The Entrepreneur Series – Beverly Chew, Co-Founder & CMO of frankie

Who is she? 

Beverly Chew is the Co-Founder & CMO of frankie – a wellness platform that believes that the key to a better mind & life is through one small task a day. Also known as the Chief Happiness Officer for her positive outlook, she is also the Community Advisor of dating platform NADA.

 

Prior to founding frankie, Beverly Co-Founded Not.A.Dating.App, a dating platform that was born out of the dissatisfaction of modern dating platforms. Jaded with present-day dating culture which prioritised physical appearances over quality soulful time spent together, she wanted to create something that could give people a genuine chance to get to know each other beyond just that.

 

Her hypothesis was that people connected over activities, and what better way to do that than to match people based on their date activity selection? Beverly noticed a common theme amongst users of her platform, that people, in general, crave connections. The pandemic and its resultant restrictions have increased the need to connect, if not for social support, then simply for our sanity. Taking a leaf out of building her previous dating platform, Beverly believes that connections are what fortifies mental health and encourages retention.

 

Convinced about the inclusive cause of frankie and the necessity for mental health and wellness-related services, she joined forces with Tyr Ding – whom she met from her Antler Spark Cohort and the rest is history. 

 

What are some of the challenges on the job & what were some of the life lessons you have learned along the way? 

“Self-doubt. Emotions can run high when every day is a rollercoaster. Working on a startup, I spend a lot of time working out knots on new challenges – some more difficult than others. When things get hard, it is so easy to go into a spiral of self-doubt. Am I good enough for frankie? Can I really make this work? Am I really able to be responsible for the welfare of everyone in the company?

 

Bouts of self-doubt can happen without basis. My employees tell me that they too suffer from imposter syndrome. When this happens, my co-founder urges me to take a break and reflect on the situation after my mind has rested. When this happens, my co-founder urges me to take a break and reflect on the situation after my mind has rested.”

 

Do you ever face biasness in your work and position because of your gender? 

“At work, I am fortunate to have a team of women who work with me wholeheartedly on our cause to reduce mental health stigma. When I started frankie with my non-binary identifying co-founder, we were determined to make gender bias a thing of the past at our workplace. As a team, we believe that capabilities should be prioritised over gender.

 

There has been an increase in the number of resources allocated to female entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs in recent years. In fact, I have been very fortunate to be a recipient of support from people who are gender-blind – instead of looking at gender, they look at capabilities, enthusiasm, vision, and character.

 

Saying that I would like to see more female developers taking key positions in startups. I often hear talented female developers telling me about how male-dominated the industry is, and how it is time for a more equal playing field. The time is now! Just a personal plug here: If you are a female developer looking for an opportunity in a fast-growing and female-led company, I would like to personally invite you to apply to frankie.”

 

If I was not a Co-Founder, I would be a _________? 

“A sculptor.”

 

Any inspirational quote for all the women in business & leadership out there?

“Stand your ground on things you believe in. You don’t have to be the same as others. Embrace yourself and be yourself. The worst thing to discover at the end of the day is that you have lost yourself just to fit into a perceived mould.

 

As a pragmatic person, small pleasures like being able to take a vacation and rest motivates me and drives me to achieve my goals before I relax.”

 

Check out frankie here

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