Entrepreneurship 101
While organising the internship programme , Link’s team came across a successful entrepreneur who happens to be connected to us. Anthony So is the co-founder of human resources consultancy OnGrad and a former Link intern from the summer 2013 cohort. He moderate at the Leaders Forum of Link’s summer internship programme this year.
Anthony graduated with first-class honours from Lingnan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in Marketing and International Business, Economics. During his second-to-last summer in university, Anthony chose to intern at Link. “I thought it would be fun to work in the real estate business, since the asset types are so wide-ranging, encompassing residences, shopping malls, hotels and even fresh markets.
“On my first day of work, I was filled with excitement knowing I would assist with the reopening of Sheung Tak Market (now known as Spot Mart). Our team of six nailed the job under the leadership of our portfolio manager. On my last day of the internship, I felt so satisfying receiving fruits from fresh market vendors as gratitude.”
Be bold and start a second career
In 2015, Anthony and two other co-founders launched OnGrad, which started as a Facebook page before growing into a career planning and information hub for job-seeking graduates. OnGrad consolidates and shares application information of management trainee programmes, interview tips and basic workplace etiquette – such as what “smart casual” actually means. OnGrad’s initial growth – including a spike in followers and a surge in the number of OnGrad trainees successfully admitted into management trainee programmes – convinced Anthony to quit his stable full-time job and devote all his time to OnGrad.
Anthony’s determination is matched by his resourcefulness, as he believes in cultivating a number of different skills and passions as part of a career development plan. “I believe pursuing different hobbies is crucial in order to thrive in a diverse society. Only sticking to a single vocational skill is not enough.
“During my junior years in secondary school, I had an insatiable desire to interact with people, which led me to organise a music concert for ethnic minorities in Yuen Long district. It was really memorable and helpful in building my character, as I had to communicate with different people in English and Putonghua.”
Shall we talk?
“Every day I crawl out of bed and I immediately begin thinking about what I should do to pay the rent and my colleagues’ salary, as well as how to expand our business,” said Anthony. When it comes to mitigating these pressures, Anthony finds it helpful to share his problems with others. “If I just say things out loud to the people I care for, they reassure me that everything will be better even though there are no immediate solutions.”
However, Anthony also cherishes the pressures that accompany being an entrepreneur. He knows there is no perfect recipe for success, nor is there a supervisor offering immediate guidance. Anthony relies on his vigilance and maintaining an agile mind. “Despite the various pressures of owning a business, being able to act on my ideas and spread my wings independently within my own start-up is irreplaceable.”
About OnGrad
OnGrad offers (1) corporate consultancy services on innovative hiring solutions and employee branding and (2) a discussion platform for graduates entering the workforce to share and learn about tips on job hunting and industry knowledge. The company has eight full-time employees and its annual turnover is in the millions of dollars.
