What do you do when your significant other challenges you and calls you crazy for setting up an online business? You prove him damn wrong that’s what!
And that is exactly what this woman did, very well in fact.
Shopee, a mobile first social marketplace, has recently announced Te Mei Hong as their Shopee Seller of the Year. Te initially joined Shopee on September 2015, and revealed that her first month’s revenue was only around RM3,000 to RM4,000, which she said was already good enough for her.
Facing the negativity from her family, and also against her husband’s wishes, she continued working on her business and 19 months later, she prevailed and is also nearly RM700,000 richer.
Te revealed that her husband ‘sings a different tune now’ due to her success with her business.
However, being a mom and working on an online business proved to be tedious. As her children also dislike her working on her business constantly and neglecting them.
Things went to a new height when Te was having several campaigns whereby she sold her products for RM1 only. She recalled those three months as madness, not just due to the price of the goods but also the fact that she does everything herself, such as packaging.
“Everybody said I was crazy to sell my stock so cheaply, but I saw it as advertising costs that were necessary to make myself known, so that people would remember me.”
Just as she had foreseen, her business grew, at an exponential rate too! And with growing business comes growing confidence. Te now sets sight on hiring an assistant, and she also purchased the house next door to cope with her growing business.
Te, being a self taught entrepreneur, states that ‘if one is willing to make sacrifices and dared to lose, one could succeed’. When asked if she feels that the sacrifice has paid off, she answered with a firm yes.
Te received a trophy, RM30,000 worth of Shopee advertising space and also RM3,500 cash by Shopee in recognition of her hard work.
Hmm, I’m starting to think I might be in the wrong business!
Also read: Bank Accidentally Gives Malaysian Girl RM18.4 Million, Money Spent on Epic Shopping Spree