"Take note of what’s happening around you but don’t get distracted. Always prioritize doing what you need and should be doing first. The rest can wait."
Taking the risk to start a company is a feat few are fully equipped for. Any business owner knows that the first few years in business are anything but glamorous. Building a successful business takes time, lessons learned, and most importantly, enormous growth as a business owner. What works and what doesn’t when one starts a new business? What are the valuable lessons learned from the “University of Adversity”? As part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joyce Tsang.
Joyce Tsang is a content marketer and the founder of Joyce Tsang Content Marketing.
She began her career as a journalist and editor before transitioning to the role of Digital Marketer and Content Director. Passionate about telling the right story for brands, she develops content strategies for her clients and educates them on the importance of identifying target audiences, creating valuable and consistent content, monitoring and analyzing data to strengthen content strategies and enhance marketing effectiveness.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Cheesy but true — it was content that brought me to this career path.
I graduated with a BA in Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia, Canada, yet I struggled to find a job related to the art industry when I headed back home to Hong Kong. I reassessed my skills and realized I was interested and confident in writing. So, I pivoted and started looking for jobs in the media sector.
At a job interview, the interviewer said my character fit the company culture, but I lacked experience as a fresh graduate. I could have given up, moved on, and accepted fate. But I focused on finding a way to solve my “lack of experience” instead. That night, I started an art and culture webzine to build the experience for myself. I sent my articles to HR. After a month, they offered me a job.
This experience taught me two things. One, I could be great at what I do, but unless I had the content to show for it, opportunities would be lost. Two, always take the initiative and solve problems in a smart way. That, in essence, kept me moving from being a reporter to an online editor to becoming the Head of Social Media and ultimately to Content Director. Those two things also became the foundation for the positioning of Joyce Tsang Content Marketing.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
I didn’t plan on starting a business. I quit a toxic work environment at the end of 2020 and was planning to take a break.
The next day, I received a Linkedin DM from a stranger who said he’s seen my content and wondered if I offered content marketing services. That was when I saw the potential of starting a business.
It quickly snowballed, and I accumulated over a dozen clients within the first year. While revenue wasn’t an issue, I started to question myself about the point of it all. My initial idea was to create content strategies for entrepreneurs who would value them. But I fell back into the routine of agency life. I was selling retainer programs and spending most of my time on account servicing, which was not what I wanted to do. The hardest part was figuring out contracts with no legal knowledge at all.
It didn’t get any easier when clients started treating me as just someone to delegate rather than someone who was adding value to their content.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
I was only able to continue because I started this business out of wanting to do what I love.
If I started just for the money, I would’ve given up. Working a full-time job with steady pay is much easier.
I had been in the content creation/ marketing industry for 7 years then, and at each of the companies I worked for, the problem had been the same — people didn’t care about content marketing.
They cared about the quantity of output, how much sales the content could bring in, and if the boss liked the messaging. Instead, it should be about the quality of the output, how much connection the content can attract, and if the target audiences like the messaging.
Betting on finding a company that already appreciates and values content marketing like I do and is willing to hire me full-time seemed like a slim chance. Instead of waiting for a culture that’ll fit me, I decided it was best to create one myself (seeing a pattern of how I am here?).
In short, I trusted that it wouldn’t get any better if I gave up. But the results can be one in a million if I bet on myself and keep going.
So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?
If success here means money, then no, I have yet to succeed. But if success here means doing what I love, then yes, I have ridden through that bump and am steering my ship in a much better direction.
In Q2 of 2022, I ended all my retainer contracts and pivoted. I looked back at the work I’ve done at Joyce Tsang Content Marketing and asked myself what I enjoyed the most. And hands down, it was consultations. I love speaking to people, offering them answers on the spot, and seeing them gain clarity on what needs to be done.
In Q3 of 2022, I released two 3-month programs: Mentorship for Slashers and Upskill Training.
I connected with individuals who truly valued my expertise and experience while they started to realize the potential content marketing can give them. With the new knowledge, two of my mentees got hired by companies they love. This year, in 2023, I onboarded my first corporate training client. I’m hoping Joyce Tsang Content Marketing can grow outside of providing content marketing deliverables and be recognized as a trusted consultancy and mentor for companies and individuals.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I wouldn’t say this is funny or a mistake, but it’s definitely something I would do differently if I could go back in time.
I spend so much time researching and understanding tools and platforms — even those I know I probably wouldn’t use.
I remember spending almost a week just trying to find a tool that consolidated all my CRM needs. In the end, I found what I was looking for, but I spent three whole days testing something that didn’t. I was communicating with customer service representatives, trying to code things into the tool with no coding knowledge, and moving data from one place to another recklessly, ultimately wasting a lot of time and feeling completely defeated during the process.
The lesson I’ve learned is that having automated tools (particularly CMS and CRM) is vital for the success of any business, but I didn’t have to try everything on my own. What I do now is I ask my community for advice. I published a post on Linkedin listing the features I need and asked for recommendations. I cut back on the research phase and got a short list of options which helped me decide within days. Again, I used content to help me solve a problem.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Instead of answering this question in a practical sense, meaning to share the differentiation between my positioning and USP versus my competitors, I want to share two things that my target audiences have told me instead.
One, they have repeatedly told me it was my passion that caught their attention. While they find the knowledge I provide useful, we both know that they could have derived more or less the same information from a Google search. But the way I talk about content marketing, the analogies I give, and how my eyes light up when I talk about my work have been key in keeping my company top-of-mind.
Two, they have said that my dedication to showing up has become their daily motivation. I make it a priority to make sure my own content is at its A-game at all times. Unlike other marketing agencies that can get away with word-of-mouth and advertisements, I need to prove content marketing works by doing it myself. At the end of the day, it shows my prospects what they can expect from me if they become my client. As one of my taglines says, “my success is your guarantee.” So while I consistently create content across Joyce Tsang Content Marketing’s channels, I am actually influencing my audiences. My audiences start questioning why they cannot or are not doing the same for their company after seeing what I do on my own.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
The key is not to hate anything.
It’s important to know what you enjoy doing, but for tasks you can’t ignore, never let it become something you hate. It makes it so much harder to get through. It’s a mental game.
For example, many people get burned out by social media. I do too. But apart from the common advice of taking a break and switching off your notifications, my tip is to make it worth anticipating again.
You know you’re stepping towards burnout when you never re-read your published posts. But why don’t you? Is it because the content creation process is lengthy and tedious? Are you never satisfied with the final output? Or are you too worried about the algorithm and only justifying your effort on vanity metrics?
Best to start by removing those obstacles. Then, make the process enjoyable again by focusing on creating content you love. Fight for them to be posted. Support your argument with data and even educated assumptions. Because doing things for the sake of doing them is the trigger to burnout. Checking off a list of things you aren’t invested in will never be fulfilling. It is until you find a suitable process to create something you believe in can you prevent yourself from burning out.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
This person isn’t a part of my entrepreneurial journey, but he is someone I am forever grateful for.
Mr. TK Mak was my boss when I worked at Obscura Magazine as a reporter and at Blackbird Automotive as a translator. He was the first boss that showed me what it means to turn what you love into a company.
He bonded with every single colleague, invited us to his house for Christmas, hosted annual parties, and made birthday parties a norm around the office. I would always remember him walking up to my desk and jokingly commenting on my daily consumption of french fries, saying, “Joyce, are you eating junk food again?” while taking one for himself.
But the most memorable story is when he supported me to chase my dream, even when it meant I’ll only be spending half the time in the office and doing less work. Unlike most bosses, he was not only okay with it but celebrated when he knew I got hired as a professional dancer for a 10-day concert in Hong Kong. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to capture the chance of standing on my dream stage while keeping my full-time job.
I suppose it was his trust that made me believe in myself too. The way he runs his business is the dream state of how I’d want to one day run mine.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I have been volunteering as a mentor at The CoCoon Foundation since the early days of starting my business.
Visiting different high schools in Hong Kong and sharing my entrepreneurship journey with them has been as valuable to them as it has been for me. Through our Q&A sessions, I’ve realized the motives behind some of my business decisions and brought unconscious thoughts to light.
What is particularly unique about these visits is that we are not telling students to start their businesses. Instead, the goal is to infuse the mindset of an entrepreneur within them, which to me, is all about solving a problem passionately. To do so, it involves the activation of unquantifiable elements such as drive, creativity, and desire to result in a sense of achievement. Such ability will benefit them anywhere they go.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first launched my business” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1 . First year’s success doesn’t necessarily come in the second year. Base your forecasts on previous learnings, but always manage your expectations with a grain of salt.
Monetary gains came easy in my first year, so I naively assumed it would be the same in the second year. But with the ripples of COVID and changes in the market, my financial forecast was completely off. If only I calculated for such an impact, I would be less disappointed, wasting less emotional energy on recovering from worry and using more positive energy to try and turn things around.
2 . Clients should be like-minded individuals — but that doesn’t mean they’re your friend. Always be prepared for the worse by having a contract and access to legal advice.
At the end of the day, it’s all a business transaction. I was naive to think first impressions wouldn’t change. I had never imagined the politest client of mine would turn out to be the rudest in difficult situations. Particularly in my field as a service provider, simply completing your deliverables isn’t enough. It is a two-way street. In my case, my ex-client didn’t want to commit to his part of the work. So unless you excel at dealing with conflicts, it’s best to have a contract to fall back on to protect your work and your company without the need for further quarrels.
3 . Take note of what’s happening around you but don’t get distracted. Always prioritize doing what you need and should be doing first. The rest can wait.
I spend hours every day reading up on marketing news. Social media and search algorithms can change in a day. There are countless webinars, downloadables, and email newsletters to go through. Though it is important to stay on top of happenings, it’s usually less of a priority when compared to things like client work, your own marketing tasks, and other business administrations. Having a simple daily checklist can make all the difference.
4 . Establish habits to prevent chaos — that goes for both your professional and private life.
Some entrepreneurs worship the hustling lifestyle — I don’t. I’ve tried waking up at 8 am, 10 am, and even noon. To me, it’s not about how early you start your day, but what you do during the day. Find your prime time for work, and schedule your tasks around that. Make sure to allocate a specific time for lunch. Other fellow entrepreneurs I know and I have all fallen into the trap of putting lunch at the bottom of the list, resulting in rushed meals or no meals at all. If you have pets like I do, take them out on a 5-minute walk. That way, you get the break you need while they get to spend some time with you.
5 . You can only control what you have planned. Rely and build on frameworks to keep your brain free.
I’m known for my organizational skills. I don’t think it’s a talent, I see it as a reaction to my need to control things. As Benjamin Franklin said, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. I have various excel sheets that list my target audience persona, service details, yearly and quarterly plans, monthly achievements, and so on. If you operate like I do, and find it reassuring to log everything down, do it. If not, still have basic frameworks documented for the sake of freeing up your brain.
Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder?
As I have previously shared in my feature story with APAC Entrepreneurs, “you might have over or underestimated the work involved or are entering realms you do not know about (when you start a business). But remember that there are others just like you. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is they didn’t give up. Reach out, connect with others, and be motivated by the problem you wish to solve, not the money you hope to earn.”
On top of that, have a support system. I share both my emotional highs and lows with my husband and one of my students. Sometimes (and most of the time for me), it’s more about saying it out loud and getting it out of your system rather than seeking feedback or a solution.
My biggest emotional high was when I flew to Dubai to attend a marketing conference and receive my first-ever marketing award. But that emotional high came with a lot of lows as well. Planning a trip abroad during COVID was no fun. It was expensive. Things got canceled. I didn’t know how long I had to stay in quarantine until the day I landed back in Hong Kong. But knowing that every experience, good or bad, is a learning process that will lead to better results in the future makes the unexpected seem less daunting at the moment.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
If I could start a movement, I would make the art of storytelling a course in schools. After engaging with leads and clients and visiting high schools, I have realized that adults are just as confused as youngsters are when it comes to the power of content creation and storytelling.
Each of us has a story worth telling, but most of us are not equipped to express the story in a way that gravitates to people. By not realizing the power of our story, we undermine our value and the potential we hold. Not to mention, it minimizes the opportunities for us to foster valuable relationships with one another.
I do not deserve my opportunities more than anyone else, but I admit I have successfully attracted more opportunities than others (including this interview) because I have harnessed the power of storytelling and used it to create content consistently. Without it, there is no way I could’ve landed any of my full-time jobs, let alone start a business.
As Joyce Tsang Content Marketing’s mission states, “we help those with an entrepreneurial mindset explore their full potential with content”.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me at https://www.joycetsangcontentmarketing.com/, and learn more about Content Marketing on my Youtube channel, Instagram account, and Linkedin profile, all under @joycetsangcontentmarketing.
This article was originally featured on Authority Magazine.
Let’s turn the focus back around to you: Are you an entrepreneur with startup experience?
What are five things you wish were told to you at the beginning of your journey?
Are you currently opening a new business? Share your experiences to see if someone from the Community can help you!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!