There's no doubt it's a tough time to be a young person. With the world economy continuing to falter, uncertainty is everywhere and prospects for school and university leavers look bleak. But I think now, more than ever, we need to have confidence in, and encourage, young people.
When I was growing up, my family had little money, my siblings were often poorly and my parents depended on me to care for them. We couldn't afford Western medical treatment so I learnt about Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques so I could treat my family. It was this early interest that led me to take a qualification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), despite my parents' insistence that I study Western Medicine.
Once I graduated, I started working with a senior Chinese Medical Practitioner (CMP). While he taught me a lot, I couldn't see a future working with him because the patients had no confidence in a young CMP. In Hong Kong, there is a strong cultural norm that dictates that the older and more senior the TCM doctor, the better; this is despite the fact that many long serving TCM practitioners have no formal medical training. Patients don't understand that young CMPs have studied at university. As a result, there aren't enough jobs available for graduates and salaries are low. Many of my classmates had to change career as a result.
So again despite the wishes of my family - they wanted he to have a stable job with a stable income and regular working hours - I decided to open up my own clinic to help build up a better image of young CMPs, as well as creating job opportunities for them.
I'm now very excited that my work to build up my business and my efforts to encourage and support young people to set up their own businesses have been recognised by Youth Business International (YBI). With support from Barclays, the YBI Entrepreneur of the Year competition, which I'm a finalist in, aims to celebrate the important contributions that young entrepreneurs make to society through job creation and by bringing new products and services to communities.
I'm so honoured to have come this far in the competition - I'll find out on 16 October when I come to London if I've won the top prize. While I'm there it will be a good chance for me to promote TCM to people in London - perhaps even the Royal Family!
I encourage young people thinking about becoming an entrepreneur to be brave, but cautious. Seek advice and do lots of background research before making any decisions. Running a business is very challenging but it makes me so happy being able to put my knowledge to good use, curing and helping patients, but also watching my business grow. It makes me glad I made the right move and set up my own business.
We need to make more happen to give young people the confidence to see entrepreneurship as a way to move out of the bleakness. Entrepreneurs need to go into high schools and universities, sharing their success stories. Mentoring is also hugely important. Having access to mentors was one of the keys to my success. Without their support and advice, I don't think I would be where I am now, certainly not as a finalist in a global competition like YBI Entrepreneur of the Year.