An NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) Advisor, A Cooking Aficionado, And Mother To Three, Partnered With Agnes Chin To Create Cookie Smiles.
What’s your story?
Amidst the Covid-19 upheaval in 2020, Agnes Chin (the director of Complete Deelite) sensed an opportunity to help spread joy and hope in a time when it was sorely needed. We partnered up to create Cookie Smiles; an online fundraising platform. Born with a mission to support the disadvantaged, and to satisfy the world with the greatest comfort food ever – the cookie. Cookie Smiles is a social enterprise under the Edible Artists Global Academy Association (EAGAA), whose purpose is to help support two chosen charities per year via fundraising, offer training opportunities for the disadvantaged and provide jobs for the physically impaired.
What excites you most about your industry?
The cookie collection is designed to delight both children and adults alike. Only the freshest and finest ingredients are selected to bake, handcrafting delicious cookies delivered directly to you. You can buy them to eat, gift them for special occasions, celebrate with them or fundraise with them. It’s all about going back to the basics – “baking the world a better place, one cookie at a time – #SPREADCOOKIESMILES…
What is your connection with Asia?
My mother is Shanghainese, Japanese. My father is Polynesian Chinese. I was born in Hong Kong and raised in the United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong having lived in all three countries plus Korea, Japan and the USA.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Hong Kong – it is the only city you can have 6 meetings a day and we call that normal. But I love Tokyo – the buzz, the lights, the culture. Both cities are highly efficient and always on.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Take time to know yourself. …
A narrow focus brings big results. …
Show up fully. …
Don’t make assumptions. …
Be patient and persistent. …
In order to get, you have to give. …
Luck comes from hard work. …
Be your best at all times.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
How generous people can be if the concept is easy to understand. Our retailers/stockists have been amazing to work with and so supportive.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would have become a lawyer and listened to my father but it’s too late now.
How do you unwind?
Hang out with my three children, cook and chill at home.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Phuket – pool villas where you can do absolutely zilch and everything is taken care of!
Everyone in business should read this book:
Zero to One
Book by Blake Masters and Peter Thiel
Shameless plug for your business:
Spread Cookie Smiles – we are a social enterprise, we are new and cookies are baked by disadvantaged individuals; we donate 20% of our annual profits to two charities. That’s worth a plug, right?
http://www.cookiesmiles.com.hk/
How can people connect with you?
Email – [email protected]
Instagram – @josootang, @csmileshk
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Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built, and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder and CEO of MBH Corporation PLC. He is the author of three best-selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’, ‘Agglomerate’, and ‘Entrepreneurial Investing’.
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