Underdog Founders - Chris went all-in on digital content before we had smartphones.
Could you build an online brand when everyone just wants magazines?
Chris knew she wanted to be her own boss from a young age.
Growing up in the farmlands of Australia, wealth was counted in moments, not dollars.
Moments can't pay the bills, so Chris focused on her studies. Armed with a commerce and marketing degree, she landed her first job in Sydney.
Sydney was fun, but the work less so.
There is a time for everything, so Chris picked up her backpack and travelled Europe until her cash ran out.
Back in Australia, she landed a Marketing Director role with the Australian franchise of Krispy Kreme.
“I made some big mistakes, but I learned a lot.”
Shackled by golden handcuffs, her husband suggested they move to Singapore and start a new chapter.
Marketing in Asia was a different cup of tea.
Chris, center.
While struggling to find her footing, a friend called and asked her to join a new digital startup that was building websites and monetizing them like magazines.
The year was 2007, and this was cutting-edge.
Shortly after, her husband saw a similar concept of a lifestyle website that shared a daily list of cool things to do in your city.
“This is what we need in Singapore,” he told Chris.
SG has a lot going on, but it isn’t always easy to get plugged in.
The idea of Honeycombers was hatched: Chris and three co-founders made it official.
At the end of 2008, morale was high. They published their first piece of content.
Within 6 months, Chris was the only founder left.
Chris knew that the digital trend would continue, but print was still king. She didn't know how long it would take, nor how big it could get.
Chris focused on creating really good content and allowed time to pass.
SEO and WordPress were foreign languages she became fluent in.
Her first intern turned into her first employee, which turned into 14 employees.
But things weren’t always sweet.
As Chris was driving into the office 2 weeks after giving birth, one of her best mates called to congratulate her.
Her friend asked her what she was up to.
“What the heck are you driving into the office for? You have a two-week-old baby!”
Sleep-deprived and exhausted, Chris knew that she didn’t want to be going to work. Hearing it landed differently.
Speechless, Chris hung up, pulled over, and called her husband.
“Don’t go in,” he said.
But if she didn’t go in, no one would get paid.
Chris was patient, once again.
As readership grew, so did Honeycombers:
Hit their first million, then the 3-million mark.
Expanded beyond SG, including Bali and HK.
Launched new verticals, opening up HoneyKids and LaunchPad.
Honeycombers redefined how SG, Bali, and HK folks connected to the region, and proved the financial viability of online-first media.
Because Chris followed her gut and took a patient bet on a trend.
If you love startups, check out Launchpad - a platform to help founders thrive.
Underdog Founders 20 - Chris Edwards from Honeycombers.
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