Asia

Eric Feng

Area 9 Training International (formerly Edu Vale)

Age: 25

Company: Area 9 offers training in leadership, communications, and branding, and creates products like The FAQ Book on Public Speaking.

Education: BS in computing (information systems)

Prior work experience: President of Singapore Philadelphia Innovators Network, co-founder of training company the Learning Scholar, technology analyst at Star Cite, U.S.

On being an entrepreneur: "It has been a four-year roller-coaster ride that keeps getting better at every turn. There is always something to learn every day: an idea that I can apply to my business, a mistake that I should not make again, and a realization about myself. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming. It doesn't help that you have your stakeholders' interest to take care of, your staff to motivate, and your clients to satisfy. Plus, there are times when you never know when your next paycheck will come! What I learned, though, is to simply take the next logical step. Do my due diligence and then take action. Even if I have to fire before I aim, do so. Because in business, time is of the essence."