Making A U-Turn

Once a wayward child and teen, Alex Judah Lim, an entrepreneur, found his way back onto the right path and is proof that life’s challenges cannot break him.

Written By: Boh Ke Yng
Picture By: Alex Judah Lim

When entrepreneur Alex Judah Lim, 34, looks back on his life and recalls how as a teenager, he was an entirely different person. It isn’t something he is proud of but yet, it has helped changed the lives of teenagers who were like him when he was younger.

 Alex shared that he comes from a less privileged background, his father was the sole breadwinner of the family. His parents had him at a rather old age which resulted in a generation gap between him and his family members. His parents quarrelled often and it caused Alex to run away from home a lot. He was in primary school then.

 As a result, he started hanging out at void decks and got to know new friends. He soon started mixing with gangs, and began smoking at the age of nine. He officially joined a gang when he was in Secondary One and that was when his life started to take a turn for the worse.

Alex earned his keep by selling and trading illegal VCDs back then. He also took drugs like Ecstasy and Ketamine and was involved in drug trafficking across the Malaysian-Singapore border. His involvement with gangs also intensified with various gang fights. Eventually, it caught up with him and he was thrown into aa boys’ home for two years.

Being in the boys’ home did nothing for Alex. In fact, he said it was an opportunity to get into more trouble with the others who were there.”Most of the time people in the boys’ home don’t change. It is like a stepping stone for them to get into even worse cases and connections.” “A lot of fights were going on back then in the boys’ home.” 

At one of the parents' visits, Alex looked at his parents and realised that they were getting old. “I looked into the eyes of my parents for the first time and felt a strong urge to make a change in my life for the better. They are the reason why I decided to turn over a new leaf.” 

Alex finally “woke up” and pondered on his life. He had seen his friends getting killed in gang fights, died due to drug overdoses, committed suicide and even sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. “I do not wish to end up like them in the future.”

While still in the boys’ home, Alex asked his parents to bring him his textbooks where he would study during his free time. He started from the very beginning – the basics of Secondary One on his own. Fortunately for him, he was given the chance to get back to school.

Fast forward to awaiting for the results of his ‘N’ Levels, Alex topped the Normal Academics cohort in his school and was promoted to Secondary Five. Thereafter, he did excellent in his ‘O’ levels and was one of the top 10 students. He’d gained confidence in himself and his studies upon achieving such great results.

“Actually, if I put my mind to do something, I am able to achieve it.”

While enrolled at  Nanyang Technology University (NTU) in Mechanical Engineering, Alex decided to drop out after a semester. He had a vision for himself and wanted to chase his dream of starting his very first food and beverage business. His Western food stall evolved into a restaurant, but due to the economy and unforeseen circumstances, he was forced to close down the business only after two years.

Alex next stepped into the finance sector as he realised the importance of managing one’s own finances well. He was a senior financial advisor and worked in the field for seven years. “Having the knowledge and skills, I have decided to start my own business again because I believe that I have the mindset of an entrepreneur.” 

Thereafter, Alex ventured in several other businesses, including distributing technology-based products and antimicrobial coating products.

“As a businessman, you cannot just follow your passion but be adaptable and know the changes in the market. Find out the problems in society and find solutions to solve the problem. You can then create a business from it and transform along the way,” Alex shared.

Outside of his businesses, Alex is also a court advisor nominated by the director of Ministry in Family and Social Services. “I saw myself in them most of the time and I understood what they were going through when I was sitting in the chamber with the judge to discuss their sentences.”  Realising that there are youngsters who are going through the same path he did, with a similar family background, Alex feels compelled to lead them back onto the right track.

“If no one is there to guide them, their lives will take a turn to the negative, and they may never come back.”

Alex hopes that there will be more volunteers in the community to help these teenagers. By providing them with support and friendship as often they are misguided by the wrong company.

“Think for your future, plan and act on it. Study because you need to, you want to, for your own knowledge and skills and not because someone asked you to,” Alex advised.