16 Nov Global Entrepreneurship Week 2022 [Part 2]
We continue our celebration this Global Entrepreneurship Week (14 November – 20 November 2022) with more features of entrepreneurs who shares with us what motivated them in their entrepreneurship journey and the challenges they’ve faced.
Fydah and Khoo of Batches Handcrafted Coffee
Q: What was one challenge you’ve faced in your entrepreneurship journey?
Fydah and Koo [F&K]: One of the main challenges was getting ourselves the start-up capital to start off and we had to work with what we had. We realised that for someone to start up a business, you do not need to have a huge amount of capital but rather, you can start with what you have and build it up from there.
Q: What’s one misconception you feel people might have about entrepreneurship, and what do you have to say to them?
F&K: People think that once you start up a business, that is it; hoping that it would run itself. But in reality, for that to happen you need to build a strong brand presence, keep it consistent with what you do, and improve along the way as you grow the business.
For example, like us at Batches, we did not do this overnight in terms of opening up shop. We introduced the brand in 2016 whilst we were running our other business whilst still joining pop-ups for 5 years or so, and only then did we decided to open up a storefront in 2021, that’s when we had to prepare ourselves for a year to finally have our first home for Batches in 2022.
It’s really about how you want to start and how you manage your expectations of building that brand. Reap what you sow, but manage expectations and make them realistic.
Interested to learn more about Batches Handcrafted Coffee? Follow then on Instagram – @batchescoffee
Nathea Salleh of THÉA SEERA
Q: What encouraged you to take your first step in becoming an entrepreneur?
Nathea Salleh [NS]: Designing has been a great creative outlet for me and is one of my biggest passions since young. I have always wanted to build a business that is meaningful, purpose-driven, community-based and something I can use to create a lasting positive impact.
The fashion industry is the second biggest worldwide economic activity for intensity of trade and it is the most labour-intensive industry. However, fashion is also the second biggest polluter on the planet. It is the top unsustainable sector after the oil industry and one of the key industries of contributing to modern slavery.
The knowledge and first-hand experience I have acquired over the last 10 years in and of the fashion industry has given me a better insight and understanding of how things work and the impacts that the industry has on the environment and people. As a designer and an entrepreneur, I am inspired and feel a sense of responsibility to be a part of a positive change. I hope to shift the paradigm of consumer’s buying behaviour with a more conscious approach with our business’s sustainable, transparent, and educational initiatives.
My mission is to create a brand (namely, THEA SEERA) that designs garments that are ethically made to last with trusted, eco-friendly and high quality materials as a means of minimising environmental and social impacts. In addition to that, elevating our local artisans to the global market through collaborations and creating a positive impact within the community we live in and work. My vision is to inspire, motivate and empower our younger generation and women in our community who share similar interests in developing the fashion industry in Brunei.
Q: What’s one misconception you feel people might have about entrepreneurship, and what do you have to say to them?
NS: They say that ‘True entrepreneurs are born, not made’
I believe anybody who has the passion can be an entrepreneur, debunking the misconception that entrepreneurs are born. With the right mindset, perseverance and dedication, they just need to be given the opportunity and that is why getting the right training and exposure is essential.
Interested to find out more about THÉA SEERA? Follow them on Facebook – @theaseera, or on Instagram – @theaseera
Mama D of My Darling Baby
Q: What encouraged you to take your first step in becoming an entrepreneur?
Mama D [MD]: I’ve actually never thought about being an entrepreneur. Due to my lack of interest in and expertise in business, I have never enjoyed the idea of engaging in any kind of business. Being a first-time mother, I was concerned about my daughter’s growth. I began doing research online on developmental milestones for infants from birth through preschool age. That was when I realize that there is a potential because Brunei has little educational resources and a lack of awareness of the significance of the first five years of one’s early life. The biggest motivation for me to start and continue being an entrepreneur is my desire to increase awareness of the need of early childhood education in Brunei.
Q: What was one challenge you’ve faced in your entrepreneurship journey?
MD: Fighting self-doubt has been the biggest obstacle I have had to overcome as an entrepreneur. The greatest opponent you have is yourself, as the saying goes. Constant self-doubt prevented me from giving my all to anything. Do I have the confidence necessary to be an entrepreneur? Can I overcome my imposter syndrome feelings? Being persistent is one strategy I have used consistently to get through tough situations because it is something that most people are not even brave enough to try. I always turn to other business owners for encouragement and counsel to get me through the difficult times. Be truthful with myself and open to learning from failures.
Interested to find out more about My Darling Baby? Follow them on Instagram – @mydarlingbaby.bn
A big thank you to all our entrepreneurs who took the time to share their entrepreneurship journey with us, and we hope you have enjoyed learning, and maybe even relating, what motivates them and the challenges they have faced. We still have more sharing to come, so stay tuned!