You have read it in the news: retail sales in Hong Kong aren’t positive, recording a 13.3% year-on-year decrease in July 2024, which saw five consecutive months of retail trade decline. It doesn’t help that many Hongkongers are lured up north to Shenzhen and other nearby Chinese cities, where shopping and dining are more affordable.
Earlier this year, when the Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) team had our strategy meeting, we knew we had to find an interactive and engaging way to increase the visibility of the ethnically diverse entrepreneurs we support through our Community Business Support Program and GuideFong project.
That is how we came up with the idea for Hong Kong’s first GuideFong Bazaar, to encourage Hongkongers to “shop local, shop Home Kong”. As you can imagine, we at FSI were over the moon with joy as the GuideFong Bazaar concluded successfully on 8 September 2024, with an eclectic mix of 15 vendors and 120+ visitors setting the Hive Sheung Wan abuzz, all in the name of supporting local small businesses in Hong Kong.
A Multicultural Bazaar Showcasing the GuideFong Spirit
Through the GuideFong Bazaar, we increased the visibility of the under-resourced entrepreneurs of our ethnically diverse community, while offering them networking and sales opportunities by interacting with a broader local clientele.
Said Yulia Kim, Founder and Floral Designer of Blooms.Forever Atelier: “Thrilled to be part of the bazaar supporting local small businesses! Great atmosphere, amazing community support, and a fantastic opportunity to showcase our products. Huge thanks to FSI and GuideFong for their dedication. Can’t wait for the next one!”
Equally finding the GuideFong Bazaar a great event is Jerwine Bonafe-Que, Managing Director and one of the founders of The Blomstre: “It was great to meet other entrepreneurs, connect with new people, and see old friends! I also got to know more about GuideFong and FSI too.” A former mentee entrepreneur of our inaugural Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs in 2022, Jerwine joins our program this year as a mentor to Yulia.
“This was a great platform to showcase my products to a diverse audience of all ages,” said Jhanvi Panjabi, CEO and Founder of Eternity Jewels HK and Anvi Candles, and a mentor of our 2023-24 program. “The GuideFong Bazaar has a very unique blend of small business owners as well as potential buyers. Great network!”
The success of Hong Kong’s first GuideFong Bazaar wouldn’t have been possible without the mutual support of FSI’s reciprocal community for ethnically diverse entrepreneurs. Some of these under-resourced entrepreneurs are former or current participants of our annual Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs, some are connected to us through our regular GuideFong Tours and subsequently received bespoke direct business support from the FSI team and our interns, and some joined through their contacts in our growing community in search of collaboration and networking opportunities as well as practical resources to start and grow their businesses.
From the support services we provide through our Community Business Program to the GuideFong Bazaar, everyone involved showcases the very guidefong spirit – in Cantonese, a guidefong is a neighbor or a friend in the community who would help and support each other.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to:
- our venue partner, the Hive Sheung Wan;
- our content and media partner, KOLture, for helping promote the GuideFong Bazaar and supporting our interns in creating meaningful interviews and reel content for our vendors;
- the 22 youth interns and helpers from FSI’s Impact Lab Course and Community Business Internship Program, the Hong Kong International School, and HSBC Hub for the Future members; and
- our vendors and community members, Nepcha, Breer, The Blomstre, ilm, Shilpa’s Masala Mill, Anvi Candles, Eternity Jewels, Foodie Explorerz, Africa Center Hong Kong, Blooms.Forever Atelier, BamPads, Asmita Das Photography, Siony’s Lutong Bahay Catering, and Hot Hot Asian Groceries.
Join Us to Support Hong Kong’s Ethnically Diverse-Owned Small Businesses
The social media campaign we launched to promote the GuideFong Bazaar has increased the follower base for GuideFong’s Instagram by 19.7%, garnered 24,594 views, with 20% from existing followers and 80% from new audiences. The campaign has successfully reached 8,429 accounts, representing a significant 690% increase from before the campaign period just a month prior. Essentially, this means more visibility for the ethnically diverse entrepreneurs we support.
We would like to thank the visitors who bought raffle tickets and made donations at the GuideFong Bazaar! These financial contributions will be used to support FSI’s ongoing endeavors to build a truly diverse, inclusive, and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem by empowering the ethnically diverse community through our GuideFong project, our annual Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs, bespoke direct business support, and the Entrepreneur’s Toolkit.
If you are interested in joining us to support Hong Kong’s under-resourced ethnically diverse entrepreneurs, get in touch with us at cbs@shared-impact.com. Whether you are looking to offer mentorship to mentee entrepreneurs, create practical business resources for our Entrepreneur’s Toolkit, or becoming a GuideFong Ambassador, we look forward to discussing collaboration opportunities with you!
