ENEREL Otgonbayar, Founder of InnovStyle, On Bringing Karen Millen, L.K.Bennett, Charles & Keith, Pedro and Many More Int. Brands to Mongolia
Interviewed by Nominzul Enkhbayar, Photos by Suniko.
Get to know ENEREL Otgonbayar (Hobby: 2005-2007), the Founder of InnovStyle a mompreneur, and the Brand Ambassador of L.K. Bennett, Karen Millen, Salamander, Lauma Lingerie, Charles & Keith, and Pedro in Mongolia. Read how she brought international brands to Mongolia and how she is educating the local fashion market through her InnovStyle magazine. Fluent in Mongolian and English, she studied at Webster University of London, UK.
Full name: Enerel Otgonbayar
Hobby Alumni: 2007 (years attended: 2005-2007)
Higher Education: Webster University of London, Marketing Management emphasis in Art
Sector(s): Fashion
Current Workplace(s): InnovStyle; Oyuny Undraa Group (OUG); Creative Management Business Institute; and Brand Ambassador of L.K. Bennett, Karen Millen, Salamander, Lauma Lingerie, Charles & Keith, and Pedro
Past Workplace(s): Karen Millen, Odeon Cinema
Languages: English, Mongolian
Countries Lived In: Mongolia, UK, USA
Frequented Website(s): Businessoffashion.com
Current phone: iPhone 8 Plus
3 Apps to Recommend: The fashion brand apps that I work with, Dropbox, Google Drive, WhatsApp, Wechat
3 Books To Recommend: Great to Good, Innovstyle book, The Cool Factor (1st and 2nd edition)
3 Movies To Recommend: Vikings, The Cable Girls, The Notebook
3 Songs You Are Listening to Most Right Now: Justin Bieber – 10000 hours, Peggy, Ata Borgojun
AT HOBBY SCHOOL
1. How many years have you studied at Hobby School and where have you studied before and/or after Hobby?
I was at Hobby from 2005 – 2007. Before Hobby I was in California, USA, for middle school; and before that I changed many high schools when I was a teenager.
“I used to study at Russian School #3 and Erel School; and after Hobby I graduated from Elite International School. The truth is, it was quite hard for me to change a lot of schools so often, but looking now it’s quite advantageous to know many people from different sectors now. ”
2. Tell us about your experience in the States? Do you miss living there? Was it hard transitioning to a Mongolian school?
I was at Russian School #3 in Mongolia before the States, so it wasn’t a big transition coming back to Mongolia, but the biggest challenge was starting to adjust again with Mongolian students’ mindset.
I don’t miss the US. I wasn’t there for a long time, so I don’t really aim to go back. My parents were living and working in Mongolia, so it was just me and my brother in the States - I was only 8 years old. We used to play lots of basketball after class and during that time my brother was the only one that I was close to and looked up to.
3. What kind of student were you? What was your parents like when you were in high school?
I wouldn’t say I was at the top of my class. Getting As was not a big priority for me. Getting Bs and Cs was good enough (laughs). For me, instead of being the smartest I just tried to be an overall good student.
My parents worked long hours so I was raised very independently with my brother. My parents didn’t really push us academically, so we didn’t really put importance on things like homework or grades. Instead they focused on me and my brother on becoming an overall good human being.
4. What’s your fondest memory of Hobby and who was your favourite teacher?
Our classroom teacher Mrs. Amarjargal was a very unique teacher and I think she had a love-hate relationship with her students, but at the end of the day, she became one of the most loved teachers in our school. I would say my fondest memories of Hobby was the group of girls that I hung out with. We had different interests and challenges, but bonding together with those interests was a very memorable time for me.
5. What influenced you to choose Webster University of London, UK for your bachelor’s degree?
I graduated from Webster University located inside of the Regents Park in London. Studying and living in the UK was the chance of a lifetime, one of the most adventurous moments of my life, especially when you are living in the most influential city in the world. While studying as a full-time student I also pursued fashion styling and fashion magazine at London Fashion School. My brother Tenuun Otgonbayar was studying at LSE back then.
CAREER
6. What motivated you to enter into fashion and personal styling? What was your first paying job?
When I was studying for my Bachelors in London, I worked part-time in the retail sector and there I actually established my passion to pursue fashion. I took short courses in fashion and personal styling to pursue my career in depth. From there I got the idea to create a business and enlighten the fashion industry in Mongolia.
Although it was never originally my goal, studying in London and observing fashion was awe-inspiring, and it gave me a desire to modernize our own unique style. I just knew that it was the only sector that I can succeed in. I thought Karen Millen was quite affordable and could be popular to fit for fashion market here in Mongolia, so
“...during my last semester of my studies, I took a chance, and wrote an email to Karen Millen, while I was working as a part-time executive assistant there. They said yes, so I had an opportunity to bring the brand to Mongolia in 2014 as its first brand; thus, began my fashion career. ”
My firs paying job was at the Odeon cinema as a part timer. We had different shifts every weekend.
7. What do you think about the fashion industry in Mongolia? Where is it going?
If you think of Mongolia, it’s not a fashion country like France or the UK. However international apparel brands do take notice and they are coming to the market. For instance:
“One of the most famous international brands to come to Mongolia was Louis Vuitton in 2009. We also have Burberry, Versace, Hugo Boss, MaxMara, Valentino, etc., and the concept stores like “Âme” in Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar are introducing Gucci, Celine, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent to Mongolians.
So many international brands fancy Mongolia not because of the size of the market but they are interested in the upcoming fashion-forward Mongolians here, especially the younger generation. They are quickly fascinated by the tendency of people wanting to be luxurious. ”
8. You founded your own company “InnovStyle” in 2013! Can you tell our readers what does InnovStyle do in Mongolia and what is your goal?
For me, studying in London and observing fashion created a desire in me to modernize our own innovative unique style in Mongolia. I have been pursuing my passion to create a business that could enlighten otherwise a conservative fashion industry of Mongolia. Throughout the years, to accomplish its founding vision, the company InnovStyle which I established in 2013 accumulated many brands L.K. Bennett, Karen Millen, Salamander, Lauma Lingerie, Charles & Keith, and Pedro to Mongolia; and we are also focused on personal styling services for individual and corporates.
To truly revolutionize Mongolia’s fashion culture, our company publishes InnovStyle magazine, a seasonal fashion lifestyle magazine, which gives an extraordinary fashionable lifetime experience to our customers and readers.
Basically, InnovStyle is the head company and our various franchise brands are its subsidiaries. Our goal in the near future is to contribute in every sector as possible. We want to try out different sectors, like maybe real estate, food and beverage, and consulting. Because we are a young company with young staff, we have a big ambition. We have 25 staff overall including office and sales team in the stores.
9. You do personal styling! Would you say personal styling is popular in Mongolia?
I published my first personal styling book in 2014 to embolden one’s self-expression with their clothing and it is one of the first styling book ever published in Mongolian language. It was a monumental period because people became so interested in personal styling courses and advice.
Personal styling is a very individual concept. It’s about self-acceptance and feeling good about yourself. It's how you feel when you wear something that fits right for you. If you want to feel unique and beautiful, wear that which boosts self-confidence, and that’s what we want women to feel in Mongolia. This is the reason we started introducing personal styling services for individuals and corporates as well.
10. Everyone has their own style, whether it's intentional or not. How do you overcome your clients' personal barriers/reluctance to trying new things in fashion or style?
We must first ask them if they really want to have this change in their life. We provide personal styling questionnaire for each client, like personal styling quiz in order for their mentality to be ready to accept new challenges.
We become sort of like a psychologist for the client. We go through their lifestyle like their monthly budgets, salaries, household expenses, number of children, marriage status, career etc. We explore the client’s life inside and out. What style suits them the most based on their inner self. Their inner self and outer self must be interacting with one another. Then we can conclude on their personal styling and come out with the best core styling that matches an individual's personality.
We started our personal styling services for almost 5 years until now, so we have established ourselves quite well in the industry. A lot of individuals, corporates, local brands come to us to ask for fashion styling services. Personal styling is almost like getting a brand identity of an individual person. It’s a personal evolution. You’re changing your whole lifestyle just by changing how you want to become who you are.
11. What advice/comments do you have for people who think fashion is not important?
I would say your personal style should reflect your authentic self. This is who you are. It reflects what kind of job you have. What kind of woman or human being you want to be seen as in the society, you know? You have to actually find yourself and who you are as a person in order to make that sort of statement.
“People who think fashion is not important, I think they haven’t really discovered who they are yet. To exist in this society, you have to understand your own personal style and how you can express that in terms of fashion.”
So, fashion is not something you like or dislike, it’s a part of your life. You don’t have to be within the fashion industry to understand the importance of fashion in your life. I believe, in Mongolia there is a lot of lack of knowledge and information about the fashion industry.
12. So how do you educate the market?
“Educating the market is really important. We do seasonal INNOVSTYLE magazines that introduce contents about fashion and trends. We receive annual seasonal ideas and trends from the international brands that we work with. Then, we implement and alter those ideas to fit the local market.”
We do a lot of research for every issue, and we would like to empower how people can accept and express themselves through fashion. This magazine is one of the greatest opportunities for us to show where the fashion industry and trends are going globally and how we can implement it into the market. We want to showcase what international brands are doing, what trends are on the market.
We do all of the magazine brainstorming and edits here in our offices. Through our magazine and social media presence we aim to provide customers the pleasure of gaining knowledge in the fashion sector and how fashion is a daily thing that you can use to express your individuality.
13. You are quite the fashionista on social media, tell us about your own personal style and who inspires you?
I like to have freedom with my clothing and have the chance to explore myself everyday, so I don’t have one particular style. I have different looks depending on my mood. It’s really different every day. I guess it’s sort of like my personality (laughs). I don’t like to burden myself by limiting my style specifically.
14. Fashion is a turbulent and competitive industry. You have to be always one step ahead. How do you keep up with the latest trends and news?
“You can tell now that fast fashion is one of the leading sectors and not the luxury brands anymore. I would say social media is the best way to be ahead of the trends. However, you still have to do a lot of research.”
You need to be always hunting around to see what’s going on. We actually receive global marketing plan every year from the brands. It includes marketing plan, styling tips and fashion trends too. We get to research from them, and we localize the data here to adjust to the Mongolian customers. For example, if we want to plan store activities or press releases we need to send the brand the plan and get approval first. The vibes and moods of whatever we do in the store must match the original brand. It is part of the franchise system and we’re always in constant communication with each other to discuss how we can build and develop the brand and how we can adjust it better to the local market.
15. You are more focused on women's fashion. What about mens’ and children’s?
When we bring in brands we have to consider the population ratio among women, men and children. So it depends on the market research. In Mongolia, the men’s ratio is comparatively smaller, so we would focus our attention to the women’s market. Anyhow women are the priority decision makers when it comes to buying clothes for the family. In Mongolia, the women are more fashion forward, I think. Personal styling is also usually for women.
16. As you are very experienced in franchise business, starting with Karen Millen, tell us about the opportunities you saw in this market and difficulties you faced?
“We have been with Karen Millen for about 5 years in Mongolia and we recently had a very shocking news that the brand has declared bankruptcy in August 2019. One of the difficulties is that we have to bear 100% of the consequences when something like this happens. ”
We cannot claim what we initially deposited or invested into the brand when we started the franchise. So that’s one of the risks of franchise brands. That’s why you have to research the brand that you’re franchising very well like how they’re doing globally, what’s their future plans, financial forecasts. Every minute we have to keep up with the news.
Last year our company brought in Charles & Keith and Pedro from Singapore and they’re doing quite well because I see Mongolia as a mass market, an outlet market, so pricing-wise these brands are quite suited for Mongolian market. The average price is 150,000 – 250,000 MNT and if anything goes on sale, it becomes even cheaper. Charles & Keith and Pedro has a very convenient spot in the market. These brands get inspiration for their new collections from bigger brands like Gucci, Chanel, and Prada so they are always on trend. You can say they’re affordable luxury brands.
17. What motivation was behind your decision in choosing these particular brands to franchise into Mongolia?
Sometimes the brands choose us because of our company portfolio and experience with other franchises in the market. When we choose relevant brand, we need to showcase that we have accumulated a lot of experience in order to attract international brands. They ask to see many aspects of the company like how many stores we have, how many staff, what’s the turnover rate, minimum salary of employees, etc. There’re lots of procedures you go through in order to get an approval.
18. You are managing and running multiple businesses, how do you manage your time efficiently between different brands?
We face a lot of challenges; you cannot predict what’s going to happen with these brands and the market. Your brain must be working 24/7 and honestly 24 hours is not enough. I have to be on my phone and computer all the time. If I’m talking with 10 people, I have to be on point with each of them and with all of the different issues that they present to me. I have to be skilled in multitasking whether I want to or not. It’s a skill that definitely wasn’t taught in high school (laughs). I think practical life experience has proved to be much more important than studying about them. That’s what I learned from lifetime experience. But I am not saying you must not go to a school in order to run a business. You must get fundamental education from schools. You just have to be a multi-tasker sometimes, be more flexible and at least try to understand different perspectives.
19. Does the fashion industry ever receive any kind of government support or incentives? Funded projects or grants?
No. In terms of fashion maybe just the cashmere industry receives such attention and coverage like how exporting cashmere is now tax free to some part of the world. But bringing international brands we actually have to pay tax on the goods. It’s quite a burden for a young company like us. I think there should be a certain support from the government for the development such as bringing shopping experience within the customer.
20. How do you differentiate your business from many other franchise operations that are in Ulaanbaatar?
There are so many imported brands here. I think one of the most differentiating factors would be behind the brand name INNOVSTYLE and the name of the brands that we have franchise. All of the creative concepts behind the name INNOVSTYLE really differentiates us. Simple example would be our creative photoshoots which really stand out.
We have our personal styling services, magazines, and I am also very pleased to announce that we are working on opening a NGO in 2020 called “Creative Management Business Institute". It will be focused on providing practical training, consulting on leadership, management, behavioural developments, and also creating inspiring marketing contents to local business partners.
21. Wow. Tell us more about this.
So one of the objectives of the NGO will be offering certified short courses on fashion in general, personal styling, service standards by giving practical experiences. We will be providing mentorship opportunities, and organize lectures, seminars, and workshops. Another part of the NGO is distributing know-how on retail industry. What I mean is, we’re paying franchisors to license the name right? So, they provide so many documents and know-hows on how to successfully establish the brand here. They have these proven methods of success backed by a significant amount of research and data that they’ve given to us. And with all of this crucial information it is a shame to just be used for our brands here. We want to educate and distribute this knowledge throughout the market. For example, the importance of mystery shoppers, the need for visual merchandising, staff training, career development for sales staff etc. We can educate sales staff that there is more to the job than just being a sales clerk. There is a whole career path in front of them. As the institute will award certifications, people can set their value on the market in terms of base salary and accreditation.
“Our company is providing consultancy for local brands and assist them on creating a brand book in accordance to the proper procedures set by the international brands - a brand identity that’s right for them.
Local brands and designers don’t have their brand identity or doesn’t understand the correct way of introducing themselves in the fashion industry yet.”
So that’s where we step in to assist and educate them that branding, and communication side of the business is as equally important as the designing part of the business. Last year I collaborated with a company that wanted to me to help with their brand book. There’s a certain sequence and order to “how it needs to be achieved”. Local brands are always focusing only on the product side of the business and that can be a huge disadvantage, especially in the retail industry.
We have gained experience in this area through the brands that we have worked with and we have seen the results through implementation. Therefore, through the NGO, I want to give that experience as a consulting services to others and help others to succeed as well. For example, we can start focusing internally like how to build leadership, how to build store manager skills and also globally like how to communicate and collaborate with international brands, and how to understand the franchising business.
22. Besides INNOVstyle, I can only think of Buro247 when it comes to influential fashion players in the Mongolian market. Are there any others?
There’s also the Mongolian Professional Designers Union (MPDU). I think that’s about it. There aren’t many of us in Mongolia.
23. Do you think that’s enough or not enough for fashion influencers for this small market?
People look at quantity not quality. No one values quality. People are always competing with each other. Like if one person is doing this, they think I must do the same thing! It’s a threat or disadvantage of the mindset, competing with themselves locally and not internationally. People must start thinking outside of the box. I hope this mindset changes and people see how it’s pointless to be competing with each other all the time and how different it is in the international market.
“I did have many other options available to me, like maybe work at my parents’ company or whatever, but I started from the bottom in this fashion sector with my passion, established something of myself and went beyond what is expected of me. ”
Now I want to see who I can become, what I can be and how I can contribute to the society. So to answer your question, I really hope that I can have a valuable, right influence to the market and I hope that others can be influencers too with this sort of passion and not just blindly compete.
24. Why do you think popular brands like Zara or Uniqlo don't come here? Even though their price range is within affordable limits. There’s Mango in Mongolia!
“They (Zara or Uniqlo) only care about population size and turnover. ”
They do want to have many branches in different cities everywhere, but if they open only one Zara store in Ulaanbaatar, it’s not significant enough for them in terms of turnover. So, they don’t want to take any risk.
We tried contacting them, but they said “No, we’re not ready to come to Mongolia”. InnovStyle does approach all of these kinds of brands.
25. What do you think about the constant struggle between buying imported brands versus local brands?
First things first: the Price.
“Local brands price their products too high compared to international brands. That’s the main struggle. For example, because of exclusivity, local brands can charge one dress for about 700,000 MNT with no proper sizing or color options. ”
If local brands want to succeed, I think pricing, quality and management need to be greatly improved.
26. What are your favorite local brands at the moment and why?
All of them have their own set of unique designs and are all very nice, but I wouldn’t prefer any one local brands at the moment. I buy cashmere sometimes, but I don’t like the fittings of the cashmere here. For example in Karen Millan before supplying to other branches and franchises, they focus very hard on getting the right fit in all of the different sizes of just one design. And only when it’s approved, they release to the market. If something is just a bit wrong, they redo everything. But here they don’t want to redo because of extra expense or maybe there is no capacity to redo them, they just start to manufacture anyway. I think things like this happen often because there is not enough development in the mindset and technology and know-how of the fashion retail industry in Mongolia.
27. Do you plan to create or open your own brand? If not, why not? If yes, do you mind sharing some insights?
Not anytime soon, but we are actually planning on maybe a t-shirt brand. But it’s still very much an idea. However, we want to see how other local brands are doing first. We are in observation mode. I think labor is a huge problem at the moment. There is not enough manpower in this industry.
28. You're a great entrepreneur as well as a mom! What's it like being a mompreneur? Tell us about some hardships you've overcome.
Being a mom and being a career-woman has a lot of opportunities, likewise many challenges. Raising a child as well as being career driven to build a successful business, you lose a lot opportunities and sometimes you gain some too. I guess you have to balance it. You have to set your goals like where you want to be, what you want to be, where can you be in the future. Establish your goals and pursue that.
“Whether you’re a mom or not-a-mom or a career-woman, it doesn’t matter, because it’s the mentality that matters. Being a mom shouldn’t burden you and don’t think of it as a “lost opportunity”.”
Also, I learned that you have to be able to create your own time otherwise time is never going to come to you freely.
29. As a businesswoman and a mom, what do you think about gender equality situation in the business environment in Mongolia? Tell us an experience you've encountered.
Mongolia is a very masculine country. If a man is successful in the business, they are perceived as being very competent and great, however when a woman is successful there are many negativities that follow rather than the compliments. But comparatively I think it’s gotten a lot better and continues to improve.
I think the main thing is for men and women to respect each other. I remember this Facebook post that I saw about a man and a woman getting ready to race. In front of the man, there’s a clear path but in front of the woman there’s a stack of laundry, family, children, so many obstacles that they need to overcome. So if men and women understand each other’s situation better, a lot of problems can be eliminated. I think working together as a partner you can share the burden. The business environment can be a lot better if people are accepting of each other's situation.
I don’t feel this inequality when I go abroad. In Mongolia, I did experience it especially when I first started the business. They didn’t take me seriously because of my gender as well as my age. Especially when I was pregnant while working, I felt the gender inequality a lot. But I also think the ability to accept the situation is very important. It’s a matter of controlling your own reactions to such negativity. Gender inequality for me is most visible for pregnant women in the business sector. Women need to ignore this or not be too sensitive about it. They need to understand that it’s just a matter of time. I think it’s an issue especially when women are pregnant, they need to understand that they won’t be pregnant forever. Everything is always just a matter of time.
30. What other advice would you give other mompreneurs? Or any working moms for that matter.
I guess try not to be negative minded and instead focus on being more self confident. Always think you can be better. Improve. I believe that good things happen to those who are “positive minded”. Don’t think too much about gender inequality or things like that. Problems like that will exist and it does all over the world. It’s gotten better in developed countries and it will soon be better here too, it’s just a matter of time. We need to accept the situation and prepare ourselves when things do get better. Improve yourself in the meantime and focus on the positive side.
31. As a mom myself, I find it sometimes difficult to balance family, work life along with social life too. How do you do it? How do you manage your time?
I schedule my time way in advance. You have to be very organized, because there’s no other way. One habit of mine is that I always like to manually write down things on my “paper” notebook. It’s better to be organized and achieve tasks when I’ve used pen and paper rather than electronic planners or my phone. As you can see I have so many notebooks here. One job requires one notebook for me.
PERSONAL
32. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I’m planning to do my masters next year. But I'm still thinking about it. I have already sent applications to some schools and have been accepted but I’m still wondering which one to choose or whether or not I will even go because I have established so many things here over many years and still there’s a lot to do. I need to really think about it before I choose.
In 5 years, I hope to be living in a society that I have contributed in much more than now. I hope to be rewarded for something beneficial that I have done to the society. Actually, everyone (not just me) who is pursuing business or any sector (not just fashion) needs to be rewarded for their contribution for the time they spent.
I hope to be a role model in the society especially for the young girls who are stepping into the imperfect world, especially for the young generation. The generation of young women in this society is a sensitive subject to me. Their place in the society is so small and their mindset seems to be very lost.
“I believe we have to change young girls’ mindsets . Like you have to have value in this society, establish a personal goal, and not to be dependent on men or others. I want to be the role model, who they can look up to, choose the right path for them, and empower these young women to be the right person in the society. ”
You know, I’ve observed that in developed countries, they value the education of young girls a lot. Educating young women is a priority, because the society fails to thrive without educated women. If a nation has educated women, everything else falls in place because women take care of their husbands, their children, and support them.
Also in 5 years I also really want to push this issue through my NGO. This part of the society is being neglected. So many young pregnancies, family divorces, and single moms. All of the negative parts of society is being carried by these women because they are the target of harassment or lack the knowledge of the choices they have. We have so many these women and if all of these women have the wrong mindset, think of what the society will become! If they have the right mindset they can find the opportunities and make better choices in their lives.
Along with the company’s activities, I personally have been a vocal advocate of the women’s empowerment movement, especially through fashion channels among others. Other means include video blogs and podcasts “Female Hustlers”, public speeches in reputable conferences (IWFC, i.e. International Women’s Federation of Commerce and Industry), interviews and press releases on “Women Who Can”, “she4her”, “Unread”, and “Buro 24/7” to reach young generations on self-esteem, unleash their confidence, and teach them how to dress for success and empower women.
33. What do you do in your free time? Where can we find you when you are not working?
My love for basketball hasn’t changed. I still play basketball when I can. Lately I’ve been trying to give myself more free time. I’m going to the gym more and spend time with my daughter. Usually I like to watch movies at home. I value quiet time more than going out now.
My mindset has really changed since high school. I was a very carefree child and wasn’t really responsible for anything but it has really changed. I like exploring new things and researching about my work or any current projects I’m tackling. Maybe collecting notebooks is also a hobby. Also, I’m interested about what knowledge I can give back from the information I’ve collected.
34. Good and bad habits?
Good habits - I give off good energy to people. Another one is that I appreciate the people that surround me even if they have done good or bad things. I find ways to appreciate even the smallest things about certain people.
Bad habits - I’m very critical or maybe too harsh at times. I expect certain things to be perfect. It’s always back and forth. I also have a bad temper (laughs). But you know, my answer to this question would be very different if you asked me 5 years ago. Like my bad habit 5 years ago would be that I’m not a good listener. People change so much throughout their life. They’re always improving and making developments in their life.
35. Any Mentors? How did you pick them as mentors?
Right now I don’t really have one particular mentor. Maybe my parents? But everyone says their parents are their mentors, I think. I guess for me mentors include new people I meet that I get a lot of inspiration from. I value what people can bring to my life and see them as mentors during that period of time.
36. Life advice that has helped you the most?
My dad advised me to respect everyone no matter who they are. You don’t know what’s going to happen to that person. One day they’re a janitor and then later they become a successful businessman. He always said never differentiate people based on their background.
I respect all my staff. Whoever they are or whatever position they hold, they have their own unique sides. They do what I can, and I can do what they can’t. Sometimes I think it’s important to sit down together and share different life advices and experiences. So my life philosophy is to always respect and communicate with everyone equally. This philosophy has made me into the Enerel I am today. Be real. Be humble.
37. How do you overcome negative comments and criticism? (haters in general)
I’m a very positive and a good hearted person, and I spread good energy. I always think about positive things to overcome the negative things. If I keep thinking about bad thoughts and negative things I know that it will wrap me up and drown me. If you think positive, it will automatically deflect the bad energy or bad things coming your way.
So I’m very optimistic and I always like to laugh. My friends and colleagues have asked whether I’ve ever cried because I always put a good mood on. But of course I do cry. I have emotions, I am a human being, I have feelings. Emotions are very important and we need to learn to control them in business and in life.
38. A personal advice you would like to extend to fellow Hobby Alumni?
I believe in destiny. Everyone has their own career and follow their own paths.
“A lot of success stories have come from Hobby Alumni. I think one advice would be for others to receive motivation from these people instead of being so competitive. You don’t have to be like them. You follow your own path to be successful or happy. ”
39. So, which do you believe? Fate or choice?
I believe in fate rather than choice. First there’s your fate and then I believe you choose your path to reach that fate, to make it better or worse depends on how you choose. You can see that I’m very religious. This spiritual belief I believe has protected me from a lot of negative things. Again, it’s a lot to do with a proper personal mindset. From the right roots, right things will grow and prosper. For example, there’s a lot of people with a good family background but has gone to a wrong path. We have to properly nurture the roots that we were given. And build a good life based on the roots.
40. A personal advice you would like to extend to current Hobby students?
Everything will be dependent on the small choices you make today. You have to trust your inner instinct or feeling. Just trust yourself.
41. What advice would you give if you could meet your high school self?
(laughs) I feel like I was quite an outgoing and very irresponsible sometimes. I feel like I could’ve pushed myself harder. So, I would tell myself, please put in a bit more effort!
42. Who do you admire most in Mongolia? A living person and why?
I admire my friends, colleagues, family members respectively. People who are surrounded by me. Because everybody is unique and special in their way, we have so much to learn from each other’s life experiences, achievements, ups and downs and the influence that they contribute to the world.
43. If you could compare yourself to another animal, what animal would you be?
Cheetah.
44. What was the funniest story at work you can share with us?
A few years back in 2014, when I was establishing Innovstyle. I had to interview people for the marketing manager position. The funniest part was the people who came for the interview had no idea about fashion and I ended up explaining and lecturing about fashion to those whom got interviewed.
45. If you can pass 1 law globally, what would it be?
Something to do with climate change. I think what that girl Greta Thunberg is saying is very true. Globally and evidently in Mongolia, we are drowning in our own garbage. There’s too much focus on money and power and issues about the environment is always pushed backwards.
“We are nothing without mother nature. Power is just something on a piece of paper. If we can’t change the climate problems what’s the point of all the money and power? So I think maybe priority should be on climate change, and being environmentally conscious.”
46. If you can fix 1 problem in Mongolia, what would it be?
A better waste management. At least we need to categorize our trash properly, like the correct ways to recycle. Students need to have this in the school curriculums. Schools should teach the right mentality to young kids about properly throwing away trash instead of teaching them the same songs that were taught 20, 30 years ago.
This leads me to another problem I want to fix in Mongolia is the outdated education system. More or less what’s being taught in classrooms in schools and kindergartens have remained the same. Nothing is improving except maybe for technology influence.
“The quality of the education and curriculum hasn’t changed. I observed this in my 5 years old daughter. We’re paying so much money for the school programs, but not getting a lot out of it. It is important that parents are involved in the kids education instead of just relying on the school system. ”
47. If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
I like to collect pictures and monuments of Mongolian queens. I really admire them. So I would like to have dinner with any of the Mongolian queens.
48. Which 3 books influenced your life the most? Briefly explain why.
I don’t think I’m really influenced by this book or that podcast you know? In general, I’m really doing what I can for myself. Like I don’t have one particular book or movie that have changed my life drastically or something like that. You’re living for yourself. So, I guess why don’t you influence yourself first? (laughs)
49. Any last comments before we wrap up?
Everyone needs happiness or a happy life. It’s the most important part of life especially for women. If women are happy with their life, everything else falls in place I think. For both men and women, it’s important to be grateful for what they have in their life. Last comment would be wishing everyone happiness in their life.
50. Who would you recommend to interview next from Hobby Alumni? And Why?
I recommend our #HobbyAlumni 2007 Class President Uyanga Boldbaatar - she is running a family business called Golden Gobi, which is a local chocolate brand manufacturer. I think they introduced a new product line recently and their brand seems very interesting as it’s one of the first local manufacturers of chocolate. She’s also a working mom and could be a good candidate.
Also fellow classmate Suvdmaa Munkhzaya, she’s doing her 2nd masters degree in Geneva and at the same time she’s also leading a big company I think in the meat industry. That industry could be very interesting to look into.
“The company InnovStyle, which I established in 2013, successfully brought many brands - L.K. Bennett, Karen Millen, Salamander, Lauma Lingerie, Charles & Keith, and Pedro - to Mongolia. Because we are a young company with young staff, we have a big ambition.
... I just knew that fashion was the only sector that I would succeed in. ”