2020 Revisited: Entrepreneurial Lessons From a Wild Year With Jin Chen

At the height of the pandemic, entrepreneur Jin Chen not only launched a venture, Brill-Con Consulting, but also invented a multi-purpose travel blanket, aptly called the Planeket. (Image courtesy of Planeket)

Congratulations reader! We made it to 2021...and I hope that you were able to take at least a brief moment earlier this month to celebrate. 2020 was an unprecedented time, as common sense and commercials routinely reminded us. Many heroes have helped us through this uncertain period, with health care professionals and first responders at the top of the list. Right behind them however, is another type of hero: the entrepreneur. 

Starting a business and running it successfully is one of the most challenging things a person can do in their life. The obstacles an individual faces when they decide to start down the path of entrepreneurship can seem daunting in even the best of times. In 2020, entrepreneurs faced a whole new set of challenges, ranging from financial strain, to shifting consumer trends, to ensuring that they, their customers, and their employees stay safe. 

Last week I had the opportunity to “sit down” with several entrepreneurs (virtually of course), and ask them about their experience navigating last year’s tumultuous startup landscape, and how they are hoping to improve their ventures in 2021, utilizing what they learned last year. This is the first of a four part series. Over the next three weeks, I will publish the remaining interviews, and encourage you to check them out.

Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

If I told you that someone launched their startup in May 2020, would you expect that it would still be in business today? Woah there! Don’t all throw your hands up at once. Common sense tells you that this would be an incredibly challenging time for an entrepreneur to launch their venture. Yet, in the case of Jin Chen, she knew that the time was just right. Specifically, her ideas were given life by the reflective downtime that was provided by social distancing.  

“I had the idea to start Brill-Con for a couple of years,” said Chen. “I was working with a tour operation that was focused on a Mandarin-speaking clientele in Alaska and we interestingly were doing a lot of consulting support in China. 2020 was a blessing...it allowed for me to refine my ideas.” 

Since launching,  Brill-Con has provided startup support and revenue growth consulting services, and US-China trade relation consulting. Shortly after launching Brill-Con, Chen conceived of the Planeket: a multi-purpose travel blanket. 

“The idea didn’t come into mind until March. I was working from home and was doing some spring ‘COVID cleaning’ and I found a number of travel blankets that didn’t meet my needs, so I started working on a prototype, drawing, putting things together. Without COVID-time at home, I would have never had the time to turn this idea into reality.” 

As her idea became reality, Chen now had to take a bold step forward and begin selling her product.  

“When my larger shipment of Planekets arrived at the warehouse, I couldn’t believe it. There were thousands of blankets and the parts piled up. I looked at it and seeing the Planekets, I wondered ‘could I really sell all of these?’ I was especially concerned since few people were traveling due to the pandemic.” 

On October 10th, Jin faced her fear head on and began selling Planekets, and soon found that she had traction. 

“I had been promoting my product on social media,” said Chen. “There were a number of  people who I had done business with in the past, who wrote to buy Planekets as Christmas gifts for their clients and support local businesses. This was a great feeling for sure!”

As her ventures near their one-year birthday, Jin is looking ahead to 2021 as a year full of opportunity. Her resolution is to not only set goals, but to incentivize reaching these objectives. 

“When you have a normal 9-5 job, we have goals,” said Chen. “These goals are to either earn a promotion or get a raise. As an entrepreneur, it is important to not only set goals, but set similar incentives to keep yourself engaged.” 

In 2020, Jin’s goal was to reward herself with a trip to Hawaii if her ventures hit a certain revenue benchmark. She has maintained a similar goal for 2021. “For startups and entrepreneurs, this is something that we forget about easily. We set up revenue goals and client goals, but we do not think about how to incentivize it for ourselves.”

For those of you who are thinking of starting a venture in 2021, Jin would like to leave you with this piece of advice: 

“Starting your business is like having a child. You will always say ‘I’m not ready’ and people will tell you that you will never be ready. You just have to go ahead and do it. You will never be 100% ready to start a business. There will always be challenges in front of you. If you have the brain power, the financial resources, and the time, then you already have what is needed. Just set yourself up with limits, and have an exit strategy before you get going.”

Starting your own business is an adventure, full of both expected and unexpected twists and turns. As you set out on your journey, remember to pack two crucial things: Jin’s advice and a Planeket, of course.

We look forward to seeing you again next week as we share Megan Sawtelle’s (Founder of AK Lean Virtual Assistance) thoughts and reflections on 2020 and her entrepreneurial hopes for 2021!