Build relationships, stay grounded, follow your own rules and let passion lead you.
***Click Here for Part 1***
After many long and arduous months of thinking, overthinking, analyzing and overanalyzing…I left my 15+ year career in healthcare to pursue a freelance writing business.
This was definitely NOT something I did on a whim or impulsively and I plan to share exactly how I made this decision.
I grew up with parents who preached about getting a stable job that pays the bills and gives you benefits…and I did that for 15 freaking years!
But now, I’m starting a new chapter in my life. Freelance writing has been my side hustle for years. And I’m so excited, scared, amped and nervous at the same time. To quell those mixed and uneasy feelings, I decided to reach out to those who have gone through it already, seek their advice and capture their lessons learned.
As a proud Asian female, I’m eternally inspired by other Asian women who are leading their lives with unapologetic power and grace. I asked each of these amazing women the following question:
“What were the biggest challenges you faced when you started your business? And what would be the most important piece of advice you would give to others who are starting their businesses now?”
Mary Ng (Canadian Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development)
“Surround yourself with good people…”
The Honourable Mary Ng was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Markham — Thornhill in April 2017 and was appointed Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion of Canada in July 2018.
In October 2019, she was re-elected and was appointed Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade in November 2019. Mary was re-elected for the third time in September of 2021, and in October 2021, was appointed Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development.
Mary is a devoted community leader who has always believed in the power of public service, with 20 years of experience in the areas of education, women’s leadership, job creation, and entrepreneurship.
Mary immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong with her family when she was very young, and grew up in her family’s small business — she knows first-hand the challenges and opportunities that many new Canadians face.
Here’s what Mary had to say:
“One thing I’ve heard time and time again is the importance of having role models, mentors, and a support network. My advice is this — surround yourself with good people, because it really does take many hands and a lot of support to achieve ambitious goals. Put yourself out there, ask lots of questions, and build on the relationships you form.”
Jing Fang (Authentic Energy)
“There are people out there looking for exactly YOU.”
Jing Fang is the founder of Authentic Energy, personal transformation coaching (authenticenergy.co). Her passion is to help women improve physical and mental well-being, and live happy and healthy lives.
After overcoming her own body image struggle and low self-esteem many years ago, Jing made it her mission to help women from all backgrounds to become proud and confident of their bodies and develop a fearless and powerful attitude in life.
She designed Body Confidence Mastery (BCM) as a female-driven solution to teach women how to become 100% confident in themselves, in their bodies and live kick-ass lives.
Here’s what Jing had to say:
“It’s easy to feel intimidated by other strong male business energy & the glorified hustle mentality when you are going at your own pace. It’s important for us to stay grounded and be confident and proud of our own uniqueness/authentic energy that we bring into the business, which means having a different accent, growing up in an immigrant household, different social/cultural beliefs etc… There is only one YOU, and there are people out there looking for exactly YOU, not someone like you.
It’s important to be part of a community to get support, and be surrounded by other female entrepreneurs of colour/Asian girl bosses. When getting advice and mentorship, it’s good to receive both female and male wisdom. I personally found that I prefer to work with female business mentors these days, they help me better understand our female psychology and utilize effective strategies that are aligned with our feminine energy.”
Mary Chan (Organized Sound Productions)
“You know your business best, so run with it!”
Mary Chan is a Podcast Strategist, Voice Coach, and Voice-Over Artist who believes in empowering women to find their voice. Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Canada to immigrant parents, Mary was told to stay quiet.
Today, Mary gives women self-confidence with their voice because she felt that she didn’t have one growing up. After working in radio for 20 years, she struck out on her own and founded Organized Sound Productions (organizedsound.ca), a podcast production and consulting company.
Here’s what Mary had to say:
“The biggest challenge was that I didn’t know anything about business coming from being an employee all my life. I had to figure out and do a deep dive into every step of the process by bootstrapping everything — from creating my own website to marketing and selling myself.
I spent so many late-night hours tweaking small things on my first website to ensure it was “just right” when my partner reminded me to eat and get away from the screen. He was right because the freedom to have your own business means the freedom to create your own hours to choose when to work.
I realized not long after that having it done, being good enough and out into the world, was better than waiting until it was “perfect” because no one would see it if I continued to work on it. I challenged myself to get it done by the end of the week.
Advice: Follow your own rules. Although there’s a lot of advice for business, trust your gut to do your own thing when it’s right for you and your niche. It may seem scary at first, but that little bit of fear is perfectly natural and a sign telling you that you’re on the right track!
Embrace it and don’t be swayed by what others think. You know your business best, so run with it! And when I say follow your own rules, I don’t mean only business things; for rest and boundaries in your own life as well. Set your hours, follow your values, and remember why you wanted to start your business in the first place. Challenges are going to come up, but you’ve got this!!!”
Da Eun Chung (Drawing East)
“Let passion lead you…”
Da Eun is a culturally sensitive art therapist with lived experience of finding identity and belonging. Growing up in many countries, she was exposed to many beautiful cultures, but she also felt a lot of uncertainty, disconnect and anxiety around who she was as an individual. However, the one constant was her love to express herself through visual arts and she found healing in this process.
Her company, Drawing East, offers individual art therapy and group workshops for Women of Colour (WOC) who want to make connections with themselves and others.
Here’s what Da Eun had to say:
“I think that the biggest challenge for WOC starting a business is overcoming self-doubt and feeling confident in sharing their journey. So much of our story (being a racialized woman in a Western world) is about having to fight for our voice and space when we feel silenced. And so the inner struggle is constant.
My advice is to trust your intention, let passion lead you, and also connect with those who will support your vision.”
Stay tuned for part 3.
So Readers, which piece of advice resonated with you the most?
