TEDxITE College Central Youth Thu, 30 Oct 25. Speaker 1 | Movint Rao | TEDxITE College Central Youth

Quick Overview

Movint Rao, CEO of Crush Media Network, shares his transformative journey of personal weight loss and subsequent business growth, emphasizing that success, especially in media, comes from leading with authenticity, purpose, and genuine care (heart) rather than striving for impossible perfection, which led him from being 140kg to building an expanding regional business.

Key Points: Movint Rao started his journey by losing 70kg (from 140kg to 70kg) in five months, starting April 1st, which he calls a huge turning point in his life. He started his digital marketing journey at 17 by learning from YouTube, initially focusing on social media content creation. His initial sales efforts involved door-to-door marketing, receiving over 100 rejections before securing his first client. Crush Media Network was founded in 2019 as a branding and creative performance agency, now expanding across Southeast Asia with eight offices and 15 full-time employees in Singapore alone. Rao advocates for 'Leadership from the Heart,' emphasizing non-hierarchical management, working for the team, and focusing on creating collective elevation rather than individual success. The core message is to not seek perfection but to serve with HEART, take the first step, and follow the 80/20 rule (do your best 80% effort).

Context: Movint Rao, CEO and Founder of Crush Media Network, delivers a TEDx talk at TEDx ITE College Central Youth, outlining his personal transformation journey—specifically his significant weight loss—and how the lessons learned translated into building his successful digital media and creative performance agency across Southeast Asia.

Detailed Analysis

Movint Rao details his personal and professional journey, beginning with a significant weight loss milestone: dropping from 140kg to 70kg in five months, starting April 1st, after suffering a heart attack scare while in IT. This transformation was a huge turning point, motivating him to share his story online and start learning digital marketing via YouTube. At 17, he aggressively pursued sales by knocking on over 100 business doors, facing rejection, but eventually secured clients by offering his services for $200-$300 per month. He credits his grandmother's advice to 'make every cent count' for instilling financial discipline early on. He founded Crush Media Network in 2019, a branding and creative performance agency, which has since expanded rapidly across Southeast Asia, now boasting around 40 employees and eight offices, with 15 full-time staff in Singapore. Rao stresses that elevating the business involves challenges, noting that all his initial 9 clients left during the COVID-19 period. His leadership philosophy, 'Leadership from the Heart,' dictates that he works for his team (not hierarchically), shows up to help shape solutions, and strives for collective elevation. The presentation concludes with the key takeaway: success does not require perfection; one must serve with HEART, take the first step, follow the 80/20 rule, and elevate together.