Helina Fan, Founder and CEO of Redmint, began her career with a solid foundation in finance and accounting before transitioning into the world of entrepreneurship. An immigrant from China, she first experienced the entrepreneurial environment through her husband’s fast-growing real estate business. With a passion for holistic and natural health remedies, Helina pursued a doctorate in Chinese medicine, subsequently founding Redmint, a unique holistic wellness center in San Francisco. She bravely opened Redmint’s doors at the onset of the pandemic, focusing on traditional Chinese medicine as a wellness solution.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [1:45] Helina Fan shares her cultural perspective on career stability growing up in China
- [2:26] Helina’s unexpected entry into entrepreneurship
- [3:11] Why Helina’s finance expertise was critical during her husband’s company growth
- [3:43] How the 2008 financial crisis served as a growth catalyst for the real estate business
- [5:51] Helina’s health challenges and turn toward holistic remedies
- [7:39] The potential of traditional Chinese medicine beyond hospital treatments
- [8:21] The drive and sacrifice behind pursuing a doctorate while starting a business
- [10:38] Helina talks about opening Redmint amidst the global upheaval of the pandemic
- [11:41] Adapting Redmint’s business model due to pandemic-induced constraints on products
In this episode…
How can personal health challenges inspire a revolutionary approach to self-care? What does it take to transform a passion for holistic wellness into a thriving business?
According to Helina Fan, a passionate advocate for holistic health, the key lies in creating accessible and appealing wellness solutions. She highlights the importance of blending traditional Chinese medicine with modern spa services to make holistic health more inviting. This innovative approach led her to introduce herbal lattes, a concept designed to make herbal medicine more palatable and approachable, resembling the experience of a coffee bar. Despite launching Redmint amidst the pandemic, Helina’s commitment to quality and her vision for holistic health resonated with many, resulting in rapid business growth and a loyal customer base.
In this episode, host John Corcoran sits down with Helina Fan, Founder and CEO of Redmint, to discuss her mission to redefine self-care. They talk about her journey from corporate finance to launching Redmint, overcoming the business challenges brought on by the pandemic, and her ambitious plans for global expansion.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- EO San Francisco
- EO Accelerator
- Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)
- John Corcoran on LinkedIn
- Rise25
- Helina Fan on LinkedIn
- Redmint
Quotable Moments:
- “Being in the Big Four, you’re already working like 15-hour days, but jumping into entrepreneurship is even more work.”
- “Everyone around me said it’s a crazy idea to open a holistic wellness center, but I went ahead based on my feeling there is a need.”
- “Our herbal lattes use the concept of coffee making to create drinks that are not only delicious but offer medicinal benefits.”
- “From zero members to over 500 members in just a couple of years, it shows our service is fulfilling a demand.”
- “Holistic wellness centers should be in every major metropolitan city of the world because every high achiever needs it.”
Action Steps:
- Explore Traditional Wellness Approaches: Helina found healing through traditional Chinese medicine; similarly, individuals can improve wellness by investigating time-tested health practices.
- Embrace Entrepreneurial Opportunities: Jumping into entrepreneurship like Helina can be a means to pursue passions and address market gaps, ultimately benefiting personal growth.
- Focus on Holistic Solutions: Just as Redmint integrates holistic remedies and modern aesthetics, aiming for complete wellness solutions can be more effective than quick fixes.
- Seek Education for Credibility: Helina enhanced her credibility by pursuing a doctorate, showing the value of education in grounding one’s business in expertise.
- Build a Supportive Network: Helina’s involvement in EO illustrates the importance of engaging with peer networks for guidance and support in uncertain business landscapes.
Sponsor for this episode…
EO San Francisco
This episode is brought to you by EO San Francisco.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 14,000+ influential business owners with 198 chapters in 61 countries.
If you are the founder, co-founder, owner, or controlling shareholder of a company generating over $1 million a year in revenues, and want to connect with other like-minded successful entrepreneurs, EO is for you.
The EO San Francisco chapter enables leading entrepreneurs in the Bay area to learn, grow, and achieve greater success.
The EOSF chapter was founded in 1991, and today we have over 100 members in industries ranging from marketing to agriculture to tech and professional services.
To learn how it works, or to come do a test drive come join us at www.eosf.org.
This episode is also brought to you by my company, Pacific Crest Group.
Pacific Crest Group provides outsourced CFO, Controller, and bookkeeping services. You can learn more about us at https://www.pcg-services.com/
Rise 25
At Rise25, we’re committed to helping you connect with your Dream 100 referral partners, clients, and strategic partners through our done-for-you podcast solution.
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Co-founders Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran credit podcasting as being the best thing they have ever done for their businesses. Podcasting connected them with the founders/CEOs of P90x, Atari, Einstein Bagels, Mattel, Rx Bars, YPO, EO, Lending Tree, Freshdesk, and many more.
The relationships you form through podcasting run deep. Jeremy and John became business partners through podcasting. They have even gone on family vacations and attended weddings of guests who have been on the podcast.
Podcast production has a lot of moving parts and is a big commitment on our end; we only want to work with people who are committed to their business and to cultivating amazing relationships.
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Rise25 Co-founders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.