Yen Japney is the founder of Curve Sculpting, which has revolutionised the waist trainer with a design that moulds perfectly to the body.
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1)To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I started my first online business when I was 23 year old as a side hustle while working full time in hospitality. My first business failed. But I kept going until I created a product that people wanted.
My second business was Billionaire Beauties. Within the first 3 months I made 90k. That’s when I realised this kind of money isn’t just pocket money anymore it’s a whole career and I have to consider being in the next tax bracket now!
At 25 I quit my job and went in full time on my business. It became a success. At 30 I launched my third business Curve Sculpting in the midst of a pandemic. The product was so popular we sold out in the first month. Currently I have a team of over 10 full-time employees.
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
On a Monday, I wake up, make breakfast and say good morning to my staff. I like to start the week with morning gratitude so everyone in the team will tell us five things they are grateful for. I find having that family culture really important. I also get some insights to what’s happening in their life and where they are at.
Then it’s just managing them, finding bloggers to work with, creating content, organising tasks, working on new marketing strategies.
At night I spend time and have dinner with my partner. Usually I cook regularly, but when I’m working on a new collection or an important project he cooks instead. So it’s really helpful having a supportive partner.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Yes, I am really grateful to be able to work from the comfort of my own home (especially during pandemic, you really learn to appreciate it more). I can pretty much wear my PJs and get cracking on work. you can definitely call me a workaholic.
People complain in their workplace working 9-5. But being your own boss literally is like when I open my eyes to when I close my eyes.
I try to get some walks in as I do live across the beach. And I enjoy walking my Shiba Inu when I have her. Currently she’s at my mum’s place and we can’t travel over 5km, so that kind of sucks.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Work-life balance is definitely a constant struggle. But I will try my best to eat healthy (currently on the keto diet right now), see my friends, spend time with my partner and go for walks.
Every day I reflect on my day, and I have to consciously be aware how much I am working. Luckily for me, I have created an amazing team that helps manage most of the tasks, so I’ll only need to delegate most of the time. That gives me more time to create a balance life and spend time with the people I care about.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Pre-COVID I was able to travel a fair bit! During my early 20s I only worked and never really had a chance to travel, so in the last year, I was able to travel to Italy, Greek Islands, Thailand and Korea!
I’ve also started to eat a lot healthier, go for walks more frequently, as well as hire more staff to delegate more of my tasks.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Too many!But just to name a few.
Favourite books are:
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- The Accidental Entrepreneur: The Juicy Bits
- The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Podcasts:
- How I Built This with Guy Raz
- The Passionate Few with Omar Elattar
- Business Wars by Wondery
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
Trello! I love Trello. It really helped me manage my ever growing task list and my team! I’m able to see what’s going on, and be up to be up to date with everything. I can’t live without my products honestly. I created them for me because I couldn’t live without them, I know it sounds cliche but that’s the total truth.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
I love listening to Dr John Demartini’s teaching. He’s helped me overcome challenges that arise in my life and kept me balanced. He specialises in human behaviour, communication and this has helped me tremendously in life and business.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
With running my own business, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of just working. It starts to become the only thing in my life until I realised, if that’s all I focus on I won’t have anyone else to share it with. And that thought is so much more scarier.
Life isn’t just about working. It’s about enjoying life with the people you care about and sharing it with them. Success and happiness comes not from the money that’s made, but what money can bring you. Time.
You only live once, find something you love to do and you won’t feel like work. I honestly love the products that we produce because it’s a reflection of my own life and needs. Which makes it so much more exciting to work on!
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