Meet John Song

MEET Paul Song, a father, a world traveler and a visionary entrepreneur. Oh yeah, he’s also my brother. Paul’s been part of the Seattle business community since 1990 when he started ARIS, an IT consulting firm that listed on NASDAQ in 1997. He was 34 years-old then.

Today, he’s more fashionable, still in good shape, more outgoing, and some say he hasn’t aged a bit (maybe the reverse). What’s his secret fountain of youth? Maybe it’s hanging out with his 23-year-old son, Aaron. In fact, they started a business together in Vietnam called Met Vuong (means square meter), a real estate information company based in Ho Chi Minh City.

After graduating from Pepperdine University, Aaron asked his father to go to Asia with him to look for business opportunities. He knew that no one would otherwise take a 22-year-old seriously in that part of the world. Aaron had run a very successful internet company, PresalePassword.net, while studying at Pepperdine and knew he could continue that and peripheral ventures from anywhere in world.

Paul, at the time, was retired, and jumped at the chance of working with his son. First, they went to Shanghai in 2006. They soon discovered that Shanghai already was well on its way in economic development. “There’s enough money and people there that things were already being tried and funded,” Paul says.

As a former member of Asia-Pacific Business Advisory Council (a business advisory group for the governments of APEC), he visited Vietnam in November, 2006, and was coaxed by local business leaders to relocate there. They moved in mid-April, 2007 and had a difficult time finding appropriate housing: No central database of real estate listings; no internet listings. A-ha!

Paul knew that it would be critical to solicit influential real estate companies as partners. He not only signed up partners but allowed some of them to invest in Met Vuong, further solidifying the relationships. The coding on the site started in June with Aaron in charge of the website and its developers, while Paul worked his relationships and managed the business plan.

In September, the website launched with content from such partners as CB Richard Ellis and Savills, as well as a host of Vietnamese real estate companies. Next month, Met Vuong will launch its first magazine publication. Paul and Aaron believe this will be a vital component in becoming the de facto real estate information company in Vietnam. The business plan calls for both online and offline reach in the developing country.

So, what’s it like working with your 23-year-old son after having run a public company? Overall, it’s been great, says Paul, but “we’ve had to work out some issues.” Aaron had never worked in a corporate environment, but had become a successful entrepreneur at a very young age. So, he would challenge some business protocols, which weren’t necessarily bad, but time consuming to work out.

“Overall though, it’s been a great experience for both of us,” Paul emphasizes. For others contemplating doing the same thing, Paul advises to make sure NOT to lose perspective that family relationships are more important than the business itself. It’s easy to get too wrapped up on the business, but Paul’s main reason for moving to Vietnam was to have this experience with his son Aaron.

So Paul, ethnically Korean who grew up in the US, lives in Ho Chi Minh City with his son. They are very similar in many ways. They both have steely laser focus, extreme ambition, and a propensity for technology.

They also are very different. Paul’s more apt to be found at a night club in Ho Chi Minh City, while Aaron is more likely to be at home spending alone time with his finance, Aileen. Paul enjoys fine wine and designer jeans, while Aaron doesn’t drink and would rather be in shorts. Nonetheless, together this father-and-son team is making their mark – in Vietnam of all places.

Oh, so is it more difficult working with your brother or working with your son? “The son,” Paul says, “We’re way too much alike.” Right answer.