DEFINING THEIR OWN SUCCESS
Women who’ve taken the less-trodden paths to success.
Martial arts saved Qin Yunquan’s life. As a teenager, she got tired of being the “chubby kid” and went on a crash diet, exercising every day to lose weight. At her lightest, she weighed just 37kg.
“The doctor told me that [if I had lost] another 2kg, I would have died. That was my lowest point – that at 18 years old, I could actually die,” she said. Yunquan would eventually pick up martial arts, which played a big role in helping to ght her demons.
“What it did was help me realise that I don’t have to focus on my appearance. It’s what I do with my life that can change people’s perceptions of me,” she says.
Now an instructor and CEO of Kapap Academy Singapore – which focuses on teaching self-defence, to women and children in particular – Yunquan changes lives every day, and in doing so, has forged her own path to success.
Hers was one of the inspiring stories shared at the Her World Young Woman Achiever Social on March 25, in a conversation centred on dening one’s own success.
NOBODY SAID IT’D BE EASY
Whether it was setting up their own business or treading a path less taken, the panellists were honest about the struggles they had to overcome to get to where they are today. SEA Games sprint medallist Veronica Shanti Pereira, for example, spoke about the tough
training she puts herself through, and how a combination of passion and conviction fuels her. “We’re human, we all have bad days. It’s about whether you want to step back up after falling a few times. I do have to sacrice time with my family and friends, but I feel this is what I’m meant to do,” she says.
JUST DO
That same attitude applies when it comes to setting up your own business – carve out a niche, and just keep doing your thing.
“When we started, no one had any interest in local design,” says Amanda Eng, marketing director of Naiise, recalling how she and husband Dennis Tay had “no money, and no air-con in the office”.
But the pair persevered because they believed in what they were doing, and now oversee a veritable empire, with plans to take their business overseas. Competition doesn’t faze them, says Amanda. “Competition exists whatever you do, so you have to focus on what you do well, and on making your brand a legacy.”
It’s a similar story for artisanal jewellery brand Carrie K. “When we started, there was very little appreciation for independents and handmade things,” says founder Carolyn Kan, adding that it’s why she now gives back to the industry in the form of Keepers – a collective she drives that showcases and promotes independent local design.
YOU GOTTA SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE
Because sometimes, that’s how you make your mark. Take Pamela Chng of social enterprise Bettr Barista Coffee Academy – who has over the past ve years helped more than 60 disadvantaged women get back on their feet by teaching them, among other things, to be professional baristas. The philosophy she swears by? That every small action and thought means more than you realise.
“I help these women see that they have what it takes within them to change their lives,” she says.
It’s a similar story for co-founder of The Food Bank Singapore Nichol Ng, who saw, in a thrownout shipment of onion rings, the opportunity to make a difference. The fast-food company had discarded them because customers had complained about onion skins in the rings. “The cost of food has been rising over the years, and I’ve seen a lot of companies throw away food way before their expiry dates,” she says.
The Food Bank – which collects excess food and redistributes it – helps put food on the table for those who can’t afford to. Just because poverty doesn’t stare you right in the face doesn’t mean it isn’t there, she adds.
THE INSIGHTS
Participants – like Lisa Yap, who plans to set up her own business – came away with useful takeaways. “I wanted to hear from people who’ve come before me. I learnt that you need to be bold, you need to know your stuff, and you’ve got to be patient.”
Others, like Dina Jitendra, who works for a social enterprise, felt reassured and invigorated by what the panellists shared. “Pamela was very interesting – especially when she talked about her struggles when it comes to commercial needs versus social impact. It’s something I experience in my work too. But she reminded me that we have the power to make someone’s day, and that’s empowering.”