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Lex Na, CEO and Co-Founder of Bountie.io, on How Books Molded His Character

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Lex Na Wei Ming is the CEO and co-founder of Bountie, a gaming, tech and blockchain business – a combination of all things Lex loves to do and has been doing since he was young.

Bountie is Asia’s first and largest gaming ICO, dedicated to helping gamers make a living playing games. By using the latest technology in Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, their platform reduces the chances of fraud, high transactional fees, and introduces a whole new experience in esports and gaming.

Before building Bountie, Lex co-founded a boutique web design agency named Xcel, and a couple of e-Commerce businesses (ContactLens, The Optiometry Practice, Buy Emme) – businesses that are currently automated, so he can solely focus on Bountie.

Lex was born and raised in Singapore. He hs been working in tech for more than 10 years.

Lex’s interview will show just how helpful Tim Ferriss’ books can be, and how John C. Maxwell’s writing can mold a teenager’s personality. Discover his awesome book recommendations below.

Estimated reading time for this interview is 8 minutes. If you'd rather listen to it, you can do it on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible.

My favourite business book is Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss. I have always been a huge fan of his, started out reading his 4 Hour Work Week and now his latest, Tribe of Mentors. For me Tools of Titans’ an insight into the best and brightest in the world. Learning what makes them tick and who are they really like in real life. I have always been curious about the world class performers and what makes them truly world class. This book really goes deep into the insights and Tim asks really great questions.

There’s a famous saying by Confucius that goes, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” and for me I chose the easiest.

Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell me about it?

I was feeling really nervous for my 938NOW radio interview as it’s my first time doing it. As it’s national radio and I really wanted to do well and represent Bountie in the best way forward, I gave myself too much pressure to succeed. And during my 2nd reread of Tools of Titans, I stumbled upon the chapter with Jamie Foxx and there’s a part where he mentioned “What’s on the other side of fear? Nothing.” He puts it simply that fear is just a concept in our own minds and most of the time, nothing of that sorts would actually happen to us, no negative consequence, even if there is, it would just be temporary. With this in mind, I felt less stressed and continue prepping for the interview. Thankfully during the interview, it all went smoothly and we did a great job.

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What books had the biggest impact on you? (perhaps changed the way you see things, dramatically changed your career path)

I remember during the days when I was in National Service, between the ages of 19 to 21. I had a lot of time on my hands. I managed to stumble upon the author by the name of John C Maxwell. He was really popular during that period of time and he had so many good titles like “Developing the leader within you”, “Today Matters”, “The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership”. These series of books really mold me into who I am now. These are very deep character building books. And they came at the right time when I was at an age ready to be mentored and guided.

What books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path? Why? (no number limit here)

I would strongly recommend these two classics.
a. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
b. Think and grow rich! by Napoleon Hill.

For younger people, I feel that they are still finding their way and a lot of them need to first read something general and alter their mindsets first. Once that’s done, the rest will come easier. When their thinking changes, their attitude changes, and then their actions will follow. Up until they are in the university or when they are out in the workforce, they should start reading more specialised books to become the best in whatever they do. They will make them more valuable and irreplaceable in their organisations.

I’m interested in finding out more about your reading habits. How often do you read? In what format?

I try to read every night for 10 mins before I sleep with my Google Pixel 2 XL on the Play Book Application. Sometimes if the book’s really captivating, I’ll unknowingly continue for an hour and past my usual bedtime.

How do you make time for reading?

Cultivating a routine and habit to read is important and make it non-negotiable in your life. Humans are habitual creatures, if you manage to stick to something for 21 days, you’ll have a significantly higher chance of keeping this good/bad habit for a long time.

Do you take notes or have any other technique for conquering the torrent of information?

I use the note taking function in Play Book to record my notes, highlight and bookmark parts of the book. I also use Wunderlist to store useful resources and links for me to revisit them.

How do you choose what books to read next?

Mostly from recommendation from the rest of my peers who read often, if not I’ll visit Bill Gates’ or Mark Zuckerberg’s reading list for more.

Do you prioritize the books recommended by certain people? Is there anyone that you consider a book-recommendations guru?

I have a backlog of books that I want to read at the moment and I’m constantly adding more to the list based on the title, the genre and the recommendations/why I should read it. And I also try to read those books that solves my immediate challenges at that moment as well.

Last question: what book are you currently reading and what are you expecting to gain from it?

I’m currently reading Start with Why by Simon Sinek. He gave a Ted talk on this and I was mesmerised by his speech. I’m at the stage of building Bountie from ground up and I’m strengthening the Why for my employees, my customers (gamers), my investors and stakeholders. With a really good Why, we can all speak the same language and move quicker in the same direction.

Links where you can follow Lex Na or find out more about his projects:

All books mentioned by Lex Na in this interview:

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