Nowadays, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the concept of work-life balance has become a benchmark in the lifestyle of many urban young people. In addition to working to create value, it is also important to do what you love and enjoy life.
Thanks to the development of information technology, young people have applied technology to make money on the Internet. Especially the young generation, with their individuality and proactive lifestyle, always know how to exploit new opportunities to generate income and express their creativity. The jobs they often choose are online business or content creation and social media communication,…
The story of Nguyen Hoai Nhi, 31 years old, is a testament to the journey to find “work-life balance”. As a young person, after 5 years working as an office employee for a marketing company, in March 2021, Nhi decided to quit her job. Temporarily putting aside the hustle and bustle of work, she sought to balance and spend more time on herself.
Nhi recalled her dream when she graduated from university, which was to have a small shop or brand for herself. She also remembered that she had tried e-commerce before, but hadn’t gone far due to a lack of skills and focus. Therefore, taking advantage of the free time after quitting her job, she started to systematically learn about e-commerce, determined to start again with the online business. And a coincidence completely changed her life!
“At the time after quitting my job, I didn’t have any thoughts or plans to completely switch to online business. But after an unexpected turning point, I not only determined to start again with online business but also determined to do it in a focused and well-prepared way. Fortunately, on that path, I was not alone but always connected with my fellow colleagues.”
LazMaster season 3 was a turning point that made Nhi stick with doing business on the e-commerce platform, which was a place that helped her have a direction for online sales, understanding the knowledge and learning the mindset of those who have come before, and synergizing with the marketing knowledge she previously had to apply to her own brand. Nhi’s mindset gradually opened up and continuously changed.
She said: “Business requires change, adaptation, flexibility, so I determined to spend time learning knowledge, learning experience, and then implementing it practically.”
Nhi recounted that during the Covid-19 outbreak, she stayed at home all day, relied on herself, and did everything alone. But after coming into contact with many fellow sellers and listening to the sharing from the “Lazada Seller Community,” she realized that she always needed a supporting group in business. “Here, everyone is ready to share, disseminate experience and knowledge, and face challenges together. If you share with others, you will receive that in return,” Nhi said.
She herself also realized many issues to change in a more positive way. “Before, I used to be afraid and haunted by the need to have a profession that met the social standards of success: If you don’t follow the principles, or the measure of societal success will be like this or that. But now I am no longer afraid and realize that anything can be done as long as it feels suitable and truly desired. That is the factor that leads us to work with passion, even create something unique.”
It has been more than 2 years since Nhi quit her job and learned about business on Lazada, she is still confidently stepping forward toward her student dreams. “I am very grateful to Lazada, Lazada Seller Club for giving me knowledge, mindset, relationships; thank you to the brothers, sisters, and friends in the process of doing business. These things have brought me extremely great values,” she expressed.
Far away from Hoai Nhi for more than 1,400 km, in the Philippines, the story of Monalisa Gao is also an example of how women can truly have it all.
After graduating from university, Gao started a business and opened 15 offline stores across the Philippines. Wanting to spend more time with her family, she quit her job in 2013. During a trip to China the same year, Gao was introduced to Taobao and was attracted to the simplicity of shopping through an e-commerce platform.
When she returned to the Philippines, Gao was determined to bring the same convenience to local consumers. She switched to using Lazada, the first and only e-commerce platform in the Philippines at that time, and started her online business journey by opening Lucky HR, the first store on Lazada that sold consumer electronics.
Now, Gao’s store is one of the best-selling shops on Lazada. She not only manages the Lucky HR store but also manages a warehouse with an area of 1,000 square meters.
The journeys of Nhi and Gao are typical success stories of female entrepreneurs on the e-commerce platform in general and specifically on Lazada. For these two girls, in addition to their own efforts and dedication, they have the support of the e-commerce platform in brand development through timely and practical solutions.
In many ways, the e-commerce industry brings special opportunities for female entrepreneurs, especially in Southeast Asia. A report published in May 2021 by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank (WB), showed that women in Southeast Asia are more likely to tap into the potential of e-commerce than men because of its efficiency, flexibility, and low barriers. In fact, women account for half of the number of e-commerce businesspeople. In Vietnam and Indonesia, the business activity rate of women even exceeds that of men.
As more and more women in Southeast Asia take advantage of online commerce to start businesses, Lazada has collaborated with strategic partners in the 6 markets where the company operates to develop appropriate support programs and initiatives.
For example, there are operating tools based on technology on the e-commerce platform that make the digital transformation process for women as seamless as possible. In addition, the Lazada Academy continues to equip female entrepreneurs with appropriate tools and knowledge to develop in this field.
The platform also cooperates with banks and financial companies to provide female entrepreneurs with access to capital that they would not have through traditional channels. In addition, Lazada also cooperates with various government agencies and non-profit organizations to support women.
“I am grateful to the e-commerce platforms for giving me a meaningful path to manage work and family. And I am proud to have financial independence thanks to my own labor achievements,” Gao said.
As for Nhi, from the perspective of a woman, when she started her journey on e-commerce, it helped her understand that “in business or anything else, women can still do what they want. Women always have the strength, have the right to think freely, and do the things they aspire to,” she shared.
A WorldBank study has shown that the success of women in online business helps increase productivity, economic diversification, income equality, and other positive development outcomes.
