How difficult is the life of a model?
The hard part is that in a way, you are at the bottom of the scale. You aren’t in charge of the ad campaign, neither are you the editor of the magazine. So to a certain extent, you are always waiting by the phone. Even during the times where I was doing very well and my agents were charging higher rates for me to do a shoot, I was also aware that in two months it could all be over. It is an industry that moves fast and is very competitive.
Picture courtesy of Stephanie Chai
Do you feel that your modelling background has given you a greater leverage in your entrepreneurial career?
I had this conversation with someone the other day! Actually, I ended up negotiating about half of my modelling contracts! One of my agents early on, P’Dao, was one of the best agents in Thailand and she was the one who taught me how to push for more budget and so forth. I remember meeting other agents along the way who would be scared to ask for more budget and I’d have to teach them to not give in so early. Thus, in a way, I’ve been negotiating for 10 years.
Can you share some tips with readers on how to be a successful entrepreneur?
I think I’m still learning how to be one – to be honest. Whilst we (The Luxe Nomad) have been very blessed to have our second round of funding, there are more goals to be met. I think it is something you learn as you go along. So stop reading or talking about it and just do it!
What is the most important thing that you need, in order to be an entrepreneurial success?
Learn how to listen to everyone – your team, your investors and so on. But make the final decision on your own. If you follow everyone’s advice, then you’ll never be a great leader. Look at what has happened to Apple. People used to say that it wasn’t Steve Jobs who made Apple what it was. Yes, it’s true he couldn’t have done it without the team – but could they have done it without him? I’m learning that managing a team and keeping them motivated and excited is a pivotal, yet challenging skill to master.
Why do you think some people become successful online entrepreneurs but not others?
Maybe they have the wrong business model, maybe they just gave up. There’s no set recipe to it. Though I think some people are better at being worker bees then being in charge. There’s nothing wrong with that – it’s just the way we are built. (GO TO NEXT PAGE)
[…] Consider this: as a model, Stephanie Chai used to work “maybe twice a week and sometimes [made] what some would earn in a year, in a day”. Like many of the others on this list, she chose to walk away from her glamorous modelling career despite significant hurdles. Being a solo founder meant that it was more difficult – in theory – to attract investors, in addition to the fact that she started out with zero knowledge of ecommerce or the travel industry. (Sources: TechInAsia, PrisChew.com) […]