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Life Planning Information Website - Education Bureau

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Hawaiian cuisine Restaurant

Debbie Chong

In recent years, as more and more people pay attention to healthy diet, many restaurants take healthy and balanced nutrition as their theme and introduce different types of dishes, resulting in endless food choices. Poke is a traditional Hawaiian cuisine, which is very popular in western countries. A Japanese restaurant in Sheung Wan takes reference to this cuisine and creates her own healthy dish made from raw fish served with fresh vegetables, soy sauce and other ingredients. Debbie Chong is the soul of this healthy Japanese dish.

The Conception of healthy Diet

Talking about why she chose to start a business and how she conceived the business in the first place, Debbie said frankly, “If my previous job is a job I liked, I don’t think I would have started a business. It’s risky to start a business, but because I don’t like the job, I can’t see the future, and I don’t know what contribution I can make, so I want to find another way out.” She understands that starting a business is difficult. It requires a lot of effort and time, and is extremely risky. However, she believes that for any start-ups, it is very helpful to have successful examples for reference or advice from successful personnels.

“We first found that poke, being healthy food, is very popular in the United States, and the restaurants selling poke have been all over the world for two years, so we believe that it will also be popular in this international city,” she said. We improved our restaurant by referring to the successful poke shop in foreign countries, which has then become the present restaurant. Debbie said, “People may think that starting a business is something new and it is best to be a pioneer, but with this entrepreneurial experience that we have learned from, we will continue to challenge the idea of innovation, which we believe will have a better chance of success.”

The difficulties and pressures of starting a business

According to Debbie, many entrepreneurs may have a difficult decision to make, which is whether they should leave the company and devote themselves to a start-up. They may face unstable income and failure. If you can have a stable job and side business, the risk seems to be relatively low. But for her, she has another ideas: “As the saying goes, “You need to work hard to earn”, it is true especially in the catering industry. I think I have to devote myself to manage the business and operate it myself, so as to get more from it.” However, we must plan before we start and save up enough money. If there is no return for half a year to a year, or even a deficit, we may still be able to make a living with our savings.”

Starting a business has had an impact on Debbie’s life. She admits, “Starting a business, I have to endure the pain of being cut off socially. You don’t have any friends, or social life. Neither do I have time to any parties before my business becomes stable. In terms of manpower, I have to take care of all the big and trivial things that happen in the restaurant. It can be said almost no social life at all. Even all my favourite outdoor activities have to be put aside, before my business stays normal and stable.”

Challenges and sense of accomplishment

According to Debbie, the most challenging part of starting a business is persistence. “In the process of starting a business, you will constantly encounter blows, failures, helplessness, fear, weakness, and so on. When you take things too seriously, you may want to give up and return to your former comfort zone. But if this does come, you must remind yourself again of the purpose of starting a business. Despite tension and arguments, teammates need to understand and encourage each other. Only with support can everyone walk through these difficulties.”

“While it’s challenging to start a business, it brings a sense of accomplishment. Whenever there is return, this is a proof and affirmation of their own. In addition, during the process, to look at our own to start a business from scratch, constantly make progress, change and build new stuffs is a pride. Debbie added, “Losing money in business must bring pressure and fear, because it makes you question what you did wrong, but it’s a good thing, and that’s what makes people move forward. But we can’t afford to lose track, and my team and I are dealing with it, coming up with different solutions to the problem. For example, when designing new dishes, we tried different methods to see which can attract more customers. Only through “trial and error” will our business grow and progress.”

With regard to future business plans, Debbie said, “The business is now in a stable stage and we are beginning to reap the harvest. We are also planning different possibilities of development, collecting different information and opinions before deciding on the final direction of development. But I am confident.”

Advice to entrepreneurs

Finally, Debbie has the following advice for young people who want to start a business. “First of all, we must make preparations in terms of capital and living standards. Do not rush forward blindly because the risks of starting a business are great. Therefore we must measure how much loss we can bear. In addition, even if you have a good idea, you might as well draw on the wisdom of people who have experience, or learn from successful cases in other countries. This will help you to understand more clearly what is wrong with your idea and whether it is feasible or not.”

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