10 Years 10 Business Eras

Running a business was never in my wildest dream ever. I was brought up in a “study hard, work harder” environment and I am the one who broke the chain.

I left my 9 to 5 job to start my own business. Now I work 24/7 ??

Fast forward to now, who would have thought that I could reach the 10th-year mark in my business?

And now that I’ve reached a decade, I’ll be sharing my business eras (2013–2023) — what I did and what was my business takeaway during that era.

The year 2013

I had my first office in one of the shophouses with a few other business owners.

I led an all-female team and we were doing everything media — from photography to videography to design.

Since it was our first office, we didn’t know what to expect. We hustled hard and we earned our first $50,000 in the first year of business.

It was crazyyyyyyyy~~~

In the same year, Instagram was just about 3 years old and we started using the platform to share & promote our business. We learned how to design posters for online marketing to get our business out there digitally.

If you were to ask me what was my biggest takeaway during my first year of business —

Network as much as possible offline and online.

The year 2014

They say the first 3 years of your business will be the most challenging.

I’ve always believed in ? vibe check ? and for me that applies to business as well.

So 2014 was the year of the fallout between me and half of my team — from a team of 6 to a team of 3.

From that experience, I learned the true meaning of partnership and leadership. I learned how to lead better and to listen to the opinions of my team members. I also learned how to communicate better especially when I have ideas and to express them in words.

Though that split was a painful one, in the same year I achieved the best milestone ever. I was in charge of the media team for an event that I co-organised — from LIVE feed to event videography.

If you’re going through a similar situation, remember —

No matter how much you struggle, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

The year 2015 to 2017

Remember my first office? The lease ended in 2015.

We moved to another office but this time round, we combined office and studio/rental space.

Want to see what it looked like? Heee~

The space was empty and convertible. You could turn it into a workshop space or a studio space.

Ironically we named it, This White Space

During this year, there were a lot of opportunities — working with TV channels, working with professional photographers/videographers, and working with event management companies.

We even organized a lot of popup events for small business owners to sell their products throughout these years.

Some of the takeaways I learned from the year 2015 to 2017 were to allow opportunities to flow in, build rapport with KOLs, and support local businesses.

The year 2018

The current office lease ended this year. I didn’t continue or find another studio space. I started to work from home since I had an extra room, I turned that room into my office.

I could say that the year 2018 was one of the toughest I have experienced.

The whole team fell out and left with just me running the whole show. The rest of the team members had other commitments to focus on and had to remove themselves from running the business.

I respected their decision and I continued to build the brand. However, I couldn’t continue with the other services that we offered previously. I had to drop some of the services and think through what I wanted to focus on.

I remember watching the movie The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty and was so awed by the cinematography.

I realised I am both auditory and visual at the same time. I love how they did the camera work, the music, and the angles. Basically, I love everything about the whole movie.

This was when I decided to just focus on videography — helping corporations create their videos to reach out to their potential clients.

I pivoted my business model. I joined a networking support group to not only network together but also work with each other.

And because of this, I had opportunities to work with bigger clients like Singapore Airlines, Hungry Go Where, and many others.

Being an introvert, speaking in front of strangers is one of my fears. This year also I learned about public speaking, breaking my fear!

You see, there’s a lot that happened during this 1 year alone. I must say the biggest takeaway for me in 2018 is that —

Change is the only constant. I’m glad I embraced that.

The year 2019

So after breaking my fear of public speaking, I levelled up in 2019. I started putting my face as the brand of my business and growing my personal brand.

I share short-form video tips with my followers on my Instagram page. Here’s my first video: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzhenHYhJtX/

I looked so awkward in that first video but because of that first video, I managed to learn a lot of things and how I tweaked certain ways so that I don’t look and sound awkward. Hehe~!

This year was all about experimenting with new areas and being comfortable on camera.

The year 2020 to 2021

This is THE year! Everyone in the world was affected by the pandemic. THE year when no one expected it to happen. THE year that forces everyone to pivot whether you’re running a business or working a 9–5 job.

Like everyone else, I had to pivot my business once again. From creating videos for corporate clients, I began to teach small business owners how to create videos for their businesses.

At the same time, I started my YouTube channel with the mission to educate these small business owners so they can easily find tips when they need them.

My motto is simple — use what you already have. I am an advocate of using a minimal approach and gear when it comes to recording videos.

In these 2 years, I also had the opportunity to teach organisations about video-related topics. I was also invited to speak on podcast channels.

I would say even though we cannot physically be out there to run the business, we need to embrace what is made available to us.

The pandemic teaches us to embrace technology, and there’s no turning back.

The year 2022

This year was special. After years of running the business, I was awarded the Singapore SME 500 Award.

I am truly humbled and honoured to receive this award from the Association of Trade & Commerce in Singapore. In a larger sense, however, this award is more appropriately deserved by the amazing clients that I have.

I’ve got to thank every individual in my team and partners who have been collaborating with me. Without them, this achievement was not possible. Appreciate their support throughout the years.

I am deeply grateful for this honour.

In the same year, I was also invited by YouTube Singapore to attend their first-ever YouTube Creator Day. I got to meet other YouTube creators and learn a lot from them.

I am looking forward to more events from YouTube Singapore to support small YouTube creators like myself to grow our YouTube channels.

https://youtube.com/shorts/jEbde6A3hX4?si=G94tcP1luS5Zyk-D

After 3 years of building my digital presence, this paid off. And I remember I had “upgrade” as the word of the year for 2022 and boyyyy what an upgrade it was.

Digital presence does not happen overnight. There is a lot of hard work behind it. Whether you’re running a service-based or product-based business, having a digital presence is essential.

The year 2023

This year’s word of the year is “intentional”. I want to be intentional with my content, my marketing, basically running my whole business.

I started by graduating with a Specialist Diploma in Digital Marketing & Analytics after a year of studying at Singapore Polytechnic.

I moved on to taking another certification - Advanced Certificate in Learning & Performance (ACLP). This is to help me be a better trainer/facilitator in the future.

I also started a YouTube mentorship programme for fellow business owners who want to tap into YouTube to expand their business reach. It was one of the best decisions I made for my business and I am proud of those who took the first step into exploring YouTube.

Subscribe to their YouTube channels:

Feetri Rahim - She shares how to grow your business with organic marketing on Instagram

Ridhwan Yusoff - He shares tips, hacks and strategies

Liyana A. - She helps non-designers design better

MaestroEhub - Your #1 Primary Science specialist

Azurah Jan - She shares tips on starting a podcast

Preeti Eldorado - Looking for silver goods? Check out her channel

Nurul - All about travel & cooking. Check her out

Michelle L. - All about women empowerment, money mindset and productivity

Another special milestone that happened this year, I was awarded the Education 2.0 Conference for Outstanding Leadership Award.

I also had the opportunity to share my thoughts on how education evolved during Covid and now.

Phew! What a year it was ??

My biggest takeaway for 2023 - when you're intentional in whatever you do, be it for business or personal, the sense of accomplishment exceeds your expectations.

Sometimes we forget to celebrate our small wins. This is such a great reminder for me of what I've experienced in the last 10 years.

So here's a reminder to you - celebrate your wins, big or small. Pat yourselves on the back for all the achievements you've made.

So what's in store in 2024? I'm excited to experience the ride.