3 Women Share How They Have Been Navigating Life And Work Over The Course Of A Year

Thrust onto a path of setback, self-doubt, and self-discovery, three women share how they have been navigating life and work over the course of a year that’s been like no other

- Andrea Sim

ON TALKING A LEAP OF FAITH

JESSICA CHOW, 28

Founder of home-baked desserts company Lookie Cookie

I remember baking my first batch of brownies at 14. I’d had massive cravings for the ooey, gooey ones, and didn’t know where I could get my hands on them, so I decided to learn how to make them myself. There was an incredible sense of fulfilment that I got from baking my own desserts — to create something from scratch, and see others enjoy it — and I quickly fell down the rabbit hole. It’s been a hobby ever since, but as my full-time job in product management and the corporate life had me feeling like I was stuck in a rut, I turned it into a passion project where I’d sell cookies on my personal Instagram account — and it became the creative outlet that I needed. But the more I worked on it, the more I fell in love with the entire process of running a home baking business. As demand grew, so did my personal investment in it, and Lookie Cookie was born.

After close to a year of juggling the business in tandem with my day job, I took a leap of faith and quit this past August — right in the thick of the pandemic. It’s wild I know (2020 is officially the year of stranger things), and it’s such a privilege to have a secure job in today’s climate, but I don’t think I would be satisfied if I had stayed on and didn’t give the business a shot. Not wanting to have any regrets on missed opportunities outweighed the fear of demand for my baked goods not keeping up.