Your Say: Jessie Wong

Founder and Director of Yu Mei

I’d name my autobiography…
It’s a Work In Progress.

To me success means…
Knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing and relentlessly working to achieve your goals.

Best advice I’ve been given…
“Less words”

I made my first dollar:
I started a pop up shop on Lambton Quay one summer when I was in high school that sold boutique perfumes.

The most rewarding part of my job…
Having a team that I love working with. I’ll never forget the times they’ve stuck together and pulled through for Yu Mei and themselves. We’ve grown to be a family unit.

Life motto:
Life’s short, buy the bag.

Favourite book:
Against Everything: Essays by Mark Grief

My goals for 2018 are…
Over promise, over deliver.

The women who inspire me:
Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, recently posted on Instagram that she “can’t stop, won’t stop until there are more women in pink hoodies in first class”. That’s a mission I can get on board with.

The gender stereotype I can’t stand:
All of them!

The main challenge for women in business is…
Being heard.

We need pay equality because…
Honeys have bills to pay too.

Gender diversity in the workplace is…
Essential. It should cultivate a workplace culture where gender doesn’t inform the treatment, behaviours, opportunities or achievements of others.

I advocate for change by…
Consciously correcting gender biases.

The change I want to see in 2018 is…
More women in positions of power in New Zealand companies and internationally.