He Walked Away From the Life He Was Supposed to Have | Aurelien Joly

What happens when the life you imagined for yourself no longer feels right?

Growing up in France, Aurelien Joly thought he would become a doctor. His family supported that path and his future seemed largely mapped out but as he got older, something didn't feel quite right.

A decision to study languages, learn Chinese and move abroad eventually led him to Asia, where he would build a completely different life than the one he had originally planned.

More than sixteen years later, Hong Kong has become home.

In this conversation, we talk about identity, leaving behind expectations, building a business in Asia and the moments that shape the course of our lives.

We discuss:

• Changing path and moving to Asia and embracing uncertainty
• Learning Chinese and adapting to a new culture
• Building his business Unlock APAC
• Entrepreneurship, family and long-term thinking
• The decisions that change everything

This is a conversation about choosing your own path, even when it looks very different from the one you were expected to follow.

🎙️ Welcome to Asian Business Owners, the podcast that explores the real human journey behind building a business in Asia.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Teaser

(00:44) Podcast and Guest Intro

(02:19) Changing Direction and Learning Chinese

(05:28) Moving East

(07:30) Staying in China Hustle

(09:44) Native Union Hypergrowth

(11:40) Distributor Pitfalls

(13:36) People Management Philosophy

(17:26) Founding his Business: Unlock APAC

(18:36) What Unlock APAC Does

(20:20) Starting Young Winning Clients

(23:01) Early Solo Years

(23:25) Sphero Meets Disney

(25:38) Selling BB-8 Across Asia

(27:45) Stepping Away from his Own Business

(30:16) Pivot To Education

(32:05) Back To Entrepreneurship During COVID

(35:17) Scaling With A Team

(37:04) Brand Architects Approach

(40:41) Resilience In Asia Markets

(42:33) Work Life Balance Lessons

(46:06) Closing

✅ Get your free day pass at Garage Society!

👉 To find out more:

Reach out to Aurelien Joly on LinkedIn

Check out Unlock APAC

To follow my journey:

📲 Find me on LinkedIn

💬 Follow abo.pod

🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners

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