Singapore
Singapore
As the winner of the Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA) 2010, 28-year-old Ivy Low walked away with a Canon SOHO makeover package worth $15,000 and other prizes to help kick-start her business.
Her proposal for WhiteAngel Caregivers Consultancy, an enterprise that helps educate caregivers on caring for dependents, is no longer an idea but a full-fledged business.
We caught up with Ms. Low to find out why she took part in YEA 2010 and how the journey has been taking her business from paper to reality.
I had this business idea and wanted to know if it was workable before I decide to commit to it fully. I didn’t expect to win though; I was just trying my luck.
It came at the ideal time to catch the entrepreneurial fever of young Singaporeans! Many of the contestants I met were enthusiastic youths who had brilliant ideas but were unsure where to start. The Think Big YEA initiative put us on the right track by helping us think bigger, grow bigger hopes and realise our dream someday.
Being able to share our ideas with the judges, who are all successful entrepreneurs in their own right, and getting their valuable input was a good learning experience. They helped all the participants wholeheartedly and not just the winners.
The idea came about when I put myself in the shoes of my patients’ families. I started wondering how would I have handled the situation of a sick family member if I was never a nurse. Sometimes, all we need is to look at things from another perspective.
As a nurse, I never had to think about sales, marketing, accounts and business projections. Today these have become a major part of my work. I wasn’t trained in business so it’s a daily challenge to learn about these things, try them out and find out what works best.
Since I started the business, progress has been on track as to how I want it to be. I have learnt a lot over these past few months and have helped improve the lives of my patients and their kin. I’m glad to have accomplished what I set out to do.
I’m currently looking at ways to provide holistic outpatient care in the hope of reducing the waiting list for nursing homes, as well as reducing recurrent admissions and long-term hospital-stayers. I hope to find a suitable investor to make this possible.
I have met some great mentors, made some good friends, and learnt some very important lessons along the way. What I have realised is that things don’t always go according to plan in the business world. You have to be constantly alert to opportunities, and flexible enough to manoeuvre your way around obstacles. It’s been an enriching learning process.