10 Women Entrepreneurs Who Have Inspired Me in 2018

As the year comes to a close, I am thankful for these 10 women entrepreneurs whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning from. These are women who have fought against all odds, made a mark in the business world and have crafted their own brands of leadership. This was a difficult list to make as I have met so many inspirational women entrepreneurs this year! So here you go, my list for 2018 - the 10 amazing women entrepreneurs that you should look out for when you need a dose of motivation.

1 - Kendra Scott

Designer, CEO & Philanthropist | Linkedin

Kendra is the entrepreneur behind her widely successful jewelry line that is now worth over a billion dollar which she started from her spare bedroom. When I met Kendra, I am struck by how humble and down to earth she is. She openly shared her secrets to success, the vivid vision that she has crafted for herself and her team, and how she went on to achieve each and every of her dream. From her, I have learnt about the power of vision and perseverance. Since then, I have followed her and her brand and I’ve always admired Kendra's personal touch that can be seen in all her pieces and marketing collateral. She has also created a brand and culture that authentically values giving back and making a positive difference in the community. I love that her business goes way beyond herself and that continues to inspire me to do the same.

(Picture with Kendra at EMP 2018 in Boston)

2 - Elizabeth Tan

Founder of Sight To Sky & MD of Heatwave Shoes | Linkedin

(Credit: Picture from HNWorth.com)

Elizabeth and I met at Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Singapore and my husband Jamie and I have had the pleasure to join Liz's Sight to Sky trips to Ladakh here a few years ago. After 7 years of leading Heatwave Shoes, she has turned it from a home-grown brand in Singapore to an international business with 50 outlets in the region and the Middle East. Other than managing a thriving shoe brand and being an awesome mother, Elizabeth's vision is to help marginalized people. That's how she started Sight to Sky. Together with a team of medical and non-medical volunteers, Liz travels hard-to-reach mountainous regions to provide basic healthcare checks. I'm so proud of her and I look forward to the next mountain she will climb, literally and figuratively.

(Picture from our climb together to Taman Kinabalu back in 2014)

3 - Hayley Quinn

Founder, Dating Expert and Social Media Personality | Linkedin

I met Hayley at one of the dating industry conferences in London this year, and she has taught and inspired me so much through her personality and knowledge! She's UK's top dating coach who is passionate about helping women to become empowered in love, and also working with men to improve their understanding and relationships with women. Her Youtube channel has close to 100,000 followers where she posts many social experiments and How To videos. She's also a fellow TED speaker and we did a video together when we met! (Here and here.) I am so motivated by Hayley's works (authentic and edgy, you will find no motherhood statements here!), her passion for helping singles and I believe singles can learn a lot from her videos and her courses on how to be the best version of themselves and be successful in their dating journey!

4 - So-Young Kang

Serial Entrepreneur, Founder of Awaken Group and Gnowbe | Linkedin

It has been many years since I met So-Young for the first time and over the years we always crossed paths through events and conferences that we both speak at. So-Young left the corporate world and started Gnowbe, a pioneering transformational app to help people build personalized learning journeys while on-the-go. What has constantly impressed me about So-Young is her infectious energy! She has a big heart contributing back to society through The Young Professional Group. One of the best advice I have gotten from So-Young is that as leaders, we need to constantly empower our associates by allowing them room to grow, giving them tasks that they may not be able to do before, but at the same time, giving them the support and resources to ask for help and advice. Watch our Facebook Live video together too here!

5 - Merry Riana

Millionaire Entrepreneur, Best-Selling Author and Motivational Speaker | Linkedin

I first met Merry when we were both being nominated for the The Great Women of our Our Time award by Singapore Women’s Weekly 2010. Since then, we have become good friends, our children even attended the same kindergarten at one point! :) Merry has inspired millions through her books, her seminars and even her own movie! Every time we catch up, Merry never ceases to amaze me with the latest project that she is working on. I have always been inspired by Merry’s tenacity, perseverance and make it happen attitude! Even as she continues to grow her business empire, she gives back by mentoring youth who wants to take charge of their lives through her “Personal Mentorship Experience” and champions learning and personal development for the next generation to achieve financial independence, as she has. 

(Picture with Merry during Chinese New Year this year with our husbands, Jamie and Alva)

6 - Yvon Bock

Entrepreneur and Managing Director of Hegen Pte Ltd | Linkedin

Mothers out there would know how fussy some of our babies are with milk bottle teats. I first met Yvon at a fair where I bought a Hegen starter pack for my good friend who has a newborn. I was so impressed by her passion to create a sustainable, practical and high quality breastfeeding product to help fellow mummies. Needless to say, my friend’s baby loves the Hegen milk bottle! :) Being a mother of 4 (you amazing woman!), Yvon is very inspiring to me as she continues to integrate multiple roles as a wife, mother, entrepreneur and also giving back to the community. Yvon has made ripples locally as well as globally - the Hegen bottle is particularly well-received in China that it was selected as the first Singapore product to be featured on Alibaba’s popular 11.11 Global Shopping Festival broadcast in November 2017!

(Credit: Picture from The New Age Parents)

7 - Lisa Clampitt

Founder of Matchmaking Institute of New York, Professional Matchmaker and Relationship Expert | Linkedin

Many of you who have followed my career from day 1 would know that I have received my matchmaking accreditation from Matchmaking Institute of New York over 14 years ago, and I got to thank Lisa for that! Lisa is the visionary who founded the Matchmaking Institute of New York, the longest established matchmaking school in the world. Lisa and her faculty of experienced matchmakers and coaches teach passionate entrepreneurs and aspiring matchmakers to play Cupid and grow a successful business. Lisa also owns her own successful high-end matchmaking business and have brought together many beautiful couples. In an industry where some prefer to fight it alone, I am constantly inspired by Lisa’s vision of collaboration - to bring together matchmakers from all around the world, work together, share best practices and help more singles find love! 

(Picture with Lisa at iDate Conference 2018 in London)

8 - Kalika Yap

Serial Entrepreneur and Inventor | Linkedin

I first met Kalika at EMP (Entrepreneurial Masters Program), an executive education program by Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) 3 years ago. The first thing that struck me about Kalika is her beautiful smile and her positive outlook in life. Kalika is one of those people who is a born entrepreneur! Her businesses include award-winning brand agency Citrus Studios, Luxe Link, the Waxing Co., the Tangerine Co. & the Orange and Bergamot! Kalika really inspires me not just as an entrepreneur but also as a loving wife and dedicated mother. She also believes in the importance of giving back and integrates the value-based culture of philanthropy within all her business units. Despite her busy life and schedule, she still has time to host a podcast! I had the privilege to be interviewed by her here. Thanks Kalika for the inspiration and looking forward to your many more achievements to come!

(Picture with Kalika during Sinulog 2017 in Cebu, Philippines)

9 - Christina Teo

Advisor, Mentor, Coach, and Founder of Startup Asia Women, she1K and Want Things Done | Linkedin

Christina and I first met over lunch where she shared with me her story and inspiration to move from corporate to entrepreneurship. Since then, I have witnessed her rapid growth as an entrepreneur. Christina believes in empowering women and she believes that women must embrace tech just as much as their gender counterpart. That's why started Startup Asia Women, a community of shared experience and support for women involved in startups in Asia. Her platform has given many women in tech access to more resources, networks and shared experiences to tap on. Recently, she launched she1K, the world’s first global corporate women’s private network and collective angel fund where she aims to recruit 1,000 corporate women globally targeting to champion 100 startups by next year! You go girl!

10 - Suzanne Ling

Co-Founder of The Pitcha Project, Social Entrepreneur | Linkedin

I met Suzanna this year in Jakarta when I was moderating the Young Social Entrepreneurs Panel that Suzanne was part of at the Transformational Business Network (TBN) Asia Conference. I was quickly captivated by her startup story; she is the co-founder of The Pitcha Project, a social enterprise in Malaysia that empowers refugees through sustainable food business. It was inspiring hearing how the work of The Pitch Project has changed the lives of many of these refugees. Suzanne has represented Malaysia in many international exchange programs and was named Forbes 30 under 30. Meeting Suzanne makes me realise that there are so many opportunities out there that we can look at and explore to make a difference and change the world. With young social entrepreneurs like Suzanne leading the way, I am confident the world will indeed be a better place.

(Picture with Suzanne at Young Social Entrepreneurs Panel in Jakarta this year)

Which woman entrepreneur you met this year who have inspired you? Do you have any female role models that look up to this year? I would love to hear about them and learn from them too!