Running your own business is no easy feat. It takes a healthy dose of passion, discipline, and commitment. Ever wondered what a day in the life of a business owner and founder is like? We’re here to give you a glimpse! In honor of International Women’s Day (March 8), we will feature a female entrepreneur every week for the entire month — giving you an exclusive, first-hand look into 24 hours of their day.
This week, we shine the spotlight on entrepreneur Sissi Wang, co-creator of FOCI, a smart wearable that boosts focus. Read on to see how she spends her day as Chief Operating Officer of TinyLogics Ltd. in Cambridge, United Kingdom, where her team is currently working to produce and ship FOCI to their backers. Then scroll down for a brief Q&A to get to know her better and get inspired!
8 A.M. I get up, have a quick shower, have breakfast, and squeeze in 10 minutes of meditation before my morning commute.
9 A.M. We are having a team meeting to align on what we plan to get done. Then, I check in on supply chain and manufacturing with our engineers and the factories. Work starts with a double espresso.
10 A.M. Customer service is one of the most important parts of my day. Hearing feedback from our backers and assisting with customer support questions are essential in improving FOCI — with the help of our backer community!
12.30 P.M. Go for midday run and listen to audio books. I eat a carb-y salad for lunch. Then, I either nap or meditate for 20 minutes.
2 P.M. I have my second double espresso of the day. The afternoon is divided into two-hour sprints each around 2 hours. These sprints could be focused on finance, product development, or scaling up supply chain depending on that week’s goals. Supply chain and manufacturing in particular is a key challenge for an IoT startup. It requires a lot of attention.
6 P.M. Grab some dinner. Then, I focus on business emails, and make a plan for the next day.
8 P.M. Finish work, then do attribution — this is a kind of post-mortem on everything we learned that day, including mistakes, and how it can help our other team members.
9 P.M. I head back home for some light exercise. Then, I study for a couple of hours.
11 P.M. Have an evening shower. I head off to bed by 11:30 A.M.
Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse of what her day is like, get more inspiration in our exclusive Q&A with her below!
INDIEGOGO: How did you become an entrepreneur?
SISSI WANG: Entrepreneurship is something I have always wanted to pursue. But after got my Master’s Degree, it is something I seriously thought about. It is a real privilege to be with a great team — to be able to create something from scratch, make it happen, and make it grow.
IGG: What makes your your business unique?
SISSI: What’s exciting about this project is that with AI algorithms, we are able to democratize the focus techniques and good habits that are, in the past, only available from having a privileged education. Now we can make them available to anyone who wants to improve their habits and fulfill their dreams. I’m hoping to bring this technology to the education sector, so that students — regardless of their backgrounds or upbringing — can access these and achieve their potential, even from a young age.
IGG: What’s your biggest piece of advice for women entrepreneurs?
SISSI: Half of our team are women, including myself and the lead programmer — which is not a bad ratio for a technology startup! For any entrepreneur, it is really important to surround yourself with people who can help you to learn and improve. If you get that right, things are a lot easier.
IGG: What tools do you recommend to anyone starting their own business?
SISSI: It is really important to read outside your immediate domain. So even though I’m not currently working on the design of FOCI, I am reading all of Don Norman’s books at the moment, which has synergy with every part of my work. For organizing my thoughts and ideas, Evernote is a must. It is one of the best products available out there, and note-taking is the foundation of a personal knowledge system.
IGG: What’s your favorite Indiegogo campaign?
SISSI: Apart from our own campaign which has enabled us to have our own backer community who help us improve FOCI — my favorite campaign would be Who Gives A Crap by Simon Griffith. He was my economics tutor in university, back in 2010! It was the first crowdfunding campaign that I had heard of. I learned about the value of crowdfunding, social entrepreneurship, and the dedication it would take to make something happen. Did you know that Simon sat on the toilet for 48 hours until they raised $50,000?!
To support FOCI, check out their Indiegogo campaign page.
To learn more about FOCI, follow on Facebook.
