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 Gidania Wong (The Media Ministry, Mummyfique & SOVA)
Tell us a little about yourself.
I consider myself a dynamic individual, I love challenges, new experiences, and learning. My friends know that I’m always up for anything and with my businesses, they provide different hats for me to wear for each of them and different industries to dabble in.
I like that no two work days for me are ever the same. I balance work among The Media Ministry, Mummyfique, and my latest venture, SOVA, a premium mulberry silk accessories line.
I also founded an FB Blessings group – SG Mummies United, during circuit breaker to serve as a stopgap measure to provide daily essentials to underprivileged mums affected by Covid. The group is now 7,000 members strong and we are still actively running it.
What got you started on your business?
SOVA was created during Singapore’s Circuit Breaker period to revolutionize the idea of “Beauty Sleep” with the most luxurious, skin-improving material available from nature – Mulberry Silk. Beauty junkies have long known about the beneficial properties of mulberry silk so adding these products to your regime is a natural move. I’ve been a big fan of silk since my early 20s and have been using silk pillowcases and sheets because of the many benefits it brings. I often have insomnia and as a breastfeeding mum to my kids, my sleep was constantly fragmented so literally every second in bed counts, hence I wanted to maximise my beauty sleep and get as much out of my rest as possible so I used silk pillowcases.
Now, I’m on a sleep revolution to promote better sleep to my friends and the public. We spend 30% of each day in bed, why not make the most of it?
With work from home and spending more time at home being the new norm, I believe that more emphasis will be placed on home décor and improvement and sleep, especially, should be enhanced to provide maximum rejuvenation and quality rest when you lay in bed. With so much added stress now to our daily lives now, I believe that self-care is the most important key to a happy, successful, and fulfilling life and that customers are happy to invest in themselves with the latest, cutting-edge beauty solutions to achieve that aim.
Before you started on your business, what did you do on a full time basis?
My entrepreneurship journey began in 2010, after spending several years gaining experience in the PR and media industry. I set up my own boutique PR agency working with lifestyle clients on their marketing and communication needs. I wanted freedom and control in the way I worked and better management of my time and projects. Idealistically, I wanted to be in a job I loved so it would not feel like work.
What were some difficulties you faced in your life and how did you overcome them?
The inability to properly focus all my efforts on one project or task is my greatest obstacle. I’m so used to multitasking and always working on so many things at one go that sometimes, I find myself easily distracted or struggling with focus to see things through since I swap tasks once I find myself mulling on them for too long, in a bid to save time. I’ve to work on prioritization and tackling the tough issues first instead of shelving them till a later time, which may lead to unproductivity.
Who inspires you?
Too many to name but the women CEOs who are not only excellent in their jobs but vocal about the causes that are close to their hearts and who give back to society in their own ways are the ones I respect the most.
What excites you most about your industry?
SOVA is part of the booming sleepwear industry which is poised to grow up to US$19 billion by 2025 and at the same time, it also belongs to the beauty and wellness industry and should be essential for every beauty junkie. There are so many possibilities and potential for a new brand and that excites me greatly.
2021 would be mainly dedicated to SOVA’s business development. In the pipeline, we have plans to create a sustainable eco-friendly system at the factory that includes supporting an age-old tradition of silkworm farming and harvesting. Besides providing job opportunities, income, and livelihoods to traditional silk farmers, we will be investing in R&D to develop new varieties of silk infused with beneficial ingredients that can aid skin conditions while wearing or in contact with the products.
I would also like to conduct Sleep Workshops to discuss the importance of sleep and how it impacts your life and how to improve sleep quality by making small changes to your lifestyle habits.
What is your vision / personal motto?
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Do you have any word of advice for other ladies who are starting their business/ starting to pursue their dream?
It’s ok to not be ok. Things will not always go as planned and that the journey is filled with learning lessons. We all want that road to success but there’s no shortcut. Keep learning, growing, and networking. Also, start young. With lesser financial burdens, you are less stressed out and have more time and energy to focus on your business.
How do you think you can help ladies to feel confident and empowered?
I would like ladies to know that it’s possible to have it all. You don’t have to give up your career for your family or vice versa. It might take you longer to achieve everything if you have so much on your plate, but it is not impossible. Ask lots of questions, read more, network with people whose industries you’d like to be in, and keep learning.
Work-life balance is important. I’m still working on it, unfortunately! Hahaha! I’ve however implemented a “no-work” rule from 7pm to 10pm so that I can focus on dinner, putting the kids to bed (they sleep by 930pm), washing up before I get back on my laptop. It’s not always possible, especially when I’m hosting IG Live content in the evenings at times, but most days my team keeps to it.
What have you learnt recently that you hope the other ladies can take back?
It’s ok to not be ok. Things will not always go as planned and that the journey is filled with learning lessons. We all want that road to success but there’s no shortcut. Keep learning, growing, and networking. Also, start young. With lesser financial burdens, you are less stressed out and have more time and energy to focus on your business.
What is one thing you are grateful for?
Without a doubt, my family. I thank God every day that I have them. They are so supportive.
What do you do in your free time as self care? How do you unwind?
Self-care is crucial to my mental health. I do yoga to relax, love music and singing, binge-watch Kdramas, indulge in webtoons that were made for people half my age, and play mobile games when I’m stressed out. I also plan spa days for a good massage to calm my body and mind. Bubble tea always helps too!
Let us know more about what you do!
SOVA uses the highest grade (6A) long fiber mulberry silk, with a thickness of 22 momme to provide the ultimate combination of shine, thickness, softness, and durability for all our products. Up your beauty game with mulberry silk products and make every second of your beauty sleep count with our luxurious sleep products.
We have been featured on The Straits Times, Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, The Edge, Vogue, Her World, Female, Nuyou, Nylon, ICON, Lifestyle Asia, TimeOut, and many more!
Connect with SOVA!
Website: www.sovasilk.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sovasilk_official
Connect with Mummyfique!
Website: www.mummyfique.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mummyfique
Giveaway Alert
One winner can stand a chance to win a Mulberry silk headband and scrunchie set worth $60! Head over to The Ladies Cue Instagram to participate!
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:
- Margaret Wu, For Beloved One
- Hong Choy Yin, Tots Society
- Pearline Foo, Spring Breeze Marketing
- Evangeline Leong, Kobe
- Maddy Barber, Madly Gems
- Ezza Yusof, 2morrow Official (Malaysia)
- Julie Yim, Lilin+Co (Malaysia)
- Nadia, HelloBello (Malaysia)
- Zairin Azman, UMMA (Malaysia)
The rest of the Fempreneur interviews can be found here.