I Launched My Own Professional Coaching Business After A Master Of Science In Innovation

Ying Han Cheng drew on her personal experiences, along with the business skills she learned during her MSc in Innovation, to launch her own professional coaching business, Y-Age.

How SMU prepared me to overcome business challenges

Building a company from the ground up came with plenty of challenges, Hani recalls. One of the most significant was creating a virtual business, unrestricted by geography.

“I decided to build the business online so its impact can reach beyond Singapore. The challenge was finding the leaders we support from five different continents, while maintaining Singapore as our happy home base.”

Managing cash flow and scheduling across five different time zones also raised several organizational difficulties, such as maintaining team morale remotely, and ensuring accountability. The skills that Hani learned during her MSc in Innovation helped her overcome these hurdles.

“SMU’s classes taught me how to think ahead when creating contracts and agreements, and also apply design thinking to every part of our product launch process,” she explains.

The MSc in Innovation is designed to help students like Hani to develop the skills they need at every step of founding and growing a business.

Modules ranging from Opportunity Recognition, Ideation and Innovation Management to Business Acceleration and Growth Strategy ensure that graduates leave with a far-reaching plan for their own companies.

Achieving global growth

Since it was founded in 2015, Y-Age has gone from strength to strength.

Hani has added talks and events to her offerings, and even condensed her coaching wisdom into an Amazon best-selling book—You Only Live Once: Life and Business Innovation Style.

Today, she runs Y-Age from Paris, along with six team members around the world. Hani credits much of her success to the MSc in Innovation at SMU.

“SMU helped me gain momentum in the foundations of running a business, and supported me with a network of outstanding peers to tap into whenever I was facing challenges,” she concludes.

“The program contributed to my well-rounded understanding of business and entrepreneurship.”

For more information about Hani’s work:

o Upcoming Webinar

o Y-Age Website

Specialized Masters

Student Reviews

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Nikita

Verified

12/07/2023

On Campus

A Peek Behind SMU

Located in the middle of the Central Business District, SMU is surrounded by a plethora of different bars and restaurants to try. Unlike its other counterparts, all buildings are within a walkable distance of each other. However, depending on the course you do, you might find the courses incredibly engaging or somewhat dull. Most political science courses have incredible professors, however, specific mathematical or computer science courses might have duller professors absorbed in teaching high-level content, resulting in a necessity for self-learning. At the end of the day, your experience depends on the course you take and your willingness to put in the hours required for harder courses.

Student

Verified

19/06/2023

On Campus

Holistic Business Curriculum

Exposure to diverse range of projects train students to adopt a holistic view and experienced generalists. Weightage are allocated evenly between exams and projects so it trains students to be an all-rounded and practise good time management. Professors have real working experiences and shares valuable insights. Despite developing graduates that are competent for real jobs, SMU has yet to receive certain certifications which is a disadvantage in job application process.

Aditya

Verified

23/10/2019

Flexibility of courses

The number of courses that SMU provides is really nice. One can choose a variety of courses from various disciplines. A person can also choose their minors from different disciplines. For example one can do a Major in Economics and a 2nd major in Finance etc.