Esther’s prime advice was: “Don’t give up. Because you will only truly fail when you give up. Just keep going”
Esther has worked in both the digital and offline marketing space for over 6 years. She graduated with a BA (Hons) International Marketing from Birmingham City University, United Kingdom and a Diploma in Apparel Design & Merchandising (Visual Merchandising) from Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore.
She started Create & Delight in 2014 as a Virtual Assistant (VA) with a marketing edge, working with clients worldwide and grew her business solely through word-of-mouth, save for a Facebook post mentioning her very first offering. Now, Create & Delight is a full-fledge marketing collective.
She has been featured on The #F Show, Dawning Soul, Eco Diva Beauty and The Tao Of Self Confidence Podcast.
What inspired Create & Delight?
“Create & Delight was inspired by my desire to create delightful experiences for my clients and my community, and also to help them do the same! Hence the name, Create & Delight. I found that there was a huge gap in the client/customer service side of business. Many businesses see their customers as dollar signs and I want to change that.
However, my true business and vision was inspired by my late mum. She quit her job to take care of me and my brothers full-time and was always there for us and for every important event in our lives. When she was alive, she always told me about how she couldn’t contribute financially to the family because she didn’t have a job. So there were times where finances were tight.
I want to be just like my mum but also do what she always desired – to be there for my future kids and also create a thriving business so I can create a life I desire for myself and for my family. And also give back to my community and causes close to my heart.”
Were family and friends supportive of your idea when you were starting out?
“Luckily for me, most of my family and friends were supportive. I also have a few close friends who are entrepreneurs and have made many amazing entrepreneur friends online too. The people who weren’t supportive didn’t really talk much about it and I didn’t talk much about it to them either, which was great because we can always have conversations about other things other than just our careers or business.”
What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced?
“The biggest obstacle was fear. Fear of being judged, talked about, showing up and having to tell everyone that I do what I do.
That was the biggest thing that held me back from moving forward with my business for the last couple of years. I always wanted to “lay low” so I can simply do what I do. But I knew if I continue to do that, my business will never grow and it will always stay in the same place as it is.
So I really had to get uncomfortable and do the things that I wanted and needed to do but was afraid to.”
What is your proudest achievement?
“That I started a Facebook community filled with amazing entrepreneurs. The community really grew into one that is truly supportive and kind. One of my dreams is to create a community of leaders not bounded by our cultures, race, beliefs, language, age, gender or any differences, but to be united as change-makers to leave a positive impact on the world. My growing community is the start of this big dream.
(Here’s a link to Esther’s Facebook group, the Thrive In community. I can personally vouch for the wonderful, supportive people you’ll find on there.)
How do you feel society treats entrepreneurs? And more specifically, female entrepreneurs, or ‘fempreneurs’?
“I believe that it doesn’t really matter how society treats entrepreneurs or female entrepreneurs. I don’t believe this should be a consideration when you decided to become an entrepreneur. Your gender or any other traits/beliefs/culture or your current situation does not define your level of success as an entrepreneur, so don’t let any of that stop you.”
Do you think Singapore provides a conducive environment for start-ups and entrepreneurs?
“Singapore truly is! In fact, I feel that we are spoilt with so many resources that are easily accessible. There are government grants, communities, banks and businesses that are really supportive of the start-up and entrepreneurial community. I feel really blessed to be in a country that is supportive of start-ups and entrepreneurs.
What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?
Three things I wish I knew when I first started out because I made all these mistakes over and over again, many times!
1. You’ll need to get uncomfortable ALL THE TIME.
You need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. There are many things that are going to push and stretch you to the point where you might want to give up. There will be times where you feel like nothing is going right and you are just failing left, right and center. Don’t give up. Because you will only truly fail when you give up. Just keep going. And don’t care about what others might think of you. It’s not their life or their business.
2. You are 100% responsible for your results.
When you are all in and you are in charge of your business, it is all on you. If anything goes wrong, don’t play the blame game. Instead, accept what went wrong, figure out why it went wrong and correct it! Blaming yourself and others is only going to take up time and energy plus, it will keep you stuck in the same place for a long time. So put your efforts to better use by correcting what went wrong. The quicker you do this, the faster you can move forward and grow your business.
3. Lose the excuses.
I have wasted lots of time in my business telling myself excuses on why I couldn’t get something done. I am too tired. I need a break. I have done enough for today. My body is aching. I feel like I am going to come down with a cold. I will watch this episode of “The Big Bang Theory” first before I start working on x, y, z. I will do this tomorrow…. Until a mentor told me this over and over again: “Excuses are the tools of the weak and incompetent. Used to build monuments of nothingness. Those who excel in it seldom excel in anything else but excuses.”. Do you want to build nothing? Or do you want to build something? And honestly, my excuses still pop up from time to time. It’s totally normal. Learn how to catch those excuses, toss them and go make things happen.
