Renee Tan is the Founder of H.E.R. Entrepreneur. This month we sat down with Renee to share her journey and how she manages her time between being an entrepreneur and mother.
Q – What is your favourite thing about the Duxton Neighbourhood The serenity around the neighbourhood. It’s located in the city but it’s away from the hustle and bustle. It’s perfect when you are just a stone’s throw away from most of the clients’ offices and yet you are in a quiet neighbourhood that allows you to expand your thoughts and creativity.
Q – How do you balance being an entrepreneur and mother It’s all about prioritising at the right time. I must say being a mother has changed how I plan my time and made me more focused on completing my tasks quickly and be more results-oriented. Multi-tasking has become a norm for me. With a supportive and understanding family, it is then possible for me to pursue my entrepreneurial journey with an ease of mind.
Q – What impact is H.E.R Entrepreneur looking to make on the start-up ecosystem in South East Asia H.E.R Entrepreneur aims to harness the power of women in entrepreneurship, leadership and relationship and we provide a platform to inspire, educate, and empower women entrepreneurs who are transitioning in their career or in starting a family. Just last November, we convened 26 successful entrepreneurs, leaders and investors over one day to share insights on business and leadership strategies, funding capital raising, innovation and technology and nurturing female talent in business. We have been fortunate to have engaged with inspiring business leaders from the likes of Chatri Sitoydtong (Founder, ONE Championship), Cheryl Wee (Founder, Cheryl W Wellness), Jenny Tay (MD, Direct Funeral Services) and Low Yen Ling (Senior Parliamentary Secretary, MTI and MOE)
Q – What are some of the issues facing aspiring female entrepreneurs What we have observed is that many of the aspiring female entrepreneurs who have transitioned in having families have the tendency to have self-limiting beliefs in starting a business. Even after being educated in business literacy or the steps to starting a business, many are still afraid to execute or have self-doubts about themselves. Because of their self-limiting beliefs, there’s no continuity in the learning process. Therefore besides educating them, we also connect them with successful entrepreneurs with similar background to inspire them and to share insights on their business strategies and holistic leadership to excel at work and home.
Q – Tell us some interesting facts about yourself I used to conduct stem cell research at A*Star as I used to specialise in Molecular Biotechnology, and had to dissect mice regularly for their embryos for research. I went on to pursue a double major in Psychology and Marketing and later was in the B2B media industry where I led my team in several industry sectors in Asia Pacific before embarking on my entrepreneurial journey. From killing mice to inspiring lives, I definitely prefer the latter.
*** To celebrate International Women’s Day 2018, we’ve teamed up with the lovely people at Hubspot for a Women In Tech event on the 12 March 2018. Find out more.
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