Delphine: I came to Hong Kong with ambition and full of curiosity to explore a new opportunity in a fascinating city. I’ve always been very interested in learning about new cultures and Hong Kong really opened my eyes. I saw a gap that I needed to fill in the Fashion Industry in Hong Kong, and that was my motivation to start OnTheList in Hong Kong in 2016, a pioneering concept of Members-Only Flash Sales offline and online, offering members an exclusive access to flash sales with luxury brands. OnTheList originally started in Hong Kong in 2016, and since then, we have expanded to Singapore, Taipei, and Shanghai.
 
 
How has the company over the past 4 years?

OnTheList has grown tremendously in the past 4 years. We have expanded to Singapore, Taipei and Shanghai. We are exploring further ways to introduce a more sustainable way of shopping to our members, and we have also increased the number of brands that we have worked with. We have grown so much as a company and a team, but there is still so much more we can do.
 
 
I know you are both very involved in Entrepreneurs networking groups and are also always keen to participate to retail groups and conferences: why is it important for you to be out there, discuss with other like-minded entrepreneurs and share your experience?
It’s very important to share ideas and suggestions from people who are going through a similar path you are. You never know what information you might share or learn when you participate in events with like-minded people. Another person’s journey can teach you so much on how you can handle a situation in the future.
 
 
What would you say have been the biggest challenge in your entrepreneurial journey?
Delphine: making sure to make the right decisions that will benefit my customers and also my team. 

Starting a new business is not easy, so you have to make sure the people you work with trust what you are doing.
 
 
And the greatest reward?
Being able to work with such a diversity of brands, having so many members, and seeing the team grows.



Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan: what are the specificities of each market? How is it like to replicate a business model in countries where consumers do not have the same consumption habits? Did you have to make some adjustments to your model in order to adapt one (or some) of those different markets?
Indeed, for each country we are in, we can observe different spending habits and this is definitely something we have to address.  We have made some adjustments per country such as the brands we are working with or the frequency of the flash sales but one thing we will never deviate from is our mission to make shopping more sustainable.
 
 
Are you thinking of expanding to more countries?
Yes! There is always more room to grow!
 
 
What does a typical day in your life looks like those days?
Meeting, meetings, meetings: with brands to explore working together or to follow-up on previous collaborations and with the team.
 
 
What are your favourite places in Hong Kong for:

A shopping spree: OnTheList, of course!

A brunch w/ friends: Limewood in Repulse Bay (Rediscover our interview of Malcolm, GM and Culinary Director at Maximal Concepts, the FnB group behind Limewood) and Zuma for special occasions

A romantic night out: La Petite Maison (Rediscover our review of La Petite Maison)

A business lunch: The Foreign Correspondent Club where we are members

A crazy night out: Pastis (Rediscover our interview of Jerome and Olivier, Founders of Pastis Group), Salon Ten, Cassio

 
 
 




 

I’m 27 and have been living in Asia for 5 years now. My heart fall for Asia back in 2014 when I was studying in Shanghai and I decided to move to Hong Kong right after finishing my master. I spent 5 years in Hong Kong then moved to Singapore last year, in 2019. 
 
My first job in Hong Kong was in the food delivery industry which was booming at the time. I loved it: the customer relationship, the partner relationship, the business development part … I also quickly noticed that there was a gap in the market and no-company to fill that gap: nobody was delivering breakfast back at that time. I had always wanted to launch my own company one day and decided to take this opportunity and launch Le Petit Croissant. 
 
Basically, we are a French breakfast delivery company. Buttery pastries, fresh bread, fresh fruits, fresh pressed juices, coffee, muffins … name it, we have it. 
 
 
Is the French identity of your brand something important for you?

Yes, it is. Most of the ingredients we use are from France. I am French myself and it is important for me to infuse my brand with my own identity and also be an ambassador of French gastronomy. I also feel that most people think of French gastronomy as one of the best in the world in terms of products and service and it fits what I’m trying to achieve with Le Petit Croissant: always delivering the best. 
 
 
Is there an item that is not yet on your menu but you’d like to offer at some point?
A Cruffin! It’s basically a mix between a croissant and a muffin. It’s absolutely not recommended if you are on a diet but god it’s so good.
 
 
Who are your clients?
We have both private and corporate clients. Corporate clients represent the most significant percentage of the clients base and are ordering Le Petit Croissant for their meetings, birthday gatherings … We serve most of the big financial corporations but also more and more companies from the tech industry and coworking spaces. Our private clients mainly order on weekends when they want to enjoy a nice brunch at home with their family. 
 
 
What would you say has been your biggest challenge being an entrepreneur so far?

Being the one, and the only one, to take all the major decisions in terms of recruitments, investments strategy … It’s actually still a challenge but I receive great support from my family and I have also gained a lot of business experience over the past 5 years. Today, I’m not as stressed as I used to be and I’m definitely better at putting things into perspective and also delegate to my team. 
 
 
And the greatest reward?
I absolutely love it when I find out someone have heard about Le Petit Croissant in another country. Getting the name of my brand out there is so rewarding. 

Something I’m also very proud of is to have built a team of 9 people and have passed my desire to do our best onto them.
 
 
You first launched Le Petit Croissant in Hong Kong then moved to Singapore last year. Are there any major differences between the two markets?
Not really. I would say the main difference is that Singapore’s market today is way more competitive than the Hong Kong’s one was three years ago but it’s because the food delivery industry has changed a lot over the past few years. Back in 2017, Le Petit Croissant was the only company offering breakfast delivery that early in the morning in Hong Kong. One big difference though, when working in the FnB industry, is that many people require halal food in Singapore when practically nobody does in Hong Kong.
 
 
Are you thinking of expanding to more countries?
I’ve been thinking about opening in Kuala Lumpur for a few months now. It’s just an hour flight from Singapore so that would be quite easy for me to run the business from here. I also have other cities in mind but not Asian ones. 
 
 
One last question, how is the coronavirus outbreak impacting your business?
It’s impacting it quite badly. The situation now is way worse than it was during the protests in Hong Kong. The thing is most people now work from home, so companies do not organize meetings and gatherings anymore and therefore do not order Le Petit Croissant anymore. But was I found the scariest is having no visibility at all on if and when the crisis will end. 
 
 


 

by Aude Camus 
 
Flexibility … that’s both the best and the worst part of being an entrepreneur. The worst because it often ends-up that being flexible means 1. Never really disconnecting (I honestly can’t remember the last time I went on a holiday and didn’t check my mails) and 2. Working from dawn till dusk. But flexibility also means that if you need to take a two-hour break in the middle of the day you can because you are the one to decide how you organize your schedule. Oh and of course, the best part of it, is that you can basically work from wherever you want in the world (as long as the internet isn’t too bad). This last thing is probably one of the things I love the most about my job, being able to do it while satisfying my appetite for travel! 
 
Speaking of one’s appetite for travel, I recently sat down for coffee with Camille Gayraud who decided, few years ago, to make a living out of her passion and launched Voyagez Futé. 

Hi Camille, thanks so much for having coffee with me today. Let’s start with a bit more info about yourself. Who are you? When and how did you first arrived in Hong Kong? How and why did you launched Voyagez Futé? 
I was born and raised in the North of France where I also got my Bachelor of Business. Following this Bachelor, I was supposed to go for a Master degree until I got drunk one night and decided to book flight tickets and go on a one year adventure in Australia with two of my friends. They have been planning this trip for months and I just decided to join on a sudden impulse. I don’t think I can ever forget the look on my parents’ faces when I told them I wasn’t going back to university but instead will be spending a year traveling Australia in a van with two male friends. Priceless I would say. But that gives you an idea on what a travel addict I am, and already was. 
 
So back in 2011, I was lucky enough to spend few epic months between Australia and Asia. As expected, this year turned out to be the best year ever. I was hooked with the travel virus. And once back in France, people were asking me for my traveling tips. I did start to help friends organizing their trips and it quickly grows with people I didn’t know contacting me for traveling tips. 
 
Not to mention this year abroad also had me grow a lot as a person. I always have had in mind that I will launch my own business somedays, but this experience made me realize somedays would be sooner than what I thought. Sorry Mum and Dad but no Master Degree for me. Instead, I applied for an Entrepreneurship Program at Pole Emploi (editor’s note: French governmental agency which registers unemployed people, helps them find jobs and provides them with financial aid) and spent several months working on my ideas – I wanted to turn my passion for travel into a job - and business plan together with professionals, who were all 100% sure my business was going to fail. Et voilà: Voyagez Futé was born. 
 
So here I am, in 2012 living in France, longing to go on my next adventure but broke and saving all my money to launch my business. And bam, love at first sight! It wasn’t part of the plan at all but I followed him to Sweden and Norway, where he was studying, and then to Hong Kong where he was only supposed to stay for 6 months. 6 years later here we are, still in Hong Kong and celebrating 3 years of being happily married. The only things that haven’t changed is that I am still a backpacker at heart and always have tons of projects in sight. 
 
 
Can you better explain what is Voyagez Futé? 
Voyagez Futé is both a platform for me to share travel inspo and tips and a service to help you plan your holidays. 

Some people just don’t like organizing holidays, other simply don’t have time for it. I am here to help you save time, and money, by curating the best possible trip based on your budget, personal tastes and expectations. I am basically handling all the researches for you and providing you with a complete itinerary (including transportations and accommodations) maximizing (and as much as possible lowering) your budget. It is then up to you to decide, or not, to book activities, transportations, accommodations I found for you (I am of course also providing all the booking links).  I am basically your travel best friend! 
 
 
I kind of understand that you have always loved traveling. What is the first travel you did and can remember?
My mother was a teacher and she took us all over France when we were kids so that we could explore the cultural wonders of our country. Museums, castles … I’ve visited many of them! But a very memorable trip is the first one I took abroad by myself (well actually with my best friend). I just turned 18 and we embarked on an amazing road trip from Milano to Cinque Terre, Pise, Florence, the Northern Lakes and Verone. 
 
 
What is your most memorable adventure so far?
The year I spent traveling Australia definitely. I can’t really explain but I just felt like I was where I was supposed to be living with my two friends in a van at the other end of the world. I will always cherish this trip because it made me the adult that I am today, both personally and professionally.  
                                     
 
And your worst travel experience so far?
My honeymoon very unfortunately! We were stocked in Kuala Lumpur for 19h, sleeping on the floor and left only with burger coupons but neither hotel rooms nor shower. Such a sexy and romantic escape! It felt like every minute was an hour and I couldn’t see an end to this nightmare. Not to mention I had booked the most magical place ever in Sri Lanka months before and I was so frustrated missing a night and day there. 
 
 
Is there one place on earth you could go back and back and back without ever getting tired of it (except from France)? 

Bali! I just wish I could live in Bali. Landscape, people, food, shopping, culture … I just love absolutely everything on the island of Gods.  
 
 
What would you say is your biggest challenge running your own business?

Staying on top all the time and making sure people always think about me. I am lucky that I was the first one doing what I am doing and, even though many bloggers are now doing it, I’ll always be a step ahead. My community is quite big, but I have to make sure and stay active, be present on social medias every day. My biggest fear definitely is to see a large company launching the same service (with obviously more financial means that I have). 
                  
 
And the greatest reward?

My community. It almost feels like we are family. This support is my greatest reward. 
 
 
Any further developments in mind for Voyagez Futé?
I am currently working on technical improvements. And ideally, I’d love to be able to grow the team in the future. I am currently working with 2 freelancers and I’d love for us to grow together into the Airbnb of travel planning … Dream big they say! 
 
And because I’m a hyperactive and always have new business ideas, I just launched my latest baby: My Wanderlust Box. I’ve always wanted to have a product-oriented company because Voyagez Futé is more on the service side of business. Once again, I’ve been inspired by my passion for travel and have partnered with my best friend here in Hong Kong – Anne Mar Corrion – to create a map of the world on a chalkboard vinyl sticker that people can customize (flags, pins, photos …) to keep their travel memories alive. 
 
 
Last but not list and because you are the travel expert, would you share your fav Asian destinations for:

A foodie trip: Thailand obviously … just because Thai food is amazing 

A short and easy weekend gateway: Hoi An in Vietnam, the flight from Hong Kong to Danang isn’t even two hours

A girls trip: I recently went to Cebu for a bachelorette and it was perfect – beach club, massage, boat trip … everything you expect from such a trip. 

A romantic escape: Bali is my favorite place on earth and it is also the place where my husband proposed 

 

Working from home or from coffee shops around town, I have to admit to be often high on caffeine or theine. I am trying quite hard to quit this bad habit and have therefore been looking for tasty substitutes and think I found a pretty good one: Tisarôm, a collection of herbal teas based on plants, flowers and fruits directly sourced from organic French fields. I know what you are gonna say … herbal tea isn’t really sexy and is something you usually drink before going to bed. Well, not anymore. Eloise, the founder of the brand, has developed a collection of four different recipes which you can enjoy through the day based on your taste, needs and activities. Not to mention the quite beautiful packaging. It’s French, homemade, sexy and yummy. What else do you need? 
 
Hong Kong Madame’s fav: Digesteave, a quite unique blend of olive tree leaves (giving it a very distinctive taste) balanced by citrus, pepper and lemon grass. Not only does this one tastes good, it is also a winning ally to help balance the inner system. 
 

HKD 125 for 14 biodegrable individual herbal tea bags
Order online



#2
My Wanderlust Box is having us traveling the world 

Who doesn’t love collecting memories of his/her adventures around the world? Traveling is just one of the things I love the most on earth and there’s nothing quite like remembering a sweet adventure I had or thinking about my next destination to put me in a good mood. And of course, I also love meeting like-minded people just like Camille, travel addict and founder of Voyagez Futé, whose daily mission is to help you organize your custom-made holidays while saving money. Camille has been traveling the world for more than 12 years and is now living in Hong Kong and it is therefore no surprise that she does have a lot of travel memories to cherish and remember. Together with her friend, Anne Mar, they just launched My Wanderlust Box: a world map which you can endlessly customized in order to always have your past and upcoming travel in sight. Stick it on your wall, pin it, add notes to it … the world is your playground.
 
 
Order online
EUR 39,90 for the map (90 x 60 cm) / from EUR 2,90 for accessories 
 
 
 
#3
The Little Prince inspires Bombshell to create three sweets “Flying to my dream” smash cakes

Did you know that The Little Prince was the second most translated book ever on earth after the Bible? Making it one of the most popular novels of all time and inspiring joy to people all over the world. Hong Kong celebrated patisserie brand Bombshell is paying tribute to the iconic book by creating three beautiful masterpieces inspired by the novel’s three main themes: Love, Hope and Friendship. Each of the piece hides a sweet little secret and you will have to use the Magic Roller to crash the chocolate shell and enjoy a smash celebration of candies, cakes and chocolate. 
 
 
Order online
Available until the end of December
From HKD 2,088 for a 7’’ cake to HKD 2,888 for 11’’
 
 
 
 
#4
Tiffany Hong Kong opens Asia’s first Tiffany Blue Box Café

Who’s in for a Breakfast at Tiffany’s? We are! Starting from mid-October, Tiffany’s brand-new flagship on Peking Road will welcome guests in the Asia’s first Tiffany Blue Box Café serving all-day brunch and afternoon-tea. Who doesn’t like a diamond with his croissant? 
 
Opening on October 13
One Peking Road – TST 
 
 
#5
LUÜNA naturals launches subscription chemical-free period care service 

It’s no secret anymore that traditional menstrual health products are loaded with chemicals. Viscose, polyester, toxic pesticides, bleach, chlorine … do we really want to put those inside our vaginas? Local brand LUÜNA offers nasty-free menstrual health products to help you keep your body safe. 
 
In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint but also offers personalized solutions to all the women out there, because not to periods are the same, LUÜNA just launched its period subscription service with packages being delivered to your door every 3 months. All you have to do is choose your package from flexible combinations of Organic Regular or Super absorbency Tampons as well as Organic Cotton Pads and Organic Cotton Liners.
 
Subscriptions online for 3, 6 or 12 months
HKD 360 for 3 months (HKD 120/month)






 

Hi Julien. Thanks for meeting me today (and thanks for the yummy treat!). Would you give me a bit more info about you? Who are you, how and when did you move to Hong Kong and why did you launch Le Dessert? 
I am 37 and I moved to Hong Kong 2.5 years ago. I wasn’t at all in the FnB industry before but was working as Marketing Director for Withings, a company designing connected devices. The company was bought by Nokia which gave me an opportunity to move here to Hong Kong. But only after a few months, I decided to launch my own company willing to bring some fresh air to the French pastry scene here in Hong Kong. 
 
 
Why launching a pastry brand? 
I come from Burgundy and the love for good food runs in my blood. During my first few months in town, I did notice locals do love a good meal too and I also noticed they are quite keen on buying cakes. Think about it, you even find cake shops in the MTR. The thing is, the sweet offer in Hong Kong isn’t really exciting. Most of the cakes are just basic sponge cakes, sometimes with a few layers of cream, very often industrially baked. As for French pastries, it seems you can only find them in luxury hotels whereas in France, yummy pastries are to be found at every street corner. I saw it as an opportunity for me to try and bring something new, something fresh, to Hong Kong.
 
 
Is the French identity of the brand important to you?

Definitely. Our name is French (but what’s great is that people understand right away what it is all about). Our ingredients are French. Not because we want to be posh or anything but just because some French ingredients just don’t have any equivalent: take our cream, there’s no other cream which can be whipped like that still keeping a light as air texture. 

Our marketing is also quite French. But we also insist on reminding people that the brand was born here in Hong Kong and that we did not just brought over something from France. 
 

You currently have one signature dessert – the Pavlova – are you planning on further expanding the range? 
Yes. This is also why our name is Le Dessert because it gives us some flexibility. But we first wanted to focus on one dessert and make sure to do it perfectly. Pavlova wasn’t the first idea I had in mind, I actually wanted to do a Merveilleux but this one is very niche, even for French people, and I was afraid it would be too sweet for the local taste. We finally decided to go for the Pavlova which is also kind of a niche dessert but a bit more known, especially because it is also quite easy to find in Australia and New-Zealand.

It looks like a very simple dessert from the outside but it is definitely not an easy one to master: the meringue has to be crunchy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside and you also have to make sure the quality is the same each and every day (humidity definitely also adds a challenge). I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Alexis (editor’s note: Alexis Watrin is Julien’s business partner and a French pastry chef).
 
 
What other French dessert would you be keen on bringing to Hong Kong?
I’m thinking of a Millefeuille maybe. What’s important is to always make sure we can bring a modern twist to it. 
 
 
Your desserts are very eye-catching … do you see it as a must in a world powered by Instagram? 

Absolutely. We definitely wanted our products to look good on social media. And not only the final product, this is why we are finishing off our products in front of the customers, adding the cream and fruits at the very last minute. We want people to be intrigued and take videos and pictures. One thing though is you can’t only think about the look of your products, if you tease people you also have to make sure the taste is good. it is quite often that people buy a dessert based on its look but find the taste very disappointing and this is a no go for me. 
 
 
What would you say has been the most challenging, so far, running your business here in Hong Kong?
The first challenge was to find the right product. Another challenge is to stay agile and be able to cope with very demanding consumers. Hong Kong is such a competitive city; you can’t never rest and always have to think about “what am I doing next?”. 
 
 
And the most rewarding?

I love it whenever we received an order for a “celebration cake” because we mainly focus on our individual desserts and do not really advertise our big ones so I’m always pleasantly surprised when people order one. 
 
 
Who are your clients?
Mainly local people, I guess it’s because of our location in this mall. You have the people who are here to shop or who are just passing by, they spot us and see it as an opportunity to have a little break. You also have people working in the offices around and having a birthday party, a farewell or whatever else to celebrate. And you have people who come because they need to take a dessert home, for example because they are hosting a dinner. We also do catering for brands. 

This is actually how we started, before having the shop, as I first wanted to test our product and see if people liked it. We are lucky to work with some very cool brands, mostly in the fashion industry. 
 
 
What are the next steps?
We are pretty open in terms of what to do next as long as it is French, Fluffy and Fresh.

We just launched our first sandwiches because they are many people passing by at lunch time and we wanted to attract them. Our sandwich is French, made with Comté cheese, fresh and fluffy because it comes in a donut bread. I am definitely working on expanding our offering, also interested in doing more catering and working hard on this first counter to be successful. Then, maybe, we will think about opening other shops. 
 
 
 
Le Dessert, Pastry Bar & Shop
Shop No.C01aa, 1/F., Queensway Plaza, 93 Queensway – Admiralty