Read our students' stories that start from the CUHK and go further beyond.

“I never once thought about failure,” Ashley Chan says with an air of confidence. The founder of superfood company Blendit is petite, but she is energetic and spry. At work, she always goes an extra mile, and she never hesitates to voice her opinions with confidence. A young entrepreneur, Ashley has grown her business from a tiny booth at weekend markets to a small bakery in Tai Kok Tsui, and to the flagship store in Prince Edwards today. Her passion and perseverance have been an inspiration for the people around her, and these qualities have helped make her entrepreneurial dream come true. 

A few years ago when she had to choose her degree subject at university, Ashley picked accounting as she achieved a “5**” grade in accounting for her Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). Eventually she was enrolled in CUHK’s Accounting programme. But as it turned out, she is not keen to be an accountant, even though it is deemed an ideal profession by many because of the stability it brings. She recalls, “I had interned at an audit firm, but as soon as I experienced how monotonous an accountant’s typical day could be, I came to realise an accountant’s career was not for me. I’d rather pursue my dreams whilst I am still young.” 

Her dreams have nothing to do with the corporate world. Going in and out of the audit firm during those days, the free-spirited woman became determined to venture into a different realm.

Ashley founded Blendit when she was still a university student. She took over a bagel factory and saw great potential in the superfood market, which at the time was still new in Hong Kong. Yet just as she was about to kickstart her business, she realised her busy study schedule could hardly accommodate her entrepreneurial plans. Nonetheless, nothing could stop her - she boldly took one year off from her studies to focus on launching the business, despite having practically no resources other than the scholarship she won from an entrepreneurship competition at CUHK. 

The beginning of her venture was not all smooth sailing. Apart from a lack of capital, having no experience and no connection in the industry was a big hurdle for the young entrepreneur. Knowing Ashley was having a hard time building the business from scratch, her dormmates at Chung Chi College offered her a helping hand. They teased her for having made an impulsive decision, but this bunch of girlfriends also went out of their way to help her with a variety of physical tasks, including carrying logs of wood and tools, building shelves, and delivering products in and out of Blendit’s factory in Fo Tan. Her friendship with the dormmates, who have stayed with her through thick and thin, has been the most important part of Ashley’s youth. On the day her shop opened, Ashley was moved when thinking about how she had come a long way with the unwavering support of her friends for her business. She says, “CUHKers are genuine - they don’t mind going an extra mile for their friends. This kind of genuine relationship is one of the biggest gifts CUHK has given me.” 

Travelling between Blendit’s factory and retail store every day, Ashley is left with little leisure time. Whenever she has a spare moment, she ponders how to improve her business. Academically, it had been a struggle, too. Determined to balance her studies and business, there was a time when she had to work from dawn till midnight every day. Fortunately, the CUHK system helped ease her pressure. She explains, “The University stipulates that students must complete their studies within six years, so I requested a year-long extension in order to make time for my business. CUHK has really given me a lot of freedom to pursue my goals.” 

Despite the huge challenge of juggling between her studies and work when she was still studying at CUHK, the last thing on her mind was giving up. For her, there is no such thing as regrets, and it is probably this conviction that is the key to her success today. She says with resolve, “You never lose. You either win or learn.”