Ctrl + Alt + Career Podcast:
Retail in Asia Episodes
Ctrl + Alt + Career shares the stories of those who have left a traditional corporate job to pursue a creative career in Asia.
(PS - I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me on Instagram @ongjennifer_)
04: From Goldman Sachs & Bain to Style Theory founders, Raena Lim & Chris Halim
Chris and Raena are the co-founders and married couple behind Style Theory - Southeast Asia’s largest fashion subscription rental platform, where for a monthly fee, you can rent clothes and designer bags and get access to an unlimited closet. Style Theory was founded just 4 years ago in 2016 and has since expanded beyond Singapore into Indonesia and Hong Kong. To support its growth, the company is venture backed and just closed its Series B in 2019.
Before starting Style Theory, Chris started his career as a management consultant at Bain & Co, and Raena worked at Goldman Sachs in the Prime Brokerage division.
In this episode they share -
Why they left their corporate careers to start Style Theory
How they tested demand for their product at the beginning and what their minimum viable product (MVP) looked like
How they built a business in fashion with no prior experience or connections to the fashion world
How the fundraising process works in Southeast Asia
How they went about hiring and in particular what they did when they didn’t have a CTO (Chief Technology Officer) at the beginning
What it’s like working together as a married couple
And many more…
You can find out more about Style Theory at https://www.styletheory.co/
05: From JPMorgan to Asia Wedding Network, Michelle Yuan
Michelle Yuan is the founder of Asia Wedding Network, Asia's largest online wedding platform for couples planning their big day. She has been awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work with Asia Wedding Network.
Before this, Michelle graduated from Columbia University and started her career at JP Morgan investment bank in equity sales and was a journalist at WSJ, Reuters and Forbes.
In this episode she shares -
What inspired her to start her business
How to grow a two sided marketplace business where you have to grow both vendors and customers at the same time
How she expanded beyond Hong Kong to multiple countries in Asia
How she pivoted her business during COVID-19
The power of search engine optimization over paid ads
And many more…
You can find out more about Asia Wedding Network at https://asiaweddingnetwork.com/
12: Alex Fan & Clara Teo, founders of Sunday Bedding
Alex and Clara are the married couple and founders of Sunday Bedding, a direct to consumer bedding company based in Singapore.
In this episode they share -
How to start a direct to consumer brand in Singapore
How to leverage and modernize a family business
And many more…
For more about Sunday Bedding - https://sundaybedding.com/
As always you can find me on Instagram @ongjennifer_, pop by and say hi!
16: Carolyn Yim, from Saks Fifth Avenue to founding Ply-Knits
Carolyn Yim is a multi-hyphenate designer-businesswoman. She founded two knitwear labels, Ply-Knits and Dreyden, and also helps her family modernize their three-generation knitwear manufacturing business.
Her work, particularly on design-forward sustainable knitwear, has earned praise in Vogue, Wallpaper, Business of Fashion, and WWD. She sells her knitwear through Lane Crawford, FarFetch, and online.
Prior to this she studied English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, and worked at Saks Fifth Avenue, Jack Dorsey and Kering-funded e-commerce startup Fancy.com.
In this episode she shares -
How she built her direct to consumer knitwear brand
How she got her brand into Farfetch and Lane Crawford
How to work with suppliers and find wholesale partners
Her thoughts on sustainable fashion
And many more…
For more about Ply-Knits - https://ply-knits.com/
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BTW - I just launched my 1:1 Career Coaching Program, if you’re interested to find out more, head on over to my Instagram @ongjennifer_!
21: Jamie Lee, co-founder of The Kind Friend
Jamie Lee is the co-founder of The Kind Friend, a wellness company that helps people live a more mindful life through kindness. Prior to this, she started two education businesses and was also helped Carousell expand their operations to Australia as their regional partnerships lead.
In this episode she shares -
Her journey and lessons learned from building and growing three separate businesses
How to build relationships and gain connections throughout your career
Her thoughts on pursuing success while prioritising physical and mental health
And many more…!
For more about The Kind Friend - https://www.thekindfriend.com/
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If you’re feeling unhappy with your corporate job and looking for some guidance to find a more fulfilling career, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @ongjennifer_ or LinkedIn, I’d love to see how I can help!
Download my free guide to finding your passion here.
26: Vinnie Ong, from Morgan Stanley & Blackstone to founding Happy Human
Vinnie Ong is the founder of Happy Human, a sustainable startup selling refillable cleaning care that reduce single-use plastic waste and carbon emissions. Prior to this, Vinnie worked in finance at Morgan Stanley and Blackstone.
In this episode she shares -
How she started her own business from scratch
What customer research and product testing is like
How to get funding for your business
And many more…!
For more about Happy Human - https://www.heyhappyhuman.com/
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If you’re feeling unhappy with your corporate job and looking for some guidance to find a more fulfilling career, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @ongjennifer_ or LinkedIn, I’d love to see how I can help!
Download my free guide to finding your passion here.
29: Aaron Chin, from GM of BoConcept to co-founding The Editors Company
Aaron is the co-founder of The Editors Company, which provides online interior styling services dedicated to making home design accessible for everyday people. Prior to this, he sold credit data at Dun & Bradstreet, and was the general manager of BoConcept Hong Kong.
In this episode he shares -
Why he started his career in sales
His journey to becoming an entrepreneur
How to appeal to customers most effectively
And many more…!
For more about The Editors Company - https://www.editorscompany.com/
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If you’re feeling unhappy with your corporate job and looking for some guidance to find a more fulfilling career, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @ongjennifer_ or LinkedIn, I’d love to see how I can help!
Download my free guide to finding your passion here.
36: Coral Chung, from Bain Consultant to Co-Founder of SENREVE
Coral is the Co-Founder and CEO of SENREVE, a digitally native brand revolutionising the luxury industry, which pioneered the luxury convertible handbag and backpack category with the iconic Maestra Bag.
In this conversation, she shares -
(i) Her consultancy experience and it’s relation to entrepreneurship
(ii) The founding and initial growth of SENREVE
(iii) Tips on networking, finding a co-founder, starting a company
(iv) And many more…!
Find out more about SENREVE - https://www.senreve.com/
To connect with Coral, find her on Instagram or LinkedIn.
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If you’re feeling unhappy with your corporate job and looking for some guidance, you can find me on -
(i) Instagram @ongjennifer_
(ii) LinkedIn
(iii) Or download my free guide to finding your passion here.
(iv) Want to work with me 1:1? Sign up for a FREE discovery call to learn more about my career coaching program here.
38: Sarah Garner, from Fashion Buyer to Founding Retykle
Sarah is the Founder and CEO of Retykle, a luxury resale platform for secondhand children’s wear. She started off her career in America, working at Bloomingdale’s and Holt Renfrew, before upending her life and moving across the world to Hong Kong. Then she gained more experience in the fashion industry at Lane Crawford, DFS, and Shanghai Tang. Sarah left the workforce when she became a mother for a couple of years, and came back wanting to build something she can be proud of. Her experience in bringing up her kids led to the founding of Retykle.
In this conversation, she shares -
(i) Why she moved halfway across the world
(ii) The Founding of Retykle
(iii) Juggling entrepreneurship and motherhood.
(iv) And many more…!
Find out more about Retykle - https://retykle.com/
To connect with Sarah, find her on LinkedIn.
—-
If you’re feeling unhappy with your corporate job and looking for some guidance, you can find me on -
(i) Instagram @ongjennifer_
(ii) LinkedIn
(iii) Or download my free guide to finding your passion here.
(iv) Want to work with me 1:1? Sign up for a FREE discovery call to learn more about my career coaching program here.