Last year, Audrey Regis, owner of Audrey’s Confectionaries, stood out amongst entrepreneurs from India, Philippines, and Singapore that participated at the first TradeConnect 2018 hosted along the sidelines of the Singapore Fintech Festival, when she expressed her desire to export her products to India and Singapore, and asked the panel of expert speakers, “Is there an association of Indian or Singapore food importers who can help me?”

Fast forward to a year later, the former delegate was one of the speakers at TradeConnect 2019, sharing her business journey in front of more than 120 delegates from India, Philippines, and Singapore, encouraging and inspiring them to continue despite the daily challenges they face to grow their business.

It’s never too late to start your own business. I started my business when I was 42. I had enough maturity and exposure to influence major decisions that my business needed.

“The experience is very different when you attend as a speaker. The pressure is on you because the lights, camera, and everyone’s attention is on you,” Audrey shared. 

From her momentous international speaking engagement, Audrey also got a lot of takeaways from TradeConnect.  “I learned so much from the other speakers from Singapore, India, and Malaysia,” she said.  “Everyone started micro and small, but with enough dedication, determination, and focus, nothing can get in the way of success. You just need to believe in yourself and your products or services.”

Audrey also highlighted how UnionBank GlobalLinker has been helping her business. “I am able to source suppliers not just from the Philippines, but also in Asia,” she explained. “When I need the opinion of other entrepreneurs, I can easily send out questions and other users are nice enough to share their opinions that help me so much in my decisions.”

When asked about her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, she shared, “It’s never too late to start your own business. I started my business when I was 42. I was ripe to start the business. I had enough maturity and exposure to influence major decisions that my business needed."

Also read: Want to grow your business? Follow these tried & tested productivity tips

True enough, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises have big business dreams, just like Audrey who sees her business going global. “I’m still working towards this dream. UnionBank GlobalLinker is a good start for me to achieve that brand exposure globally.”

To explore business opportunities, link with Audrey Regis by clicking on the 'Connect' button on her eBiz Card.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.