Vivien Wong, co-founder of Little Moons, transformed her career path by leaving behind a lucrative accounting position worth £80,000 annually at the age of 28. Driven by a lifelong aspiration to own a business, Wong ventured into the world of ice cream together with her brother. Triggered in part by her father’s cancer diagnosis, the duo launched Little Moons, a company now famous for its mochi ice cream balls, which gained widespread popularity through TikTok—but only after a decade of hard work.
Embrace Imperfection
Wong believes entrepreneurs often err by holding out for perfect conditions. Her approach utilises an “80-20 rule”; she advises against waiting for a product to be flawless. Instead, she suggests taking it to market when it is 80% ready and refining it based on feedback. Following this mantra, Wong initially targeted restaurants and cinemas with their products for five years before transitioning Little Moons into supermarkets, a move made possible once sufficient funds were accumulated for branding.
Understand the Value of Sacrifice
To fuel Little Moons, Wong joined forces with her brother, leaving a high-income job and moving in together to minimise costs and reinvest earnings. Departing from an organised city environment, she took on various roles including IT, machinery, product development, and accounting—handling these herself on weekends to save on hiring costs.
Define Your Brand
Wong underscores the importance of not deviating from one’s brand values, advising entrepreneurs to judiciously select opportunities. Understanding what aligns with the brand helps in making informed decisions. She cautions against taking outside advice without consideration, explaining that what may work for one enterprise might not suit another. Through discussions with her brother, Wong learned to evaluate and selectively adopt external advice, which gradually built her confidence.
Set Family Boundaries
Though working alongside her brother strengthened Little Moons, it also posed challenges, requiring them to establish professional boundaries at work. When considering relocating their factory from 5,000 sq ft to 30,000 sq ft, which increased rental costs from £40,000 to £500,000 per year, they balanced differing risk appetites to make strategic decisions. Now, with a chief executive in place, Wong and her brother can focus more on their sibling relationship.
The Long Road to ‘Overnight Success’
While Little Moons appeared to become an overnight sensation during the pandemic, Wong clarifies that the journey spanned over a decade. Years of strategic planning and scaling operations meant the company was ready when demand surged. She notes that everyone sees the viral success, not the countless small, often tedious, steps leading up to it. Wong stresses the importance of recognising that a visible breakout moment is typically the culmination rather than the start of a lengthy effort.
Reporting based on coverage first published by bbc.co.uk.