Hien DangA businessperson’s hands are always full of matters to deal with, so much so that at times, it seems like work is all their life. But for businesswoman Hồ Hoàng Diễm, work is indeed life, and that’s exactly how she finds balance in everything and fulfills her every role for the past 10 years.
Despite starting out as an engineer in Analytical chemistry, businesswoman Hồ Hoàng Diễm had always harbored a passionate dream of building a Vietnamese-owned beauty and healthcare brand, which motivated her to start a business of her own, with the help of a few close friends. That is how Damode Viet Nam came to be.
Branching out into a passionate start-up
Greetings, was there a particular reason that led to your start-up decision with Damode Viet Nam?
My start-up decision was not made overnight, but the result of a carefully thought out process. Before making “the call”, I’d already had plenty of experience in some related areas like pharmaceuticals, quality inspection, healthcare and beauty… and these previous positions provided me the opportunity to grasp the topography of the market as well as its trends, by attending international fairs for example. Also during this period, I realized how potential the Vietnamese market is for beauty and healthcare, and that Vietnamese brands are just as capable of providing comprehensive health, beauty and lifestyle care services as any international brands. And it was with this conviction that I, along with a few close friends, founded Damode Viet Nam.
How do you feel about the transition from a chemistry graduate to a professional businesswoman? What were the challenges and were there any advantages?
Admittedly, I didn’t have any specific career orientation during my student years. Even the choice of pursuing Chemistry after graduating high school was purely coincidental, which turned out to be more suitable for me than I had thought. Thanks to this expertise, a discreet consumer such as I am is able to analyze any food or cosmetic product and their ingredients quantitatively and qualitatively, which not only puts my mind at ease but also puts these products to the most effective use. This perhaps served as the biggest advantage when I branched out my career into beauty and healthcare business. My professional knowledge, training and experience allowed me to participate directly in the development of products that deliver suitable values and quality to Vietnamese consumers.
That being said, it was still my first time running a start-up, and challenges were inevitable, the most noticeable ones being, of course, the lack of business experience and guidance. I underestimated the difficulties of building and running a business, and wasn’t as prepared as I should have. Starting out with just a handful of people, we practically had to do everyone’s job. I, for example, had to work as an HR, accountant, cashier, treasurer, sales rep, all while planning the company’s strategy. Those were the first obstacles that we encountered, but they also became valuable lessons and experience that gave us the confidence to be where we are today.
So, what business philosophy are you currently pursuing in order to achieve a stable and sustainable growth for your company?
Talking about soaring high and far when your business is still young and green would sound like a fool’s dream. But after years of operation and meticulous development for each and every product, I am now more confident to reach out to leading companies in the industry and talk about putting our high-quality products on the shelves. The single philosophy that I have been persistently pursuing over the years is creating a Vietnamese-owned brand that reaches international standards and global commercialization.
Our highest priority at the moment is to ensure that the company’s products are welcomed by the market and its consumers. We are taking every feedback and review into consideration, and constantly seek to improve the quality of our products and services, with customer’s satisfaction at our core interest. Fortunately, there have been a few encouraging signs as Damode’s products are gaining in perception and recognition over the past 4-5 years, especially among the overseas Vietnamese community across 20 different countries around the world. So, you can say that we have gotten past the survival stage where cost and labor were the main and only concerns, we have secured our footings and are now ready to move on to a bigger stage. We are looking next to expand in both scale and scope, beginning with the collaboration with singer Nguyen Hung, our new international brand ambassador. This could be considered the first step in our plan to go international.
What business lessons have Hồ Hoàng Diễm learned over these past 10 years?
10 years of building everything from scratch has taught me many lessons, and I’m still learning everyday even from the smallest things. For example, when it comes to the packaging, you have to make sure that it is in compliance with the domestic quality standards while also compatible for foreign manufacturers. Or when launching a new product, you have to be ready for negative feedback, look into them and work out a solution with the manufacturer. These are the lessons that I have and will keep on learning to get my company ahead.
The stories of successful start-ups such as yourself will surely be an inspiration for many others to follow suit. Does Hồ Hoàng Diễm have any advice to help them achieve this goal?
Vietnam seems to have become a start-up nation in the past few years with so many people hoping to get their own business up and running. But from what I know, most of them are forced to close down after only 2-3 years. This goes to show that start-up is easier said than done. Firsthand experience has taught me that a healthy start-up requires careful planning and thorough market research. You don’t just sell what you have, but what the market needs. Everyone is entitled to their dreams and goals, but without knowledge on marketing, sales, strategy planning, capital, financial and human resources, you won’t get very far.
Faith is also a kind of “capital”
When Hồ Hoàng Diễm first started out, did you ever think that you would get as far as you are today?
Nothing can ever be if you don’t have faith in it. Or as a saying that I’d often like to quote goes, “Whatever you have in your head, you have in your hands”. Clear, specific goals must first be contemplated in thinking before they can be realized in action. If a goal is too big, break it down into smaller ones and achieve them one by one, and eventually you’ll get there.
How big a role did faith play in your start-up effort? And apart from it, what other factors do you think contributed to your success?
It was everything I had in those early days. And with that absolute faith, I put my heart, soul and mind into the start-up effort. For me, you only stop when the work is done, not when the clock tells you to. That’s how I run my business. Faith was the first milestone that marks my business adventure.
What can Hồ Hoàng Diễm say about what your business career has brought about so far?
It has brought me a lot of things. But the important thing is how it teaches me that work is a part of life and the two need not be separated. I find myself fortunate to have realized this early on and save myself from a lot of stress. I did make the mistake, many years ago, of separating work from life, and always had to rack my brains just to find a way to properly distribute my focus and resources between the two affairs. But ever since it dawned on me that work IS life, my mind has been most peaceful. I now lead an expansive and harmonious life, where there’s family, children, myself, and also work. Now all I need to do is setting an appropriate priority for each of these aspects depending on the problem at hand, and voilà, balance is achieved.
As a businesswoman, how has your perspective on hardships changed after what you have been through in your business journey?
“If you really want something you will find a way, if you don’t you will find an excuse”, that’s what I keep reminding myself. Hardships, I think, are simply the challenges designed to put my dream and passion to a test, so when it faces me, or I it, I’ll find a solution.
It is always difficult to run a young start-up, and there were more than one occasion when I had to pay my employees with my personal savings. The thoughts of defeat haunted me at times, but each time I’d always say “Not yet” and drag myself up on my feet. All it takes is an unyielding fighting spirit. Speaking from our own experience, I and my partners believe now that no hardship lasts forever, but will eventually pass like the last one, the one before last, and each and every one before it, all of which we have outlived throughout the years.
What do you suppose are the advantages and disadvantages of running a business as a woman, you being one yourself?
From what I have been through, the scale will always lean towards disadvantages as long as gender inequity is here to stay. Pursuing your career as a man gets you recognition and commendation, while doing it as a woman gets you quite the opposite. Businesswomen are often hindered by great obstacles, and often have to exert an even greater amount of effort just to earn the same level of recognition as their male counterparts.
Advantages, on the other hand, are not something arbitrarily imposed upon you, but are formed by your own choice. By choosing to make yourself better everyday, and to put your heart and soul into everything you do, you will eventually become valuable and irreplaceable. Some may argue that a woman’s emotional diversity and sensitivity are a natural advantage in doing business, but I think it’s more of a matter of personality. What’s truly important when starting a business is your passion, and as long as you keep true to it, you’ll always find a way. That’s exactly how I found my way and proclaimed myself.
Success is made from small efforts
How great an impact does Hồ Hoàng Diễm think a business career has on a woman’s personal life?
When you chase after a dream, other things in your life will have to chase after you. Time, for instance, is among those that suffer the greatest. There will be no time for your family, children, friends and even yourself. But that’s just life, it’s how you manage it that counts.
Put a priority on every item in your itinerary. I myself often plan the day ahead and proceed accordingly. If anything comes up unexpectedly, I’ll also put a priority on it, and whether or not it is worth disrupting my schedule will depend on that priority.
Work is a lengthy process that cannot be completed in a day or two, and as such, doesn’t require your utmost priority and concentration all the time. Make yourself a plan and stick to it, that’s how you achieve the work-life balance.
How did Hồ Hoàng Diễm adjust your personal life, your habits and hobbies in the role of a businesswoman?
First of all, I’m still quite reluctant to call myself a businesswoman, for the calling bears its own weight. Businesspeople are supposed to be those who contribute great values to the community and society. For now, I’d to think of myself as a small-time merchant. Being only a merchant, I strive to be better everyday, to provide the community and society with higher quality products. Being only a merchant also lowers the bar of expectations for me, making work a daily part of life and not something I have to stretch myself too much for.
Did your family support you when you decided to start doing business?
They were extremely supportive, and I find myself blessed for that. I was born in Dong Thap and my family wasn’t that well-off. My parents worked as teachers, and both of them came from a family with no experience in doing business. They were all for it when I let them know about my decision, but emotional support was everything they could give. But then again, it was their emotional support that became my greatest joy and motivation in this self-made journey.
10 years have passed, and we are all happy now. You know, there’s no greater pride for country people than the success of their children. Who would have thought that a child coming from so low a beginning could one day soar so high?
Which do you think a woman should pursue first, a steady career or a steady family?
Which comes first depends on your own circumstances I believe. Some people find the business opportunity early in life, while others only find their time to shine after starting a family. It’s not when, but how you pursue your career that really counts. 3 things that I believe every woman should remember: one, never stop trying; two, be confident to stand your own feet; and lastly, always look on the bright side. If you can do all three, you will surely find balance in life, and whatever you pursue first doesn’t matter anymore.
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How do you define success for a businesswoman?
Being able to live your dream and contributing values to the community, that’s success for me.
| QUICK QUESTIONS 3 words to describe your personality? Ferocity – Integrity – Sincerity How do you often let off steam after work? I’d normally read a book, watch a movie, go swimming or “check-in” at my favorite eateries. Do you believe in luck in business? There’s always luck in business. What’s important is to understand that, luck doesn’t just fall out of the sky, and it only comes to those who are prepared. |
Content Director: JENNI VÕ | Creative Director: HIEPLEDUC | Translated by HÒA TÔN | Editor: J.V, HIN | Photo: THẠC TRƯỜNG GIANG| Stylist: THUẬN TỪ | Makeup: VIỄN DƯƠNG
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