I vividly remember a discussion I had with two other small business owners who are significantly more experienced and successful than me. They emphasized that true understanding of entrepreneurship and running a business comes with the initiation of hiring employees.
While I acknowledge that this is no simple feat, I remained optimistic. I found myself reflecting on my university days when I worked at a coffee shop. I was responsive to my manager's requests, enjoyed my shifts, and worked alongside colleagues I liked. Being a part-time employee, I wasn't overly concerned about my pay either.
Fast forward to the present in Hong Kong, where the narrative is vastly different. Besides my invaluable executive assistant, I transitioned from having no staff to managing a team of eight after acquiring the bubble tea business. Anticipating some turnover post-acquisition, I wasn't surprised when two individuals quit due to differences, and two others left to pursue full-time opportunities upon graduation. Fortunately, we swiftly recruited two new employees, ensuring the team remained at six, alleviating concerns about shift coverage.
However, these six individuals often worked in isolation, leading to poor team communication. Despite investing in a team app from day one, encouraging its use proved challenging. Employees started expressing stress over the app's complexity, a stark contrast to the previous owner's practices.
I found myself frustrated, drawing comparisons to past experiences in companies lacking essential tools and structure. It became apparent that without shared experiences, empathy is hard to come by. I realized I needed a new approach to engage my team members. After a month-long search, I finally identified the ideal candidate for the shop manager role.
I meticulously planned training sessions, kept the new manager informed, and stressed the importance of bridging part-time employees' sentiments about our systems and the direction I envisioned as a business owner. Though I initially aimed to fill this role in July, the right candidate only materialized in August. Despite the delay, I reassured myself that progress, though late, is still progress.
Just as I geared up to implement new strategies and operational enhancements, a mere week into restructuring the bubble tea shop’s hierarchy, the appointed individual unexpectedly resigned. Faced with sudden uncertainty, I didn't know how to address the situation. Despite efforts to revise her job description and offer additional support, she deemed the role incompatible with her personality.
The mix of frustration and relief I had was so strange tome. While her departure spared us potential setbacks from further investment in training, it underscored the challenges of finding the right fit for my business. This past month has been a profound learning curve, highlighting the stark differences between my approach as a business owner and the expectations of job seekers in today’s market.
ii) Stepping Out of Comfort Zones: Networking with BNI for Growth iii) Thinking like an entrepreneur: Pivoting outside of the norm
i) Training Today's Interns: Addressing Communication Challenges with Hiring
While I still maintain a high level of confidence in my bubble tea business, I have come to realize that it operates quite differently from my boutique content marketing consultancy. I find a greater sense of ease working alongside my executive assistant, primarily because of her genuine interest in the industry. It's a considerable challenge to find individuals who share a true passion for working in a bubble tea shop in Hong Kong. As my husband candidly pointed out,
'In Hong Kong, people rarely work for passion; it typically boils down to financial gain. They seek competitive wages with minimal effort. Your dedication to fostering personal growth is admirable, but those uninterested in progress may perceive you as an obstacle.'
Those words struck a chord with me. Deep down, I knew this reality existed, yet I hesitated to acknowledge it fully because I yearn for individuals who are truly enthusiastic about contributing to a small business in a leadership capacity.
Equally frustrating to me are the challenges I've encountered with my marketing interns.
I oversee a total of seven interns (four from the CLAP JC program and three from the Cocoon Foundation Matchbox program), and a common struggle they face is communication. It's not merely shyness or a lack of assertiveness; their difficulties stem from the effects of solely engaging in remote learning via Zoom during the COVID era.
While they possess a thirst for knowledge, they lack the initiative to ask questions or provide feedback, having grown accustomed to passive listening or even disengagement during online classes. Despite having the same potential as students who did not experience the disruptions of the pandemic in their education, they encounter challenges in articulating their thoughts effectively.
For instance, when a team member was mistakenly believed to have failed to complete an assigned task, they remained silent, accepting the blame without attempting to clarify the situation. In some cases, they seemed indifferent to whether the accusation was valid or not. Their prolonged exposure to remote learning has distanced them from the nuances of interpersonal communication. It's not merely a lack of experience; it appears they fail to recognize the importance and value of effective communication. Having navigated an entire year of schooling without in-person interactions, they have grown accustomed to progressing through their coursework in isolation at home.
This communication deficit is a significant concern within the marketing field. While I previously engaged high school students for projects following these internship programs, I now struggle to envision doing so again. It's not due to any deficiency in their technical skills, but rather their inability to express their thoughts and feedback in a manner that I can truly grasp.
ii) Stepping Out of Comfort Zones: Networking with BNI for Growth
Not meaning to offend anyone, but I would never have guessed I would attend any sort of BNI events in my lifetime. Even members admit that they have had a bad reputation for a long time, for being hard-sell and very sales-driven, making it appear more like a group of people just benefiting off of each other instead of truly trying to build connection and help each other grow their business.
So, why did I take the first time and joined? Firstly, my previous client Charlene, was the chair person for this newly formed, 2 year old branch of the BNI group. I haven't really met her properly in person, and she was delivering a speech that day, so I wanted to go and support her personally. Secondly, the BNI community, while having it's specific framework and way of running the community, is also very different from my usual crowd. For the lack of the better word, they are much more grounded in the local, Hong Kong culture. While I have always been viewed my people in this group, including my previous client, as a "gwai mui jai" who grew up else where, studied in an international school, and spoke fluent English.
I would be lying if I didn't feel like I fitted in to this group at all. And of course it didn't help when I've heard gossips about what it's like to join BNI-related communities. It all sounded very forced and uninteresting. But I also knew that, for me to balance my identity in the way I present my bubble tea shop, which is very local and grounded in the neighbourhood, I had to at least try and understand these people. So, even to my own surprise, I woke up at 530am that morning and arrived to the event at 630am.
I didn't quite know what to expect, but I guess the one thing that really stood out was how much it was like a university committee. There was a tight agenda, a lot of information to go through, and members went up to share their business status and what referrals they were looking for. To a part of me, it felt pretty good because it was very efficient. But the other part of me, reinforced the preassumption I had that it was very business-driven.
I stayed for a long time after the meeting, trying to speak to the most people I can and ask them questions, so I have enough information to make a good judgement about my involvement in this community. I would say I had an okay time connecting with other small business owners there, but there is a huge part of me which also said, "Joyce, you don't belong here."
iii) Thinking like an entrepreneur: Pivoting outside of the norm
One thing I am certain about is that I do not want to mold my bubble tea shop into the typical model already in existence. I am not keen on competing solely on prices, expanding the menu extensively, or solely focusing on business-to-consumer revenue. One significant change I made this past month was the introduction of our catering services.
It is not uncommon in the West to have bubble tea ordered for events like birthday parties, gender reveals, weddings, or housewarming gatherings as a beverage station for guests. Therefore, I see no reason why I shouldn't introduce this concept in Hong Kong.
I have informed my staff about this development. Frankly, I am unsure if they are enthusiastic about it or if it bothers them. However, we have successfully secured our first gig, which brings me immense joy. My goal is to continue expanding this aspect of the business, carving a unique niche in the market, moving away from the saturated competition, and putting an end to questions about why I am deemed 'brave' for acquiring a bubble tea business now. Frankly, I did not embark on this journey out of stubbornness or a lack of planning; I did so because I believe I can execute it better.
If any of you are interested in having our bubble tea at your next event, please check out our catering brochure here!
This entry in my entrepreneur log is relatively lengthy compared to my previous months. Despite fewer events and engagements, the lessons learned this month were challenging yet crucial. If you are on your own entrepreneurial journey or contemplating starting one, I encourage you to thoroughly read this blog and grasp the depth of the lows one may encounter before sharing the optimism I have in anticipating your potential highs.
Joyce
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