Have you ever been in a situation when you could not afford casual shoes? HoneyKids Founder and mum of three Chris Edwards knows this feeling all too well. Here, she shares the challenges she's faced and the most important lessons she's learned when launching businesses in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, Malaysia and Australia!
Here at HoneyKids, we want to shout about the achievements of mums who are taking on the juggle and going for their goals. It’s no mean feat to balance work and family, let alone make a major leap and start your own business. Our very own Chris Edwards, mum of three and Founder of Honeycombers, HoneyKids, and Launchpad, shares her humble beginnings and some of the most important lessons she’s learned as an entrepreneur with multiple successful businesses under her belt.
Thanks for your time today, Chris. Can you share the inspiration that lit the fire in your belly to launch your own business?
I can pinpoint where my drive to succeed has come from.
“I was an 11 year old girl when my parents could not afford casual shoes, so I had to wear my school shoes on the weekend. It wasn’t really a big problem until my parents invited a family over for dinner, and I had a crush on their son, who was in my class at school. At that moment, when the boy arrived at my house, I turned into a shy and panicky tween. I did not know what to do, so I pointed out my shoe situation, which I don’t think he really cared about. But I did. I really, really did.
I’m not sure if you remember being 11, but as an 11 year girl, the shoes and clothes you wear really matter. To me, back then, it was everything. It can determine whether you’re cool, if you fit in, it feels as though it’s the only thing you control. What you wear is intrinsically linked to your identity. It’s everything. So at that moment, when I had to wear my school shoes on the weekend – it was like the world was ending. I had such deep shame.
I felt so embarrassed, and this shame was one of my most painful, crippling early teenage experiences. I didn’t know it at the time – but this feeling stayed with me. It became one of my personal drivers. But it was not always a positive driver.”
What does this story have to do with starting a business? Everything.
“This childhood experience was a core driver to my ambition to create a successful business that could support my family. But that crippling fear and shame was going to revisit me.
Thirty years later I was running a multimillion dollar business, with 35 staff on payroll. Then COVID hit. Our revenues plummeted – they fell 90% one month to the next. It was that very month that my husband decided to leave his job, making me not only responsible for the 35 staff I had on payroll, but also for my family’s income. I was faced with this daunting question. How was I going to pay $150k in salaries with no income, every month?”
My deep fear of not having enough resurfaced into my life.
“I could not see any options, my negative thoughts were compounded. In my mind, there was no way out. My brain was just producing negative options, the worst case scenarios were playing out in my mind. I was spiralling. It was like I was in a maze, and I was trapped. It was very scary. COVID was a radical change agent for me, and for many of us – with your back up against the wall, you not only get creative, but you dig deep.”
This ‘up against the wall’ moment forced me to lean on my community.
“It started very simply, as many good ideas do. But it required that I be very vulnerable. I reached out to a good friend who understood my industry, and I asked her if we could catch up each week to help each other with our business challenges. I was still sitting in such fear and shame that I didn’t want to actually tell her how big my challenge was. I was embarrassed and shamed by the state of my challenge.
My business buddy suggested I do an EFT tapping session with a mindset coach. This was a godsend. Through this work I realised that my inner child, my 11 year old, shamed and embarrassed child, was ‘driving my bus’. I needed to take control and move out of the fear-and-shame space. This was mind-bending for me, and a true defining moment.”
This was the start of the idea of my business community, Launchpad.
“This was also the start of my realisation that financial security and the system that we live in is very fragile. It had broken and let me down twice already, to a point where I couldn’t afford casual shoes, and it helped me realise the true value of community. Community is more important than financial security, but it can also bring you financial security. In fact, it’s a very good way for a business to have strong foundations.”
It is really hard to run a business alone.
“It’s really hard to find your way out of the maze if you are having a conversation with yourself and you are not talking to people who have worked out the exit. Since starting Launchpad we have had over 670 entrepreneurs join the community and they have told us that Launchpad has been transformational in their business success. But even more importantly, Launchpad has been transformational for their own personal development.”
Ever thought of being an entrepreneur yourself?
“If you’re thinking of taking the plunge to run your own business, then come and experience Launchpad. We have a one month free membership available for our HoneyKids readers. So why not come and dip your toe in, and see what a like-minded business community can do for you and your business? I hope that with Launchpad when things go dark, which they do from time to time, not only do you find your way out of the maze, but that your kids will never have to wear their school shoes on the weekend, due to your business success!”
Chris Edwards is the founder and CEO of Honeycombers, HoneyKids, and Launchpad, and mum to three high-spirited, early risers.
Hear more about what Chris has to say on starting her business babies on our final episode of the Growing Pains Season 2 podcast.
