Episode 17: Driven By Passion With Nate Chen

Let's get our engines revved and head out on the road to success! There may be a lot of hard work ahead of you. But remember that this is your road and these are your wheels. It doesn't matter what's in your way, build a bridge and drive over it. Don't let anything slow you down.
Nate Chen is a professional racer currently competing in the Formula DRIFT PROSPEC 2022 series. On the side of that, he works hard to develop his private equity career at IMB Partners, where he is in charge of reviewing, executing, and managing investments. Nate manages to succeed in both of his endeavors despite juggling two different professions.
Nate's success was largely due to his ability to execute. With his interest in racing since he was young, he decided to pursue it, and he’s now one of the pros. His prior experience in investment banking led him to continue his career at IMB Partners, a private equity firm. While he had successes on both sides, he didn't deny the struggles he overcame before he reached his current level of success.
Throughout Nate's professional life, he had to contend with burnout. In this podcast, he reminds us to take a step back and allow ourselves to recharge before we push through. Nate's drive to make his dreams come true is genuinely remarkable. It doesn't matter how implausible the odds are, he takes on the challenge! He's constantly pushing himself to his limits and excelling in all he does.
In today's episode, get the scoop on how Nate's passion-driven success manages to thrive in fulfilling two different careers at once. His confidence in achieving his ambitions was never in question, execution is his key to success. No more spoilers, watch our newest episode with Nate Chen!
Key Takeaways
(00:55) - Who is Nate Chen
(01:09) - The Jerry Yang Racing Compound
(01:50) - How Nate Chen manages his schedule
(02:53) - Beyond racing
(04:03) - How Nate got interested in racing
(05:33) - How to turn your dreams into reality
(06:06) - Vision and Focus: 2 keys to pursuing your passions
(07:50) - What inspired Nate
(09:50) - How to deal with fears, failures, and challenges
(13:30) - Staying curious
(15:00) - How to deal with days when you want to give up
(19:00) - The pursuit of fulfillment: Always thinking about what’s next
(20:00) - The challenges of private equity deals
(26:00) - Becoming a thought leader in your own field
(28:00) - What pushes Nate to pursue private equity
(31:00) - Having a competitive mindset
(35:14) - How both careers (racing and business) overarches Nate
(40:05) - How Nate was able to integrate different skills into other aspects of his life
(46:30) - The truth about drift racing
(47:23) - Nate won his US Pro License in 2020
(50:09) - Nate’s advice to anyone who has goals
(53:30) - Closing remarks
Quotes
"You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you can just add another spoke." (08:00)
“There’s something that you can learn from everybody and it’s how you take that and package it into something that you’re doing.” (09:14)
“You don’t win every race. It’s how you get back up again and continue to fight.” (11:01)
“As an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to take some risks.” (48:00)
Resources and Links
https://www.formulad.com/drivers/nate-chen
https://imbpartners.com/team-member/nate-chen/
https://linktr.ee/nathaniel.chen
https://www.instagram.com/jerryyangracing/
Connect with Nate Chen:
https://www.youtube.com/c/NATECHEN
https://www.facebook.com/NateChenRacing
https://www.instagram.com/nathaniel.chen/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-chen-ba0bba44/
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