For Saison Capital's Qin En Looi, building a tribe starts with inspired fitness

BEATEN. That was how I felt the first time I walked out of the studio after my inaugural group fitness class 5 years ago.

My body was not the only thing that hurt - my ego too. The 55-minute Les Mills Bodypump class focused on light weights and high repetitions, targeting each muscle group for 5 to 6 minutes continuously. "I could totally do that," I thought to myself at the start. As my arms and legs ached track after track, what kept me going was the tribe around me - the instructor and fellow classmates.

Before discovering group fitness, I hated sports and exercise. The discomfort was real, and my motor-coordination skills weren't up to scratch. I could hardly dribble a ball without it rolling too far ahead of me or keep a jog for more than 10 minutes. It was only when I started dating my wife, Gladys, that I first stepped into the gym. In her I found an avid supporter who planned weekend dates in the form of group fitness classes.

One class after the other, I was hooked. Meeting people of diverse fitness levels, ages and backgrounds allowed me to bond over a common passion of moving along to great music and staying fit - despite the discomfort. It started with strength (Bodypump), and then I took on cardio (Bodyattack), and even dabbled in dance (Sh'bam).

Even when I left Singapore for my studies at Stanford University, I could not stop. I trained to be a Bodypump and Bodyattack instructor before returning to Singapore and picking up a third certification in RPM, a group indoor cycling workout. Not because I had a strong physique, but because I wanted to create a tribe for others who, like myself, may be less athletic.

Coupled with weekly runs and swims with Gladys, bundled with an additional challenge of pushing a stroller or float with our 1-year old daughter Gabrielle, I am now feeling healthier than before.

This echoes with my mission in my role now as a principal at Saison Capital: to create a tribe and support system for entrepreneurs, succouring them to push through the discomfort.

Starting a company can be one of the most stressful and exhausting experiences. I know this first-hand, having started out as a naive 20-year-old who stumbled into founding his first company. I initially thought, "I could totally do that - how hard can it be to build a company?".

However, I quickly found myself stuck and frustrated by the wealth of challenges. What kept me going was the encouragement from those around me: my co-founders, my investors, my customers, many of whom I consider my friends till today.

Now that I am on the other side of the table as an investor, I have the opportunity to cheer heroes - the entrepreneurs - on. These are the men and women who knowingly put themselves through discomfort because they believe they can change the world. And often, they do. If my fitness journey is anything to go by, I know the impact an avid supporter and a tribe can have in uplifting spirits and re-energising bodies, even in the toughest of moments. Beaten, but not broken.

My favourite workout tracks

• Coco's Miracle by Fedde Le Grand, CoCo Star, Dannic: I always feel like I need a miracle in the middle of a workout.
• Who's With Me by Flo Rida: Brings out that inner swag!
• Save Me Tonight by Arty: I have probably cycled to the beat on this track at least a hundred times in preparation for my RPM spin instructor training.
• Never Be the Same by Camila Cabello: When I presented this track as part of my Bodyattack instructor training, I remembered tears forming in my eyes. It was a golden moment when I felt in the "flow".

• Qin En Looi, 27, is principal, Saison Capital.