Ngo Thuy Anh – Forbes Under 30 2022: “I don't want to be an empty 'money-making machine' forever”

Hasu - a mental and physical care application for people over 50 years old was founded by Ngo Thuy Anh in March 2020. This business model helps the elderly overcome their fears: fear of being forgotten, fear of illness, fear of being a burden... to live happily and joyfully. In 2022, she was honored by Forbes Vietnam for her contributions to society.

From the idea to a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem for the elderly, what is the process like? The idea of ​​my elderly ecosystem did not originate from one point in time but was a continuous journey. Since I was a child, I lived with my grandparents and observed many things in the elderly. My grandfather was a veteran, sick, but he always silently endured everything alone. By the time the whole family discovered that he had cancer, the tumor in his lung was as big as a fist. The doctor said that people with cancer are very painful. Before that, no one knew how much pain he had suffered. In the family, I was the closest person to him and also the one who often talked and confided in him. One day, I suggested writing a book about his life together. The two of us worked together and completed it in about 3 months. The day the book was published was also the day my grandfather passed away. That experience had both positive and negative aspects, and countless other emotions in me. Since then, I have always cherished doing something for my grandparents, parents, and my family in the future, but I did not have enough strength. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, I realized that the elderly suffered too much. Young people can adapt quickly, but the elderly have a hard time - They have to suffer from a lack of physical and mental health care. Hasu is a comprehensive health care platform for physical, mental, and proactive health. We believe that the elderly need to take care of their health proactively, not wait until they get sick to pay attention to care. Because by then, it is no longer curable.

When starting, how did you convince partners to join the project? Before that, I had participated in teaching offline many classes and organizations related to health and technology for the elderly. When I realized the needs of the large community, my colleagues and I thought about launching products and services, creating an ecosystem to care for the elderly. In the past, finding partners was quite difficult and time-consuming because we had to plan and raise issues, and during the Covid pandemic, meeting in person or implementing cooperation was quite difficult. However, when partners observed and understood us, cooperation became quick. Many partners shared that they felt excited to join us in building a future that they themselves wanted to live in. As the leading flag, HASU feels that attracting the attention of organizations and brands to the elderly is its responsibility. At the present stage, when we have a certain reputation in the market, we do not need to convince anymore, many partners come to us on their own.

Established in the midst of the COVID pandemic, what difficulties did Hasu face? The Hasu team and I have come this far thanks to our strong determination and desire to care for the elderly. At first, it was very difficult to work with the elderly because they were always suspicious and afraid of being taken advantage of and scammed. I felt sorry for them and understood that mentality, so first of all, my team and I had to be sincere and honest. If we cooperate, HASU will only cooperate with the largest and most reputable partners to bring the best things, then the elderly will trust and open up more. Once I have gained their trust, it is easier for me to overcome other barriers. Other partners are also interested in supporting us because HASU has a large community of elderly people, actively spreading the word and inviting friends to join. According to research, over time, the number of elderly people using smartphones is increasing significantly, so the number of HASU customers is also growing very quickly.

How is HASU currently operating and what is the business efficiency of this project? Currently, Hasu has a technology platform, which is an application that helps the elderly connect with their community, practice online at home, participate in skill classes according to their interests... Along with that, we also build an offline community combined with online, with a diverse ecosystem of products and services to be able to accompany the elderly in many aspects of life. For example, the service of writing memoirs and diaries for the elderly helps to record and summarize life's journeys. The memoir book that is born will become an heirloom, connecting and sharing family values ​​through each generation. We aim not only at the elderly but also at young people who will receive many values ​​and from there have a deeper sharing and attachment with their families.

Her startup projects are all social enterprises, why did a young girl under 30 years old choose the path of social entrepreneurship? Having done many jobs to earn money, at one point I realized that if I kept working like that, I would not receive anything in return except money. I once received a very attractive job offer in the US, but until now, what I feel is the most correct decision is to return to Vietnam. I think anyone who has experienced a change will understand, I do not want to become a person or a mere money-making machine, only to regretfully realize after 10 years that I have not created anything truly useful for society and for my family, for my loved ones. I do not want to just chase after empty goals and lose the opportunity to find my true values. I feel comfortable participating in social work, creating value while still being financially sustainable. There are many investors like that now. Personally, if I had a lot of money now, I would also invest in potential social enterprises.

Contributing to society is the goal, but what about revenue and making money? For me, revenue and social goals must go hand in hand. I don't put too much emphasis on one side, because sustainable development is the balance between creating value for society and the environment, while having a sustainable source of financial income. Many people often confuse social work with charity.

Charity is giving, helping people at a certain time and only at that time. Social work is to create sustainable, long-term foundations for the community. For example, still doing business but creating significant changes in awareness, or giving people tools to make their lives and those of their loved ones better. To do those things, we need to have a sustainable financial model. Besides, consumers today are extremely smart. If we do not invest in sustainable development or the product must be good for society and the environment, customers will not choose it. And once customers have chosen it, it must develop sustainably. But when starting a business, many people think about getting rich for themselves first...? 10 years ago, when my mother saw me struggling to carry things to the flood-affected areas to do charity work, she said something that I will never forget: “Helping people in difficult times is great, but in the long run, instead of carrying boxes of instant noodles to help a family, you can also use that time to develop yourself. Then 10 or 20 years later, you can sit in one place and sign and approve huge funds that can help millions of other families.” That is, my mother suggested that I choose one of two paths: sacrifice my strength for the short term or invest time in studying, create financial potential and get rich, then help more people. I really understood that, it has guided my personality in the future. I hope that as long as I am alive, I will live that day meaningfully.

For your business, how will that responsibility be reflected in specific criteria? Firstly, HASU's mission is to improve the quality of life for the elderly in all aspects, from physical health to mental health. Help connect the elderly with their family members and create a community where they can live comfortably, access other resources in society that can bring value to them. Secondly, call on partners, companies and even purely profit partners to join HASU to have a more comprehensive view and be aware of their social responsibility, offering better solutions to support the elderly. All will be in the same ecosystem where we are working together to find solutions to solve existing problems. What resources do you rely on to achieve those goals? Of course, an individual's strength is limited, so HASU tries to access all available resources in society. I think the most important thing is the attention, time and passion, the persistence of the impact from the awareness of society. HASU has a network, established the trust of many partners with the same mission. All will support each other and develop together in a sustainable way. HASU has almost no "competitors". Because in this field, anyone who creates a solution to support the elderly is welcome.

As a social enterprise leader, what do you think is the most important factor in steering your business? I think being a pioneer in doing something is like planting a flag on the top of a mountain, so that many people can see and approach you. An individual cannot do much by himself, but if all parties join forces, the value he creates is enormous. I will always be the one to climb forward to find out where all my partners are and connect resources to achieve the goal. So for employees, what kind of boss are you? I am quite strict, if not extremely strict. Because starting a business is very difficult, not everyone can do it. For any business, the most important resource is still people. When choosing a partner, I first evaluate their attitude. I will consider whether that person is learning, progressive, developing every day, even developing many times in a short time. When you are not strict with yourself, how can you do great things? We also train many people to “plant the flag” and I am not afraid to delegate power when choosing talented people.

What advantages has youth given you when starting a business? Ever since I was young, I have been aware that my time is limited, and that I don't have much time with my loved ones. I always wanted to be a support for my parents, grandparents, or to protect those around me that I love as soon as possible. That's why I started working very early. Working and studying complement each other and help me develop faster. I often spend time thinking about what I will be in the next 5 or 10 years and set timelines for my goals. I always set clear goals and plans for action. The HASU project is aiming to take care of everyone's health from birth to old age. What do you think about the happiness of people of different ages? I really like the phrase "intergenerational". So one of my missions is to strengthen the connection between generations. Because the elderly and children go through almost the same cycle. When we are old, we become like children and children gradually grow up and become elderly. The elderly often regret the things they have experienced or the things they wish they had known earlier. The young do not know what it will be like when they are old. To strengthen that bond, the only way is to share, so that the young also understand the perspective of the elderly and vice versa, the elderly also understand and respect the perspective of the young and support them. There is a question I once received: What should we do when there are many very rich elderly people but they do not invest in the young, and do not trust them to invest. The question I ask in return is, are the young investing and taking proper care of the elderly? Everything has to go both ways. When the intergenerational bond is connected, when values ​​are shared by both sides, young people and the elderly can understand each other, trust each other, love and support each other.

For young people, what advice do you have for them if they are nurturing the desire to start a business? One of the first lessons I learned when I first started my business was: young people often do what they like but do not see the big picture of market demand, competitors... or have a clear plan when starting a business. In fact, the right process of starting a business must start from the existing problems in life, from the needs of customers and what solutions you can use to solve those needs. Thank you for sharing!

According to Fatherland