‘The journey of thousands miles begins with a single step’. – Lau Tzu

It is so empowering to see someone’s journey to creative entrepreneurship and gaining financial freedom. Here is an inspiring story of my friend Feon from Singapore, who made her dream of becoming time and financially free come true to her. 

Hi Feon, can you tell us about your journey as a Woman entrepreneur? How and when did you start it?

I first started working as a school teacher when I graduated from university. In 2017, I decided to resign and went for a backpacking trip. During that 8 months of travel, I’ve experienced the feeling of no income, it was both scary and exhilarating. I challenged myself to see how much I could save in my travels and it turned out, I could actually save quite a lot by doing volunteer work in exchange for accommodation and food. 

I learned to be creative when it comes to saving money. 

When I came back from my travels, I realized that I did not want to get back to the grinding 9-5 work life, so I decided to take the plunge and became a freelance private tutor. 

When did you see that this way of creating your dream work and independence was sustaining you financially and later on flourishing?

I believe my days of solo travelling turned me into a more resourceful and independent person. I would always find ways to create more streams of income. I looked into selling digital journals on Etsy as one of the means too. I enjoyed teaching, while selling products on Etsy provided me with a creative outlet. Besides that, I started creating online courses to teach people how to create dated digital journals. 

I would say my income varied from time to time, but I am happy to see an increase in income in recent years. I’m so excited to see how life unfolds and showers me with even more abundance. 

Most people crave security at work, so they become employees.  Very few venture into the world of entrepreneurship. You did it and have achieved a success.  

Can you share: who inspired & motivated you on your entrepreneurial journey?

I am inspired by Leonie Dawson and Starla Moore. I love Leonie’s zest and humor, and how she could explain difficult business ideas into simpler terms. Plus, she has the most amazing and colourful website that I have ever seen!

Starla Moore offers many Etsy selling ideas. She is honest and sincere in the way she speaks. 

Who helped you to keep going when things didn’t go as easy as you wanted them to be?

I guess when I’m working for myself, I take 100% full responsibility for my actions and success/failure. Whenever I don’t see myself succeeding, I would always remind myself that there’s no one to point fingers at, I just have to either accept it and push on, or simply change the way I work.

Can you tell us about your creativity at your work and what you create?  How do you make your art a profitable business for you?

I create and sell digital products, eg. digital planners, digital stickers and Google Spreadsheets. I also create physical products using Print on Demand platforms. I would use tools like Erank and Everbee, and see which product is selling well on Etsy. Then I try to create a similar product with my design theme, which is mostly witchy and cottagecore. I do use  AI tools at times, like Midjourney, and edit them on Procreate and Canva. 

How can readers find out more about you?

Here:

https://soulfuljoyway.etsy.com

. . .

From Roza:  Feon and I met at Leonie Dawson student forum, at Leonie Dawson academy.  Leonie Dawson, is a creative entrepreneur from Australia, who teaches others how to create a successful business online.  More about Leonie Dawson’s academy here. 

Feon and I have been exchanging weekly accountability emails, offering support to each other for the past 3 years.  I wish Feon all the joy and success on her creative journey!  

Here is a link to a Polish version of this blog post.