The pandemic pivot made these Hong Kong entrepreneurs more adaptable and cool-headed. What are your lessons learnt, thanks to Covid?
All of us had similar experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic: lockdown, working from home, doing virtual calls, and the like. We stayed home to stay safe, but while some stuck to their paths in life, others did a complete 180. Fearless in the face of change, these entrepreneurs in Hong Kong stepped into the unknown armed with pandemic pivots for their businesses. Here are their secrets to success…
Hong Kong entrepreneurs discuss their successful pandemic pivots
Linda Morrison, Creative Director and Founder of MiliMilu
MiliMilu was actually born during Covid, as the pandemic pushed me to follow my passion and fill the market gap of stylish and sustainable clothing for families. However, we definitely didn’t see the restrictions coming – even courier services got closed! That being said, we learned a lot during this time. For instance, since we couldn’t host pop-ups as planned, we’ve had to channel our efforts towards digital marketing and social media, and this helped us grow in different ways. We also learned that being adaptable is the key to keeping a business going, as well as having a supportive community and client base.
Take a look at how Linda Morrison gets it done like a boss!
Nassim Secci, Founder of The Happy Space Company
Leaving a decade-long corporate law career was my accidental pandemic pivot – “accidental,” because I’d never intended for it to happen at the start of Covid. It took me a long time to finally decide on leaving the career I had worked so hard for. At that time, I had zero headspace to figure out my next steps. But, I did manage to carve out enough mental energy to begin working with a career and leadership coach who helped me come to the right decision for the right reasons – guided by my values rather than fear.
I gave enough notice and my last day was 21 March 2020 – the day of the Spring Equinox (and the Persian New Year) to mark the start of a new era. Little did I know that the pandemic would soon leave Hong Kong and the rest of the world at a standstill! The blessing in disguise is that my plan to go into hibernation to nurse myself back to health from burnout coincided with the world going into hibernation. This made the perfect formula for the birth of my professional organising business, The Happy Space Company. So, what I learned was: to trust in the timing of the universe, always.
Get to know Nassim Secci’s entrepreneurial journey.
Vlada de Sousa, spiritual mentor, energy healer, and Founder of Bliss Body Journeys
The pandemic hit hard on the wellness retreat business. As our clients were all international, our operations and income had to come to a halt. This devastated our guests and ourselves, but we managed to turn it around and instead become a support to our clients via virtual sacred journeys and by opening a retreat centre right in Hong Kong.
Retreats for local residents was a life-changing experience for our business and our guests. Local retreats helped Hong Kong residents feel free again while experiencing the best wellness and spiritual programmes without having to leave the city. To serve our international guests, I’ve created virtual journeys, on which our clients could work on personal healing via one-on-one sessions with me. Working on mental and emotional health virtually helped many go through hard times during the pandemic. At the same time, I managed to build a strong community of clients and students, and my online business have continued to grow. With the pandemic pivot, my number one lesson was to be able to let go of the old ways and find my vision and new opportunities.
Find out more about Vlada de Sousa.
