The Meteoric Rise of a 22-Year-Old Entrepreneur

Lee Jin Rui: The Young Visionary Turning Classroom Ventures into Global Digital Successes

November 1, 2023 — At just 10 years old, Lee Jin Rui exhibited the entrepreneurial spirit that would come to define his professional journey. By the time he left primary school, this enterprising youngster had already pocketed a cool S$4,000 from trading the popular Japanese card game, Cardfight! Vanguard. Despite receiving a stern warning from school authorities regarding his trading activities, Lee remained undeterred. “I was probably the biggest dealer in school,” he confided in a recent interview with TODAY.

Fast forward to today, and Lee is the 22-year-old founder of Wiz Consultancy, a flourishing digital marketing agency that specialises in magnifying brand presence and refining content for businesses. While most would be content with this achievement alone, Lee’s ambition saw him launch Adolet in July 2023. This educational firm is dedicated to offering free digital marketing training to students, with plans to introduce paid courses for corporate entities in the coming year.

Wiz Consultancy started as a modest four-person operation but has since expanded its team to six. Impressively, half of its members are products of the free Adolet programme, transitioning from interns to fully-fledged employees. By leveraging earnings from his primary business, Lee rents facilities at Nanyang Technological University to conduct his monthly training sessions.

Adolet’s comprehensive curriculum covers vital digital marketing areas, such as search engine optimisation (SEO) and WordPress content marketing. Since its inception, nearly 30 students have benefited from these classes, with the upcoming session slated for November 10.

Ms. Quinny Tran, one of Lee’s students-turned-interns, stumbled upon the Adolet programme during an online search for affordable marketing courses. Struck by the real-world examples Lee used in his teachings, she aspired to gain practical experience under his mentorship. Tran credits the programme not only for enhancing her digital marketing knowledge but also for imparting invaluable interpersonal skills, which she now applies in her academic pursuits.

William Tam, another alumnus of the Adolet programme and Head of Operations at Metropolitan Wireless International, echoes Tran’s sentiments. Before joining the programme, Tam’s digital marketing know-how was entirely self-acquired. However, it was Lee’s lessons on soft skills—such as effectively communicating with superiors and assigning value to tasks—that Tam found most enlightening.

The heart of Lee’s venture, however, extends beyond mere business ambitions. Inspired by a week-long digital marketing course he attended at 14, Lee sought to create a program that would provide learners with tangible skills. Frustrated by the lack of follow-up in his previous course, Lee envisioned Adolet to be a more intimate learning environment, limiting classes to six or seven students and spanning two weeks.

Students of Adolet are also granted opportunities to collaborate with external businesses, like FIT Asia and The Music Circle, to hone their skills in a real-world setting.

Behind Lee’s meteoric rise lies a robust support system. From his parents, who have always championed his entrepreneurial dreams, to his South African teacher, who allowed him time off school to nurture his early ventures, Lee attributes much of his success to those who believed in him.

Choosing to offer his lessons at no charge, Lee views Adolet as his way of “giving back” to the community. He believes in the principle of providing valuable services for free, which has proved fruitful for him.

To young budding entrepreneurs, Lee’s message is clear: “Just do it.” He emphasises the importance of action over contemplation and encourages novices to work without expecting immediate returns. As Lee aptly puts it, “you can’t have confidence without evidence.”

Stay tuned to DEI for more updates.