My name is Cao Son, full name in my native language is “Nguyễn Ngọc Cao Sơn” and I have been using the name “Cao Son Nguyen” since 2015.
Thrive Global: What’s your name?
Cao Son: My name is Cao Son, full name in my native language is “Nguyễn Ngọc Cao Sơn” and I have been using the name “Cao Son Nguyen” since 2015.
TG: What’s your Occupation?
I had the pleasure of interviewing Cao Son Nguyen. Cao Son is a musician who plays the piano, a Spotify musical artist and a high-rate-freelancer in social networks. He is only 20 years old and he is doing over $75,000 in sales per month. This 20-year-old entrepreneur is currently working as a freelancer, producing music in his studio and having multiple sources of income. Cao Son’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nggcaoson/
TG: Tell us a story about yourself
Cao Son: That was a day in 2012 when my dad brought to my home a digital piano and forced me to play it. Honestly, it was super boring because by that time, I’m a secondary student and I only loves playing soccer and online video games. My life changed when the keys inspired me and it made me feel amazing when touching it. In 2013, I decided to make a YouTube channel and I uploaded many songs played by the guitar and the piano but my channels keep get deleted because the bad quality I made and I’m very unsatisfied through my work.
Till 2018, my channel was pushed very high and I was awarded a “YouTube Silver Button” when surpassing 100,000 subscribers in August 2018. But 2 months later, I decided to sell my channel in $1,000 because I think money is more important and my freelancer work started from there. I have worked in many co-working spaces but the result in the end is still zero. I keep working a lot but the earning isn’t as much as my depth of work, so I felt very sad.
My life is such boring until May 2019, I started ask for distribution music from Amuse.io and the start of music work began. I’m officially get verified in Spotify as a musical artist. My work also raises and sales automatically come and come. I feel very happy but will keep moving forward to become better.
TG: What gives you energy?
Cao Son: Doing what I love gives me energy and doing what I hate makes me lazy and bored. This is the biggest reason why you should do what you are passionate about, not what you are told by society or by your teachers!
TG: What’s your secret to success in business?
Cao Son: I do not have a secret but the two essential elements of success in business are talent and effort. Nobody has ever built a profitable business without working their face off. You also need to know what you are good at and what’s the right business model for you because if you don’t, you will fail regardless of how hard you work.
TG: Name a book that changed your life?
Cao Son: The Execution Factor: The One Skill That Drives Success by Kim Perell
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
Cao Son: Yes! Actually, I have a girlfriend and we call each other every night. We aren’t living together so we do Facetime audio in order to make us closer and closer. So that’s why my phone is sleeping with me all the time and we are very close to each other, hehe.
TG: How do you deal with email?
Cao Son: I don’t rather use email but I still work through email and the process of work via email is within 24-72 hours for a reply. It is slow as I’m not using it often but I will do in the future.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
Cao Son: I may go and read a page of my book and will end up my day with a sleep
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
Cao Son: In August 2019, when taking a vacation and many works arrived. I was burned out like 3 days, the whole vacation L
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
Cao Son: The last time I failed recently is in June 2019, that was the time that I got scammed like $8,000 when my income is very less. I felt nervous and deeply sad. I have overcome it by taking advices from experts and encouragement from my friends and so on, everything got through and I feel good now.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
Cao Son: Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. – Jack Ma