GWOT 2016 Anisa Hassan portrait
Anisa Hassan, 44, Managing Director, IJL Asia; Founder, Nusantara Health Pte Ltd

“At the starting point, it takes a lot of courage to leave the comfort of your salaried job, to pursue a dream that has no guaranteed outcome. There’ll be a lot of naysayers and detractors who’ll tell you that it won’t work, or that it’s just too hard. Have the courage to listen to your inner voice.

“At the middle point, it takes a lot of courage to hold things together, especially when it gets messy. The test comes when you have to take care of your staff, vendors, clients, competition, worry about gaining or losing market share, deal with customer complaints, administration and paperwork, as well as risk management, compliance matters and everything else, all while trying to make payroll at the end of the month.

“Towards the end of the journey, it also takes courage for you to step away from the business, and start planning to leave a legacy for your family, or for someone competent to take over. For others, it may take courage to exit the business altogether when things are not working out for you. Whether you’re successful or not, it takes courage to say, ‘I’ve done it and now I’m ready to start over’.”

Read more about Anisa Hassan here.

If Anisa Hassan inspires you, vote for her in The Most Inspiring Award here. You will stand a chance to win prizes worth up to $1,230!

The Great Women Of Our Time 2016 is presented by Skin Inc and co-sponsored by Swarovski.