Business Athletes: Will Fan

Hello and welcome to Business Athletes everyone 👋 

Each week, we’ll explore the athlete-like habits behind a different business leader. In less than 5-minutes, we aim to provide you with practical tactics that you can quickly apply in your day-to-day.⚡️

In this edition, I spoke with Will Fan, co-founder of NewCampus, an EdTech company reimagining traditional education through immersive experiences and a global community.

From bridging education with Web3 technology to building impact in emerging markets, Will shared the mindset and disciplines that fuel his approach to growth and leadership.

Here are some of my favourite takeaways:

• Resilience in a Shifting Landscape: Will’s journey has been marked by adapting to major shifts in the tech landscape. Over the past decade, he’s evolved from survival mode to profitability and now to expanding NewCampus’ impact in Southeast Asia and beyond.

• Championing Impact and Profitability: Will’s focus has shifted from merely sustaining the company to creating long-term impact. His team has driven growth by emphasizing returns on investment for clients, treating education as both a service and a catalyst for change.

• Routine and Reflection as Anchors: Despite constant travel, Will grounds himself through routines like working out and weekly reflections. These habits help maintain his focus and adaptability, no matter where he is.

⚡️Enjoy this week’s edition!

Pre-Game Preparation

Crafting Routine and Flow as a Founder

My daily routine adapts to my life as a founder, especially with travel. At home, I start my day quickly—coffee, then desk in minutes. I’m consistent with workouts, which keep me grounded and mentally sharp. I focus on repeatable processes, like morning rituals and meals, that allow my mind to save energy for big, creative projects. With time, I’ve moved from daily management to supporting a leadership team that can operate independently, especially as we expand across global time zones.

Routine Amid the Chaos

I’m on the road a lot—about three to four months each year—so my routine can feel like it’s been thrown under the bus. When I’m not traveling, I value the efficiency of remote work, where my day starts within minutes.

Working out is a big part of my routine, whether it’s yoga, Pilates, or something intense like Berries in London. Exercising helps me clear my mind and keep a sense of normalcy even when things get hectic. My meals are simple and repeatable; yogurt and berries for breakfast, bean salad for lunch. These routines free up mental energy for creative work.

Lessons From The Field

A Decade in the Game

In the beginning, most founders don’t picture themselves sticking with one company for a decade. But I’ve come to see that building in education isn’t just about financial growth—it satisfies a personal motivation for real-world impact. I’ve watched the industry and my company evolve over the years, and now that I have a team, I spend less time on day-to-day execution and more on where we want to be 10 to 20 years from now.

When I launched my company a decade ago, I didn’t anticipate the long-term challenges and rewards that come with building in education.

Early on, the focus was on survival, especially through funding fluctuations and market shifts. About 18 months ago, we pivoted from merely surviving to achieving profitability, a milestone that demanded a shift in mindset.

Now, my vision has expanded to include global impact—especially through initiatives like Open Campus, a half-billion-dollar foundation aiming to bridge education into Web3 and support global founders.

ROI, Not Just Experience

In education, we’re often tempted to obsess over creating a great learning experience, but it’s critical to connect it back to business impact. Our clients are companies, not individual consumers, and they look for solutions that either save or make money.

We focus on supporting sales, marketing, and product teams to push their KPIs. While learner impact and confidence rates are nice to have, the real value comes when our services translate into tangible business results.

From Survival to Profitability

If you’d asked me 18 months ago about my goal, it would have been simple: survival. Like many in tech, the funding drought hit us hard, especially because 90% of our clients were in big tech.

We had to shift our focus towards profitability, which we achieved last year—a major milestone. Along the way, I reconnected with one of our early instructors, who was starting a foundation called OpenCampus. Now, we manage this half-billion-dollar initiative, bridging education with Web3, scaling our impact in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

Competing on Emerging Turf

While the U.S. and Europe are mature markets, my focus has been on emerging regions like Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. There’s a different playing field here—one that lets us leverage technology and bring education to underserved areas. Our team has worked hard to establish NewCampus in places like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, where we support growth and innovation through an agile, challenger brand approach.

Player & Coach

Scaling Leadership

I’ve been doing this long enough that getting into a flow state comes naturally. The real focus now is on coaching my team to work independently. We’re a team of about 25, with 6 to 7 at the leadership level, and I’m committed to developing their skills. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve really started thinking about scaling myself—empowering my team so I can focus on bigger-picture strategies.

Maintaining Balance Through Tough Times

I work best under pressure; in fact, I call myself a “wartime CEO.” I struggle during quieter periods, so I compensate by staying busy with routines and reflection. The analogy I like to use is crypto trading—there will always be dips and peaks, and the same goes for business.

The Business Athlete Mindset

What Winning Looks Like

Winning isn’t about a single event or result; it’s about showing up every day with consistency. I keep a Sunday reflection in a private WhatsApp group where I note one thing I’m proud of and one thing I’d like to work on. It’s a practice that helps me see progress and make course corrections weekly.

Recently, I reflected on how valuable it was to find peace while spending time in nature after weeks of conferences and travel. Having this quiet space helps me recalibrate for the week ahead.

The Long Game: Staying Calm Amid Uncertainty

Building an education company has shown me that it’s crucial to maintain a steady temperament, regardless of the peaks and troughs. This mindset, which I liken to an athlete’s approach, keeps me focused and level-headed, no matter if we’re in a high-growth phase or stabilising after a challenge.

Athletes don’t show up overhyped for every game; they bring the same discipline, whether it’s practice or game seven. That’s the same mentality I strive to bring to my work as a founder.

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