Making It Work with Jess Chow and Sunny Fong – April 6, 2021

Apr 6, 2021

Sunny Fong and Jess Chow talk about the importance of a healthy co-founder relationship, curiosity, and creativity in entrepreneurship. They discuss blending luxury and creativity in watch design, navigating challenges during product launches, the significance of the brand name 'Viren', strategies for brand expansion, and the entrepreneurial journey through listening and mentoring.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Embracing Curiosity, Trusting Instincts, and Teamwork in Watch Design

03:16 • 12min

Navigating Product Launch Challenges in the Pandemic Era

14:47 • 4min

The Meaning and Significance of the Brand Name 'Viren'

19:06 • 5min

Exploring Sleek Canadian Brands and International Expansion Strategies

24:15 • 2min

Strategies for Brand Expansion and Business Growth in Watchmaking Industry

25:51 • 16min

Exploring the Entrepreneurial Journey Through Listening, Mentoring, and Giving Back

41:51 • 5min

Entrepreneurship is infamously difficult – with hard decisions, stressful deals, and many nerve wracking unknowns around each corner. Sunny Fong and Jess Chow, Co-Founders of VIEREN, think the key to making it work is a healthy co-founder relationship, unwavering curiosity, and having a creative edge.

Jess Chow launched VIEREN as a love letter to her family, celebrating more than 40 years of luxury watchmaking. Growing up, she was immersed in watches and travelled often to watch factories around the world with her parents. She never thought she would get into the business back then. Instead, she focused her career on business strategy in Toronto. After a decade as a Management Consultant advising brands, she was ready to follow her passions for entrepreneurship and build a brand of her own. With time in focus, Jess saw an opportunity to create something special when she met Sunny.

Sunny Fong, Project Runway All Star & winner of Project Runway Canada, is driving the creative vision. His womenswear label, VAWK, has received International acclaim and has been seen on the red carpets of the Cannes International Film Festival, the People’s Choice Awards, and the Oscars. After nearly two decades in fashion, Sunny was inspired to venture into watch design after meeting Jess.

Sunny approaches designing for VIEREN like he would a runway collection – by focusing on structure, texture, and details. He had a vision, but translating his signature style from garments to gears was challenging, so he flew to Switzerland to work directly with the watchmaking team on our launch collection.

“I only know what I know, so as an entrepreneur it’s important to have a network that gives you actionable advice and makes you feel good – we are still just human after all.”

In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Sunny and Jess discuss their co-founder relationship, the benefits of curiosity and creativity, and the launch of VIEREN.

The post Making It Work with Jess Chow and Sunny Fong – April 6, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.