• Blog
  • Archives
  • Bio
  • Awards
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Contact

My relationship with money

Published: Monday, 25 February 2013

You don't need that much money.  Just enough to pay the rent, utilities and food.

My plan I created for myself post-uni when I was in 3rd year uni was to not get a job.  Live very simply.  Save my money.

The more money I saved, the bigger my runway to fail.  And then work my hardest to build a company.

Bury the ego.

I was born into a poor family, and I never had any luxuries.  So I trained myself from an early age not to care about what other people have or be affected by that.

You don't need all of life's little luxuries.  If you live cheaply, you'll have the time, headspace and energy to create your dream company.

When viewed in that context, none of life's luxuries can hold a candle to being able to do the work you love.

About Me

Marita ChengForbes named me a world's top 50 woman in tech & 30 Under 30. I founded Robogals and Aipoly and was Young Australian of the Year 2012. Currently working on robotics company Aubot. I'm the youngest Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and I give speeches around the world.

I tweet @maritacheng and I'm on Facebook.

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive my latest blog posts: 

 

Random Articles

  • Questacon

    Gave a speech for IPAA ACT to 280 people at the CEOs and Young Professionals Network Breakfast.  It was a delight to find my friends at Questacon had a...

  • No amount of hoping and praying can substitute hard work

    Want to do something but you don't feel like it? Want to start a company but you feel the first step is too high and too hard?  Want to get fit but...

  • Aipoly launches!

    We launched Aipoly two days before CES 2016, where we were given a booth for free, as one of five winners of the first CEA Foundation "Technology...

  • Hardy Group interview

    The Hardy Group invited me to speak with them about healthcare, robotics and leadership.  Here I am riffing about those topics!

  • YouthActionNet Global Fellowship Day 4: Meeting an alumni's project

    We had the chance to visit one of the previous YAN Fellow's projects in Mexico. I chose to visit "Deport-es para Compartir" (or "Sports to Share")...

  • Regaining focus

    During my time at Robogals, towards the end of every year, I would lose focus. Why?  All my major projects for the year would have been wound up.  My...

  • Non-profit founder critics

    Why are people so critical when young people start non-profits? Time and time again, I hear people say, "there are enough non-profits out there....

  • Obviously successful

    "We would have bought your company." "You just got lucky because it was the right time for that kind of thing." "All the elements in the industry were...

  • Doing things with integrity

    When you do something, do it whole and completely so that it's done to the best of your ability, then ship.  Your attention to detail shows that you...

  • Success is in the doing

    Even if I know my chances of success are slim because I've been disorganised, have missed deadlines, have generally not followed my own rules for...

Enter your email address to receive my latest blog posts: 

 

Scroll to Top