Courtesy of Irene Kwong
- Irene Kwong is the founder and CEO of stationery company Simply Gilded.
- She started the business on the side in 2015 while working as a pharmacist.
- Within one year of running her business full-time, she surpassed the seven-figure revenue goalpost.
Entrepreneurship was always in my blood, but I didn't realize it until my thirties.
My father taught himself how to code and eventually designed database software that led to him quitting his 9-to-5 to start his own company. Because he dealt firsthand with the risks and hardships of owning your own business, he wanted me to experience stability in the workforce. He always believed I would be a suitable pharmacist, so I became one.