WEN Spotlight: Sharon McEneff

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 Gold Sponsor and Premium Member : Sharon McEneff of T8 Corporate & Business Services

Business Nature: Association Management and Accounting & Company Secretarial Services

Business Start Date: T8 Association Management was founded in June 2011 and then branched out to T8 Corporate in 2016, First Response in 2019 and Charter Junks in 2020, all currently operating under Minerva Group. 

How is your Company Unique?: We are driven by strong empowered women by different skillsets and this is why we are under Minerva Group. Minerva is the Roman Goddess of Wisdom.

Your Favourite Business Mantra is: If you want something done ask a busy person!

Tell us what made you take the entrepreneurial plunge?: After managing Asia Pacific chapter of an association in USA my client wanted to take me on directly as  they recognised everything I did for them.

After getting approval from my boss I decided to continue doing what I was doing, but under my own company.  It was then that I had my first client and the rest of the clients grew organically through word of mouth.

How did you transform a challenge into an opportunity?: There are two ways that you can act when you face a challenge; you decide that you can’t meet the challenge and admit defeat or you can step up to the challenge knowing full well that it will be tough but that there is always opportunity in the face of adversity.

  • Don’t stop moving! If you stop, the challenge can quickly become too daunting, instead change your perspective.  From our junk experience we were desperate to become really green, with everything being recycled, however this posed almost impossible due to lack of facilities and resources to separate materials and a heavy booking schedule.  Instead of becoming solely focused on us recycling what was left over, we pushed the issue up the supply chain and now all our products (foods, serving dishes) as they come on board are either biodegradable, washed and reused or crushed and bagged.
  • Fail Fast and cheaply – if you have an idea to solve a challenge, try it out and accept it is good to fail – every time you fail you have learned another way not to do it. Promotions is a great example here – try a small advert with one resulting action and see if you get any traction, if you do then build on it, if not tweak the promotion idea.

Where do you see your Company in the next three years?: Having now structured the 4 companies under Minerva I would be delighted if we can increase  each company by 25%.

What are your top three tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?

  • Don’t just acquire customers, retain them. We have clients since the very beginning.
  • Be passionate in what you do and have a niche market
  • Hire people who are good in the areas you are not

 

Website: https://t8corporate.com/en
Email: sharon.m@t8corporate.com


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WEN Spotlight: Anne Suaverdez

WEN Spotlight: Anne Suaverdez

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 Premium Member : Anne Suaverdez of Wresonatemedia

Business Nature: Digital Marketing

Business Start Date: August 2021

Best Achievement to Date: Grew my client base in less than 4 months organically

One Tip: There’s no other time to chase your dreams but now.

Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey: I owe much of my success to the people I worked with in the corporate world. Since the time I graduated from university, I’ve had the opportunity to work with outstanding professionals in sales and marketing. They all made an impact on me professionally and until today, I am grateful to them for sharing their knowledge with me. As if I was always applying my learning and testing it for myself, I also had my fair share of launching a shoe brand that saw success in its own right. A year after it launched, the brand collaborated with some celebrities, influencers, and KOLs.

Combining my years of experience, skills, and industry knowledge, I knew I would be able to help others with their business problems. I was constantly driven by my dreams, but I was waiting for the right moment and after months of planning, the opportunity presented itself during the pandemic where it encouraged me to explore and break out of my own barriers, paving the path for the creation of Wresonate Media in August 2021. 

Wresonate Media’s goal is to help entrepreneurs succeed online through digital marketing, with a focus on social media marketing, SEO, paid search, content creation, and email marketing.

How do you measure success? As an entrepreneur,  success to me is actionable, realistic, and ever-changing. Growing organically by word of mouth or getting more referrals, is my own version of success that gives me fulfilment and happiness.

What have been your biggest lessons? It’s easy to get lost in this journey. There will always be this critical inner voice that will invalidate you and your sense of self. That you are not good enough, that you are not going to make it, that you are not the person you think you are. And one of the important lessons I learned is that you are the only person who will unlock your true potential if you believe in yourself. If you stay focused in your purpose, it can help silence that voice and drive you towards achieving your goals.

What is the next step for your business?

The next step is to scale up and grow my client base locally and overseas.

What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?

  • Surround yourself with like-minded people who share the same values as you.
  • Network with women entrepreneurs so you can draw inspiration from each other.
  • Build a supportive and winning team with skills and talents that complement yours.
  • Track and analyse your marketing efforts, whether organic or paid and maximise your highest ROI channels and focus on them.

 

Website: https://wresonatemedia.com/
Email: team@wresonatemedia.com


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WEN Spotlight: Sharlene Jacquier

WEN Spotlight: Sharlene Jacquier

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  Platinum Member and Circle Event Sponsor: Sharlene Jacquier of Joint Dynamics Evolve.

Business Nature: Joint Dynamics is Hong Kong’s premiere integrated health and wellness facility. Combining elements of physical therapy (physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, massage, sports therapy and rehabilitation with fitness and performance training, mental health (psychology), lifestyle assistance (nutritionist and sleep consultation). Joint Dynamics mission is to continue to build an inclusive environment where clients are served by a collaborative team of science driven professionals.

Business Start Date: June 2013

Best Achievement to Date: 8+ years of significant double digit growth and market leading staff retention.

One Thing to do Different if Possible: Would have put more emphasis on establishing procedure and business protocol. Guidelines, handbooks, formalised lists… all of these things would have made growth and scale easier.

One Tip: Surround yourself with trusted (& kind) advisors, mentors and peers.

Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey: I credit Hong Kong, the people I’ve been blessed to meet and the unique business environment here with the success of my entrepreneurial journey.  After working in Singapore and moving to Hong Kong with my family I went from being an engineering salesperson to an operations manager of a health and wellbeing company in one dinner party.  I met someone who had this amazing, revolutionary idea, for physical therapy and its place in the wellness landscape.  He needed me to help structure, build and run the other aspects of the business.  So eight years ago we opened a small space with 5 people in June 2013, me learning on the go from mentors, support businesses, government departments and lots of google searches dealing with everything from purchasing towels to allied health ordinance guidelines to March 2021, we opened Joint Dynamics Evolve – our dedicated Women’s Health space in Queen’s Road Central. Now offering services including nutritionist, sleep consultant and psychologist.

The idea behind Joint Dynamics was brilliant, and since that day in June 2013 we’ve built on the foundation of it to expand our service offering (a dozen new services from our original two), our staff (now 65 people) and our facilities (now over 12,000 sq ft).  Our ownership team and our management has grown to involve experts in other fields, expanding the reach of Joint Dynamics further than we had ever anticipated. There have been numerous setbacks, some avoidable and others not, that have shaken our faith in the journey but each time we’ve received support from friends, family and other support networks. We have worked hard, really really hard, have sacrificed and risked a lot but today Joint Dynamics is one of the most recognisable brands in wellness in Hong Kong, and we are still growing.

How do you measure success? Personally when my mindset is such that setback or failure challenges and invigorates me to do better, to improve and grow. As a business when our staff are our most productive marketing tool…. I know when they are speaking passionately about their jobs and the company they work for that we are hitting the right mark.

What have been your biggest lessons? Mistakes are always the source of the biggest lessons..
– Manage expectations of your staff – Once everyone knows and is happy with what’s expected the rest is easier.
– Transparent (as possible), honest and frequent communication with staff.
– Write it down, process and procedure even in a rough draft allows others to help you grow… if it is all in your head you are the speed hump going forward.
– Ask questions, legal, accounting, marketing…. if there is an area that you don’t understand make sure you ask lots of questions. Know when to stop and say you need help.

What is the next step for your business? Continued growth through expansion in the field of Women’s Health, Corporate Wellness service delivery plus international clinic investment.

What top three pieces of advice do you have for other women entrepreneurs?

  1. Have access to trusted advisors (WEN group, mentors, business partners)
  2. Try not to be retrospective and attach yourself to past mistakes. Control the controllables and always focus on whats next.
  3. Create a personal ecosystem that helps you to be resilient. Sleep more, eat well and define your ‘digital curfew’.

Joint Dynamics Evolve is the Event Sponsor for our upcoming Circle Event on 16th November 2021: .How To Handle The “WHAT IF” Issues That Can Stop Your Business In Its Tracks. Reserve your spot to be inspired and learn from those that have walked before you.

Website: https://www.jointdynamics.com.hk/services/evolve-womens-health
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JointDynamicsHongKong/


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Chairwoman Spotlight: Geetanjali Dhar

Chairwoman Spotlight: Geetanjali Dhar

Geetanjali Dhar is honoured to take over the reins of The Women Entrepreneurs Network Hong Kong with effect from 1st June 2021. Intricately involved with WEN since 2016, she looks forward to further build upon and launch a range of new benefits for WEN members.

With over three decades of rich experience as an entrepreneur, an educator and an equality & inclusion advocate, Geetanjali is committed to enhancing existing pedagogies in the field of language learning. She has created unique benchmarking standards in the field of education. The organisations she founded, conduct programs for schools, universities across multiple regions (Singapore, India, Hong Kong) as well as various HKSAR departments. As a trained hospitality master trainer, she also lends her expertise to the hospitality industry.

As the Co-founder and Chairwoman of the Integrated Brilliant Education (IBEL), a registered charity which enjoys a formidable reputation for its stellar work, Geetanjali is involved in formulating innovative solutions to the pressing social issues among the underserved population in Hong Kong.

She is a post graduate in business management, a diploma holder in hotel management and is an accredited educator for Hong Kong. Geetanjali has received numerous awards in recognition of her outstanding work including ‘Woman of Influence Award’ by the American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong in 2019; ‘Pioneering Women Leader’ at World Woman Leadership Congress in Mumbai and Hong Kong’s Women Leaders award in Hong Kong 2018.

Geetanjali is married to Manoj and they have two wonderful children Karan and Tanya.

 


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WEN Spotlight: Dr. Nichola Salmond

WEN Spotlight: Dr. Nichola Salmond

WEN is shining a spotlight on 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 shine our light on Platinum Member and Circle Event Sponsor: Dr. Nichole Salmond of Optimal Family Health Ltd.

Dr Nichola Salmond is the Director and General Practitioner at Optimal Family Health. She has been a general practitioner for 30 years and established Optimal Family Health 5 years ago. We asked Dr. Salmond to share some of her most valuable insights as an entrepreneur and tell us a little bit about her journey as a business owner.

Business Nature: General Health Practice

Business Start Date: 2016

Best Achievement to Date: Seeing my patients recover from long term issues.

One Thing to do Different if Possible: Set up SOP‘s from the start! I never even heard of them until two years in!

One Tip: Join Wen and get support from other women business owners!

Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey: It never crossed my mind to start my own business before, however my previous practice was sold to a business group whose ethos I did not agree with. After considering my options I chose to open up on my own to be able to have a practice where I could better control the patient experience and continue practicing holistic and functional medicine.

I was definitely scared on several levels, the financial investment, the possibility of failure and the responsibility of the buck stopping at me. However I decided to give it a go and I have been pleasantly surprised by how successful the business has become.

I am aware that although the business is successful it has adversely affected my work life balance as I now have 2 jobs; being a doctor and running a business…

Another issue is financially the business is completely reliant on my being there the majority of the time which I find frustrating, however I am looking at ways of solving this issue going forward.

I have learnt a lot about myself and my strengths and weaknesses and I have been surprised to find that I am more capable than I realised. I never saw myself in the role of business woman however sometimes you just have to jump in and do something to realise you can do it!

How do you measure success? Measured success is having to work less and delegate more!

What have been your biggest lessons? Don’t keep incapable staff just because they are liked by everyone, and never hire friends.

What is the next step for your business? Find more good staff so I can work less and the business is not as reliant on me being there.

What top three pieces of advice do you have for other women entrepreneurs?

  1. Take time to hire the right staff and get rid of them quickly if it doesn’t feel right.
  2. Set up SOP’s.
  3. Have good staff contracts set up by lawyers.

Optimal Family Health is Event Sponsor for our upcoming Circle Event on 26th May 2021: Success Stories. Reserve your spot to be inspired and learn from those that have walked before you and to enjoy a special offer from Optimal Family Health here.

Website: www.optimalfamilyhealth.com.hk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Optimalfamilyhealthhk


If you’d like to be in the spotlight, read more on our Sponsorship page.

WEN Spotlight: Tracy Ho

WEN Spotlight: Tracy Ho

WEN is shining a spotlight on 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!

Tracy Ho of Frame & Fame Personal Branding

Business Nature: Personal Branding Consulting & Coaching

Personal Brand Positioning and Narrative Development, Content Creation, LinkedIn profile optimization, Online Presence and Social Media Strategy.

Personal Branding Coaching, Executive Communication/Presentation Coaching, Executive Presence Coaching

Business Start Date: Nov 2015

Best Achievement to Date: In 2019, we re-positioned ourselves and changed our strategy – instead of covering both company and personal branding, we focus on working with PEOPLE who are serious about their career/business on their personal brand. We had a number of remarkably successful cases on supporting various clients to achieve their personal branding goals, including coaching some entrepreneurs/business owners to pitch to their investors for the required funding; coached corporate executives to land their ideal jobs or get a promotion with a decent, higher-than-expected pay rise; refreshed some business owners and corporate executives’ bios, LinkedIn profile and website content to acquire more clients/opportunities. It’s amazingly rewarding to hear from clients on what they had achieved from a strengthened personal brand.

We are very much honored to have been selected as “the Most Trusted Personal Branding Consultancy of the Year” by the Hong Kong Most Outstanding Business Awards 2019-2020.

One Thing to do Different if Possible: Set up a well-structured business administration process to deal with daily operations, finance, legal, hiring, and resourcing related issues from the beginning. It gets messy easily and quickly. I prefer to put my time into driving the business and working with clients. I should outsource these mundane but necessary parts to someone who’s good at that.

One Tip: Doing less for more results. Be confident to say “no” to things that are distracting or even diverting our energy away from our core strength. Focus on the niche and excel in it. More high-value opportunities will come along.

Tracy Ho is one of our WEN Branding & Pricing Workshop facilitators. Reserve your spot to get honest and constructive feedback on your branding and pricing strategies here.

Website: www.frameandframe.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/frameandfame/
Facebook: facebook.com/frameandfame


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