At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to share some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we spoke to a Singapore based entrepreneur – Janson Chan, to know more about his exciting journey.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Janson;
Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also tell us a little bit about yourself and your venture;
I started off as a civil servant serving the Police Force when I graduated from a local polytechnic with a Diploma in Engineering Informatics and held portfolios that involved human resource, procurement, marketing and publicity for 6 years (including 2 years of National Service as a Uniformed Officer). Wanting to gain more experience in the corporate world, I applied to work in a local trading company as a marketing assistant, that I worked for 2 years, and then to a local bank as a personal financial consultant, that I worked for a year, before starting my journey as an entrepreneur.
The idea to start the Mushroom Kingdom came over a casual gathering at a café with a couple of good friends whom I have known and trust for many years. We wanted to start a business and we wanted it to be something that we like in common. Of course, the business has to bring value to society. Some brainstorming and discussion happened, and we found something that we like to eat (not to the extent of obsessing though) and is also a superfood, that is Mushroom.
Further research helped us understand more on the mushroom import market locally and also the various products we can create using mushrooms. It is also in our aspiration to promote vegetarian food and educating the locals about the importance of growing our own food due to the fact that Singapore is a country that is heavily reliant on imports for food.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I chose entrepreneurship because it is something I wanted to do, and I also believed I can do something that I can call it my own. To make money is a given, but it is more to empower myself to do the things that I can utilise my knowledge/skills for a cause I have interest in.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
I guess doing something I like is a motivation by itself. And having good friends and employees to work together is a plus point.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
It is a challenge for us is to expand our distribution channels overseas and acquiring more customers locally due to the nature of the industry we are in. Like a most traditional business, we face steep competition from our competitors, and we do not wish to fight the price war with them as we believe in proving value to our customers rather than just competing on price. Fundraising is also a challenge as we are a small company and our local market share is still growing; not as big market share as the big boys in the local market.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I place them on equal standing. There has to be a balance of both. So neither is first. J
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I believe in meditation to calm myself during some of the tough and stressful times. I also resort to cooking our farm-grown mushrooms to de-stress myself. Sharing good and quality food with people around me makes me feel happy.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
Not being judgemental, thinking in various perspectives. Helping others in the right way, and it will come back to you. I believe in Karma.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Cliché: Right mindset, right people and executing (don’t just think… put an action plan).
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an entrepreneur?
Believe that what you are doing is right and correct and have value to society. Balancing passion and money are very important. Do not blindly do what you like and short-changing yourself in terms of money. To keep your passion sustainable, we have to think about how to make money from it, happily.
Start the journey to find the right people to form a core founding team to work with you. You have to do some action before you can form the right team, so don’t wait for the right people to come to start the journey. You’ll find the right people along the way.
Identify problems/challenges, but always find a solution to it and not simply complaining about it. If you can’t find a solution, find someone who can.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, Stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
