WIEN-ning Together As One

#entrepreneurship #WIENGroupMY #WIEN #WGE #WGEElena #elenatongmy #riselikeaphoenix #WIENtogether #entrepreneurempowerment #mentalempowerment

Let me introduce to you my 'other' family, the one that was the beginning of my entrepreneurship journey - WIEN Group My

It started in 2018 as a "Facebook group" with the hopes to build a safe and supportive community of sellers & buyers. This group of almost 60,000 members is moderated by an amazing team of entrepreneurs - June Hamid (Founder of WIEN Group MY), Aurora Ho (D'WIEN Community Cafe), Kamaljeet / Kay (BhajanJas Jewelery), Nadya (June's Personal Assistant and part of WIEN Group Sdn Bhd), Marsha Lim (Bliss Box) and Mary Lai (sells Sabun Cemphaka & plants). Truthfully, I believe they have done an amazing job of building a tribe of sisterhood & brotherhood through entrepreneurship.

The KrazyArtisan @ Central i-City, Shah Alam

And so, the itchy backside team decided to join in the fun in hope to support budding entrepreneurs like ourselves through this platform. We called ourselves "The KrazyArtisan" and we do our best to share the stories and products of various sellers.

The team consists of consisting of Kuan Cheng from KrazyliCious and Han Hoong + Ainsley from Beyond Artisan. Let's not forget myself bringing along my set of brands - Hatiku Is Cooking, Tuhan Is Cooking, Elena Tong MY and The Spunky, The Rebel & A Mama.

And by June 2021, this happened to Kuan Cheng & I...

The Conversation with June Hamid - WIEN Brand Story

The founder of WIEN Group MY invited us to join her in building the community. It started off with having all of us (including Uma D Ravi from Rawganics, Vanitha Krishnasamy from KISS Creative Agency and another amazing lady, Marsha Lim from Bliss Box) to host an e-bazaar that was going on for several days in June 2021.

This conversation is then a follow-up session for us to share the things we love from the sharing of the different sellers during the e-bazaar. We hope to recognized the people that has been stepping-up their game of promoting their brand and products. After all, there is so much we can learn from these wonderful sellers.

Also, we shared our own stories, why we do what we do and why is it important that a brand isn't just about the product but the everlasting story behind it. After all, we hope that everyone will be able to create more engagements than just selling of their products.

Christmas WIENners Vendors 2021

And last weekend (3rd - 5th December), we had the WIEN'S Christmas Weekend Market at KL Eco City Mall. There were about 80 booths with over 100 vendors in this event showcasing their Christmas products from food, accessories, gadgets, clothes and many more.

What I love most about WIEN is that they are open to supporting more than just the sellers. They are all in when it comes to the community with booths supporting sellers that are physically-disadvantaged and even booths for the NGOs such as Assisi Palliative Care (ASPAC) and Women's Aid Organization (WAO).

I was also hired by WIEN Group MY to be the emcee for this event. Apart from running the stage show, I wanted to try help raise some awareness of the vendors and their products. Hence, I was really lucky to be able to conduct 4 Facebook Live Product Reviews and 2 Facebook Live Bazaar Walkthrough. This wouldn't be possible without the support of the vendors themselves in providing me with their amazing goods <3

The WIEN Bazaar team (managed by Aurora & Bobby from D'WIEN Community Cafe, Amanda & Wai from SF FOOD Trading, Roger from ieat.iburp and Nadya & Marissa from WIEN Group Sdn Bhd) did an amazing job in preparing a booth for me to conduct the product reviews, supporting me in the audio system throughout the event and running the entire bazaar on their own with their head, June Hamid being overseas for work purpose.

The event was a blast as it felt like I'm home with my family members that I haven't seen for several months. New friendships were formed, potential collaborations could be on the way and there's so much to learn from the constant passion, love & dedication every vendor had of their products.

If you are in Malaysia and haven't joined WIEN Group MY, you should join them now. It isn't just a marketplace or a community, it is also a network of people coming together, supporting one another for one main goal - that is to ensure each of us have the chance to place food on our table at the end of the day for ourselves & family members.

My Sisters From Different Mothers XD

For me personally, I wouldn't be here without them. I found my sisters from different mothers. Not only we are supporting one another but each of us aims to be a better version of ourselves and to support the community as a whole in the best way we can.

These ladies are my pillars as they are the ones guiding and supporting me through my pageant journey. They are (from Left to Right, Back to Front) Uma D Ravi (Rawganics), Gwyneth Loh (QT Kids Online Retail & Wholesale), Ainsley (Beyond Artisan), Calista Lim (Aime) and the missing one, Kuan Cheng (KrazyliCious).

And if you're wondering, why am I sharing all the different people and brands - it's because I feel they all deserve a shoutout for putting themselves out there as they are not only supporting the community but running their own businesses at the same time. So, do check them out as they have a lot more to offer than their products and hearts.