Why I Became an Entrepreneur Even Though Starting a Business Was Never My Dream
Stories about entrepreneurs usually begin with a free-spirited child or having an executive mindset from the start. The entrepreneurial journey usually starts with a lemonade stand on the corner or selling baseball cards to classmates. Yeah, that wasn’t me. In fact, I wanted nothing more than to lead a “normal” life. I wasn’t ambitious or a natural-born leader. I was a shy kid and a rebellious teen. Starting a business was never my dream. But the more I was exposed to sharp and successful business people, the more my entrepreneurial spirit evolved. My entrepreneurial story wouldn’t be complete (or have even started) without my greatest hero, my mom. I come from an immigrant family. I was born in Vietnam and the family moved to Minnesota when I was one. My mom was the breadwinner of the family and always worked multiple jobs to support us.
My earliest memory of seeing her work was when I was about four years old. She was a waitress at a Chinese restaurant in Rochester, Minnesota. I was so impressed that she was able to carry a platter full of dishes on her shoulders. While my mom worked, the owner would let me sit behind the counter and my mother would sneak chicken wings to me during her break. As a little girl, that brought me so much joy. My mother was very business savvy and owned several businesses before she started a skincare company in 2007, Forever Beaumore. By then she was a single mom with three kids (soon to be four) and she realized she needed to create her own opportunities in life. Her independence and resilience instilled the beginnings of an entrepreneurial spirit in me.
In Vietnamese culture, holistic medicine and nutrition are intertwined with skincare. My mom taught me from a young age that healthy habits were a necessary part of taking care of my skin and my body. I started taking her advice seriously in my teens after I developed cystic acne, and I watched my skin clear up and begin to heal. Millennials are chronically stressed, overtired, and influenced by the filtered skin they see on social media. I realized I was passionate about sharing what I had learned about nutrition and holistic wellness with my peers for better skin and health.
That’s easier said than done, though. The skincare market is saturated with products all promising to do the same thing: unclog pores, get rid of acne, fade scarring, and prevent aging. As a consumer, I felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and financially drained by the options. Knowing that creams could only do so much and skincare at its core starts from within, I set out to find a modern way to introduce my peers to the Eastern practices of food and nutrition as medicine to improve their beauty from within. I wanted to demystify skincare, create effortless products that work, and make beauty approachable and attainable for everyone.
I’m lucky to be following in the footsteps of so many bad*ss female entrepreneurs who have paved the way for founders like myself. Their example inspired me to be a confident businesswoman who celebrates and encourages others. My hope for female founders like me? To one day eliminate the “female” in “female entrepreneur” and finally be seen as equal with our male counterparts. Until then, I’m proudly owning the title of female entrepreneur!
If you’re thinking about entrepreneurship yourself, here’s my advice. Use Google! It’s such a powerful tool and you can quite literally learn how to run a business online. Support other female entrepreneurs. There’s a worldwide network of incredible female entrepreneurs, tap into their wealth of knowledge to get yourself started. Consider your motives. There’s a lot of pressure in today’s society to “be your own boss” (think Etsy shops, direct sales, side hustles), but it’s important to pursue what fulfills you, not what you think others think should fulfill you.
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and that’s 100% okay! You don’t have to be the big boss to be fulfilled by your job. You don’t have to monetize your hobbies or passions, either. If you like the idea of starting a business but aren’t ready to start your own, try finding an entrepreneur who shares a similar vision or goal that you can work alongside. You never know, it could be a great opportunity.
Here are my final words of advice: take it slow when it comes to decision making. Yes, sometimes quick thinking is necessary. But making thoughtful decisions will ultimately provide better results (aka save you time and money). Create a step-by-step plan for your business and be aware that none of it will go according to the plan. The most important thing is to keep an open mind, be flexible, and ask for help when you need it. Oh, and don’t be afraid to break the rules.
About the author: Jenn Chung the founder of Embody. Jenn worked her way up through her family cosmetics company, Forever Beaumore, from packing boxes at age 15 to stepping in as president at age 24. Seeing first-hand how successful her family’s beauty supplements were in the Vietnamese market, Jenn was inspired to create a brand for women just like her and bring eastern beauty remedies to a modern western audience in a fun, palatable way.