We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tiff Ng. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tiff below.
Hi Tiff, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
No one truly knows that they’re the only one in the room until someone points it out to them. I now ‘proudly’ identify as an Asian Australian woman, because I have been made aware that it is a brave thing to exist as one in this world – both by others and in my acceptance of my own personal journey.
Growing up, my parents and teachers had never treated me like I wasn’t capable of dreaming as big as I wanted. They instilled within me a confidence to get to this point – now as a founder and managing director of my own social media agency that is created to transform my industry and the way that the wider world uses social media. But it’s true. I’ve had to overcome many obstacles to get where I am today – mainly for what I represent as a person.
I remember the first time it really hit me that I was different. I was five years old, just walking through the playground with my friend when a boy, a few grades above me, called me “ching chong.” Even then, I knew the insult was a little outdated and vacuous. But it was the menace that laced every letter that struck me the hardest when I heard it.
Another moment that sticks in my mind is at my first corporate job in advertising. A client and I were debating where we needed to put a comma for a tweet. I was trying to tell him that the position of the comma would change what it said about the product we were promoting. I needed him to talk to his product team to clarify if the product did indeed do all of those things. He remained fixated on the grammatical side of things. Eventually, he asked – and I’ll give him the kindness of saying, through gritted teeth – if I could ask someone who ‘knew english’ to figure out where the comma needed to be. I could’ve called him out for the racism so clearly on show. But when you’re stuck in a world where you just have to smile and use corporate lingo to mask your real feelings, I only got my own revenge in a very passive aggressive email.
These are the sorts of stories that have fuelled the passion in me to create a better world for people like me. I left corporate advertising to start a business that would put positive impact at its core. I have chosen to work with organisations who share the same values as me to create a more inclusive world. I strive to be a woman of colour that refuses to remain in servitude to a system that will be both blatantly and surreptitiously racist to us.
It wasn’t a particular moment like Rosa Parks refusing to get up off the seat on a bus. It wasn’t glamorous like a march of thousands in fellow protest. It was getting fed up with feeling like you had to work so much harder to prove your worth, just because people already assumed that you were less than. It’s been a constant journey to realise the parts of me I had felt shame in and realise they were strengths.
I’ve learned to live in the paradox. I’ve learned to be both proud and humble in who I am. I know that my experinece is unique and yet important to be heard. I am ambitious by nature, but I know that where I go in life can show others that its possible.
First, it started with being a woman. Seeing other women in leadership and better understanding that what it means to embrace your feminine qualities – man or woman – to be a better person in this world, has helped me be a more innovative leader.
Second, it was about my family being from Hong Kong. It was already a country of paradox – the British colonisation still underpinning its identity while China still shows its influence. I came to realise that inhabiting both the culture of Hong Kong with my family and frequent trips back to visit our other relatives was a unique opportunity to learn. It gave me a great vision of what the world should be – open and diverse.
Thirdly, it was about being alone here. Still, to this day, I am one of the few Asian Australian women in the advertising space and the social enterprise space in which my business belongs. People expect you to be the voice for all others who are like you because you’re the only one around. You don’t completely fit in with other people and you feel like you have to apologise for being different.
But if you aren’t going to speak up for even what makes the most sense for you, how will these rooms ever realise that their worldview has been limited thus far? You may be the only voice and feel pressured to speak for all. But just by being a dissenting voice, people will realise they have to hear more.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In 2018, I founded my company, The Social Story. It is a socially-led communications agency committed to filling the world of social with more empathy, storytelling and purpose. We are a certified social enterprise and have amazing partnerships with like-minded organisations such as our clients, giving partners, community collaborators and suppliers.
We work with impact-driven businesses who want to tell the story about the work that they do and connect in meaningful ways with their community. We help guide them through this by delivering social content that isn’t just for content’s sake, but can inspire, inform and activate their audiences to also bring these values of purpose into their own lives.
I’m most excited about the way that we have reimagined the social media agency. From our business structure and banks we use, to the approach we take with every input, I’ve worked hard to rethink the way things are always done. Every decision is made with the conscious thought that we can be doing better and creating a more equitable and kind world.
I’ve never been one to gatekeep what we do. The more that people understand how social media can be used as a force for good, the better in my eyes. So we offer social strategy templates that take you through our entire process of developing a holistic social media strategy that sets you up for success. If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge and have our agency handle everything for you, this is a great place to start with your socials.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There is no way to get through the trials and tribulations without these three core things: resilience, adaptability and community.
Most small businesses fail within the first five years of their inception. And when you’re talking about social enterprise, you’ve chosen to do business on hard mode. Nothing about this is secure and easy. Having the ability to bounce back from the inevitable setbacks and be sure in why you started is crucial to sticking it through. Every day, you’ll realise you have to make a new decision or learn a new skill and it can be daunting. And that’s why you have to stay steadfast in your purpose.
Adaptability is a lesson I particularly learned through the pandemic. There are so many things that will happen outside of your control – from your client’s budgets to your changing business needs. Knowing how to think on your feet and still deliver the product or service you’re selling when these curveballs hit means staying nimble and being open to learn.
And finally, community. Running a social enterprise can be a lonely pursuit. You can feel like you have all the weight of the world on your shoulders. So find people who can support you emotionally and professionally – and they don’t always have to be both. I have those friends where I can just switch off from work and rant about some of my troubles. But I also have incredible professional networks that can have the tools or connections that can take your business further. Lean on them and this journey will feel a little less scary.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who is unafraid to take risks in their marketing and is driven by a passion to make the world a better place. We’ve shied away of defining our clients by the size or certification level of their impact. Ultimately, the people we love to work with have come from businesses of all shapes and sizes. But what is common is their shared values with our team and the trust that we have their back in delivering considered, effective communication through social media. We’ve done the work to figure out the right approach, our clients are those who understand our commitments and want to be a part of that. They can feel safe in knowing when they hand over their socials to us, we will be able to tell their story and keep a relationship going with their audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: thesocialstory.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/thesocialstoryco
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thesocialstoryco
