Once a fashion entrepreneur, you’ll never go back! Careen has always been a lover of fashion, and today, she dresses brides for a living and of course, she loves it passionately.
Hello Careen! Tell us more about yourself! What do you do full time?
Hello, Sevenpie team! Thank you for having me in this interview! Hi everyone! My name is Careen, and I’m a mother, blogger at www.careentan.com for the past 14 years, and I run The White Atelier bridal boutique!
You’ve recently started up a bridal boutique! Share with us about your latest venture, The White Atelier.
Sure! The White Atelier is a bridal boutique specializing in custom made bridal and evening gowns, cheongsam, and bridesmaids dresses, as well as custom made shoes, all of which are designed by yours truly and produced right in the heart of KL We also offer rentals for our gowns for special occasions!
My interest for all things wedding started when I planned my wedding 5 years back, which I wanted it to be like one of those barn style weddings. The more I dived into the planning, the more I loved it. To a point I missed wedding planning so much that I started helping my friends with their wedding planning, coordination and styling! Out of all things weddings, I was most interested in the designing of bridal gowns, which became a dream of mine to design bridal gowns and open a bridal boutique I can call my own one day.
However, due to prior commitments and everyday busyness, my dream remained a dream until one day I decided that it’s now, or never. I had to make it happen, or I’ll always be asking “what if”, which is one of the things I do not want to do in life.
After 5 years, my dream is now a reality and I dress brides for a living. And I definitely wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a dream job.
Tell us the challenges and highlights of starting up TWA.
Wow, where do I begin? In this journey of starting up The White Atelier, we struggled with different things at different points, which seemed like a never-ending journey of roadblocks one after another. Firstly, we struggled to secure a reliable supplier, and then it was securing funding and a good venue to call our boutique. I’m glad that after all the challenges, we have learned to overcome by leaving everything into God’s hands.
The highlight of my journey would definitely be the moment I finally decided to step out in faith, put one foot out to take the leap. It was scary to say the least. With zero suppliers, zero fundings and zero concrete plans, I decided to contact every female friend I know – close friends, acquaintances, Facebook friends, and sent them an online survey that I came up with for market research. I knew that if I just kept this dream quietly to myself, it may never come true because I wouldn’t feel the need to truly make it happen, since nobody knows about it. However, if others know about it, I now become accountable to them too, which gives me a greater push to make it happen, despite all odds. True enough, when I took this first step in my journey- trusting that God will make everything happen in His time- He truly did. I was connected to my supplier through a friend whom I sent my online survey to, and slowly things just started to come together. It was a slow and trying process, which really taught me a lot about trust and patience. Which is valuable, and what I still need everyday in my work today- trust and patience.
Have you always been interested in being a fashion entrepreneur? Describe your fashion style!
Yes! Prior to The White Atelier, I ran an online fashion boutique called Chiq Fliq selling female fashion apparel that I sourced personally from different parts of the world for 3 years. I’ve always loved simple, classy pieces that flatter our Asian figures, but many times I find myself struggling with that while shopping cos I’m pretty petite in size, so a lot of clothes don’t fit me as perfectly as I wished. My style is pretty much practical pieces for everyday wear (especially so for chasing after a toddler!), a lot of neutrals and clean cuts. But lately, I’ve been trying to add more bright colors to my dull colored wardrobe!
Other than being an entrepreneur, you’re a mother too! Baby Tyler is the cutest! Share with us the best memory of your life as a mother!
Aww, on behalf of Tyler, thank you! The best highlight has got to be all the firsts- When I saw Tyler, heard his first cry, first held Tyler in my arms. His first flip over, first tooth, first words, first solid food, and first steps! Honestly though, everything about my baby is a highlight to me. Do I sound obsessive now? Hahaha.
Share with us some tips as a young mother and entrepreneur! How do you juggle your time?
I’m still searching for answers to this question! My parents have 7 daughters, and whenever anyone asks my dad how they manage all 7 of us, he will always answer, “Take one day at a time. If everyone goes to bed safe and healthy, your job for the day as a parent is done.”, and that has never been more profound to me than now, because now I can truly relate to what he said as a parent myself.
So now, I’m learning from my parents and just taking one day at a time. A rough day will not last forever.
As for practical tips, time management is important! Planning your days and weeks way ahead helps you get things done more efficiently. When it comes to parenting, it’s all about timing. Timing for the moment your baby wakes up, timing for the next feed, next nap, and so on. It’s important to try to strike a balance between work and loved ones. There will be some days or weeks when you spend more time on work than your loved ones, and vice versa, but it’s okay. There will never be a perfect balance, but as long as you’re trying everyday, that’s good enough.
What is a typical day in your life?
On a typical work day, I wake up before Tyler to have my breakfast, get some work done, shower, do my makeup and hair, pack his bags, and then when he’s up I’ll roll on the bed with him and spend some mommy-baby time, then feed him and let him play for a bit before leaving home. I’ll drop Tyler over at his grandparents’ and then leave for appointments at The White Atelier, or head out for meetings and events.
After I’m done with my work for the day, I’ll pick my husband, Boon, from work and have dinner with our families before meeting some friends for coffee or heading home to spend family time together. That’s how our typical work day looks like. Since our consultation sessions at The White Atelier are by appointment only, I try to schedule my days in a way that allows me to work from home once or twice a week, so that I can spend more time with Tyler at home.
What are you passionate about?
Weddings, family, excellence. In no particular order.
Any life mottos?
“Do it, and do it well.”
I recently came across a quote that I thought would be worth sharing too- “Create the things you wish existed”.
Who is your all-time inspiration in life?
My family. They inspire me to do what I do today, to pursue excellence and success, to be the best version of myself so that I can be a blessing to them. My dream in life is to travel the world worry-free with my family, not bound by health or monetary limitations. And I’m working towards that!
With such a busy schedule, what is the ideal weekend for you?
Sleeping in, comfort food, church, family time, Netflix and some red wine.
Tell us what makes you smile the most?
Ahhh this is tough! In no particular order- Boon’s little gestures of love, Tyler being a good boy, my family being happy and healthy, and eating my favorite food!
Where do you see yourself in 2 years’ time?
Getting my hands really full with overwhelming orders for The White Atelier, showcasing our collections in our own bridal show, and juggling life as a mommy with two kiddos!
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