I had a stroke; my entire left side paralysed, but my mum told me, 'Son, you can do anything' — SG man recalls the words that drove him to become a self-made millionaire

Independent Singapore

2 days ago

SINGAPORE: At 18, Reshveen Rajendran was set to become a military officer — until his body gave up on him. Just two weeks into national service (NS), a brain aneurysm floored him.
The entire left side of his body was paralysed. His dream? Dashed. His future? Uncertain. But what pulled him through wasn't therapy, fame, or fortune — it was just a simple line from his mother: 'Son, you can do anything.'
Today, that same young man — now a multimillionaire entrepreneur and investor — runs a successful education company and a fund, raking in over S$10 million a year. And it all started with nothing but some savings, an interest in investing, and a painful personal reboot. Rock bottom came before takeoff
While most NS recruits were learning how to field strip rifles and march in sync, Reshveen was lying in a hospital bed, unable to move his fingers.
'I had a stroke… an aneurysm in the right side of my brain,' he told the Asian Boss team during their street interview in Singapore. 'I basically lost sensation on the whole left side of my body,' he explained.
Six months of medical leave followed. Physical rehab became his daily drill. And his military officer's dreams? Over. 'All my dreams got dashed. I couldn't become an officer ever again. I couldn't go back to the gym. Everything that I wanted to do was gone,' he recalled.
But then came mum, delivering what can only be described as the emotional defibrillator that shocked his mindset back to life. 'She said, 'Son, you can do anything.' So I decided to pick up books and learn how to make money. I decided to use my brains instead,' he said. See also Catalysing Growth: SME Interview Series with Validus Capital
It was then that his breakdown turned into a breakthrough. From free talks to S$10M revenue
Fresh out of national service and with his military officer career buried, Reshveen fell in love with investing. He started small — not just with money, but with impact.
'I attended a programme on investing. I got very passionate about it. I saw very decent results. So I just wanted to share the information with my friends.' And he didn't charge a cent.
'It was literally for free, and people loved it. They started inviting their friends, and before you know it, it became a full-fledged business,' he added.
Fast-forward a few years, and what started as casual lessons snowballed into a full-on education empire. Today, his company and fund together generated over $10 million in revenue just last year.
That's really a great feat for someone who once had to relearn how to even wiggle his fingers after suffering a paralysing stroke. On saving, spending, and not getting scammed by 'glorious' investing
'Saving is the number one thing you've got to do, even before you start investing,' Reshveen stressed.
In a world where 'investing' is the new flex, he's quick to point out the dark side. 'People lose a ton of money if they don't know how to invest.'
So his golden rule? 'Make sure your savings can cover at least six months of emergency expenses. Whatever that amount is for you, get that settled first. Anything on top of that, I invest.' 'Doing what you love' vs. 'doing what's boring but rich'
Reshveen's story might sound like a dream scenario: make money doing what you love. But he doesn't pretend it's the only way.
'I'm doing what I love and I've made millions from what I love… but I also know many friends who do boring stuff and make millions too,' he said.
The lesson? You don't have to love your job to get rich. You just have to be good at it — or better yet, be consistent with it. What if he lost all his millions tomorrow?
When asked a question about something that haunts most millionaires — 'What would you do if you lost everything?' — Reshveen didn't flinch, and he even seemed excited by the idea.
'Today, in 2025, we're living in the age of exponential artificial intelligence (AI). The first thing I'd do is learn AI — what I can do with it — and use that to sell information to businesses.'
He calls it 'information arbitrage,' and it's where he believes the real money lies today. 'There are a ton of businesses around that have no clue how to create a website, which you can get done in 5 minutes today.'
He adds with a grin, 'I would probably make millions of dollars. I'm not joking. It's so crazy.' Millionaire mindset: Discipline over drama
Despite the money, Reshveen doesn't preach hustle culture or flex the usual luxury lifestyle. So what's his formula? Save first — at least 20% of your income. Build a 6-month emergency fund. Invest what's left — wisely. Never stop learning. Especially now, with AI reshaping the game. And most importantly: Your tragedy doesn't define you. Your pivot does.
Reshveen's story is more than a rags-to-riches tale. It's a master class in resilience, reinvention, and real-world strategy — from someone who learned to walk again before he learned to invest.
He didn't just rebuild his life. He reprogrammed it.
Watch Reshveen's full story in the Asian Boss street interview below, along with other Singaporean self-made millionaires who built their fortunes from scratch — a master class in turning rejection into redirection and setbacks into success.
In another candid street interview with Asian Boss , another young Singaporean millionaire peeled back the hood on what it takes to build a million-dollar business — and spoiler alert: it wasn't a trust fund or market timing wizardry. He revealed a more grounded answer: solving the problems of others and the fact that 'You don't need to be a stock market expert to get rich' — Young Singaporean millionaire reveals how solving problems of others with AI led to his first million