About HK Momtrepreneurs
HK Momtrepreneurs is a nonprofit organisation aimed at teaching mothers and families the skill of entrepreneurship and empowering women to achieve and fulfil their career goals while still balancing their families and communities. Recently, we sat down with HK Momtrepreneurs founder Lena Wong to discuss her experiences with the organisation as well as to listen to her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
HK Momtrepreneurs Founder Lena Wong
What inspired her to start HK Momtrepreneurs?
When asked what inspired her to start HK Momtrepreneurs, Wong discussed her own experience as a mother looking to start a business. Sought as she might, she couldn’t find a community that provided the support and information she desired. So she decided to start her own Facebook page where she shared the knowledge and wisdom she had acquired. Over time, she started meeting more and more women in similar positions through the page.
From Facebook page to NGO…
Wong wanted to go back to work, but now a mother of two, her outlook on life had changed and she wanted to make a difference in the world. So in late 2018, she transferred the idea of HK Momtrepreneurs from a Facebook page to an official nonprofit organization.
What was the largest issue she faced?
How can a non-profit coexist with entrepreneurship?
In its early stages, Wong remembers HK Momtrepreneur’s largest issue being how people viewed it. It was new, “momtrepreneurs” was a term she had coined, and people often questioned why a nonprofit existed for entrepreneurship. To overcome these issues, Wong explained she simply focused on educating people and sharing what HK Momtrepreneurs stood for. She emphasized all startups, not just hers, face this need to tell society why it needs you.
Wong also expressed gratitude for the support she had received. Among others, she mentioned the encouraging general manager of a coworking space as well as a bank that waived fees for them.
In the past, she explained that HK Momtreprenuers had worked more like a professional organization and less like a typical charity. But in 2020, HK Momtreprenuers launched a fellowship program aimed at expanding the organization’s reach to different socioeconomic classes. She made this addition, recognizing that while starting businesses, women from less fortunate socioeconomic backgrounds often face the same difficulties as wealthier women while also dealing with more challenges. With this fellowship program, Wong feels HK Momtrepreneus now has a more solid base as a nonprofit.
Unforgettable stories…
Transformation of a hesitant mother
When asked about any memorable stories, Wong had two instances to talk about. The first was a full-time mother she met at a networking event. While fairly educated, the woman hadn’t worked for the past twenty years, long enough that she was no longer comfortable in a professional environment and struggled making strong eye contact. She had lost her confidence in meeting strangers. However, she and Wong still clicked and talked for a while. Just a few months later, this woman had opened her own business (a co-creating space with a kitchen and sewing room), and her whole energy had changed. When Wong asked the woman what had led to her dramatic change in personality, the woman explained that it just was the experience of empowering other women to create that had empowered her.
Paths are intertwined
Wong’s second story was about a sleeping coach/consultant who was going to be a speaker at one of HK Momtrepreneurs upcoming events. In the confirmation meeting, the sleeping coach mentioned that the two women had actually briefly crossed paths once before. She had been in the audience of a panel Wong had participated in. The woman had been inspired enough to make a change in her career path and similarly become an entrepreneur. Wong explained this story had stuck with her because that experience of a small moment changing the course of one’s life was familiar to her.
Story between GoBuddy and HK Momtrepreneurs
When asked about things that aided HK Momtrepreneurs’s development, Wong talked about GoBuddy. She met GoBuddy founder Kow at a seminar, and after seeing a demo of GoBuddy’s features, she decided to utilize its services. She explained how happy she was to have the support it provided. For example, HK Momtrepreneurs often hosts events, and registration had always been a hassle. But with GoBuddy, the relatively low-cost registration system now handles the difficult elements for her.
Words for future entrepreneurs
In the close of the interview, Wong imparted a few words of advice. First, she advised all businesses to have diversity. For her business, that means she is working towards including male and female voices, those of parents and those without children. But she emphasized the need for diversity in all its aspects.
She also suggested that those who wish to be entrepreneurs, both men and women, should establish their businesses before having children. Her reasoning is that after having children it takes time to adjust to your new life, and if you run your own business, you can control your reentry to the workforce and gradually settle back in at your own pace.
Wong’s last piece of advice was to work for a big corporation after finishing school befores starting your own business if possible. She explained that doing so provides the chance to explore and understand what work suits you best. Some may find that they are built for the corporate world, and it is also an easier transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship than the other way around. Starting a business also requires money, so savings from a corporate salary will help pay bills later on. Lastly, job qualifications build your reputation and improve your potential when heading into establishing a business.
HK Momtrepreneurs
Website： https://hkmomtrepreneurs.com/
Email： hello@hkmomtrepreneurs.com
Tel：9248-4861
關於香港創業媽媽
香港創業媽媽是一個非牟利組織，旨在向母親和家庭傳授創業技能，提倡女性自我實現和實現職業目標，平衡其家庭和社區的參與。最近，我們與Momreprenuers創始人Lena Wong坐下來討論了她在該組織的經驗，並聽取了她對有抱負的企業家的建議！
是甚麼啟發Lena開始香港創業媽媽呢？
「成為了一個母親之後，我希望尋找一個創業的社群，可以提供相應資訊和幫助。但我發現身邊並沒有這樣的群體，於是就萌生了開始Momtrepreneurs的念頭。」她說，「一開始我是在Facebook 開設專頁的，隨著時問累積，開始受到不同女性的關注，並希望陸續推廣我們的理念。」
由Facebook社群走到NGO⋯⋯
Lena在成為一位母親後對人生和職業的看法有了轉變，她希望在照顧孩子的同時也可以平衡工作和職涯，而且她希望更多的女性也可以受啟發而能夠開展自己的職涯。於是在2018年她把本身經營的facebook社群轉而開發了一個NGO.
她遇到最大的問題是⋯⋯？
一個NGO可以如何與「創業」這個理念共存呢？
在最開始的時候，Lena發現最大的阻礙是要把創業理念放在一個可非牟利組織上。一個組織可以如何幫助女性創業呢？
後來，她明白到教育的重要，並更積極清晰的向公眾解釋香港創業媽媽背後的意念，參與社會上的大小事。
她也向曾幫助Momtrepreneurs 的人們真誠的感謝，並表達了對一開始的她提供莫大幫助的人們對香港創業媽媽的支持十分重要！
Lena表示，以往香港創業媽媽是比較傾向於一個專業組織，但她認為在今年開始的不同活動，會把組織更往公益組織方向發展。她也提及比較少經濟能力的女性們可以和其他人更多的交流，從而達到互助，而她們將推出的Fellowship program也希望做到這點！
難忘的故事⋯⋯
一個銳變的故事
當我們問Lena有沒有難忘的故事分享時，她馬上說了一個關於一位猶豫不決的媽媽的銳變故事。
她們是在一個社交場合認識的，在那裏這位媽媽給Lena的感覺是比較害羞內向，不會有很多的眼神接觸。了解後她才知道原來這位媽媽是因為已有20年沒有在社會工作過，所以漸對在社會上陌生的人有一種難以接觸的感覺。
但是在她們認識了其他的創業媽媽後，這位媽媽開始變得更有自信，甚至開始了她的生意，創立一個共享空間，並可以在那使用器材煮食。而她的整個人也變得積極自信，與以前判若兩人！
一位「睡眠諮詢師」的故事
因為Lena經常外出參與活動和演講，在一次的活動中有一位女性向Lena說她曾遇過她，並因為Lena的分享而開始她的睡眠諮詢師歷程。這次的經驗讓Lena更深深明白到她能做的影響，其實小小的分享足以影響到很多人呢！
和GoBuddy的故事
Lena和GoBuddy創辦人Kow是在一次的活動上認識的。Kow向她解釋了GoBuddy的理念，在試用後她決定使用GoBuddy的軟件來幫助香港創業媽媽在網上的發展。她也提及GoBuddy的網上預訂功能為她省卻許多時間和金錢，以專注在創業媽媽的發展上。
給未來創業家的話？
「生意應該可以容下不同聲音！例如在創業媽媽，支持我們的人其實有男性的聲音，也當然有女性的聲音。在做決定時多聽聽不同意見，即使看似不關係但可能會有不同的收獲！」
她也提到，想創業的人可以考慮在有孩子前開始準備。因為你會有更多的時間和心力放在你的理念上，也比在有更多家庭負擔的時侯更容易做決策。
最後，她鼓勵大定在創業前可以試試在大企業裏先工作，累積經驗和實力，在創業時這些會是莫大的幫助！
香港創業媽媽
網站： https://hkmomtrepreneurs.com/
電郵： hello@hkmomtrepreneurs.com
電話：9248-4861
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