Starting a business is an opportunity to learn at a higher level
After working at startups and businesses in the fields of logistics, e-commerce, media and having experience in business development, partnership development and operations, Mr. Ninh Van Quang (22 years old, Hanoi) decided to start a business with Hema Gift - a brand providing gift solutions.
According to Mr. Quang, when starting Hema Gift, he spent about three months researching the market, understanding customer needs, developing products and building an operating model. However, the initial journey did not go as smoothly as expected. After about four months of operation, the team encountered many problems in orientation, operation and internal coordination, and had to temporarily stop. By the second quarter of 2026, after accumulating more experience and reviewing previous limitations, Mr. Quang decided to start Hema Gift again with a new apparatus, a more methodical approach and a clearer orientation.
Mr. Quang shared that starting a business is not an alternative to working at a business for young workers, but an opportunity to learn at a higher level when the founder must be responsible for all decisions and continuously improve himself. For him, the first failure is a necessary lesson to understand that starting a business is not just starting a project but also a process of building an organization with sustainable development potential.
The biggest difficulty in the operation process is not starting but how to maintain and develop a long-term business model. Besides the requirement to ensure product quality and customer experience, building a team that shares values is also a big challenge for a startup with limited resources," Mr. Quang shared.
Also according to Mr. Quang, as a young person, he once faced suspicion from partners, but he chose to build trust with professionalism, receptive attitude and steadfast commitment in work.
Although starting a business is an individual's story, to go far, you need support from a community. Sometimes a timely suggestion, a trust from customers or a small cooperation opportunity can also become a great motivation for a new startup like mine to continue to develop," said Mr. Quang.
Starting a business requires not only expertise but also solving the management problem
Mr. Nguyen Hop Long (26 years old, Hanoi), graduated with a major in Electronic Newspaper, Academy of Journalism and Propaganda, decided to start a business after many years of working in the field of media.
For me, starting a business is an inevitable shift from a professional to someone who solves business problems. Looking at the current media industry, the problem of many businesses is the lack of synchronization. They need a partner with overall management capabilities from strategic thinking to product deployment," Mr. Long said.
From the experiences in the professional process and the actual needs of customers, Mr. Long decided to start a business in the field of digital media with the orientation of developing from a production unit to become an integrated media partner of the business.
According to Mr. Long, the most important source of capital for a startup is not only money but also production materials, labor tools, core technology, professional reputation and a network of associates. Instead of expanding the scale from the beginning, he focuses on improving capacity, building professional working processes and building trust with customers. To date, most of the business's projects come from the introduction of partners who have cooperated before.
Mr. Long shared that the operation process also puts a lot of pressure. In addition to the cash flow problem and expanding the scale while still ensuring service quality, young people also have to spend a lot of time proving their capacity to partners. In particular, starting as a professional until becoming an executive, Mr. Long had to learn more knowledge about corporate law, tax, accounting, contracts, insurance and financial management...
I also strongly agree with the orientation in Resolution 68-NQ/TW when identifying the private economy as an important driving force of the economy and emphasizing the continued improvement of institutions, creating a favorable environment for businesses, especially small businesses and startups to develop sustainably," Mr. Long shared.
In the coming time, Mr. Long expects not only to develop the business but also to build a team where everyone has the opportunity to grow together.
I also hope that other innovative startups will have more opportunities to access resources, expand connections with the international market and be facilitated for development. When young people are given opportunities and suitable environments, they can completely create practical values for businesses, communities and the economy," Mr. Long affirmed.
