Entrepreneur and real estate magnate Ching Chiat Kwong believes in harnessing the power of fear – in particular, that dread of failure – to break new ground. “I make it a point to use fear to my advantage, and have never restrained myself from venturing into unfamiliar territory because of anxiety or worry over failing,” said the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SGX-listed property developer Oxley Holdings Ltd. “This is why we endeavour to go into untapped markets and be the pioneer among Singapore developers to explore such places. We also make the best of our failures, and use the lessons we have learned to propel our future growth.” Ching’s indomitable spirit was evident even in his early years – he kick-started his entrepreneurial journey

I guess the horror story began back in 2014 when my wife came back home one evening and told me that she had purchased a USD220K 2 bedroom condominium unit jointly with her sister in Cambodia at a road show. The property agent (let's call her Ms M) was a close friend of both of them and has extolled the virtues of overseas property investment because the quantum involved is so much cheaper than getting an investment property in Singapore. Ms M is a successful property investor who currently owns 3 condominium units in Singapore and has accumulated a high net worth from buying and selling Singapore properties. She has also invested in this particular Cambodian project being jointly developed by Singapore based Oxley Holdings and their Cambodian partner.My initial reactionsI was rather shock