Reflection and awareness; a recipe for success
Chanyu Xu grew up around food. She spent her childhood in Germany, where her parents owned restaurants and taught her the power of a warm bowl of soup. Her passion for well-being and culinary arts led her down an illustrious career path in food tech. Ten years into her entrepreneurial journey, she is the founder of multiple food tech companies and is currently focusing on her latest company, Her1. Her1 creates natural beauty supplements with organic ingredients that promote well-being from the inside out.
Chanyu started her first company in 2009 when she was just 22. She designed a Business to Business (b2b) software for hotel reviews while completing her final years at University. The company is now a midsized one, with 70 employees and over 5,000 hotels utilizing the software. She remained with the start-up for 3 years until her interest in food called her in another direction.
“I asked whether or not I could see myself in this company for the next 5 years. It was a clear no, and I wanted to follow my passion, which has always been food.”
Chanyu Xu coupled her lifelong passion for food with entrepreneurship when she created the concept for the first ghost-restaurant in 2013. Without an actual dining room to eat in, her company delivered food made with fresh ingredients and homemade recipes to the surrounding area. She then went on to co-found Eat First, a rocket internet company where she helped kickstart the business in Berlin.
Eating with the Chefs was her second food delivery company. Similar to the initial ghost-restaurant set up; there was a working kitchen that offered delivery only. Chanyu Xu teamed up with famous chefs to co-create menus for the restaurant. These recipes were then cooked, chilled and vacuum sealed using the sous vide technique, and delivered nationwide.
With several years of food tech experience under her belt, she began her latest venture, Her1. Chanyu Xu noticed that there were few health products geared toward women that were not detox or weight-loss oriented. As a woman herself, she wanted a product for the women of her generation. Women who are career oriented, working long days in the office, and are more concerned with their performance and health levels.
Everywhere you look there seem to be products boasting all-natural ingredients and transparency about sources. While working with food manufacturers for her various food tech start-ups, Chanyu became frustrated with the number of companies outsourcing ingredients that were being made locally. Chanyu Xu wanted to be part of the generational shift toward consumer consciousness and made sure to prioritize sourcing natural, sustainable, and organic ingredients for all of the products at Her1.
“Entrepreneurship is a roller-coaster ride that is seemingly endless, you have to like that.”
Being both a solo-founder and a co-founder, Chanyu has experienced start-ups from just about every angle. Her advice to those interested in entrepreneurship; be aware of the constant ups and downs and embrace them. Perhaps the most valuable lesson she’s learned so far is the importance being vulnerable. Chanyu noted that going through particularly challenging situations taught her that there is no shame in asking for help.
When our ego gets in the way, it can blind us from the fact that our friends are resources for support. Support that can be both emotional and professional; Chanyu shared that many of her friends helped promote her new products. There is serious strength in knowing when to reach out to your community, but reflecting and being aware of what you can reasonably achieve takes time. Remember, extra hands will likely make reaching your goals even easier and alleviate overwhelming moments. Be willing to ask yourself, ‘how can I find a solution?’ and be open to many ideas.
It is no secret that starting a business takes a serious commitment of your time, energy, and resources. As a result, many entrepreneurs struggle with achieving a healthy work-life balance. Chanyu finds that many of the anxieties she feels about maintaining healthy relationships and meeting external demands are self-made. There will be times when you will have more free time to share and other times you will have less. We are often the hardest on ourselves, so before trying to meet everyone’s expectations, ask what they are.
10 years of entrepreneurship has given Chanyu Xu a strong sense of awareness about how to care for herself. She creates time for the people and activities in her life that bring her joy. Regular dinner dates with friends and family, cooking, and journaling keep her from feeling burnt-out. Mindfulness has been an important practice for Chanyu. For nearly 2 years she has been writing a daily journal entry, encouraging her to be aware of her surroundings and mental state.
“I know it’s not always easy, but if you’re passionate about something, follow that passion. Focus on the spark inside of you.”
Chanyu reminds us that the best first step toward realizing any idea is to share it. Speak with as many people as possible and soak up every new perspective you may come across. Find those who fuel you and make you feel loved, much like a bowl of noodle soup.
