Introduction

I'm Alvis Oh, founder and creative lead at Designlabb (www.designlabb.cc) – a web design agency for startups (early to growth stage SaaS), consultants, and VCs. I previously co-founded Brewo – a Vietnamese coffee startup with my friends that serves IHLs like SIM, NTU, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, etc. Prev. @ Tin Men Capital (VC investing in B2B SaaS & Marketplaces) & China Skinny (China's most-read newsletter).

Besides work, I love reading (philosophy and anything that relates to personal growth), playing all kinds of sports (basketball especially!), and learning about startups.

I would write letters sometimes on www.alvisoh.com to pen down my thoughts and ideas for the day/week. I'm very active on X and Threads, so if you want some advice on design or ideas on philosophy, find me there!

Last thing, I'm always open to connecting with like-minded people. Whether you're interested in design, tech, startups, or philosophy, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to offer design advice or engage in thought-provoking discussions. Find all my social links at https://beacons.ai/alvisoh. Let's connect and exchange ideas!

P.S. If you've participated or are participating in the PolyFintech100 API Hackathon, you may know me as the two consecutive Grand Champions for the years 2022 and 2023.

My Business Experiences

• Sleepless Aid (E-Commerce) (Jan 2022 - Apr 2022)

  • SleeplessAid is a e-ecommerce business specifically selling Bluetooth Sleeping Masks that block out 100% of light and help promote the production of melatonin, making people fall asleep faster and more deeply. It is an advanced eye mask with built-in speakers and premium cotton, providing people with unmatched comfort all night.

• Alvis Creative Agency (Aug 2021 - Mar 2024)

  • A Singapore-based creative agency with an international footprint, serving brands since 2021. I specialise in street, portraits, and event photography. Aside from photography, I help brands with their creative strategies (i.e. effective storytelling, content strategy, etc.). I've worked with brands such as Affinidi, TagEspresso, China Skinny, and more.

• Brewo Coffee (May 2023 - May 2024)

  • Our journey began in Hanoi, Vietnam, where we discovered the bold and robust flavour of Vietnamese coffee – and we figured, “why can’t we find this in Singapore?” That experience inspired us to create a brand that's all about exploring and savouring the different nuances of coffee from all over the world.
    
    We believe that everyone deserves to experience the richness and diversity of coffee, and we're here to make it happen. Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or just starting your journey, Brewo is your passport to a world of coffee adventures. Join us on this journey and let us awaken your taste buds to the wonders of traditional coffee.

• Designlabb (May 2024 - Present)

  • Full-cycle brand design shop. We bring life to software and consulting brands globally with visually stunning identities and memorable digital experiences. We design for startups from San Francisco, Singapore, the United States, Switzerland, France, etc.

How It Started?

Hi, I’m Alvis Oh.

I’m the voice behind Conversations by Alvis & founder of Designlabb...

You can think of me as your part-time decoder.

What does that even mean?

I write about philosophy, marketing, and AI – the systems, principles, and tools I've used to work smarter, gain leverage, & live better…

Still curious about me? Continue reading on...

My head down, overwhelmed - hands tugging at my hair and before I know it, I’m pulling clumps of hair out…feeling stressed and unworthy.

“Alvis, you’re f**king stupid.”

The year was 2020, I was 16 - and I thought I wasn’t fulfilling my potential. That must suck…

There I was - living vicariously through fictional characters. (I had just finished watching the third season of The Flash, which was my favorite distraction at the time). When what I desired most was a successful life of my own.

I decided that I couldn’t and wouldn’t take it any longer.

So what did I do about it? I spent the next week finding out what I could do to earn money (at that time when I thought money = success) - just like any other teenager who wants to get rich quickly at such a young age.

Then, I chanced upon "Dropshipping". My entrepreneurial nature told me that I should give it a go - to try dropshipping with the expectation of earning thousands and thousands of dollars. After three months, I was burning more cash running ads than actually selling the products. And unfortunately, I have to close it down.

Right there and then - in my mind’s eye - I saw the reel of my entrepreneurial plane crash. With my failed business, it was like I had built a plane with no landing gear, no destination, and perhaps worst of all, the pilot wasn’t trained on any kind of safety protocol.

The root issue was my poor and weak mindset. At every instance, I was self-doubting myself and was not confident in making the business work.

Then I realised that it's not only that.

I was procrastinating. I play by the rules. I have no form of intrinsic motivation. I was not disciplined and consistent with my actions. I had no routines. I was entirely reactive to the world around me.

I’d wake up very early in the morning and immediately hop on to my social media account and the news. Then, I‘d spend the rest of my day hyperfocusing on things that don’t really matter and serve me in the long run.

To make matters worse, I relied on external motivators to do my work. Even though deep down inside, I know that it has to change.

Most of my actions are based upon how I feel - for example, going to the gym is completely dependent on whether I feel like I want to go.

In 2021, I took things seriously. I rationalised what life is really about and how one can become successful in life.

I started investing in self-development books, listening to podcasts, and trying out many things I find interesting.

Among my favorites:

• Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

• The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

• The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy

• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Elite Minds by Dr. Stan Beeham

• Awareness by Anthony De Mello

And the one that changed my life, Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered

Throughout 2021, I was entirely indifferent.

I was trying to work on myself and doing all sorts of things to find my purpose.

At that point in time, I thought of something: "If life is so perfect, everyone (including me) will be happy and living their dreams now. So what sets successful people apart from poor people?

The books above answer this question.

The mindset.

After reading the books, it was like I had swallowed a pill that made me turn into another person…and began to see the true nature of reality.

From then on, I began to develop these habits:

• Writing weekly for Conversations by Alvis – a newsletter that talks about philosophy, marketing, and AI – to tell better stories that CONVERT, gain LEVERAGE, & live BETTER

• Writing and posting content daily on Twitter.

• Journaling - noting down my everyday thoughts and my goals in life

• And many more...

And accomplished these:

• Won PolyFintech100 API Hackathon at Singapore Fintech Festival 2022 and 2023 & attracted investors for the solution

• Landed many freelance gigs - providing storytelling and copywriting services

• Getting mostly distinctions (5%) in my academics, scholarships, etc.

• Got my first four-digit paying client for Designlabb

• And attracting more opportunities in life

It was then I realized the change in mindset has given me the greatest gift of all:

Purpose.

The purpose to help people achieve what they want with what I've learned and experienced. The purpose to help those who are struggling but do not dare to voice out. The purpose to make people realise the potential they have in them.

It’s an endless pursuit. And I find happiness in that internally.

With an abundant and strong mindset, I discovered the best feeling of all:

Invincible.

And I want you to feel what I’m feeling - floating in thin air…and feel completely different; feeling in control of everything and remaining calm in every situation.

Personal development is a start to real growth…and for those who are open-minded, I’m here to share this life-changing purpose of mine with you.

These letters are the resources I wish I had back in 2020…at the point where I felt unworthy - before I spent untold hours (and of course many moments when I felt like giving up) discovering ways to develop a strong mindset.

I don’t have all the answers - and probably never will. But I’m grateful and happy to have this thing called the internet to share what I’ve learned so far on my journey to growth and unleashing the hidden human potential.

You can get started by subscribing to Conversations by Alvis. These newsletters are powering a new era of personal development in paving your way to success.

And it starts with you reading, then working on yourself within.

“The key to happiness is really progress and growth and constantly working on yourself and developing something.” – Lewis Howes

Creators, let’s make 2024 the year you’ll achieve the life that you want!

Stay safe out there.

Alvis Oh

More info on the books

1. Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza
   “When we experience a traumatic event, we tend to think neurologically within the circuitry of that experience and we tend to feel chemically within the boundaries of the emotions from the event, so our entire state of being—how we think and how we feel—becomes biologically stuck in the past.”
   
   “What you put your attention on and mentally rehearse over and over again not only becomes who you are from a biological perspective, it also determines your future.”

2. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
   Law 9: “Win through your actions, never through argument”. What’s the benefit of arguing with people? You simply waste your energy.
   
   Stay put, calm, and composed. Let the long-lived event dictate who’s the winner.
   
   “Words are a dime a dozen, and people will say anything to prove a point. Action is where you demonstrate your beliefs.”

3. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy
   The subconscious mind makes up 95% of our brain power. While our conscious mind makes up 5%. Be aware of what you feed into your conscious mind.
   
   If repeated often enough, your mind will then steer your behavior more towards making those ideas a reality, unbeknownst to you.

4. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
   The idea of “finding a game worth playing” is influenced by Eric Jorgenson’s The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, p. 74:
   
   “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

5. Atomic Habits by James Clear
   The idea of “Forget about goals, focus on systems instead” is to create a system that cranks all the time with the purpose of continuation - an infinite game
   
   While the purpose of setting goals is to win the game - a finite game

6. Elite Minds by Dr. Stan Beeham
   “Wanting is a conscious desire, expectation is a conscious belief."
   
   Be careful what you feed your brain. It’ll get downloaded into your subconscious mind and guide how you behave every single day.
   
   If you expect to win, you will win. If you want to win, you won’t.

7. The Art of Being Alone by Farnam Street
   “Loneliness, longing, does not mean one has failed but simply that one is alive.” — Olivia Laing

8. Kobe Bryant

   “Rest at the end, not in the middle.”

Most of the things written in this blog are things I've learned from my heroes - these heroes are internet/online entrepreneurs whose works have changed my life. They are:

• Kobe Bryant, NBA player (Los Angeles Lakers), author of The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

• Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way; Ego Is the Enemy; Stillness Is the Key; The Daily Stoic and many other books

• Dan Koe, Founder of Modern Mastery & Digital Economics

• Alex Hormozi, co-founder of Acquisition.com and author of $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No

• Robert Greene, author of books on strategy, power, and seduction

• Naval Ravikant, Indian-American entrepreneur and investor

• James Clear, writer and speaker, and author of #1 New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits and 3-2-1 newsletter

• Mark Manson, self-help author and blogger, three-time #1 New York Times bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

• and many other amazing people out there too

Want to read more? Check out my other articles here and subscribe to my newsletter if you want to be the first to read my articles on philosophy, marketing, and AI.

If you’re interested, you can read my previous blog articles here at The Social Note.

Get in Touch

1. 📘 LinkedIn - If you've got any questions or messages you want to share with me, please share them with me on LinkedIn, and let's connect together. I'm very active on the platform so do drop by and say hi.

2. 📧 Email (contactalvisoh@gmail.com) - If it's a longer thing or you do not have a LinkedIn account, no worries, just drop me an email. I read 100% of the emails and answered all of them!