Of course this Korean drama is more than just a love triangle, for me, as someone who is building her own enterprise, it’s a goldmine for entrepreneurial wisdom.
These days I find myself more and more interested in series and books that cater to creating the life of your dreams. With the wonderfully produced 16 episodes, here’s what l’ve earned as an entrepreneur from Suzy Bae’s Start-up Series!
Three Major Realizations
👛 Follow your heart’s desires when it comes to pursuing what you want, but proceed with caution.
I know this is an old saying and it’s oftentimes romanticized. I also believed in this when I was in my late teens, but I was put in challenging circumstances that made me take a more practical route.
I badly wanted to have a career in the writing field, whether it’s in creatives or in journalism, but I did not have the finances to support this in the university. I opted for my 2nd course choice which was to take a bachelor’s degree education.
I temporarily set aside my heart’s desire to write and I focused instead on what I can do pragmatically in college that’s aligned with my financial situation. I committed to completing my degree, but in those 4 years, I never forgot my dream.
Fast forward to 2008, I found myself in a job role where I was given the chance to write press releases under the marketing team. I was elated that I could teach (this supported me financially) and that I could write as well (this energized my passion).
Here are some of my articles.
In 2007, blogging became a popular way of expressing your thoughts using a public platform online. Although I was busy juggling many roles at work, I toyed with this idea of blogging. It was in 2015, when I finally delved into it. I bought myself a domain and got a company to host my site.
There were times in between when writing took a backseat in my career, but I never abandoned it. I’d always pick it up and improve my craft.
Now, I’m so glad I did not quit on what I truly wanted. In my case, yes, I followed my heart’s desire, but I also allowed the right time to pursue it wholeheartedly.
There are pros and cons to following your heart.
Doing what you love can lead to a more fulfilling and satisfying life. It makes you want to get up in the morning because you know that you’re working for a purpose that’s aligned to you. Adhering to your passion sustains you when you get tired or demotivated.
On the other side of it is that pursuing your passion might not always be financially rewarding initially. When you’re too focused on your passion, you may tend to overlook other essential things in life, like job security and family responsibilities.
In this Start-up series, there was a crucial episode when the two sisters, Seo Dal-Mi and Won In-Jae, followed their dad to the office on the day he was intending to resign from his job. They see their dad getting beaten up and kicked by the supervisor. We see that stark contrast between the father they see at home who seems to be headstrong on starting his own business and the father in his miserable workplace.
For those of us who’ve decided to start our own, there are many times that not following our passion will eat us up. It will occupy our headspace at night. It’s even painful when we sacrifice it for the sake of family obligations or financial responsibilities and live every day with that potential regret.
I strongly feel that it’s a smart move to weigh things out. I prioritized being pragmatic first while using my passion as a way to sustain my pragmatic choice. I’ve always told myself in the past that, “You know, one day, I’ll be able to have a lifestyle out of writing”. True enough, it happened!
I helped my family first and fulfilled my responsibilities to them and to myself. It was clear to me from the get go that I did not want to be a starving writer and so I planned my way through.
Don’t be afraid to follow your heart, but keep your head included as well. Whatever choice you make, there will always be regrets anyway. If you decide on one, there’ll be that regret for the other, so it’s wise to go for what you want. You just need a bit of planning before diving in.
👛 Use your hardships and obstacles as fuel for progress.
There was a time when I would be anxious about the next hardships or obstacles I’d be encountering in life. As I grew older, I appreciated the value of these in starting something of my own. Hardships and obstacles are indeed catalysts for growth.
They serve as data for what is going right and what is going wrong in my approach or strategy. For example, if I don’t get enough clients for a month, I look at this challenge as data. It gives me an opportunity to look at my numbers and correct my lead generation process.
Hardships make me believe in my capabilities and even propel me to discover other aspects of myself that i did not know I possess. I’m a self-confessed introvert, but because I run my own content business, I need to show up on social media. I get to unearth layers of me because of the challenges I face in promoting myself and my work.
Hardships and obstacles are not enemies. In fact, they’re our good friends and we should embrace them.
In this series, the different actors face their own challenges and when they confront their own, they get to reveal both beautiful and ugly parts of themselves.
One of the most pivotal moments in this series showcasing someone’s growth through adversity happens when Samsan Tech faces a significant setback. Nam Do-San undergoes a significant transformation as his start-up faces its challenges. Initially portrayed as a shy and somewhat insecure genius, he is forced to step out of his comfort zone and take on leadership responsibilities.
The beautiful thing I can say about setbacks is that they really push you out of your comfort zone and move you to be more innovative in looking for solutions.
👛 It’s crucial to surround yourself with the right people.
I’ve always been selective of friends and people whom I allow in my circle. Aside from the fact that I don’t easily trust people, I know that surrounding myself with the right ones is absolutely paramount to my personal and professional growth.
For sure, they will significantly shape my mindset, behaviors, opportunities, and the quality of my life. They can either elevate me or hold me back.
I knew that in starting a business, I need to work with the right team and with my ideal clients. I’m glad that I’m currently working with clients who don’t micromanage and who allow me to implement my strategy. I’m happy that I have 1 regular employee who has now been with me for the past 2 years. I have 1 dedicated outsource for design tasks. We are all aligned in values, work ethics, and priorities.
I’m also lucky to be working with guest writers for my blog who are reliable and supportive.
It’s not easy to find all of them so I value their contribution to my business. I make sure to compensate for them fairly and treat them with respect.
In this series, I love how Samsan Tech was formed. Nam Do-San, Kim Yong-san, and Jeong Sa-ha are the founders. Their friendship and complementary skills are evident from the beginning. Throughout the series, I saw the team’s growth, facing challenges together, and strengthening their bonds.
Although it’s just fictional, it shows us the power of teamwork and the importance of selecting the right people to collaborate with you, to mentor you, and to criticize you.
Final Thoughts
Through the lives of the characters in this story, I was able to further explore on going after my ambition and being relentless in pursuing my enterprise. There aren’t many Korean drama series that have this as their theme and I love that it’s intertwined with romance, friendship, and family dynamics. It paints a realistic picture of the circumstances of an entrepreneur.
If there’s one strong takeaway that I can get from this is that while it’s a competitive world out there, if you really believe in yourself, you can bring yourself to greater heights.
Have you followed this Korean series? Do you like the character of Suzy Bae here? I have written blog post on a drama that’s starred by here. Read my take on Uncontrollably Fond!
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