Our panel discussion - Behind the Doors: Female Startup Leaders, was held on October 29th. We were honored to invite Aurelie Wan, CEO APAC at Agorize, and Delphine Lefay, CEO and Co-Founder of OnTheList. In the discussion, Aurelie and Delphine shared anecdotes about their start-up journey, from how they started to the challenges they face, as well as their motivation to continue this adventurous, yet fulfilling path.
What inspired you to start your start-up?
Delphine: I was trying to find a solution to clear the inventory, but there are no current ways to achieve it. I started to think about why this hasn't existed yet and that's how OnTheList was found.
Aurelie: I was an accidental entrepreneur. When I went to Montreal as the CMO for Agorize, I realized there is a potential market. Therefore, I initiated the idea to give me 6 months to establish Agorize Montreal and that's where things started.
What are the challenges that you faced during the early days of your startup development?
Delphine: In the beginning, it was hard to convince brands to work with us. Even with the industry expertise and knowledge, there was still a lack of event organization experience.
Planning in advance and giving a vision is the key. I founded On-The-List at 25, where I had to learn and grow everything by myself. I was lucky to work with my husband because it allows us to grow together. It was no easy journey. In the end, the first run was held successfully with 2,000 customers, by leveraging the French community to bring awareness.
Aurelie: It all comes down to sales. You can have amazing products and credentials, but if no one wants to buy it, it won’t be successful. Therefore, make sure to surround with great business development. The major differentiation of working in Hong Kong is the diversity and competitiveness. You have to be ready to seize every opportunity where you fake it until you make it. It is important to find those first clients, but do make sure you have to deliver what you have said to your clients too.
Do you still encounter failures and challenges a lot even in this current stage?
Delphine: It is easier when compared to the beginning stage of the startup. However, there are other new challenges, for example, luxury brands have more factors to consider and are harder to convince.
Aurelie: You need to focus on what you want. You need to ignore the little voice that tells you not to be confident or that you are not capable, and just go for it! The biggest enemy is yourself - being raised as a woman, people teach you how to smile and be nice, please everyone and make sure everyone is okay, so you end up having the last piece of the pie. If you want to start a business, focus on what you want and where you want to go, stop the voice that says “you’re not gonna make it”. Fighting this little voice is my biggest struggle. But if you are confident in delivering your expertise, you have no reason to be scared.
How do you manage the stress among your team members?
Delphine: Being motivated is a requirement as a CEO. You need to be a role model and always be there for the team. Sometimes, you might need to pretend that everything goes well especially when it is difficult at the beginning of the career. Fake it until you make it since you need to be there for them and lead by example. I need to be optimistic and show my leadership, even during stressful COVID times.
Aurelie: When I need to manage the fear of the pandemic and fill in the shoes of the CEO and founder, I take the opposite approach as Delphine where I signal my struggles to the team. Teams can be “BS allergic”, so I need to be straightforward and honest. I started to pick up meditation and gratitude journal so that when arriving in a meeting, I will be aware of the fact that my energy can be contagious to the team.
What would you say to your 20-year-old self?
Aurelie: It's going to be fine, there are some obstacles along the way, but it will work out. Don't be closeted, be who you are! Use that energy to do amazing stuff and you can do this!
Delphine: 20 is a weird age to be in because that’s when you become independent. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Even though studies are important, it is even more important to be curious!
What are some of the experiences you had where it won't be faced if you were a man?
Delphine: During meetings together with her husband (also the co-founder of the start-up), people would only engage in conversations with him. After multiple meetings, I decided to meet with people alone. At first, I was stressed, but I realize that I have the ability to handle it.
Aurelie: I recall my experience when I need to present a pitch to potential investors, I was the only woman pitching while all the other presenters were male. When all the other male presenters are pitching, they were asked questions about their dreams and opportunities. However, for my questions, the questions were about risks and the things she needs to overcome. There is this unconscious bias that she is going to screw up. However, instead of focusing on how this is unfair, it is more important to acknowledge that we are still moving to a gender-equal society and as women, we need to pay twice or even three times as hard to be taken seriously.
What motivates you the most to keep on going and moving forward?
Delphine: The team motivates me to continue. You become a parent of the team and you would want to take good care of your children.
Aurelie: It is about finding your Ikigai. Agorzie is my Ikigai, where I love the mission of giving voice to innovators.
What is the difference between working at corporations and startups?
Aurelie: It's dependent on what you're after and what you value. If you like stability, work-life balance, and a clear scope of work, you can go for corporations or agencies. If you have an adventurous mind, like having a diverse scope of work, wear multiple hats, not afraid of lower salaries and bigger responsibilities, you can go for startups. There’s a lot of accountability in startups.
To reach out to Aurelie and Delphine, please visit: