A lot of people would be curious whether their BaZi charts are suitable for starting their own business and being their own boss. I was once in this position too.
I wrote a piece of what wealthy BaZi charts are like a long time ago because I felt it was important to let people understand the differences between wealthy charts and non-wealthy ones. It’s pretty much the same thing when we talk about bad BaZi charts v good ones.
There are a few reasons why I decided to write a piece on starting your own business. The first is that is it widely acknowledged that the path to wealth and riches often comes doing your own business because the rewards are directly correlated to the effort you put in. The second is that the pandemic situation has caused a lot of people to lose their jobs, and people are entertaining the thought of starting their own business.
I figured it was the apt time to speak a bit about this and share some of my experiences with everyone.
Let’s Set The Context Right First
When I say “start a business”, I am referring to someone starting from scratch and building something from nothing. Inheriting something and being in a multi-level marketing scheme does not count.
I wish to set the context right first because most people are in a position where they have to start something from scratch and this post is catered towards this group which, quite honestly, have a lot more to lose.
Starting something from scratch is a gargantuan task. If you get it wrong, your whole life can be thrown off course. To get back on track after a colossal failure, especially when you are in your 40s and 50s, is going to be immensely difficult.
My job as a practitioner is to give clients at this stage in their lives a map to avoid pitfalls. Seeing the signs in the charts, to me, is always easy, but conveying it in a way that clients can appreciate is important part and what this blog is for. So, read on.
What Does Having A Business Mean In The Eyes Of Chinese Metaphysics?
Let’s further define a few things so that we’re all aligned here.
I’ve written about this before, but starting your own business may not be a good thing if:
- The business is causing more stress and not actually improving the quality of life for the chart-holder.
- You earn a lot, but it comes at the expense of other areas of your life like your health, relationship with others and overall happiness.
- You work like crazy, but the returns you’re getting is no better than being the corporate world and working for someone else. You don’t even get your freedom and time back.
At the end of the day, we would agree that most people start a business because they want their lives to be better both materially, emotionally, and even spiritually. You would be extremely blessed to have these three factors are satisfied at the same time.
The reason why I wish to set things so clearly is because the definition of success, especially in modern times, is very blurred now. You cannot assume that someone who has their own business has a better life or a better chart, just like how you can make assumptions for other things.
I felt it was important for me to point these things out as a practitioner so that we don’t be misguided by society’s perception. I have seen bad charts with businesses, and trust me, not only do they not earn as much as we think, they are not happy with their lives.
Most People Are Not Cut Out For Business
Many clients like to ask me if they are cut out to be entrepreneurs and start their own thing. Honestly, more than 95% of them don’t. Trying to explain this from a technical perspective is easy:
- It’s OK if one has a slightly weaker natal chart, but the key thing is that most do not encounter positive 10-year phases long enough for them to build something and sustain it in the long run.
- We also need to take a look at the role of the Wealth Element and Output ‘god’ play to determine how smooth wealth acquisition will be. Note that building successful businesses don’t always revolve around the Wealth and Output ‘gods’. The point is, most people do not have their beneficial elements built strongly into their natal charts.
If I were to share what I observed and put it in a very layman way, here’s what the charts translate into in real life:
- Many people love the idea of having their own business, but when you ask them what is it they wish to do or what do they have to contribute, they will tell you that they have no idea. They don’t actually have a set of skills or knowledge that they can monetize. They are also often the kind who aren’t curious about the world and Heavens knows when they last picked up a book or newspaper to read.
- For those who do have some special or technical knowledge, they lack drive and ambition to kickstart their own thing because the risk is either too high, or they do not wish to get out of their comfort zone.
- Then there will be cases where people know there’s an opportunity, but cease to take it because they are not interested in that field or product. The reason why I am bringing this up is because I have friends who have successful businesses, but it is in an area they have completely no interest or talent in, such as selling musical instruments.
I am trying my best not to make starting a business sound like something that can be reduced to doers vs non-doers. A lot of people feel it’s just a matter of drive and ambition, and although I agree it these factors are important, I’ve learned from my own life and my clients that these are not the only factors at play.
Having that character make-up suitable for business is the first step, but you also need to be in the right place and the right time which is basically referring to the Cosmic Trinity where Heavens, Earth, and Human factors are all on your side.
Take dropshipping for example. Every Tom, Dick and Harry is starting their own dropshipping business. There are even businesses that teach you how to do it. A lot of non-critical thinkers buy into the advertisements they see on YouTube and truly believe that dropshipping can change their lives. Some of them end up my clients when things eventually don’t go the way they expected.
My perspective is this and you don’t have to agree with me. If you are the first-mover for a hyped-up product, then you’re in the right place at the right time and congrats for making a killing. But I think we’d all agree that such businesses are not sustainable in the long-run as the hype eventually dies down. In most cases, you would be involved in a price war where everyone just tries to undercut each other by lowering the price for a homogenous product. It’s basic economics. You’d still have your own ‘thing’ or business – just that it isn’t functioning.
The bottom line is this: It’s not going to be easy. So many factors need to be in the right place.
The Intent And Motivation Behind Business Is Important
This is something I bring up a lot in my blog because I really feel one’s intent determines a lot of things and is telling of someone’s character. There is no way for me to prove that intent matters in Chinese metaphysics. It’s one of those things you’ll have to observe for yourself to get what I mean.
What I noticed in people with charts that are not meant for business is that the intent and motivation behind starting their own thing is not because they wish to solve a problem or have a genuine desire to make their lives better. The drive is usually triggered by disdain for their work lives and escapism.
There is nothing wrong disliking the corporate world and the politics and negativity that comes with it. I personally dislike it too. But I feel what most people fail to realize is that starting your own thing is even more intense than being in the corporate world. Sure, you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck, but that might be to your disadvantage because you might end up losing discipline and stop putting in effort altogether.
The message I wish to bring across is that of the successful business people I’ve met, you’ll notice that their intention is always very different from those unsuitable for entrepreneurship. It could be anything – they simply want their families to have better lives and live in more comfort, or they feel their talents are better used elsewhere. The motivation is always from something that is admirable and pure.
I get to meet a lot of different people through the course of my work, and it’s fascinating to observe that those with the right intent always feel as though they’ll have Heavens and the environment on their side.
There is something fascinating about one’s intent that I cannot put in words.
Jumping To Your Own Conclusions As A BaZi Beginner
Why do people make bad decisions sometimes? It’s because they are given the wrong information and led to believe that something will happen or that they are meant for something when they clearly don’t. Let’s take the below chart for example:
I recently came across a case where the chart-holder was told by another practitioner that she was suitable for business. I won’t comment on the chart, but I will pose some questions:
- Firstly, is the above considered a high-quality chart? What does it tell us about the chart-holder? Yes, there are a lot of Wealth Elements appearing, but since when was that a good thing?
- Second, is the above a Follower Chart? So what if it is, and so what if it isn’t? If you can’t identify a Follower Chart correctly, there is no way you’ll be able to interpret this chart.
- Third, are the 10-year Elemental Phases on the chart-holder’s side? You won’t know this unless you can categorize the chart properly. Even if you are able to categorize the chart correctly, identifying the right beneficial elements still requires a lot of experience.
The above chart-holder believed that she was suitable for business just because she belongs to an Indirect Wealth structure. This is a mistake a lot of beginners make. You cannot conclude someone is suitable for something simply because a dominant element or ‘god’ stands out. This is not how BaZi analysis is done.
Naturally, as a beginner, not only did she interpret her chart structure incorrectly, she had absolutely no idea how beneficial elements are identified too. It’s really not just about choosing which elements strengthen a weak Daymaster or weaken a strong Daymaste. I’m honestly quite sick of every enthusiast coming to me pretending they know something when they know nothing.
The business the above chart-holder intends to start will definitely not take off, not just because her Elemental Phases are not on her side, but the character make-up is clearly lacking too. In case you’re wondering, it’s dropshipping which is nothing unique nor truly value-adding.
BaZi Traits Of Successful Business People
On top of having a good natal chart and Elemental Phases which I always keep mentioning, there are some nuances to help us further decipher if one is suitable for business. Let’s take the Wealth Element for example:
Suppose we established the fact that the Wealth Element is a beneficial element, the next question would be where do you wish to see it appear? You have four Pillars to choose from and where your beneficial Wealth Elements appear will give us hints on whether you are doing your own business is a path you’re meant to take. Not only that, sometimes specific Stems or Branches that appear also give us hints.
The timing of your positive Elemental Phases is also important. Ideally, you want your best 10-year phases during your prime in your 30s and 40s. Those are the best years to build something where you’ve accumulated enough life experience good use of a supportive phase. From henceforth, the longer your beneficial 10-year phases lasts, the better. How long your business stays relevant would, of course, be determined by how this too.
I’ve seen many cases where someone is clearly capable, but because their 10-year phases are not on their side. I’ve once argued that our 10-year phases is a reflection of how we grow as a person, and I will always believe that. That being said, our 10-year phases are also the macro-environment we operate in, and when a business owner enters into a negative 10-year phase, it means their environment is no longer on their side.
You might be asking what does this have to do with the growth of a person? Should it not be the fault of the environment? My answer would be that the lack of growth presents itself as not accepting what one is doing no longer in demand, relevant, or simply not doing it well enough and losing out to the competition.
When I say “your environment”, it is the environment which takes reference from you. One is the Yin; one is the Yang. In other words, you can never take yourself out of the equation. You either adapt, grow, or (metaphorically) die.
Zi Wei Dou Shu Has Something To Say About This Too
For enthusiasts of Zi Wei Dou Shu, you’ll know that there are plenty of stars to get introduced with.
Certain stars are considered the “creative” type, and when I say “creative”, I’m not referring to them having an artistic flair. What I mean is that certain stars are better at creating something from nothing. These are usually your more Yang-based, masculine stars like 紫微 (Zi Wei)，武曲 (Wu Qu)，破军 (Po Jun)，七杀 (Qi Sha) just to name a few.
This doesn’t mean other stars won’t be suitable. It’s just that the path towards building a successful business will be different for each star. For example, someone under 廉贞 (Lian Zhen) will likely leverage on their diplomacy and relationships to build something. Someone under 天同 (Tian Tong) might end up doing business for the pure reason that they enjoy doing whatever they’re doing, and somehow, they got rich in the process. Think mukbang…
A group of selected people can all have positive 10-year phases, but why is it some choose to stay in the corporate world and why do some choose to do their own thing? The differences stem from the stars they are born under and their inherent nature. Unless people under these stars are given a role in the corporate world where they feel like they are creating something new and are directly rewarded for the efforts they are putting in, they will likely prefer working for themselves.
Do take note that there is a flip-side to everything. Being born under 贪狼，破军，七杀 also means you have sha po lang (杀破狼) chart structure which manifests as a life with constant changes. You’ll find yourself moving from one thing to another. If your chart is good, each change will bring progress and bring you higher. If it isn’t, each change would naturally mean failure and regression. A negative 天同 chart might end up being too lazy or complacent, achieving nothing in the end.
What If You Really Wish To Start A Business But Your Chart Says Otherwise?
Such questions always leads to lengthy discussions on predetermination, transcending charts, and fate which I have discussed countless of times. Try and read those posts and come to your own conclusions.
I always tell my clients that we should use Chinese metaphysics to make better decisions, but not let it make decisions for us.
If someone really wishes to start their own thing but their charts are not suitable, it doesn’t mean they have to avoid it completely. It’s a situation where one should know their limits. You might just end up doing something on a very small scale, or it may be that once you’ve had a taste of what you’re not suited for, you’ll be brought back to the path you’re meant to be on.
If you really wish to start a business but your chart says you’re not suitable, then perhaps consider the following so that you don’t risk messing up your life:
- Firstly, ask yourself tough questions. Is what you’re offering really that valuable or in demand? Once you’ve found something, can you do it well?
- If you’re worried about the risks, do it as a side-gig first. It ensures stability in your life while giving you a taste of just how difficult it is to start your own thing. You might change your mind about having your own business once you’ve had a taste of it.
- Do not borrow money or pour money into something that will unlikely take off. Don’t put yourself in such a risky situation.
- Always be asking yourself if starting your own business is something you’re going to enjoy and will it make the quality of your life better. If you’re doing it for the sake of doing it, then you might as well channel that energy somewhere else.
A practitioner can make things very clear cut and present someone with a “yes” or “no”, but people often can sit with just accepting a “yes” or a “no”. Practitioners can’t stop clients from doing what they want to do. In fact, most clients don’t listen to us. It is the chart-holder’s karmic lesson of sorts, and sometimes, they just need to go through a particular event for them to learn something about themselves and grow. Starting a business, having a taste of it, and failing, is often one such event.
I wish to share with everyone that before I got into Chinese metaphysics, I did try my hands at other stuff when I was fresh out of university and clearly not ready. Thinking back, my intent was definitely also wrong because it come from a place of inadequacy and rebellion, so I don’t blame Heavens for letting me fail miserably and giving me a wake-up call. The experience taught me a lot about myself and I made it a point not to let it go to waste, and I’m considered lucky to have a taste of failure at an age where I could hit the reset button and start over.
If you really wish to try your hand at starting your own thing, there’s no one in the world that can stop you. But please be fully cognizant of what you’re getting yourself into and minimize the risks and disruptions to your life.
Go in with the right intention – not because you hate your current job and someone happened to give you an incorrect analysis of your BaZi chart.
