“Want to succeed? Hit rock bottom first”

Ever thought to yourself that, "What is the point in trying when I am just gonna fail at the end of the day?"

I am pretty sure that would be the thought running through most of our minds at least once in the life of an entrepreneur. But honestly, not every success came about by chance. It was through trials and tribulations that strengthens us like the hit song, "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson.

Here's a challenge you can make for yourself, 'Look in the mirror and ask yourself, have you done enough to succeed?" Just before you answer, let's take a look at what one visionary in particular has to say?

Meet the Beautiful

Serene Gan 

Founder of heylaundry, Product Manager at VLT Labs

The Starting Point

Hitting rock bottom in life.

I’ve had this idea brewing inside me for a while because I hate doing laundry, it is my number one enemy, and everyone who knows me should be able to testify to that. I have weeks worth of laundry piled up, which would only get washed because I would run out things to wear. I have always wanted to find a solution to this, but never really had the courage to be the solution.

But it was only when things took a really bad turn in life recently that I realised that I am more resilient than I thought I was, and it led me to pursue something (heylaundry) I never would have if I didn’t pick myself up from where I fell.

What is a typical day like? What are the highlights of your day and what motivates you everyday

Right now I am juggling a day job and moonlighting to get my startup off the ground. Working with my team at VLT Labs gives me great joy because everyone is like family. We complement and inspire each other on a daily basis. The core part of my job at as Product Manager is to work closely with my team members (Ruby on Rails developers and UX designers) to ship out a product that we would be proud to call our own.

The highlights of my day would be every bit of team collaboration that takes place during the course of a project. The laughter and hardship, the celebration of small wins and the encouragement of losses that we go through together as a team — those bits are most precious to me. Building great things that provide real value to others — that’s what motivates me to keep doing what I do.

What are some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Coping with great levels of uncertainty,my personal battle with perfectionism and of course, the fact that I was convinced that I knew nothing about business.

How did I overcome it? Attitude and perseverance. I learnt that if I was willing and open to change and that if I would keep a good attitude no matter the circumstance, I would learn something and that in turn would be the solution to overcome the problems that I faced.

I am also incredibly grateful for all the mentors, advisors and friends that are supporting me. They make this journey just that much sweeter.

Do you have partners?

I’m currently a single founder on the lookout for cofounders.

Do you have any advice for budding entrepreneurs?

If something’s been tugging in your heart for weeks, months, years, do it!

Listen to your gut and get started,  even if it means doing the groundwork alone at first. Be humble, be hungry to learn, be persistent, and be absolutely clear about your purpose.

If you could turn back time, what would you have done differently?

I’m a believer of no regrets. But in the grand scheme of things, I wouldn’t have done anything differently other than working harder to make sure that I do not fall into the trap of complacency both at work and in my personal life.

heylaundry is an app that will pick up, wash your laundry, iron it and have it delivered back to your doorstep.
To find out more about what Serene is up to, visit http://www.heylaundry.com/

So now, back to the very first question that was asked of you. Would it be a Yes or No?

Source: Tumblr Image by Alientechnology00

 - Author : David Suppramaniam, Best Events Asia Writer, Aug 28th, 2015

 - Original Interview Source : MaGIC, wearemy.com

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