CEO’s Diary, March 28

A Saturday Run & A Proud Parent Moment

It was another typical Saturday. I kept up with my 30-kilometer slow run, maintaining a pace of 5:53 and a heart rate of 144. It felt much better than last week, which I suspect is because I was listening to a Chinese podcast today. Listening to Chinese helps me relax so I run a bit faster, whereas English requires so much focus that I subconsciously slow down. (The podcast I listened to today was Yang Li.)

This Saturday was also very special. In the morning, my child received an admission offer from the absolute best university in the United States. Yesterday's Ivy League decisions were a bit of a letdown, because my kid never really wanted to be on the East Coast. Still, we never expected today to deliver such a massive surprise. I am just incredibly happy for my kid.

Honestly, I don't have much of an elite school complex. I attended a very good university myself, but the tuition was so high that I barely focused on my classes; I was too poor and spent my time trying to work and earn money. So, I always felt that a prestigious school didn't bring me much tangible benefit. Yet, seeing my child get this offer, I am absolutely thrilled.

What brings me the most joy is that, having been in the international school system since childhood, my child has basically not studied past 2 PM for years. Being the school's top athlete and the captain of numerous sports teams, my child grew up in a positive environment without any pressure from us as parents.

I have stood on the sidelines, watching my kid take a completely different path from mine—watching them grow, adapt, struggle, and finally blossom. I am so happy that through their own efforts, they have reached heights I never even imagined before. My child has secured offers from what I consider the best universities in both the US and the UK.

I used to joke around, saying that dad was actually quite impressive because back then, there were only two university spots for my entire province, and I must have been incredibly gifted... I won't be making that joke anymore. My child is the best.

Securing an offer from an absolute dream school made me realize—perhaps for the first time in my life—that the kids have grown up and have their own lives now. We can finally be friends and share our life experiences.

In the past, I only treated the kids as friends in my attitude and words, but deep down, I still felt a parental need to shape their core values and worldview. Now, I need to adjust my mindset as a father and genuinely treat them as friends from the bottom of my heart, offering them more respect and open communication.

The 2045 Vision: Choices for Global Citizens

My entire professional background is in the immigration sector; truthfully, aside from immigration, it's the only thing I know how to do. At Globevisa Group, we have a vision for the year 2045:

By 2045, Globevisa Group aims to be the global leader in immigration and relocation services, and we hope to serve over one million clients worldwide. We plan to establish professional teams in 400 cities across 200 countries and regions, providing localized services to our global clientele. Furthermore, Globevisa Group will deeply explore, carefully develop, and operate over 1,000 different programs.

To many, that statement might sound a bit empty, but I believe in it wholeheartedly because I wrote every single word. It was announced at our global conference in Singapore last year, which also marked Globevisa Group's 23rd anniversary. I believe in every word of this vision, and I am willing to work continuously toward it for many years to come.

I bring this up because our vision specifically emphasizes developing 1,000 programs, covering 200 countries and regions and 400 cities, to serve 1 million clients. We don't want to exclusively serve the ultra-wealthy. We want to provide more choices and life-changing opportunities to everyone.

As I often say: you are not just born in a specific city in a specific country. You were born on Earth, as a global citizen, and you shouldn't limit your life.

I am incredibly grateful that immigration changed my life, allowing me to leave a small town and see the world. It also changed the lives of my family and my children. If our continued efforts in the coming years can offer life-changing opportunities to many more people, that is truly a profoundly meaningful endeavor.

People often scoff at our 2045 vision, thinking that a 20-year plan is ridiculous or just a marketing gimmick in the current AI era. My simple response is that they just don't know Globevisa Group, nor do they know me. If you understand our history, you will see that this vision is a very natural extension of our growth.

Global Perspectives & Real-World Impact

In my last entry, I mentioned our many Middle Eastern offices. This Thursday, I had a rather heavy conversation with our Lebanese partner, Walid. He asked me, “Henry, have you ever lived in a war zone?” I told him I hadn't, and he replied that he has spent over 50 years of his life in the midst of war, including that very day.

It didn't fully hit me in the moment—I can be a bit slow to process these things—but his words have been echoing in my mind over the last couple of days. Two of our Lebanese partners looked at me and said, “You know, you could actually do something about this.” I agree.

So, next week, I am going to seriously study the labor markets, especially in Asia. I'll look into Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan, China to see if their labor markets could offer opportunities that might bring some change to these conflict-torn areas. I know it won't be easy; compliance is a massive hurdle, and many of these jurisdictions have heavy restrictions or outright bans on applicants from war zones. Those rules can be incredibly frustrating, but I am going to research it and give it a try.

For nearly 10 years, Globevisa has been steadily expanding outside of mainland China. There have been countless stories of success, failure, joy, and sorrow. A few years ago, we mandated that key corporate management promotions be conducted entirely in English, and we even run two ERP systems internally, using HubSpot for our overseas operations.

Nowadays, I spend less than a month each year in mainland China, the region I am most familiar with. Why go through all this trouble? It essentially stems from an idealistic desire to explore the world without letting our birthplace define us merely as a “Chinese company.” After all, we were all born on Earth.

The Long Game: Commitment & Core Values

On a personal note, although I was born in the 1970s and was lucky enough to catch a great era, many recent events have been shifting my perspective.

When I initially ran the 777 (7 marathons on 7 islands in 7 days) in Taiwan, China, the top three runners I met were all in their 70s, and we finished it together.

Source: World Marathon Challenge Official Photography

During last year's 777 (7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days), I met even more remarkable older friends, particularly 60-year-old Selina, who casually dropped into a perfect split right in front of me while warming up. Even though I didn't participate in this year's 777, I saw that 74-year-old Academician Li had a better finishing time than me, and an 81-year-old ran 100 kilometers at a 6:00 pace alongside Long Shao. All of this is fundamentally changing my view on time.

Luo Zhenyu's podcast deeply resonated with me and made me feel we share similar values, and Yin Ye's ongoing talks about health are profoundly reshaping how I view both time and my core principles.

People have mixed opinions about Luo Zhenyu, and everyone's perception is different. I personally felt his year-end speeches were getting worse each year. However, he still managed to influence me. One day, he declared a long-term commitment to a 20-year “Civilization Journey” project. In that moment, I was moved; I believed he would stick to it and that he had found a profound passion in his life.

Luo announced his 20-year journey in 2024, aiming for 2044. We announced our 2045 vision in Singapore in 2025. I feel I have a stronger starting point than Luo because of the numbers we've already achieved, but my path is also harder.

For him, the act of doing the project is the result itself. For us, the results aren't guaranteed simply by working hard. Therefore, our long-term vision isn't just about the final outcome; it is about the 20-year commitment we make to strive for that outcome.

Please keep the following numbers in mind:

• Today, we have already achieved: 50+ offices, 140+ programs, and over 110,000 clients.

• We have successfully served clients from: 117 different countries.

  
  

These personal values, combined with my past experiences at Globevisa, have very naturally shaped the direction of our 20-year vision. I sincerely hope that everyone at Globevisa can believe in our vision as strongly as I do. Let's keep pushing forward together.