11 days into building The House of HUI: 6 honest lessons from the early days

I'm writing this on a Saturday morning, sitting in baby Dali's playpen at my bestie Pia’s place. He's 11 months old, babbling away with his toys while I type. It's day 11 of The House of HUI, and I'm feeling... a lot of things.

Excitement. Terror. Uncertainty. Determination.

If you're building something from scratch, you probably know this cocktail of emotions well.

Here’s what these first 11 days have taught me.

Lesson 1: You don't need all your ducks in a row

I had this whole plan. Website goes live on launch day. Everything polished. Everything perfect.

Then domain porting issues happened. My website didn't go live when I wanted it to. And I spiraled.

"People are going to think I can't even launch a website properly. How can I help them with their personal branding?" GASP!

But here's the thing: I launched anyway. ACRA registration? Done. Business bank account? Check. Most importantly? I have me. My expertise, experience and an innate ability to help people clarify their brand and show up with intention.

I realised I was the real MVP (“Minimal Viable Product” but I will take “Most Valued Player” too haha) here and it brought a smile to my face (and a quick sigh of relief!).

Launching doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you're ready to start. And sometimes, you just have to trust that you are.


Lesson 2: Pricing yourself is a mirror

I sent out my first proposal recently. Before hitting send, I second-guessed my pricing at least five times.

"Is this too much? Will they think I'm overcharging? Maybe I should lower it..."

But then I caught myself. This wasn't about the client; this was about me questioning my own worth.

Here's what I'm learning: pricing isn't just a number. It's a declaration. It says, "This is what I bring. This is the value I create."

When you price yourself in a way that honours your expertise, your knowledge, your skills - you're not being greedy. You're being honest.

I'm still learning this. And I'm getting better at it.


Lesson 3: People want to see you win

This one surprised me the most.

Since launching The House of HUI, the number of people who've reached out, offered help, cheered me on, connected me with others - it's been overwhelming in the best way.

I think we assume everyone's too busy or too focused on their own thing to care. But that's not true.

People genuinely want to see you succeed. Especially when you're building something meaningful.

Don't underestimate the power of your network. And don't be afraid to let people in.

Lesson 4: Solo entrepreneurship is lonely

I'm not going to sugarcoat this one.

When I started Talk Doesn't Cook Rice with my best friend and business partner Pia, we had each other. One of us would spiral, the other would pull us back. We leaned on each other.

But this? This is different.

Every decision is mine. Every doubt is mine to manage. Every morning, I have to be my own cheerleader.

When I was stressing about pricing that proposal, I wished I had a business partner next to me to snap me out of it. But I didn't. I had to do that work myself.

Solo entrepreneurship isn't just about running a business alone. It's about learning to trust yourself when no one else is in the room.

It's harder than I expected. But it's also teaching me resilience I didn't know I had.

Lesson 5: The narratives in your head are loud

Here's a fun one: I've been telling myself I should have already landed at least five opportunities to pitch by now.

Five. I don't even know why I picked that number. But there it was, sitting in my head, making me feel behind.

Reality? I've written one proposal so far. One.

And you know what? That's okay.

I also thought posting regularly on LinkedIn and Instagram would immediately flood my inbox with requests. Spoiler Alert: it didn't.

Social media isn't a vending machine. You don't just post content and watch clients fall out.

Building a business takes time. And the timeline is never what you think it'll be.

The hardest part isn't the lack of clients yet. It's managing the voice in my head that says I should be further along.


Lesson 6: Trust is a practice

I should be stressing about finances more than I am. My runway is shortening with each passing day.

But somehow, I'm not majorly panicking.

Don't get me wrong - I'm aware. I'm paying attention. But I'm also trusting that it's all working out for me. That God's got my back. That the right opportunities will come at the right time.

This isn't blind optimism. It's a choice.

I have knowledge. I have skills. I have experience. I have a network.

When the first client lands, I'll be ready. And when the next one comes, I'll be ready for that too.

But until then? I'm pressing on. One day at a time.


My biggest learning: The mindset shift

If there's one thing I'm learning, it's this: my value doesn't need external validation to exist.

I don't need five proposals or ten clients or a full calendar to prove I'm legit.

I already am.

And so are you.

Whether you're 11 days in, 11 months in, or 11 years in - your expertise is real, your experience matters and your ability to help people is enough.

The work now is to believe that. Every single day.


So here I am. Eleven days into building The House of HUI. Still figuring it out, learning. and showing up.

And honestly? That's exactly where I'm supposed to be.

If you're building something too, I see you. Keep going.