Meet With the Founder of Me Time Massage

An entrepreneur is someone who sets up a business with an aim to make a difference. An entrepreneur sees possibilities and solutions, and takes an idea and executes it, whereas the average person only sees annoyances and problems. HKU MBA meets with Kennie Cheung, MBA Graduate, Class of 2019, who recently started a massage business in Hong Kong.

HKU MBA: How did you come up with the new business idea?

Kennie Cheung: I personally love massages and have had the idea of running my own massage shop for a long time. Hong Kong people traditionally enjoy massages and it is a big trend across the border in Shenzhen – and even overseas in countries such as Thailand, Japan and other resorts in Southeast Asia. After the COVID-19 outbreak, the Hong Kong government has maintained a strict quarantine measurement which has resulted in much less travelling for Hong Kong residents. However, their interest and desire to travel still remain. In that moment, I saw a business opportunity to open a massage shop here to cater to their wants and needs.

HKU MBA: Starting a new business during the pandemic is no easy feat. What made you decide to launch this business now?

Kennie Cheung: In fact, on the contrary, it was easier for me to start a business due to the environment created by the pandemic. My massage shop is located on the ground floor of Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay, which is a prime location. Given there are plenty of buildings unoccupied, I was able to choose the most attractive location with easy access – the space I settled on used to be a bank.

I cannot say it was an easy decision, but I am also a risk taker who likes challenges, rather than sticking to the status-quo.

HKU MBA: What has been your most fruitful moment while operating your business?

Kennie Cheung: Whenever I see customers feeling satisfied after treatments in the shop, I feel empowered. That is the ultimate purpose of my business besides commercial reasons. It wasn’t my intention, but my shop has more female customers than male. Often, there are group reservations and we receive very positive feedback from them, which makes the whole experience very meaningful.

HKU MBA: It has been only a few months since your business launched. What has been the biggest challenge?

Kennie Cheung: The most challenging thing so far has been hiring a  receptionist. I have posted the job advertisement on various platforms, yet received less than 10 resumes. Strangely, even though candidates replied and scheduled interviews, they did not show up.

Recruiting therapists, however, is not so difficult

HKU MBA: How has the HKU MBA helped you get to where you are now?

Kennie Cheung: I benefited a lot from a diverse network – both across industries and sectors. For example, one of the alumni I met during the Wall Climbing alumni event helped me liaise with an IT professional who is now helping me upgrade the IT infrastructure of my business.

I have utilised much knowledge I obtained in classes, such as business strategy, starting from conceptualising the business, the logo, interior design, commercial models and so on.

HKU MBA: What is the future plan for your business?

Kennie Cheung: I am considering scaling up the business in the form of a franchise business model. The Causeway Bay store is the first flagship store and I would like to open a 2^nd store in Hong Kong by injecting some investment funds externally. I am thrilled to see the growth of my business.

Find more about the massage shop details at https://www.metimemassage.hk/
You can call or Whatsapp 2688 2000

https://www.instagram.com/metimemassagehk/