IT was youthful passion.
So said 29-year-old Meyan Lim-Young, who operates an Echostore in Cebu. “I am passionate about the slow-food movement and the support for everything local,” explains the mother of 16-month-old Rafaella.
The BusinessMirror talked to Lim-Young to determine how she got her determination to become an entrepreneur.
What drives you to become an entrepreneur?
Passion has always been my fuel in any work that I do. What drove me to license Echostore Cebu was its unique triconcept. I am passionate about the slow-food movement and the support for everything local.
How did you become an entrepreneur?
I always knew I would do my own thing someday, I just didn’t know what or when. In college, I worked part time as a barista in an international coffee chain. After graduation, I landed an operations/marketing position in a national bakeshop brand. After three years in the operations and marketing scene, I felt like it was time to do my own thing. I had just gotten married and decided to take yet another big leap!
I was 25 when I opened my first store. It’s been four years since then. I love everything about being an entrepreneur—yes, even the no-rest-day part. But mostly, I love the freedom to create. Being an entrepreneur gives me plenty of opportunities to express myself through my products, visual collateral and even through my staff.
As a young individual, how do you cope with the challenges of being an entrepreneur?
First, ask for help. I’m never afraid to ask for help from people around me, so when I am faced with challenges, I turn to family and friends for advice. My husband’s my biggest supporter. He helps me deal with a lot of the business challenges.
I also ask for help from others who are in the same industry, even if I’m not close to them, since they can give very useful advice being on the same boat.
Second, do research. It gets pretty challenging to deal with so many different people with different needs and a lot of questions. So I’m constantly online to research about anything and everything. It helps me keep up with the times, which is very much needed to always be relevant to your customers.
Third, let God and let go. Some challenges are harder to overcome. Sometimes, when I feel like I’ve checked out every angle and still unable to find a solution, I take a step back and lift my worries and problems to God. It always helps.
How do you plan to grow your business?
In terms of physical presence, I think one store is enough for Cebu for now. We serve a small, but (constantly) growing, market. We are still continuously educating people on the importance of slow food and buying local. There are people and companies who are doing the same thing. In the end, it’s good for us all because it increases awareness about the sustainable lifestyle, which is what we are about. We will grow together with our market.
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