MATTER x MISCHA: Boss Babe Interviews

Posted on 29 March 2018

Spring is the time for new beginnings and what better way to celebrate than with a MISCHA x MATTER Pop Up. To kick off our two-week pop up in Singapore, we interviewed two boss babes with blossoming businesses.

Introducing Genna Bennett Soh of Highlight Asia and Pearlin Siow of Boss of Me.

Genna is the Co-Founder of Highlight Asia, a Hong Kong-based Digital Marketing & Events agency with clients in Hong Kong, Macau, London & Barcelona.

Pearlin is a bestselling published author and owner of boutique publishing agency, Boss Of Me.

Tell us what you do!

Genna: I’m a Co-Founder of Highlight Asia. We assist and improve our clients brand visibility through events, digital and buzz marketing by offering tailor-made packages to their goals and budget.

Pearlin: I’m an author and “book mama” at Boss Of Me, a boutique publishing agency where I help clients ranging from billionaires to stay-at-home mums fulfil their dreams of having a book.

What excites you most about your industry?

Genna: What's so exciting about PR & marketing is how dynamic and transient it is, there is never a dull day in the office and you're always kept on your toes. I love how marketing is a mixture of different aspects, whether it’s organizing an event, strategising on social media or just simply creating noise via word of mouth around a client or brand - it’s all interlinked! There’s a quote “marketing is really just flirting” and I couldn’t agree more!

Pearlin: Tim Ferriss, my favourite author, says that the best jobs are the ones that you created for yourself — this couldn’t ring more true for me. I’ve never admired celebrities instead, I seek out entrepreneurs and devour their rags-to-riches stories, struggles and achievements like a star-struck fan. This is my dream job and my network is now worth billions.

When did you know that you were ready to have your own business?

Genna: There came a point where I felt stuck in my previous role. I wasn’t progressing or learning and I needed something more than just a 9am-6pm office job. My heart and brain craved for more, I knew I needed a challenge.
So…one afternoon I was catching up with my best friend over coffee (Sarah Vee, now my business partner and Co-Founder of Highlight Asia), and it coincidentally happened that she too was going through the same scenario. We had a silent pause, glanced at each other and the best light-bulb moment came over us and just as simple as that, Highlight Asia was created.

Pearlin: I didn’t really set out to create a boutique book publishing business. My business grew very organically, and it was largely due to the demands of my clients (which is what I love about it!).

Backstory: After writing my trilogy of books (Boss Of Me, Sleep & Get Rich and Secrets Of Asia’s Most Successful Internet Gurus), one of the entrepreneurs from the last book approached me to write his biography. He then referred his mentor to me and before I knew it, I was getting a steady flow of clients who wanted to write books.

Then my clients asked if I could help them self-publish and that’s when I started the production side of Boss Of Me — working with designers, printers and book distributors for my clients who wish to self-publish.

What’s the one thing everyone should know before starting their own business?

Genna: I’d say trust in yourself, believe in your business model and listen to your gut (as cliché as it sounds), and for those that are going into business with friends… honesty and communication are crucial. Whenever Sarah and I have any problems, we lay them out right away and welcome constructive criticism. (Oops that was more than one!)

Pearlin: First of all, it is important to have blind belief in yourself, because if you don’t trust in yourself, who will? Case in point: I knew I did not want mine to be a run-of-the-mill writing agency, so I focused only on books even though I received requests for copywriting jobs. Fast forward to now and Boss Of Me has become a small giant in the book-writing niche. I recently scored a huge deal with an Indonesian tycoon who was referred to me by the former Supreme Court judge. It is so humbling. This means I can focus on taking fewer jobs and doing them really well.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Genna: I listen to a lot of podcast interviews with big-time successful entrepreneurs, journalists and psychologists. One piece of advice that stuck with me is “Rejection is an invitation to keep going”. Every time you run into a dead end or a problem, take in a deep breath and tackle it head first, take it apart and try to figure out a solution, don’t give up! Running away isn’t the answer, as the same problem will just make a full circle and present itself again and again. Life is a whirlwind of one problem after the other, the key to conquer it is a positive mind, an attitude of never giving up and a bucket full of resilience.

Pearlin: I’d have to thank Tim Ferriss again for this. In his book, The 4-Hour Work Week, he said that you don’t have to be an expert to write a book, just interview experts for your book! That gave me the inspiration to write my first bestseller, Boss Of Me, where I interviewed 20 top entrepreneurs in Singapore. Thanks, Tim!

Genna, you have clients in different places around the world. What’s your favourite travel destination?

Everyone that knows me will know the answer to this. My absolute favourite place to travel to is... “BALI”. Although having grown up in multiple cities, I find myself always drawn back to the ocean.

I love surfing, diving and just generally being under the sun or in my bikini exploring an island. I find Bali such a magical place, the people, the culture and the just the sweet smell in the air gives me the tingles every time. Another upcoming favourite island of mine is Siargao in the Philippines, a definite must go for island seekers.

Pearlin, you have a quote on your website “Let me distill your wisdom into bestsellers”. Do you have a personal motto that you live by?

“The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.” — Neale Donald Walsch