Meet Josephine, a 32-year-old young entrepreneur who wanted to venture into a new career field after feeling the constraints of her freedom in an 8am-5pm job.
Inspired by a friend, Josephine started her own brand of homecooked soya drink （“Little Soydier” 小豆将 xiǎodòujiàng）in 2020, with hopes that her side income would bloom positively and be able to lift some financial burden off her shoulders.
The brand name itself is a wordplay from the Chinese word for “soymilk” (豆浆 dòujiāng), but it replaces the second character with one of a similar sound, that instead means “soldier” (将 jiàng) - hence, the final brand name being “Little Soydier” (小豆将 xiǎodòujiàng).
In addition to its unique name, the soya drink in question is also far from ordinary; Josephine has taken great care to ensure that it is not only fully fresh and delicious, but also beneficial to one’s health.
Josephine has made a conscious effort to reduce the amount of sugar in her homecooked soya in a time where people are becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Her decision was made with the understanding that excessive sugar consumption can have negative effects on the body and can lead to numerous health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Hence, by reducing the sugar content of her product, Josephine aims to make a positive contribution towards the health and wellbeing of her customers.
In addition to this, she has also prioritized creating a preservative-free product, recognizing the potential harmful impact that preservatives can cause to the human body. Her dedication to producing a high-quality, health-conscious product speaks volumes about her commitment to the wellbeing of her customers.
PROCESS
Josephine spends at least half a day making the soya drink. The process involves soaking and blending the beans, cooking and filtering them, and then packaging the final beverage.
Before starting, she sources soybeans from the wet market, which she then rinses to remove debris and damaged beans. To ensure they are softened enough to blend easily, Josephine soaks the beans in water for eight hours. Once soaked, she blends the beans with fresh water in a blender and then filters the mixture. The liquid is then boiled to ensure any raw or beany taste is removed. Lastly, Josephine carefully hand-packs each soya drink packet by herself.
Creating home cooked soya drink may seem like a simple process, but the production comes with its fair share of challenges. As Josephine herself reveals, “Everything we do is manual, except for the process of blending the soybeans. It is quite time-consuming since we do not own any high technology machine to help with the production as we are a small business. I am also working full-time in the IT analyst field, so I can only start soaking the beans at night after work”.
Despite these setbacks, Josephine remains committed to producing good quality, home cooked soya drinks that are both nutritious and delicious.
CHALLENGES
Growing a business is never an easy feat, especially when you're taking on the task alone. There are bound to be obstacles to face and individuals who may not offer the support you had hoped for. As the founder of a local soya drink brand, Josephine knows this all too well.
While Angel Community has been one of the places where she has successfully placed her product, it is not the only one. In the past, she partnered with a bakery and restaurant that has since then closed. However, this did not dampen her spirit!
She remained focused on her goals, driven to continue pushing forward and seeking new opportunities for her product – which led her to partnering with Angel Community. It is worth noting, then, that her ability to bounce back from setbacks comes from a strong entrepreneurial spirit and is a testament to the passion and dedication she has for her business. It's a reminder that setbacks are not an indication of failure, but rather opportunities to learn, grow, and pivot towards new opportunities.
Even so, the challenges didn’t end there. Josephine mentioned that she also had to deal with age discrimination, being told that young people are not capable of running a successful business in the long term. Again, despite these negative comments, Josephine remains undeterred, recognizing that success is not achieved overnight.
As Josephine herself puts it, "I do not mind what others have to say as they will never go through the process of learning something new and will never get the taste of hunger for success."
ANGEL COMMUNITY
Angel Community is a community center that empowers and supports people from various backgrounds, including the OKU community, single parents, young entrepreneurs, and women entrepreneurs. The center provides a platform for these groups to showcase their homemade products, helping them reach a broader audience and grow their businesses.
Josephine joined Angel Community as one of their homemade sellers and her soya drink is one of the fast-selling products in the store. She explains, “Basically, how it works is that I will place my soya drink in the chiller based on consignment basis. I will come and refill the stock whenever it is sold out”.
FUTURE PLANS & ADVICE
As a young entrepreneur herself, Josephine knows that facing obstacles is inevitable in business. However, having a clear vision of the future of her business helps her to stay focused and motivated.
She hopes her business will grow exponentially not just in terms of orders and sales, but also in terms of product offerings.
This would then give her the chance to invest in better technology and machines to help with the production of her soya drinks. Additionally, she plans to expand her range of products beyond her signature soya drink by adding new flavours like dark chocolate and coffee that will cater to a wider audience. She recognizes the importance of keeping up with consumer trends and demands to stay relevant in the market.
Through her experience, Josephine shares, “One advice I can give to youngsters out there that wants to start their own business is to never give up easily when you face a hurdle.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come and join us to support Josephine by booking an event space with or order catering services from Angel Community!
Contact us at +60163560805
Are you a homemade seller and in need of support? Register to be one of the Angel Community’s homemade seller at https://angelcomm.wixsite.com/care/seller
Comments