Meilin Wong and the essence of mindful hustle

One thing that we all have in common is that we all work in one way or another. Meilin Wong, co-founder and CEO of iSabel, is one of the persons who helps groups of people achieve work-life balance, which is often overlooked. iSabel Health Tech provides a holistic digital tool that allows businesses to foster a culture of wellness among their staff. It provides intelligent, targeted assistance that swiftly extends a person’s potential by allowing them to be at their best.

Learn more about Meilin Wong and get a feel of her inner workings.

Q: What is “empowerment” to you?

A: Empowerment to me means equipping someone with the means and capability to improve and be in control of their own lives – now and in the future – from a knowledge, economic, financial, social and family perspective. This will ultimately enable them to contribute to their immediate community, society and the world at large.

Q: Tell us something true but nobody agrees with you.

A: Pessimism is like cancer, it sucks everything great into a dark hole.

Q: When did you get your first paid employment, and how old were you? What was it, exactly? 

A: I was 17 years old. It was my first ‘summer holiday’ job where I actually got paid. I was a retail assistant in a boutique store where I was responsible for sales, dressing up the mannequin and depositing the cash sales at the bank.

Q: Tell us a little bit more about your journey. 

A: Educated in UWCSEA in Singapore, University in the UK. Worked in PR, marketing, and business development in several global organizations, big social impact activist and advocate, took a year-long sabbatical to study and travel, loved working with startups some 8 years ago and I’ve recently co-founded a tech-led health company.

Q: Let’s talk about your current occupation or business. What do you do? 

A: I’m currently the co-founder and CEO of iSabel, a tech-led health company that holistically addresses workplace wellbeing. I often joke that the CEO stands for Chief Everything Officer.

Q: How did you come up with this concept and carry it out? 

A: Actually, it’s my co-founder, RD, who was the one who first thought of this concept and built the blueprint for it. He then brought our two other co-founders and me together to bring the concept to life. Each of us had a different path to this point but we’re all united on this journey now.

Q: What about your line of work excites you the most? 

A: The potential to really transform the workplace wellbeing industry and the impact this will have on people and employees anywhere in the world.

Q: What has been your most challenging obstacle, and how did you overcome it? 

A: Finding work-life harmony so I started scheduling mindfulness times into my calendar.

Q: What motivates you to go further in your business or career?  

A: I thrive on daring and setting goals for myself. One of my biggest challenges to myself is how to leverage the work I do to positively contribute to the greater good of the society I live in.

Q: What do you consider to be the most valuable talents you’ve acquired and implemented during your journey?

A: Openness to keep learning. Being purposeful. They have served me well in both my personal and professional lives.

Q: What is the most significant mentality shift, belief shift, or “ah-ha” moment you’ve had in your business? 

A: That building a career or a business is a marathon, not a sprint. And that whilst my career is an important part of my life, it doesn’t define who I am as a person. I’d rather take a missionary approach than a mercenary one to get ahead.

Q: What would you do differently if you could go back in time and do things differently knowing what you know now?

A: Nothing. I don’t live in regrets because what I’ve done, how I’ve done them and the choices I’ve made have brought me to where I am now. Every day, I find something I’m grateful for.

Q: What attributes do you believe are the most necessary for a successful entrepreneur?

A: Resilience. Open-mindedness. Decisiveness. Curiosity. Egoless.

Q: What are some of the most crucial aspects of establishing a successful company? 

A: Real business idea (that solves a real problem), focus, tenets, people, speed.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten? 

A: Stop talking, listen instead. This is still a work in progress for me but I hear those words every time I want to interrupt someone who’s speaking.

Q: What have you recently discovered that has astounded you? 

A: That sumac makes every dish taste better!

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring and first-time entrepreneurs? 

A: Always start with the problem you’re trying to solve and validate your ideas before building your solution and be prepared to be tired.

Q: How can a lack of cash be overcome while beginning a business?

A: Great time to seek out kind friends who can assist unconditionally, all the while quickly learning how to hustle in a nice way that people still like you and see value in what you do.

Q: What are your favourite ways to unwind?

A: Take my pup for a long walk 

Q: This is a book that every business person should read:

A: “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie. An oldie but still so relevant today. 

Q: What would you play if you could only play one song every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life?

A: Crash by Dave Matthews Band 

Q: Shameless plug?

A: If you’re in a position to influence your company’s next investment, check out iSabel – we’ll help your company better support its employees’ wellbeing.

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