, Joshua confessed that he and Weiliang “have tiffs every day”.
In response, Weiliang, who is in charge of scouting for investors, said: “I’m looking for money but he spends them. When I see him spend the money I’ve found, do you think there won’t be conflicts?”
However, Weiliang confessed that this dynamic has taught him to learn to trust his pal and let go.
“My logic when it comes to running a business is different. I will come up with the idea first then find the right person. Money is the last thing I consider,” he said.
It’s why Joshua went on to joke that Weiliang shouldn’t be the one in-charge of the company’s finances. Joshua also claimed that he is the more practical one, and is more prudent when it comes to looking after the company’s resources.
So what happens when they have disagreements?
Weiliang said: “Joshua is someone who can’t hide his feelings. If there is unhappiness, we will just call or meet in person to talk things out. We don’t let our arguments last overnight.”
Spoken like a true couple.