Entrepreneur Stories

What makes some start-ups succeed where others fail? What do you need to know to avoid the pitfalls that every new business owner has to negotiate? A serial entrepreneur shares hard-won lessons on building, scaling and leading businesses in Asia. Learn from hard-won experience in this unmissable conversation hosted Rasheed Shroff in front of a live audience of entrepreneurs at Banyan Workspace, Ho...

From Corporate to Entrepreneur! Fai Chan is living proof that close to 15 years working in corporate (including Disney, Fossil Group and CASETiFY) is the perfect training ground for personal creative entrepreneurial revolution. In 2019, Fai took a leap of faith and launched Pair Pair Full with a mission to promote positivity and pride in our city. Their playful mismatched socks depicting much-love...

Urmila Menon is a creative educator, writer and public speaker who believes in the power of stories to turn pain into purpose. In today’s media-savvy world, an authentic backstory can prove a powerful tool; defining your purpose, building connections, engaging customers. In this conversation with serial entrepreneur and podcast host Rasheed Shroff, Menon takes readers on an inspiring journey of di...

When his young career as a professional jockey was suddenly halted by a critical back-injury aged 24, Jo’s whole life plan halted with it. Faced with the very real possibility of sinking into decline, he made the conscious decision to reinvent himself, and today he has become not only a successful property entrepreneur but one of our city’s most inspiring fundraisers through his ‘Run for Freedom’...

In this special 2-part conversation, the hosts of two Hong Kong business podcasts, Entrepreneur Stories and Asian Business Owners, expose the realities of running your own business. From the challenges of setting boundaries with demanding clients to the critical importance of finding the right support both in and out of the office, Rasheed and Carmen share the challenges they've faced - and ho...

In this special 2-part conversation, the hosts of two Hong Kong business podcasts, Entrepreneur Stories and Asian Business Owners , expose the realities of running your own business. From the challenges of setting boundaries with demanding clients to the critical importance of finding the right support both in and out of the office, Rasheed and Carmen share the challenges they've faced - and h...

Why do women retire with an average of 25% less wealth than men? Find out the shocking statistics around the Gender Investing Gap, the impact that it has on an individual and global scale, and why being an active participant in your finances in a non-negotiable in today’s world.  Sophia is Hong Kong’s first and only B2B women-focused financial education platform, and its founders describe themselv...

Michael X. Campion empowers Asia’s top executives to arm themselves with the ultimate leadership edge. With 25+ years in personal development and 15 years commanding stages globally (audiences of 1,000+), Michael transforms how his clients influence, persuade and inspire others.  Michael shares his unique journey with me and the Entrepreneur Stories audience in this intimate and interactive conver...

The founders of local success story Neon Tiger share how they built a thriving beverage business without quitting their day jobs!  This story is packed with bold ideas, strategic decisions, and lessons learned along the way. From creating innovative, low-sugar fruit sodas inspired by authentic Asian flavours to securing retail giants like City Super, Park n Shop, Pacific Coffee and DKSH as a distr...

This husband-and-wife team transitioned from their corporate careers to become industry disrupting entrepreneurs who build and exited TWO thriving businesses! From founding Hong Kong’s leading veterinary healthcare group to creating a game-changing pet retail platform, their journey is packed with strategic decisions, tough lessons, and pivotal moments. In this enlightening conversation, they shar...

Trying to “have it all” as an entrepreneur or busy professional is bloody hard. The pressure is constant, and the 3am worries are real. In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Liz Bradford, former C-suite leader, executive coach, and longevity expert, to dismantle the myth of unsustainable hustle. We explore a practical framework for building a high-performance life that actually lasts, wit...

Whether you’re building a team or shaping corporate culture, this conversation will bring you vital lessons in championing equity, sustainability and inclusion! Award-winning social entrepreneur Olivia Cotes-James shares how a personal mission to challenge the stigma around women’s periods led to her founding two socially-driven businesses that are transforming workplaces across Asia by making men...

Students may have a reputation for enjoying a pint or two, but ex-HKUST student Naman Tekriwal has gone step beyond most! While still a student, he bridged the gap between two problems - the wastefulness of surplus bread and the need for yeast in beer production - creating what is today one of Hong Kong’s best known sustainable craft beers - Breer! Now, at just 24, he is recognised as one of Forbe...

The inspiring stories behind the founding of two of Hong Kong’s most respected and impactful non-profits are just the start of this illuminating conversation.  Dr Christina Dean  (Founder, Redress) and  Gabrielle Kirstein   OBE  (Founder, Feeding Hong Kong) didn’t just launch charities - they built highly effective enterprises for change. Discover the strategic business principles they leveraged t...

As the grandson of the revered Don Manuel Loy, the visionary founder of Casa Loy Tequilera, Luis Loy carries forward a legacy built on more than 60 years of experience in the agave industry. How does growing up immersed in a family company influence the way you think about business? From the experiencing the humble beginnings of Casa Loy as an agave farm to the conscious creation of three global t...

How did a young graduate with a non-tech background create a city-wide movement to redefine our relationship with Food Waste? In this revealing conversation, Carla Martinesi walks Rasheed back though the trials and tribulations of creating CHOMP, Hong Kong’s food waste distribution app. Her entrepreneurial journey in 3 short years has been a remarkable one; from building the confidence to cold-pit...

In this special crosspost episode, Rasheed sits down with fellow entrepreneur and friend Carmen Salameh, host of the Asian Business Owners (ABO) Podcast. They discuss their respective journeys, some of the lessons they’ve learned, and dive into how finding their voices and pushing the boundaries of their comfort zones with their podcasts has impacted them in business and in life. If you haven’t li...

What has 30 years of shaping AI taught the founder and CEO of System In Motion,  Stéphane Monsallier ? In this expansive episode, Stéphane traces back his pioneering entrepreneurial journey, and reveals the insights and experiences that enable him to transform today’s business technology, helping companies to innovate, scale and redefine their industries with confidence. The conversation includes;...

From pregnancy to peri-menopause, the innumerous physical, mental and emotional demands endured by women have been largely ignored through history, trivialised even by medical professionals as an inevitability that they just have to “get on with”. Enter Beth Wright, a functional medicine health coach, nutritionist and strength trainer who is on a mission to ensure every woman has the education and...

Tim Blake is a revolutionary. He is the co-founder of CROSSIP, a unique alcohol-free spirit that, unlike other 0% offerings, doesn’t try to mimic an existing alcoholic spirit, such as gin, rum or whisky. Instead, it offers an intense hit of bold spices and botanicals that bring an elevated and mature depth to the simplest of mixers. Created during lockdown in the UK, the past five years have seen...

Join Ria Parikh (marketing and branding expert) and Youssef el Kaddioui (lead generation and scaling expert) as they lift the lid on one of the entrepreneur’s most powerful tools - LinkedIn! Listen in to this invaluable conversation for a deeper understanding of how to leverage the platform to achieve maximum impact, with immediately actionable tips and strategies. Youssef and Ria share their expe...

This segment of our discussion with Mathilde Poirieux is being released as a mini-episode, providing an opportunity to listen to Mathilde conduct a live coaching session with our host Rasheed Shroff. The mini-episode provides a 'live experience' of what a first coaching session might look like for anyone considering working with an Executive Coach. This live coaching session was unscripted and unf...

This episode of Entrepreneur Stories, with ICF accredited Executive Coach,  Mathilde Poirieux , explores what Executive Coaching is and what it can offer Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals. The session then flows into a 'Live Coaching Session' where Rasheed takes on the role of coachee, opening up on areas he is personally working on to be a better leader for his team by responding to Mathil...

In this episode, Chef Olivier Elzer, a culinary legend with an astounding 27 Michelin stars to his name, shares his inspiring journey from the kitchens of France to becoming an iconic figure in Hong Kong's vibrant dining scene. In this conversation, Rasheed explores Chef Olivier’s passion for food and the pivotal moments that shaped his career. He reflects on the challenges he faced and the lesson...

In this episode, Cathryn Wills, founder and creative director of Sans Beast, shares her inspiring journey from a senior corporate role in the fashion industry to launching a pioneering vegan handbag brand focused on ethical practices and sustainability. She discusses the push and pull factors that led her to leave her corporate career, highlighting the misalignment between her values and corporate...