Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Helen Huang, Co-Founder of Co.Lab, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My Co-Founder Sefunmi and I are building Co.Lab, an online school focusing on helping learners gain real-world tech experience beyond the theory. Our students are predominantly career switchers looking to pivot into tech - into roles such as Product Management, UX/UI Design, and Software Engineering.

But there's a twist! We do not teach students the theory of how to code or how to design. Instead, we help them work in cross-functional teams to ship products. This effectively simulates a real-world scenario and builds their job readiness skills, paired with industry mentorship. The vision is to bridge the gap between traditional tech education paths today and the workplace environment - while being accessible to all.

Tell us about yourself

As a first-generation Chinese-Canadian, I went into earth sciences in college before deciding that I wanted to pivot into tech - which was an extremely difficult undertaking. Dealing with imposter syndrome and the catch-22 of “you need the job to get the job” is something that all new job searchers come to combat. That's especially the case for someone looking to break into tech from a non-traditional background.

After countless people asked me how I made the pivot, I thought about the different paths into the industry today. I had a personal belief that learning by doing is the best way to learn anything... and why should tech be any different? Collaboration and communication are key skills to have in any field. And that's how Co.Lab came to be!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Co.Lab was started over a year ago, and my biggest accomplishment is when we hit the 25M dollar mark in cumulative annual earnings for our students after they successfully pivoted into the industry. I truly believe that there's an immense value when it comes to thought diversity in tech, so to be able to help learners build towards something meaningful that changes both their lives and the lives of their families are really heartwarming for me.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

It's hard to turn things off mentally, and weekends might not mean what they did before, haha! I'm grateful that we've been able to grow our team to a point where it doesn't feel like I'm the only point of failure. Getting to that point, though... it's very difficult!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Grow and do things at the pace you want to.
  2. Everyone will always have an opinion, and it's fair to listen, but remember to trust in your instincts too.
  3. Things will never go perfectly the first time, so keep persevering, and you will make it!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I also run a side web3 project called Solana Portraits! It's fun to sometimes take a break from Co.Lab, switch gears and get those creative juices going again.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.joincolab.io/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyohelen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyohelen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyohelen/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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