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.
WEN Chairwoman, Geetanjali Dhar was interviewed by Channel News Asia, on the momentous occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of HKSAR. In this interview she talks about the immense opportunities that Hong Kong continues to offer for businesses to thrive in.
Watch the video here. Geetanjali’s part can be viewed from 19:05 onwards in the video clip.
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 Felda Yeung, Partner at Gall Solicitors.
Business Nature: Law Firm
Business Start Date: 2011
Best Achievement to Date: Co-heading the firm’s employment practice.
How is your company unique?
Gall is a boutique disputes resolution law firm that help clients navigate and resolve their legal disputes.
My motto is to help clients understand the legal issues and resolve the dispute in a manner that best suits their objectives. I will tailor the litigation strategy to each client’s individual needs, whether they are corporate clients or individuals, with the aim that they can reach an expeditious resolution (whether it be through litigation or settlement) so that they can focus on growing their business.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
I had a big trial that was scheduled to be heard in 2020 during the start of the COVID pandemic when the HK Courts were shut. The case started 14 years ago (the underlying dispute involves the royalties payable for the production of VCDs and DVDs!) and the legal team had spent a lot of time and effort to get the case ready for trial. For the longest time it looked as if we would have to adjourn the trial (and all our efforts will be wasted) since all Courts were closed but we pulled through! My case became the very first case in HK to have a telephone directions hearing so that the Judge could finalise directions for the trial, and this laid down the foundation for the Court to now regularly have telephone and video conference hearings.
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
Our practice keeps getting stronger and stronger with more high-profile cases, such as acting for a group of ad hoc bond holders in the recovery of funds from Luckin Coffee after their collapse in Mainland China and the US stock market. I think the firm, especially the employment practice, will continue to grow and flourish.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
- A fellow female partner gave me this tip when I first became a working mother. She said that every day there are balls to juggle. Some balls are glass, some are plastic. It’s okay to drop a plastic ball, it will bounce. The key is to know – for that day what is the plastic and what is the glass. This is something I think about on hard days and it helps me prioritise my goals for that day.
- Appreciate that the last 10% time needed to finalise any piece of work will always take much longer than 10% of the time needed for the overall project and plan accordingly.
- Always proof-read!
One thing women should do more of?
Speak up more often!
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 : Janice Chew of JC Legal
Business Nature: Law Firm
Business Start Date: 2014 as JC Corporate
Best Achievement to Date: Our Virtual Legal Clinic won GOLD GLOBEE® for Best Service to Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19. As of May 2022, it has empowered 40+ people and donated HK$10,000+ to our charity partner, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre.
Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey:
JC Legal was not my first venture, and not my last either. My first attempt as an entrepreneur was in 2014, with JC Corporate, a company offering cross-boundary corporate and business- consultancy service. After I became a mother 5 years ago, I began to think about starting my own law firm, not only to give her flexibility but also to enable me to design and deliver legal services the way I wanted to, and the way I envision the industry should – in a manner that was unlike more traditional firms with heritage to uphold. I love coming up with solution and options, creating value for my clients and executing the service as we grow together.
How is your company unique?
JC Legal is known for our bespoke solutions. Headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in Malaysia and the UK, as well as foreign lawyers in PRC and France, we pride ourselves on a global footprint armed with deep, local expertise. We work with trusted partners all over the world to deliver cross-border advisory unique to your needs. JC Legal is a law firm that looks like a startup: a visionary leader, a young team, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a bold commitment to empower and reshape the business community quite unlike our industry, backed by sound legal knowledge and creativity.
We have established a broad practice in corporate and commercial law, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution. Our mission is to serve as the support system of business owners, so they can focus on what they do best. Our flagship Startup Steward Programme has nurtured 100+ high-growth companies, including trailblazers in FinTech and crypto, and industry leaders in their own right.
We are a team of professional lawyers in Hong Kong. We know about risks, and turn them in your favour.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
The Virtual Legal Clinic was an opportunity arisen from the pandemic, that has touched the lives of many who encounter legal challenges in business, career and personal life. With the on-going global anxiety and social distancing, we refuse to see our clients’ interest as the scapegoat. By being available to the world, we launched this programme, dedicated to ease the stress from urgent situations and to become the second professional opinion for any major decisions.
Our Virtual Legal Clinic won GOLD GLOBEE® for Best Service to Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19. As of May 2022, it has empowered 40+ people and donated HK$10,000+ to our charity partner, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre.
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
As much as I am proud of my close team and the business we have built, I would like to strengthen the professional network of JC Legal in Southeast Asia. Apart from our current partners in Malaysia and connections in Thailand, I foresee growing our reach in Indonesia and Vietnam in the next 3 years, or even less.
I envision JC Legal to becoming the go-to law firm in Hong Kong for bespoke solutions, and hopefully a known cross-border law firm within Southeast Asia. I am happy to say the first step is made by being selected as the Hong Kong representative lawyer of Cross Border M&A in the Global Law Experts Network. I am beyond excited to see what’s next.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
- Never look down on yourself – you can achieve everything you want to if you devote the effort and dedication into your goal.
- Stay curious – meet people from all kinds of industry, talk to people at the café, in a gallery, at an event… that’s how you stay interested in life and interesting as a person.
- You are stronger than you think you are – a lot of times we think we cannot make it; as much as I appreciate vulnerability and seeking help when needed, we are always much more capable than we thought we are. So, believe in yourself and become that proud achiever.
