Exploring Empowerment… Leadership…Entrepreneurship for Women

Speaker A: Mhm. Welcome to the Fabulous fempreneurship podcast series for entrepreneurs with your host, Elaine Slatter. Each episode addresses topics to help you and your business grow and succeed. Join us as we interview a variety of global experts.

Speaker B: Good morning everybody. Welcome to the Fabulous Fempreneurship podcast. Today our guest is, uh, Janisa Alora and she's from Singapore in Southeast Asia. So welcome to the show Janisha.

Speaker A: Thanks for having me on your show.

Speaker B: Oh, you're very welcome. I'm very excited to talk to you today because you're right across the world from us and I'm looking forward to your insight. And our topic today is the advancement of women. And our topics are going to include empowerment, leadership, entrepreneurship and gender equality. So Janisha, um, could you tell us a little bit about yourself before we get started?

Speaker A: Um, well, my name is Jenisha Allora. I am from Singapore, founder of Soul Rich Woman. Recently received an award, the International Progressive Women Award by the Progressive Council, um, for women. And I think that's really amazing because I think we are doing a lot of work. We help female entrepreneurs go from offline to online, bridging the gap so that they can have tools and resources easily, um, wherever they go. And even as a mom you are able to um, work less, live more and live a rich life. So right now we are having about 200,000 uh, subscribers at the moment. I think that's really um, amazing over the last couple of years. But I did not succeed. On my first try before this, I ran a cafe retail chain, uh, which I've built from scratch to like, ah, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. We were in three countries. We have 18 licensees and franchisees. So what we did was, you know, I was good in PR marketing so I was in charge of that. We partnered um, up with a couple of business owners, my partners and then we ran this business. A uh, couple of years later we exited to a public listed company. So that was to me an amazing feat. And during that time, even though I was running a successful business, I was making a lot of money. But to me there's still something that was still missing within me. I feel that I was still not aligned because I felt that I could do more for myself, do more for. I was meant for something bigger than what I'm doing right now. So during the time when I was doing the cafe business, that's when I started my online kind of uh, outreach to uh, build the community. While based in Indonesia with just webcam and Internet, I switched on my Internet and then I was Online doing webinars every single day, uh, every single Wednesday, in fact. And that's how I got started. From zero to my first hundred to my first 500, um, viewers. Right? Which means that the community grew over time. And when I was very young, when I was 14 years old, I told myself, it's like, even though, you know, shit hits the fence, you know, never to give up. Because I started from, uh, um, my family were not rich, we were financially not sound. So I had to work and support myself through school. So the way I related to my business is that, is that, you know, I have been through work at a very young age and, you know, doing business is quite similar because it was tough in my childhood days. And I know that my family was my big why to do what I love to do. And same thing, when I was at the age where I needed to, I knew I needed to do something beyond or more than what I am, um, I knew at the moment what was my big why. So that both bridges the relevancy of why we need to do what we need to do and not just about the things we must do. So, um, that's about me in a nutshell. And, uh, yeah, so starting work at 14 years old was very tough. And then later on I went on to win Miss Singapore in 2006. And then, uh, the rest is history. My clientele grew. And then it came to a point in my life where I had to work and be paid, work, be paid, and if I don't work, I don't get paid. So during 2011, 2012, I had this crisis. And that's when I went online searching, investing hundred thousand dollars for courses. And when I jumped into it, I realized that, um, you know, it's really online world is really massive. Um, however, it was really amazing because I made my first million dollars in 2012, uh, online. And that was history, right? That was when I actually crossed over to knowing how to leverage time. And that's why when I do Soul Rich Woman, I want to share all my success. Because success is never about glorious wins. It's not about me anymore. It's about helping other women to shine, giving them a platform to fully leverage on, and really focusing, uh, in Southeast Asia, because we want to help these women to step out of their comfort zone and go towards the dreams they've always truly wanted to achieve.

Speaker B: So do you think women in Southeast Asia, um, are more sort of, uh, uh, uh, find it harder to get started and, um, be online rather than say, in North America where it's sort of second nature to put yourself out there online.

Speaker A: I think a few things are happening culturally. I think Southeast Asia is one of the places that is picking up in terms of the online world. Uh, we are not, uh, first mover in that sense. I think over the years we have, um, transcend in terms of this, um, openness, this influx of Alibaba coming into Southeast Asia, like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, building the Internet hubs, the uh, logistics hub, and the whole ecosystem of the Internet. So that really transformed the lives of the individuals here and in Southeast Asia. Why we focus in this area was because I discovered that women entrepreneurship is definitely on the rise. And, um, I am kind of like, I mean, Singaporean and I travel a lot in Southeast Asia and my businesses were in Southeast Asia. So naturally I'm more inclined, uh, towards this area. And after traveling Southeast Asia, I must say a lot of the women are still, uh, doing entrepreneurship in the old ways. Meaning, like, uh, for example, in Malaysia, only one of five companies is owned by a woman. And we are just helping more women to bridge that opportunity because, uh, they cite reasons of fear of failure, you know, their lack of tools and resources. So I think we want to bridge that. And then in, let's say in Vietnam, between Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, these two are very different animals as well. Because in Hanoi, the women are not primed for entrepreneurship. They're primed to be mothers, to work in a day job. And if you were to come out to be an entrepreneur, you'll be stigmatized. That means that they will look at you and they're like, okay, you're not filial at all. Why do you do this? So when I was there on the ground working with partners, um, their culture over there is still encouraging women to be more, I would say more bold, to be more brilliant, to step out of their comfort zone and perhaps do a side hustle while keeping their jobs. So our role over there is helping, helping them to, um, give them tools to do their side hustles. Whereas versus Ho Chi Minh, um, in Vietnam is very different. They are going online, they're doing stuff, they are out there doing. Like for Philippines, for example, they are doing a lot more, uh, trading, buying low, selling high. And a lot of them are in marketplaces. So marketplaces have not just 100 sellers, they have like thousands and thousands of sellers. Similar, like what, um, Amazon is going through. And you know, now in Southeast Asia, there's so many new unicorns, um, that has groomed throughout Southeast Asia, like Shopee Lazada, and with that, a lot of them are on that. And because of that, a lot of them are just being one of the sellers and they're not able to differentiate themselves or build their brands or find their voices online. Just simply having social media alone or just having uh, uh, an account to them. I'm already online. But it goes beyond that, right? I mean, how do customers actually search for you online and how do people actually find, find you online? So essentially what we are doing is helping women to um, get clients online and get known online. So this Southeast Asia, um, what we call the roadmap is something that uh, we have invested in and definitely, uh, we want to share more also with your listeners as well, like Elaine, you know, like uh, sharing with your listeners and of course, um, and the women of course over at your side as well. Because I really feel that this knowledge of having such a community as ours allows the bridge of that cultural aspect, knowing that there is a space online where women can connect with each other and build businesses together, you know, by just uh, connecting with one another through this sisterhood network.

Speaker B: Yes, totally. I mean, much of what you've said, in fact all of what you've said there still applies in North America. Um, you know, women still have to launch their businesses number one and not be afraid to do that. And um, many of them do start their businesses as a side hustle before they go into it full time. But as you say, um, you do have to differentiate yourself from other businesses in the same space. So it's important to figure that out how you're going to brand yourself before you go online and find your voice. So you have to know who you are, who your customers are going to be, and how you're going to carve uh, out a niche for yourself. So it's no different here. It's just perhaps, uh, we've been uh, practicing it a little bit more. But um, you know, we have more and more women starting entrepreneurship here in North America

Speaker A: for sure.

Speaker B: And not everybody is feeling confident even over here. After all these years of, uh, launching businesses, women still feel that they're not confident enough to get started. But I say you don't have to be perfect. You just have to know what your roadmap is going to be. And you can always change the roadmap if it isn't working out for you and it isn't fulfilling your dream much as you did in um, when you started out with your one series of businesses and then decided later on that that wasn't true to you. And you changed your journey into being something different. So now we live in a time where women empowerment is a very hot topic and gaining more attraction. What do you think of the key areas in women's empowerment that still need to be addressed?

Speaker A: For me, I think that confidence, um, is something that, like what you have just said, you know, confidence is something that's important. So for us, uh, what we stand for is to advocate for women who love the F word, which means, um, being fabulous, having freedom and financial independence. So what is still lacking, I feel that women can have it all. Doesn't have to choose between work or, um, you know, your family or then your career or something else. It doesn't have to be this or the other. So uh, what we have been advocating is the effort so women can have it all. Yeah.

Speaker B: Well, do you find in your area of the world though, I mean to have it all like that, you do need, especially if you are a mom, you need to have a lot of help because you can't do it all. So do you find in your area of the world, how do women, uh, work on that part of empowerment?

Speaker A: I think the notion of support and community is really relevant because a lot of women feel that they are alone. So by showing that there is a network of women, like minded women who totally understand motherhood, totally understand, um, career and having kids and having a family and having this and that, your dreams, um, you are able to do that. So, uh, Solar Trooper is actually made up of three different categories of women. We have stay at home moms. That means people who have not really gone on, give uh, up their jobs or just stay at home for the last 10 years to take care of their kids. We also have employees with side hustles and we have got full time entrepreneurs like with retail chains. Right. So these are the group of women that is within our community. So when we are showing success stories and we are showing more and more women can have it all, it simply means that there is proof of success. It doesn't mean that she's losing, doesn't mean that you are losing, it just means that it's possible. However, sometimes in our culture or maybe um, at your side as well, you know, there's this general thing that um, when someone, a woman does better than you or when a woman is more successful, women uh, tend to be more intimidated. So like, I understand that when, you know, culturally for us in Asia, we are a little bit more conservative and uh, we are not as expressive unless we are brought up overseas or we are educated elsewhere. Other than in our own Southeast Asian countries. So we are not told that we can voice our opinions or when someone is successful, we don't really compliment, we don't know how to say it, or we don't know how to ask for help. So these are just some of the signs and symptoms that's happening right now when we build the network. And these are the things that we've discovered. So by having a community and encouraging women to step up and have a voice and knowing that their voices can make a difference in, through, and by seeing other women being successful, it kind of bridged that trust and bridge that communication. And I would say different women attract different kinds of people. So within the community we have like for example, we call the community leaders where women step up to serve, um, based on their expertise. And they only share their stories or their expertise online, for example via podcast or Facebook live, whatever the matter. And then when they share, they attract the different types of the women within, uh, the network or outside the network where they can relate to. So I mean, therefore it's very important to have a community, right? Because we can't be everything to everybody. But that one person, we know that through that one woman, another woman can change her life. Because when one woman changes her life, her entire community benefits.

Speaker B: Yes, you're so right. We do have those kind of networks here. And they are extremely important because often, uh, you see the total success, you see the finished product and you think, you know, oh, I could never get there. But if you hear the person's story, it usually is like your own story. It's got very many iterations of it. And it, um, and what the finished product is isn't the journey at all. And the journey, as we all know as an entrepreneur has peaks and valleys. And it's important for women to understand that, that other people, other women's success has had the same journey as they might be starting. And um, you can motivate each other successful women if they want to give back. There's so much they can do like yourself.

Speaker A: I believe that everyone can give as well. Because that's why when we set up the community leaders system within soul rich women as well, or mentors system, um, just like yourself, Elaine, you know, we have all these mentors who come up and then they share. I think it really helps to bridge as well. And um, I think for us a lot of women don't know how to ask for help. I mean really, really don't know how to ask for help. Because in our education system here In Singapore and Southeast Asia, we are not taugh how to. We were told that, okay, if teachers say this, you are supposed to listen. If teacher says that, yes, you are, you are a yes woman. You know, so literally we're brought up in this education system. And then the other one is the paycheck system where, you know, in our, uh, I don't know, I mean, when you, we as parents, we give our kids allowance, right? Okay, $50 a week, say for example, and then, you know, the kids will live within that $50, right. And then the next week you give them another $50. And then it becomes a regular thing that ingrained into the kid's mind, right? So it has become this paycheck mindset. Oh, I got this $50. Yay. I can do this now. If I got this amount of money, I can do this now. So isn't this kind of like a rat race that a lot of us have been put into? And we are never really taught how to speak about money. And in our system, in our culture, I think that's really evident. So many women are in debt, they are overspending. And that's why when we talk about the F word, we talk about financial independence, we talk about financial freedom, and we talk about being fabulous, right? So when we have that financial independence part, if we can't even manage our own money or kind of talk about money or even ask for help about how can we do better with our money, then how can we progress in society where we need to, uh, find more of who we are and express better of who we are meant to be?

Speaker B: Yes, you're so right, Janisha. Because, uh, we find even in North America, the same thing, that women don't own their finances. And that's a very important part of, um, empowerment. And it's not just empowerment to start your business, but it's also empowerment of your own finances so that you are not dependent on somebody else's knowledge, that you actually embrace it yourself. It's important when you're in business where many, many reasons. One, you should understand the financials of your own business, but you also need to know how to protect yourself financially, um, your children, if you have any, and, um, to empower yourself to learn that part of your life and not leave it up to other people to take care of it for you.

Speaker A: So, like, I have this lady whom I'm mentoring right now. She has, uh, been a stay at home mom for the last 10 years. She used to be a creative art director, high position in a creative agency. But because of her children, she gave up her career. Shining bright career. So after 10 years she was thinking, okay, she has to do something for herself. So she came to us and so we helped her to craft the business. And within just a very short time, because of her 10 years at home, she is, uh, like a chief family officer, uh, for a family of seven. So she loves to cook. So in about less than two months, we got her business up and running. So she's selling homemade, um, I don't know if you know, like, okay, I don't know if you know, laksa or curry. So she has this special, special curry paste or chilli paste that can be used to cook 10 different types of dishes just with one paste. So you can make it into laksa curry, into I am and I don't know what. And there's so many other things, right? So with just one page, you can do into different things. And now she's at a scale where she could do 300 packs a week. 300 packs a week is a lot. And she can't cope anymore. Then we told her, you need to take a central kitchen and then scale up your business. However, uh, because she has been at home for so long, to her it's like, wow, I'm now having some freedom in terms of my finances. I can make my own money. But wow, to really scale up, uh, you know, she's so scared. So it kind of like, so it become a session or two, three sessions of like, you know, I'm so scared. And then this whole conversation of, I'm so scared, I can't do it, I'm so small, you know, I'm not adequate enough. Can I really do it big? And this whole thing, fear, this kind of fear, concerns are really very real that I think we really must address. And that's why success stories, I feel that in community or if you are successful, always celebrate little successes or small successes. Uh, because I feel that when we women come together and every little thing we celebrate, we get used to it. We are more, um, confident about embracing our journey rather than, oh, you know, she's making like $500,000 a month, I'm only making like 50,000. And then one person says, I'm only making 5,000 and that becomes this whole comparison goes on and on and non stop. So I just want to encourage you, who's listening today, really, really don't compare anymore. Because you are the true example of who you can be for your children, for your husband, for your community, for your family. And you yourself, what was your dream before? Right? Find a mentor. Get a mentor to get you going. Don't be afraid to ask. I've asked, um, Sheryl Sandberg, I've asked Gary Vee to give me 20 minutes of their. I've asked Neil Patel. Um, I've also asked, um, who else? A couple more people, right? Uh, Mary Buffett as well. I mean, these are big people. I mean, to me, I'm like, I'm so small. You know, like New York Times bestseller, like over 10 times. You know, who am I to speak to these people? But you know what? I just mastered enough courage and tell them, um, okay, this is who I am. I would love to speak with you. Could you share some nuggets with me? And 20 minutes is all it takes to learn a few things from these successful people. And by doing so, I mean, at the end of the day, what's the worst case scenario, really?

Speaker B: They can just say no and then you move on.

Speaker A: Yeah, just say no and just, okay, thank you very much, and we'll move on. Right? But a lot of us are so afraid because even before we start, our brain already is like 10 steps ahead. Okay, before we're gonna say this, she's gonna say that, and after that I'm m gonna say this, and then she's gonna say that. This, like, drama going on, you know, like the walking date, like 10 season, right? You made up the whole story and

Speaker B: interview before it even happens. And it's not good. So, um, could you share a couple of nuggets from, um, any one of those or a couple of those people that you reached out to?

Speaker A: Oh, okay. So I love Sheryl Sandberg so much. She's the founder of, uh, co founder, I mean, like the chief operating officer of, uh, Facebook and the, um, best selling author of Lean In. So Cheryl shares about being unapologetic about your ambitions. That means if you want to be a leader, go for it. You know, if you really want to, you know, climb and be there, go for it. And that's why she set up the Lean in circles across the globe to help women like yourself and myself to be a part of it so that we can continue to grow. Like for Neil Patel, who is the international New York best selling author and he is also the SEO guru, he shares about anybody can create content. Because a lot of women in my community, uh, you know, they always said, janisha, I can't create content. I'm a mother. I'm a mother of four, a mother of three. You know, I'M so busy, I have no time. So he said that anybody can create content. Just create something that you have most ease in creating. For example, if you're really good in podcasts, go do a podcast. If you're really good in video, go create a video. If you're really good with just talking to people and create just short one minute clips and just do that. Ah. If you love blogging, just do Blogging doesn't have to be a 2,000 word, 5,000 word blog post. It can be just something, anything. Just get started. And for Gary V. Gary Vaynerchuk, the one I love it the most, he talks about, uh, regret. He said, when you look into the eyes of the elderly, go to elderly's home. Okay. And look into the eyes of the elderly. Do you see regret? Do you see joy? Do you see happiness? Do you see sadness? What do you see? And then ask yourself, do you want to be where he or she is at? So then the question is, where do you want to be? What do you have to do to be where you are? So live life with no regrets and just go all, uh, out. Stop thinking, start doing and stop being so stubborn. Stop procrastinating. Because the more you procrastinate, you look down the road. As we are only going to get older, the number is just going bigger and higher. And the way to live your life is to really live life of no regrets. So these are just some of the learning. And of course, Mary Buffett, I love her so much. She said, a man is not a plan.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's my favorite one. A man is not a plan.

Speaker A: So that's one of the best thing, you know. And you know, uh, Mary Buffett actually shared about how she raised her three children. And she always tell them that a man is not a plan. You know, being independent is super important. So I think that's really awesome as well.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's very true. We have to be, uh, we have to push ourselves to be very independent. And um, it's not to say that you can't have a partner, but you need the right partner who supports you in being yourself, like being who you want to be. You're not just an appendage of somebody else. You are you. And you have to live your life the way you want to, as Gary V. Says, without regrets.

Speaker A: Yeah, totally.

Speaker B: So this has been a wonderful conversation, Janisha And I understand you have a special offer for our guests today.

Speaker A: Yeah, so I love to empower women to go from offline to online. And one of the biggest Things that is always happening is I'm so busy, I don't think I can do it. I don't have the money to outsource and delegate. So one of the things I've put together is to how to delegate, uh, 80% of your to do list. Uh, and there are seven steps to that so you can grab it over on our website. And the other one is, um, how do you brand yourself? How do you have millionaires personal brand? This is also a seven step by step kind of, ah, ebook that I've written. Uh, so you can go grab it over on the website as well. So it's@soulrichwoman.com s o u L R I C H W O M M A N Remember, keep running until your bank account looks like your phone number.

Speaker B: Oh, that is a very good one.

Speaker A: I love that one.

Speaker B: Keep running until your phone number is. What was the last line?

Speaker A: Yeah, keep running until your bank account looks like your phone number.

Speaker B: Yeah, your bank account looks like your phone number.

Speaker A: Because never give up, right? I mean, yeah, because if you give up halfway and just thinking that all these women and big people or all of us around, you know, ah, are just having it easy or we just start and then we have a silver spoon. No, we did not. Right. We all started somewhere and you just have to get started. So my vision for you is to just keep running until your bank account looks like your phone number. Because alone you are strong. Together we are unstoppable.

Speaker B: Well, thank you very much, Tanisha. Your comments and your tips have been absolutely amazing. I love this conversation and I'm sure you've inspired a lot of women to make sure that they're on the right path, you know, if they're just getting started and um, you know, to maximize their business, um, and not be afraid to reach out and take chances and learn and grow some more. It's been an amazing conversation. Thank you so much.

Speaker A: Yes. So please connect with me online. My name is Jenisha G E N E C I A A L L U O R A Genisha Allora.

Speaker B: Okay. And, um, is there an email address you'd like to share with our listeners?

Speaker A: Yeah, you can reach me@janishasowrichwoman.com Perfect.

Speaker B: So thanks once again, Janisha. And I'm sure we're going to be talking again soon.

Speaker A: Yeah. I love you. Take care.

Speaker B: Bye. Bye.

Speaker A: M to receive your free gift and connect directly with the podcast guest, visit our website and at FabFempreneurship.com EntrepreneurMasterMindPodcasts and click on this episode. Here's to building your business growth one step at a time. If you enjoyed this podcast, why not tune in to other episodes in this series@fabfempreneurship.com entrepreneurmastermindpodcasts.

Speaker B: Sam.