Author: Jose Ngai
Company: OPM Printing
Position: Founder
《Only Through Continuous Learning And Breaking Through Can We Create The Extraordinary From The Ordinary》
I’m Jose Ngai. I was born into a family in the printing business, and at around the age of 20, I joined my father’s printing company to help out. But times were changing rapidly. Technology advanced quickly, and traditional business models gradually faced elimination. Not long after, my father passed away from heart disease. My brother and I managed the printing company for about two years before eventually closing it down, and from that point, I stepped out on my own.
When I first entered the business world, I quickly experienced the setbacks of entrepreneurship. I later moved into other industries and spent three years exploring different paths. During that period, I met Danny, a printing business owner who would have a profound influence on me. He started as an ordinary agent and gradually built a factory of his own. Later, he invited me to help manage the entire factory, where I once led a team of 32 employees. That experience made me reflect deeply for the first time: Why are some people able to rise from the lowest point while others remain stuck? It was also during that time that I began learning about business and developing a new way of thinking about both business and life.
After returning to a field I knew well — commercial projects and production — I continued exploring and learning. Between 2017 and 2018, our team’s work gradually gained recognition, even placing among the Top 10 across industries. Although our business philosophy later differed from that of our shareholders and we eventually went our separate ways, I chose once again to establish myself independently. I often say, “I am a very ordinary person. I may not come from a technical background, but I am someone who is willing to learn and take action.”
The greatest breakthroughs in entrepreneurship do not necessarily come from technology. They come from changes in mindset, networks, and frequency.
At the beginning of 2025, I fell into one of the deepest valleys of my journey. A factory owed me money, while the other party’s own factory was also in serious difficulty. To recover what was owed, I took the initiative to find a buyer for them. Even after two rounds of negotiations fell through and the third buyer walked away, I refused to give up. I picked up the phone again and contacted Justin, a customer who had previously shown interest. Against the odds, the deal was eventually completed.
Justin became one of the most important people in my journey. His way of thinking opened another perspective for me. Not only did I recover the money owed to me, but the transaction also helped my debtor’s customer overcome their own difficulties. That experience made me understand something deeply: the people and situations that seem to make life difficult in the moment may, when we look back, turn out to be the very experiences that helped shape us.
Gradually, I discovered that my abilities had no fixed limits. I did not begin because I was fully prepared. Instead, it was through falling, struggling, and overcoming obstacles that I developed the resilience and problem-solving ability I have today.
Looking ahead, I do not only want to continue growing and enriching myself. I also hope to pay greater attention to the needs of an ageing society and use what I have learned to help more people. I have always considered myself an ordinary person, but I eventually realised that as long as we never stop learning and continue breaking through our own limitations, each of us can become more capable than we ever imagined.
— Jose Ngai