WEN would like to applaud Members who have had great wins, overcome obstacles, used innovative approaches or made other strides as an entrepreneur and who are ready to share their tips with you!
We are delighted to showcase our WEN premium member Neelam Daswani, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Founder of Neelam Pure Health
Business Nature:
Neelam Daswani is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a graduate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She specialises in guiding clients to implement dietary and lifestyle practices that address the root cause of imbalances and disease, helping them to heal their bodies and optimize their overall wellness. She provides one to one coaching sessions, working alongside the Functional Medicine Practitioner, to guide individuals with their health plans. She works to help them not only balance healthy eating habits and exercise, but she takes a holistic approach on health, such as stress management and sleep optimisation.
Business Start Date:
January 2020
Tell us what made you take the entrepreneurial plunge?
I am a Japan-born Indian living in Hong Kong and the founder of a successful boutique PR agency, Purebuzz.
The protests and COVID were challenging as PR was brought to a halt.
Over COVID, my dad ended up in ICU post-bypass surgery and I found myself embracing a more holistic approach during his recovery. This difficult time also motivated me to return to school and I became a certified Health Coach through the Integrated Institute of Nutrition (NYC). I have always been very passionate about health & nutrition and hence was able to welcome this new career! I love, love working with people and making positive changes in their well being and life, it’s a huge sense of an accomplishment seeing clients and patients change for the better!
What does your Company do and how is it unique?
Health is BIO INDIVIDUAL, My services are all personalised. I work with client on their individual needs and health cannot be a cookie cutter solution. What works for a women in menopause is not the same as what works for a 30 year old.
Over the coaching, I review one’s food and health history and share valuable insights into progressing towards one’s health goals, including current food intake and lifestyle. I suggest some areas to focus and prioritise to be your best self in order to maximise your energy, improve your sleep and overall health.
Areas covered are:
- Adequate protein intake
- Understanding hidden sugars
- The inclusion and importance of healthy fats
- Review of supplements
- Quality of sleep
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
After PR came to a halt over the protests and COVID, I decided to take a break, dig deeper and understand my ‘IKIGAI’
This is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living. I am very happy as I’ve totally found my ikigai. My clients and friends see how passionate I am about my coaching…and I feel like I have truly found my ‘ikigai’!
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
I hope to work with corporate wellness programs and possibly start some group coaching to branch out beyond just the 1 on 1. I have also just completed a degree in HORMONE HEALTH, I plan to continue educating myself in the FUNCTIONAL space.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
– Magnesium Nightly
Even though Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, you might not have enough! Magnesium, for men & women alike, is vital for over 300 biochemical bodily functions ranging from
- Regulating mood
- Hormone health
- Supporting sleep
- Muscle recovery and nerve function
- Stress & cortisol levels
- Energy production
- Constipation & Cramping
– Protein rich breakfast – Go savory for breakfast
Eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. I encourage everyone to start their day off with a high protein breakfast with a source of fat. A savory high protein breakfast will curb all sugar cravings one may have during the day, as it helps balance sugar levels. In general once needs anywhere between 1-1.5 grams of protein for every kilo of body weight, hence planning meals around protein is key. Make sure to eat from the trifecta, FAT, FIBER & PROTEIN for all 3 meals. Starting your day of with cereal, bread and oatmeal is a big no no , as you will end up craving more sugar throughout the day!!
– Daily Mindfulness
I aim to go for a GONG or Crystal Singing Healing Session once a week. Scientific evidence suggests that certain forms of sound therapy prompt damaged humans DNA strands to repair themselves Some tones may even promote vitality and healing. I also take 10 mins out of my day daily to meditate. I most prefer to do this at around 3-4pm in the middle of my day. Helps me reset, re-charge for my day ahead. The Latin root of the word “meditation” is the same as the root word for “medicine.” The simple yet profound practice of meditation allows us to experience inner contentment and balance, bringing healing and relief from the stress of daily life – a form of medicine.
One thing women should do more of?
RESISTANCE TRAINING!!!
Muscle is a powerful longevity organ, specially once you reach menopause.
Building our muscles through strength training is a very effective way to combat the side effects of perimenopause.
And unlike anything you’ve heard, strength training does not mean “bulking up” as we do not have the testosterone levels for it to happen easily! Instead, strength training will help you get lean and strong, and it has countless other benefits too!
Busting the “bulk up” myth for women, I can’t emphasize enough on how important it is for women over 40 to begin Strength Training!
Muscle is like a “power suit” that keeps your spine and joints upright and supported. As we get older and muscle declines, bone loss and occasional aches and pains become much more common, specially if you’re transitioning through #menopause. Hence why Resistance (or Strength) Training is one “super habit” that you should definitely follow that helps support you through this phase.
WEN would like to applaud Members who have had great wins, overcome obstacles, used innovative approaches or made other strides as an entrepreneur and who are ready to share their tips with you!
We are delighted to showcase Caroline Choi, Founder of HongKongDivorce.com
Business Nature: Free Online Educational Resource for Individuals Navigating Through Divorce in Hong Kong
Business Start Date: September 2019
Tell us what made you take the entrepreneurial plunge?
Prior to living in Hong Kong, I was working as a Family Law attorney in San Diego, California. At the time, I saw a need to provide easy digestible legal information to individuals going through divorce because it can be extremely complicated to understand legal jargon. I started to write articles for The Huffington Post about divorce topics and also created my own blog website called Divorce Confidential. When I moved to Hong Kong, I saw a need for this as well and started Hong Kong Divorce in the hope that every individual has access to information that may be difficult to obtain without hiring costly solicitors and barristers.
What does your Company do and how is it unique?
Hong Kong Divorce does not provide legal advice, however it does provide individuals with basic information on how to navigate divorce in Hong Kong, giving individuals the knowledge and power on how to proceed forward. Not only does this free resource provide simple explanations on somewhat complex legal issues, but it also aims to provide practical tips on how to navigate even the emotional aspects of divorce. For example, I have created a special series called Spotlight Profile and in these Spotlight Profiles, I interview key players in the family law community in Hong Kong but I also interview mental health professionals who have extensive experience in assisting families and children through the hardship of divorce. These mental health professionals provide great tips and resources on how to navigate this difficult journey. Thus, Hong Kong Divorce not only provides basic information about divorce in Hong Kong but also how to survive and move forward on an emotional level as well.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
Divorce is a challenging experience and journey for individuals and families. It is not easy balancing being an attorney while also writing and publishing articles and essentially running a second business. However, I think this is extremely important and there is a need to provide this information to those in the community. For those going through a divorce, the more information you have, the more informed you are and therefore able to navigate an already complex legal system.
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
My hope is that Hong Kong Divorce becomes more widely known in the community and it an essential pitstop for those going through divorce.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
- Rise to the challenge – You will always be met with challenges and obstacles along the way, but it is important to rise to the challenge and move forward.
- Be Resilient – Remain resilient throughout the process and continue to push through when things are not as smooth or easy as anticipated.
- Make great connections – Having great friends and contacts who can be there to help you along the way is key to success. It’s wonderful when you can share in your successes with others and vice versa.
One thing women should do more of?
Support one another and cheer each other on. Rather than see each other as threats, it’s important to come together as women and help each other out. There is enough room for success for everyone!
WEN would like to applaud Members who have had great wins, overcome obstacles, used innovative approaches or made other strides as an entrepreneur and who are ready to share their tips with you!
We are delighted to showcase Jessie Chan, Founder of Sorra Limited.
Business Nature: Beauty Tech/Fem Tech Start Up
Business Start Date: 2020
How is your company unique?
Sorra is a beauty tech start-up that is changing the way people shop for skincare. Our platform is a “Tinder for Beauty”, which accurately matches users with brands, providing an advanced personalized beauty experience that is brand-neutral, free of charge, and backed by skin data.
We are proud to be the first beauty platform targeting sub-tropical climate area markets, and since our launch in 2020, we have quickly grown our community to over 140K members with nearly zero cost per acquisition and an impressive average monthly reach of 6.5M. Despite being a bootstrapped start-up, we have achieved a remarkable 19% month-over-month revenue growth rate, which is a testament to our unique value proposition and the innovative approach of our team.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was struggling with blemishes on my face. Despite purchasing many skincare products, I couldn’t find anything that would help me get rid of them. This was a challenge for me, but I decided to turn it into an opportunity.
I began to learn about skincare science and how skincare formulations work. I researched different ingredients and products and started to experiment with different formulations. I also began to share my journey with others and started a community around skincare.
At first, I still had a day job and was the only one doing all the jobs, from researching and creating content to designing the platform. But while the community grew, it became a really healthy and engaging space for sharing product reviews and advice – this is where I decided to quit my day job and turned this passion into my career.
Through this community, we were able to develop a unique understanding of what our customers were looking for in skincare products. This allowed us to create our own brand, Sorra, which has become a major player in the beauty industry.
Transforming my skincare challenge into an opportunity has been an incredible journey, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for Sorra.
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
I see Sorra as a disruptive solution for both brands and consumers. Our innovative “Tinder for Beauty” platform provides accurate leads for brands based on an accurate skin profile, while consumers can finally find the right solution for their skin by searching with skin data.
In the next three years, our goal is to bring this solution to more people, not only in Hong Kong and Taiwan (where we are currently based), but also to the larger Southeast Asian market. We believe that our unique value proposition and focus on sub-tropical climate area markets will resonate with consumers in these regions.
We plan to expand our community with a greater focus on engagement and user-generated content. We also plan to strengthen our platform technology, based on the insights we have gained from our community and our expertise in skincare science.
Overall, our vision is to make beauty accurate and become the go-to platform for skincare in the region, providing a unique and personalized beauty experience for both brands and consumers. We are excited about the future of Sorra and the potential impact we can have in the beauty industry.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
- Start small, think big: Starting small can help you focus on the most important aspects of your business and refine your vision. But it’s important to always keep your bigger picture in mind and continue to work towards achieving your long-term goals.
- Embrace failure: Failure is a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey, and it’s important to learn from these experiences. By analyzing what went wrong and making changes, you can turn failure into an opportunity for growth and improvement.
- Stay true to yourself: When pursuing your career goals, it’s important to stay grounded and not lose sight of your deepest needs and values. Whether it’s taking time for self-care or maintaining a healthy work-life balance, make sure to prioritize your well-being and happiness while pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams.
One thing women should do more of?
As a female entrepreneur and mother with a one-year-old baby, I understand firsthand the challenges of balancing work, life, and family. It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of building a startup and feel like we have to sacrifice our personal lives to achieve success. However, I’ve learned that it’s important to trust myself and my abilities, and to find a support system that enables me to pursue my passions while also being present for my family.
For me, this has meant learning to prioritize my time and energy, setting realistic goals, and being kind to myself when things don’t go as planned. It’s also meant finding a community of other women who can relate to my experiences and provide support and encouragement. As women, we have a unique superpower to balance work, life, and family. We should all build more trust in ourselves to pursue the things that matter most to us.
WEN was featured on the 123 Show on RTHK Radio 3 on 8th Dec 2021.
Geetanjali Dhar(chairwoman) and Sharlene Jacquier (board member) spoke at length about WEN and how they offer Women Entrepreneurs at all stages of their business – great support, guidance and expertise from professionals.
Check out their interview with Saadia Usmani
here.
In the third episode of “HKSAR at 25”, China Daily speaks to a trailblazing Indian entrepreneur in the education space, Geetanjali Dhar, who has lived in Hong Kong for 23 years. Dhar talks about how she began her goal of better integrating the youth of Hong Kong ethnic minorities, and why she and her family now call Hong Kong home.
To watch the video, please click here.
