About

Originally from Hong Kong, I’m currently a student studying Computer Science at Stanford University. I create cool stuff that’s innovative, disruptive and elegant and have a passion for engaging in the creative process of building tech startups.

Since 2006, I’ve started several internet businesses. including an online magazine, internet marketing company and web application. In 2010, I co-founded a startup called BuzzBlaze, a social news aggregation website. I’m also the author of eMillions, which debuted as a #1 best-seller on Amazon.com.

I’m inspired by technology, startups, design, innovation, philosophy, business and doing good. In my spare time, I love playing soccer (and supporting Man Utd), doing magic tricks and enjoying life. Sometimes I study too.

I’m always on the lookout for cool stuff to work on – especially in the consumer internet and mobile space. Be sure to look around and check out what I’ve been up to lately. I also love meeting new people so don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

Contact Me

My Story

Here’s how it all started: I’ve always been sort of a tech junkie from an early age. I got my first ever computer when I was just 3 years old (back then they were still Macs) and always loved playing around with different softwares and programs. In 2001, I got involved in web design when a friend introduced me to HTML  & Javascript. That was when I created my first ever website with friends as a hobby and hosted the websites on free servers such as Angelfire and Geocities. It was mostly a period of hacking and messing around with designs and codes.

I first discovered my entrepreneurial instincts at the age of 11 when I started a “business” at school. My school only sold a limited variety of snacks and people usually had to wait a long time in line during break times outside the tuck shop. I spotted this opportunity and began to start selling snacks myself in classrooms. I basically went to 7-Eleven every day after school and bought a few dozens of chips and “Mamee Noodles” at around HK$3 per pack and sold it at school the next day at HK$10. My venture only lasted for two weeks but I managed to make a few hundred dollars – enough for a 11 year old’s pocket money.

A few years has gone past, when one day, in the summer of 2005, I came across a book at my local bookstore that ultimately changed the course of my teenage life. It was called Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. The book was a huge eye-opener for me as that was the first time in my life that I was exposed to the concepts of money, business and cashflow. In fact, I loved the book so much that I bought the entire Rich Dad series as well as several other business books. It was the first time I ever realized the vast amount of opportunities there was in the world of business and entrepreneurship – and that there were other options besides getting a safe, secure job and climbing the corporate ladder for the rest of my life.

I began going on the internet, trying to learn as much as possible about business and entrepreneurship relating to the lessons taught in Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I downloaded tons of ebooks and audio interviews on the subject but, unknowingly, I also signed up to tons of email lists…

TURNING POINT:

Then on May 13th 2006 (I remember the day very clearly – it was a Saturday), I received a “spam” email with the subject along the lines of “Make Money Online With Zero Dollars”. I opened the email and watched a 40 minute screen capture video on the subject of Google Adsense. It was at that moment that I realized just how huge the potential of making money from the internet was.

I followed the instructions from the video step-by-step where I created a blog, wrote some articles and slapped a couple of Adsense ads on it in one weekend. That very night, I made my first $1.97. And that was the story how it all begun – the moment where my two passions of business and internet fused into one by starting my first ever internet business.

And they say the rest is history…

By August 2006, I made my first $100 and also registered my first domain name. I started creating content-rich websites in niches such as web hosting, magic tricks and business. In January 2007, I made my first $1,000 (in under 48 hours) selling an ebook called Co-Registration Secrets Revealed that I wrote in a hotel room in Shenzhen over two nights. I later went on to sell the rights to the ebook, pocketing another $1,000 in less than 48 hours. Slowly, I began building a following and customer base with over 4,000 subscribers on my email newsletter list. I did my first ever official product launch in June 2007 when I released The Viral Marketing Blackbook which garnered rave reviews and created huge buzz in the internet marketing industry. In my first proper year online (between January and December 2007), my business has generated over 5-figures in sales (not bad for a 14-year-old).

eMillions: Behind-The-Scenes Stories of 14 Successful Internet MillionairesIn the summer of 2007, I took on my biggest project yet when I began on a journalistic mission to interview the most successful internet entrepreneurs in the industry. It was a long and grueling 15 month process that was packed with adversities and obstacles that I had to overcome. In December 2008, eMillions: Behind-The-Scenes Stories of 14 Successful Internet Millionaires was published and became an instant #1 best-seller on Amazon.

You can also download a free digital copy of my book (all 260 pages – unabridged) by clicking here as a bonus for reading my about page :-)

In April 2009, I purchased The University Kid, a young entrepreneur blog, from my good friend Jason Pereira. I turned it into an online magazine and grew the subscriber base from 800 to over 2,500 subscribers in just a few months. It was later resold back to Jason (out of coincidence) in February 2010. During that period, I also took on an internship at Taobao (Alibaba) – the largest e-commerce website in Asia.

In 2010, I decided to quit the information marketing niche as I shift my focus towards more on the technological aspects of the web. In February of 2011, I launched my first tech startup called BuzzBlaze, a social news aggregation website.

Milestones

  • 2001 – Created my first ever website
  • 2003 – Started my first entrepreneurial venture at school selling snacks, making several hundred dollars
  • May 13th 2006 – Began my first online business
  • August 2006 – Made my first $100 online
  • January 2007 – Sold my first ever ebook and made $1,000 in less than 48 hours
  • June 2007 – First ever “official” product launch with The Viral Marketing Blackbook
  • October 2007 – Made my first $10,000 online
  • December 2008 – Released eMillions, debuting at #1 on Amazon.com in four categories
  • July 2009 – Marketing & web development at Taobao (Alibaba) – largest e-commerce website in Asia
  • January 2010 – Sold TheUniversityKid.com – a young entrepreneur blog
  • February 2010 – Reached 100,000 followers on Twitter
  • February 2011 – Launched BuzzBlaze – a social news aggregation website

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EntrepreneurEntrepreneurBuilding Tech Startups

I’m a starter: I execute on ideas by turning them into reality. Over the past five years, I’ve done several entrepreneurial ventures:

  • BuzzBlaze – a social news reader
  • The University Kid – an online magazine on young entrepreneurship
  • StanleyTang.com – internet marketing company
  • eMillions – a best-selling book

DesignerDesignerProducts, Web Design, Graphics

I love to design products and websites, producing elegant and inspiring interfaces. I’ve also had experience creating brands, logos, graphics as well as print media.

MarketerMarketerInternet & Product Marketing

I am a marketer by background. I’ve been doing internet marketing (including product marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, affiliate marketing, search engine marketing and information marketing) for about five years, during which I’ve:

  • Executed successful product launches (e.g. eMillions, BuzzBlaze, Viral Marketing Blackbook)
  • Built up an international user base of over 6,000 subscribers
  • Accumulated over 100,000 followers on Twitter

DeveloperDeveloperFront-End Development

I have a passion for front-end development (HTML, CSS, Javascript) as well as creating mobile application (Objective-C, iOS Stuff). I also have experience coding in Java, C++, C and PHP. Right now, I’m learning Ruby on Rails.

StudentStudentStanford 2014

I’m a student at Stanford University (class of 2014), studying Computer Science. I’m also involved in the entrepreneurial communities on campus