5 March 2021|Latest Posts, Meet the Successful Founder
Yang Liu, 28, always knew that she wanted to start a business, so she took the plunge and left her stable job at a venture capital firm in late 2016 to set up JustWears with her husband, Alex Walsh. She had met Alex while travelling in Thailand, and after years of conducting a long-distance relationship – he’s from the U.S, she’s from China – they decided to meet in the middle and make the UK their home.
Yang came up with the idea of creating a comfortable boxer short for men like no other (JustWears boxers promise to eliminate sweat and odour down under and are 5 x softer than cotton), when Alex wouldn’t stop complaining about how his underwear didn’t fit properly and how there wasn’t a viable solution on the market.
Yang travelled around the globe for weeks testing thousands of fabrics and beta tested +40 prototypes before finding the ideal solution. It took them just 10 months to develop and test the product and branding before officially launching in July 2017 on Kickstarter. Since then, the brand has sold more than 100,000 pairs to over 25,000 customers in 73 countries and the founders have featured on shows like Dragons’ Den (where they received two offers).
What would you love to share with other women to encourage them to start their own business?
It is the best era to be an entrepreneur. When you think about starting a business, think of yourself as an entrepreneur first, not as your gender, nationality, or any other identities. Don’t let identity become a limitation for yourself or your own perception of your abilities. Hustle your way until you get what you want. If someone says “No”, it just means NEXT! When you put your mind and hard work into something you truly believe in, it will come true.
What are your top 5 tips for entrepreneurial success?
Learn how to translate your message and share your story in a deep and meaningful way. Honest, vulnerable stories are not ‘salesy,’ they are relatable!
When you believe in yourself you will find ways through different obstacles. If you don’t, you will find excuses.
Setbacks do not mean that you lost everything and that your work was futile. It just means that you need to work harder to find a more suitable way to get you where you want to be.
Surround yourself with people who mean you well, who will be your support system and your advisers. All those in combination are bound to give you the motivation to start and succeed.
Face your fears and exercise them
Who are the top 5 women who inspire you the most?
Sara Blakely
Oprah Winfrey
Sarah Wood
Martha Lane Fox
Anne Wojcicki
What is your favourite saying/Inspirational quote?
“I think failure is nothing more than life’s way of nudging you that you are off course. My attitude to failure is not attached to outcome, but in not trying. It is liberating. Most people attach failure to something not working out or how people perceive you. This way, it is about answering to yourself.” — Sara Blakely
Their website link and social handles
Website: http://justwears.com/
Instagram: @justwearshq
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justwearsHQ/
