Founder Story

OFFGRID began with a quiet realisation: many young people grow up only seeing a narrow version of what life and success can look like. Beyond the conventional paths laid out for them, there are countless ways to build a career, a life, and an identity — but not everyone gets to see those possibilities early enough.

Over the past 10 years working across startups, SMEs, and MNCs, I've been fortunate to sit close to founders and builders who don't follow a fixed map. Watching how they think, how they make decisions, and how they shape their own paths showed me something simple but powerful — that there is no single way a life is meant to unfold. That exposure quietly expanded how I saw the world.

At the same time, I started noticing a pattern. Many people only realise later in life — sometimes in their 30s, 40s, or beyond — that the path they've been on doesn't actually feel like theirs. By then, so much time and energy has already been invested that stepping away becomes difficult. Some eventually find the courage to start again, to build what people often call a “second life” that feels more aligned with who they are.

Having experienced my own version of this reflection, I started OFFGRID with a simple intention: to bring together people who have stepped off the expected path and built something true to their own sense of meaning. Not just to share success stories, but to go deeper — into their thinking, their doubts, their decisions, and the inner shifts that shaped who they became.

My hope is that these conversations can help the next generation see more possibilities earlier — and feel less bound by a single definition of success, and more empowered to find their own.

— Maggie Phan