Believe in the power of community. On some days when you feel big goals are impossible, or when you feel like giving up, you need to lean on your like-minded community. You can even “borrow” motivation, and in turn “return” with your own inspiring stories to pay it forward.
In this special column called the “TLC x Fempreneurs Series”, we will be featuring inspiring Female Entrepreneurs (Fempreneurs) in short. You will be able to have a sneak peek at their mindsets and their daily habits.
Meet Nadia
Nadia is a mompreneur based in Malaysia, who is holding multiple commitments at the same time. Read on to learn about her story.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, I am Nadia. I am the founder of HelloBello Shop, an assistant architect and a mother to two kids; all three jobs at a time. HelloBello is a small, humble brand specializing in producing kids’ clothing with its main focus currently is on sweatshirts suitable for Malaysia’s weather.
What got you started on your business?
Passion for sewing! I always love sewing kids’ clothing and having two boys of my own makes it even fun to sew for. I realize that in Malaysian market, boy’s t-shirts are very limited. It is either too pricey or the designs are just too plain and boring. I started off by finding fabrics with rare design and high quality. I produced less than 10 pieces of t-shirts and sweatshirt within 2 months. It took so long to complete a t-shirt because I was juggling my work as an assistant architect at the same time! However, people’s interests in my products grew and now, we produced hundreds of pieces per year. We are still small brand, but we are growing. Hence, I would say, the demand is also a large reason for me to kickstart my business.
What were some difficulties you faced in your life and how did you overcome them?
I would say my biggest challenge would be making my brand recognizable by the public. Starting off, I only sell my product to friends and families. I have zero knowledge on marketing strategy at that time. From time to time, I brushed up my knowledge from various sources on marketing strategy, experimenting all sorts of methods in order for people outside my friends and families circle to know the brand.
Then, on 2017, I finally found the best marketing strategy that suit our brand and it was kicking off from there onward. More and more people knew us and started to become HelloBello’s sweatshirt collector. Up to now, we have a lot of repeating customer which helps us boost our sales by introducing our brand to their circle of friends and families.
What is your vision / personal motto?
Start now, never delay.
Who inspires you?
My kids. They are the reason my husband and I came up with this brand.
Do you have any word of advice for other ladies who are starting their business / starting to pursue their dream?
Whenever you feel like doing something good or starting on something, just do it. Don’t think too much and just do it! Never delay on getting started. Don’t be scared failing. It is part of learning curve.
How do you think you can help ladies to feel confident and empowered?
By setting example. I started from nothing, with merely passion. So by being successful, I could help ladies to feel confident in starting up their own business.
What excites you most about your industry?
Clothing industry can branch off to so many other industries. Therefore, our perspective can be widen.
What have you learnt recently that you hope the other ladies can take back?
I believe it is very important for ladies nowadays to start equipping themselves with skills. Develop your skills no matter how small it may be. If you don’t have any skills yet, seek knowledge. Be brave to experiment on many things in order to know what is your best skill. From there, you can start ‘selling’ your skill, and who knows, it could boost up your life’s quality!
What do you do in your free time as self care? How do you unwind?
Cooking for my families. It is such a therapy for me to be able to feed people with good foods.
What is one thing you are grateful for?
Endless support from my family
Let us know more about what you do!
HelloBello provides ranges of cute, colorful clothing for your kids. With affordable price, we provide you with comfortable and cute clothing that will bring smiles to your little ones!
Connect with HelloBello!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellobello.my
Are you a Fempreneur too?
Connect with us – we’d love to feature you! Say hi to us at hello@theladiescue.com or reach out to us via our social media.
Read TLC x Fempreneur Series:
- Anna Lim, Limmy’s
- Connie Go, Gosford Leather
- Angelina Tan, BeauLab
- Jane Blanloeil, Puttot
- Marine Lim, Absolute PR
- Rina Lee, Rina Lee Jewellery
- Ezza Yusof, 2morrow Official (Malaysia)
- Julie Yim, Lilin+Co (Malaysia)
The rest of the Fempreneur interviews can be found here.