Ave Kwok says see problems as opportunities to creatively solve them and benefit from them
Ave Kwok, a BYU–Hawaii alumnus, shared the secrets of becoming successful in property investing during a workshop hosted by Real Estate Club, Finance Club, Economics Club and Investment Society in the Heber J. Grant Building on April 4. “When you enter a real estate market saying, ‘It is too hard,’ you let everyone else who says, ‘Yes,’ [to the opportunities beat] you,” said Ave Kwok. He shared there will always be challenges and problems, even when people enter a field they have had experiences in. “I like issues because I will resolve them,” he said.
The Kwoks are originally from Hong Kong and are both BYUH alumni. Kwok emphasized to the audience the importance of seeing the value of themselves. He listed a few personal characteristics and explained how they have helped him. He also invited the audience to “imagine yourself as a match, [which might be] the cheapest [way to start a fire] but the most powerful.”
Ave Kwok displayed a picture of wildfire and a picture of campfire. Kwok explained when students imagine themselves as a match, they get to choose how they burn. They can use their talents to solve any problems and magnify their strengths. After Ave Kwok explained the analogy, Jennifer Lock, a sophomore from Hong Kong majoring in biology and business, shared she became determined to “be a match who is willing to step out of the box and ready to strike.”
Besides the many successes Kwok experienced, there were times when Ave Kwok failed in his investments, he said. “It is okay to fail when you are young, so you can learn from your own mistakes,” suggested Kwok’s wife, Sally Kwok. Even after these failures, she said she expressed confidence in her husband, which she attributed their success to.
“It is also better to work as a team,” said Sally Kwok. Although she tends to save and be conservative, she said she fully supports her husband to take risks.
The Real Estate Club and Finance Club president, Hey Ho, a senior from Hong Kong majoring in business finance, stated the reason why they invited Ave Kwok to be the guest speaker was to introduce younger generation to financial literacy and hope his sharing to benefit BYUH students. “The principle of investing in real estate is localized and applicable to everywhere we go,” Ho shared.
The Kwoks started having children a year after their marriage, so it was important to “save enough for emergency,” Sally Kwok shared. It helped them to have plans even when they were experiencing failures, she added. During their youth, they shared they learned to plan and save as a team.
Sally Kwok shared another key for young people to success is serving the Lord continuously. “Among the many successes, we still remember the Lord and serve Him,” shared Sally Kwok. Kwok served in Boy Scouting for 11 years and both of their boys were Eagle Scouts.
The Kwoks both worked while going to college at BYUH. Sally Kwok worked in the scheduling office, and Ave Kwok was a photographer for the Ke Alaka’i.