How I Used DOPE to Unlock My Ex-Business Partner’s Potential

In 2014, I met my ex-business partner at a time when both of us were still searching for direction in life. We first tried our hands at mortgage loans and insurance, but soon realized that our true passion was in training and development. That shared discovery led us to start a small company together, which we called Switch Flipper—because our mission was simple: to flip the minds of people from OFF to ON.

In our partnership, he focused on public speaking training, while I specialized in self-defense training. We even joined BNI (Business Network International) together, which gave us a platform to practice, connect, and gain the confidence to share our work with others.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing. He entered this journey with very low self-esteem. He had never run a business before, and worse still, he had never taught kids. We began by training adults in public speaking, but the business wasn’t thriving the way we hoped.

That was when I applied the DOPE personality model to better understand him. I recognized that he was an Owl—careful, analytical, and detail-oriented. Owls like structure and precision, but they often overthink and doubt themselves.

Instead of pushing him to be an Eagle or a Peacock, I encouraged him to use his Owl strengths to his advantage:

• Break complex speaking skills into structured, step-by-step lessons.

• Use his patience and detail-orientation to refine teaching methods.

• Build trust through consistency and reliability.

The biggest turning point came when he started training children. Initially, he resisted—after all, he had no prior experience. But I believed that his Owl personality was perfectly suited for kids: patient, structured, and methodical. And I was right. Slowly, he grew into the role and began to thrive.

Unfortunately, in 2017 I had to relocate, and our journey as Switch Flipper came to an end. At that time, our training business was still very much in its infancy.

Fast forward to 2025, and his transformation is truly inspiring. From someone who once struggled with self-esteem, he is now the founder of E-Bright, a thriving public speaking academy that has expanded into multiple branches through franchising.

And every single year he will receive award from different organization.

Just last week, he sent me a heartfelt message: “If it wasn’t for our journey, there wouldn’t be E-Bright.”

Looking back, I realize Switch Flipper was more than just a business name—it was a philosophy. It was about turning people’s potential ON, and he is living proof of that today. The DOPE model helped me see his potential when even he couldn’t, and today, he has built something far greater than either of us imagined.