Credits to MsDollyLolly, Lydia & Nisah for putting us in the loop. We are honoured to be amongst many other inspiring entrepreneurs featured as Entrepreneur Of The Week on Abang Abu Blog, an online medium offering financial and motivational advice, www.abangabu.com.

Link: http://abangabu.com/motivation/this-week-entrepreneur-9/

 

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Hye all,

Today, we would love to introduce another young entrepreneurs who have started and running business. Haida Waty from NowAsia had the previlige to interview them and feature here in www.abangabu.com

I am very sure that we can learn something powerful from this young entrepreneurs.

Name: Hartini Ab Ghani & Nur Arfah Octavia Jaffar

Age: 27

CEO of: Ola Lola

URL: www.ola-lola.com

What kind of business do you have? What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

We run an online business retailing accessories and apparel for ladies. What inspired us to be entrepreneurs was the sole idea of being our own bosses, also the thought of having our very own brand name appealed to us. Of course, needless to say, the love for accessories also contributed to this inspiration.

2) Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?

We work on our passion, sincerely, and everything falls into place thereafter. Patience is most definitely, a virtue. Believing in our dreams, having a positive mind and faith in ourselves would also be the baby steps to success.

3) Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur?

The entrepreneurial mind does wonders to how we perceive life now. We are embarking on personal self-growth, independence and wisdom. Having an eye for detail and being meticulous, especially when we are working on a hand-made product, proves to be an all-important trait that eventually developed in us. The simpler pleasures in life now would mean seeing a satisfied customer putting on a hand-made Ola Lola product. What also keeps us going is the constantly widening circle of network, which starts off as customers who have now become our friends and acquaintances.

4) Is it difficult to get financing for businesses? If so, why and are there any solutions?

We started off well with a mediocre amount of money. Subsequently, as the business grew, we focused on sourcing for supplies at the most minimal cost. Family members have also helped in investing when the need arised.

5) Did you have a mentor to help you get started?

No. We relied on accessory-making how-to books and our own creativity.

6) Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable?

It took less than S$1k to kick-start our business.

7) What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?

The reliable Internet, self-help books and our creative juices contributed a great deal when we were starting our business.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?

Word-of-mouth, social networking websites, flyer distribution and outdoor events such as flea markets and bazaars are the most effective ways of marketing our product and brand name.

9) What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but, don’t have the confidence or feel they don’t have what it takes to succeed?

Never let anybody tell you that you won’t be able to do it. A tiny voice inside you will insist that nothing is impossible. Listen to that tiny voice. You’ll shine better when you are passionate your own product/service and sincerely want the rest of the world to experience it the way you do. Set goals and put your plans into action. Create a personal motto and live by it. Play motivational words in your mind daily as a mantra. With all that said, it’s really fine to fail sometimes. You’ll never be able to savour the sweetness of success without knowing how failure feels like.

10) How do you manage juggling the responsibilities of being an entrepreneur?

We believe being self-disciplined, determined and prioritizing works well for us.

11) What’s next for you?

Kicking into our fourth year now, we hope to launch an apparel line for men. A perfect picture of Ola Lola’s biggest goal would be a quaint little café with a savoury finger food feast, and a corner to display our accessories and apparel for our shopaholic patrons.