From Hawke's Bay to Malaysia: What I learnt as a skincare founder

A few weeks ago, I returned from Malaysia after taking part in the Asia New Zealand Foundation's health and beauty entrepreneurs programme.

I went over with very few expectations and came home with new ideas for Earthwoven, some incredible connections and a completely different perspective on a few things, both professionally and personally.

I wanted to share a little more about the experience, because it ended up meaning much more to me than I ever expected.

An opportunity I almost didn't expect

Here's something I haven't really shared: I actually applied for an Asia New Zealand Foundation programme a few years ago and wasn't selected.

So when I saw the opportunity to apply for the Malaysia health and beauty entrepreneurs programme, I thought I'd give it another go.

I submitted my application just a week or two before applications closed, then got on with everything else happening at Earthwoven. I genuinely didn't think too much about it.

When I found out I'd been selected, we had roughly two and a half weeks before departure.

At the time, we were in the middle of trying to move Earthwoven into a warehouse, training staff and getting everything organised behind the scenes.

So although I was incredibly excited and honoured to be selected, there was also one fairly big question hanging over my head.

Could Earthwoven run without me?

After four and a half years of building the business, this would be the first time I was properly stepping away while orders continued going out.

I was about to find out!

Four days on my own in Kuala Lumpur

I arrived in Malaysia four days before the official programme began, allowing myself some extra time to settle in and adjust to travelling.

That turned out to be a pretty special experience in itself.

I'd never really considered Malaysia as a destination before. I knew it wasn't too far from Singapore, where Earthwoven occasionally receives orders, but I knew very little about Kuala Lumpur.

And I absolutely loved it.

The people, the food, the diversity, the different cultures and religions, and how safe I felt exploring the city on my own all left an impression on me.

I also managed to almost miss a flight, have my luggage go missing and figure out the trains after around 14 hours of travelling with barely any sleep.

Somehow, I managed it all. I think I surprised myself a little!

And yes, getting to see monkeys was definitely one of my personal highlights.

By the time the programme started, I was already pretty taken with Malaysia.

Exploring the beauty industry at Cosmobeauté Malaysia

The programme brought together ten New Zealand entrepreneurs working across the health and beauty sector, giving us the opportunity to explore Malaysia's industry, visit businesses and connect with people working in the market.

One of our main stops was Cosmobeauté Malaysia 2026, a major international beauty trade exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur.

It was fascinating seeing the number of brands, manufacturers, suppliers and product concepts all in one place.

One thing that really stood out to me was the influence of Korean beauty. K-beauty was everywhere, particularly when it came to formulations and product concepts.

It's already incredibly popular in New Zealand and Australia, so seeing that influence across another market was interesting.

I also came across new packaging concepts and products that got me thinking about possibilities for Earthwoven, including ideas we could potentially explore with our own New Zealand-made approach.

A visit that meant more than business

One of the experiences that stayed with me most was visiting YouZenAn, founded by Catherine Lai.

Catherine is also the founder of Esca Design and has spent much of her career working in interior design.

Her story really moved me.

After losing her husband in 2015, Catherine began reflecting on what she wanted the next chapter of her life to look like. She went on to create YouZenAn, drawing inspiration from nature, personal experiences and the idea that life can continue to hold meaning and possibility after loss.

Having lost both of my parents at a young age, I could relate to parts of her story on a very personal level.

It's something I've come to appreciate more as I get older. Life can contain an enormous amount of darkness, but that also means there's a contrast to it. There's light out there too, and sometimes you have to keep looking for it.

Meeting someone who had experienced significant loss and continued building, creating and experiencing life really stayed with me.

It was a reminder that there's so much more to what we do than simply building successful businesses.

Sometimes the most valuable things you take home aren't business strategies or new contacts. They're the conversations that change how you think.

The importance of people and learning to trust

Another huge part of the experience was the other New Zealand entrepreneurs I travelled with.

Technically, some of us could be considered competitors. We work in the same wider industry, and we're all trying to build and grow our respective businesses.

But that week never felt like competition.

We talked about business, shared challenges, had personal conversations, learnt from one another and formed friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.

It really is mind-blowing how much talent we have here in New Zealand.

It also reinforced something I've been learning throughout this year: relationships are everything, and you can't do everything alone.

Sometimes the hardest part of building a business isn't creating a product, growing revenue or figuring out the next step.

Sometimes it's learning to trust other people.

That's something I've personally found challenging, and it's been tested quite a bit this year.

Being away from Earthwoven while the team continued looking after the business was stressful at times. I'm quite particular about how things are done, and after spending years being involved in almost every part of the business, stepping away wasn't easy.

But if I really want Earthwoven to grow and help as many people as possible, I have to accept that I can't be the person doing everything forever.

Orders need to be able to go out without me.

It's been a slow, occasionally painful process to learn, but I'm getting there.

And this trip helped reinforce why it's so important.

What I've brought home for Earthwoven

If you're new to Earthwoven, you can read more about how and why I started the brand in Our Story.

Professionally, I've come home with new connections, packaging ideas, potential product concepts and plenty to research.

We're continuing to focus on growing Earthwoven in New Zealand and Australia while exploring what opportunities might look like internationally.

There's still a lot of work ahead of us, and I certainly don't have everything figured out.

But the trip also made me think more about the kind of business I want to build and the kind of life I want to have while building it.

For a long time, so much of my focus was on creating stability and security. I think that came from a lot of things I experienced growing up.

And while those things are still important to me, I've started realising that I don't want to spend my whole life so focused on building something that I forget to actually enjoy it.

I want to experience more, meet more people, keep learning and see more of the world.

I also want to look after my health and make sure I'm building a business that allows me to do those things.

I want Earthwoven to grow, but I want to enjoy being part of that growth too.

Malaysia shifted my perspective on that more than I expected.

My advice to other New Zealand entrepreneurs

If you're considering applying for an opportunity through the Asia New Zealand Foundation, my advice is pretty simple.

Do it.

And if you don't get selected the first time, don't let that stop you from applying again.

I wasn't selected when I first applied a few years ago, and if I'd decided that meant these opportunities weren't for me, I would have missed this experience completely.

You don't necessarily need to have the biggest business, an established international network or everything figured out before putting yourself forward.

Sometimes you just have to take a chance on yourself.

I'd really encourage other New Zealand entrepreneurs to explore the Asia New Zealand Foundation's entrepreneurship programmes and keep an eye on their upcoming opportunities.

I'm incredibly grateful to the Foundation, everyone who welcomed us in Malaysia and the other entrepreneurs who made the experience what it was.

And to everyone who continues supporting Earthwoven, thank you. Having customers who choose to come back to our products is an important part of what allows us to keep building and taking opportunities like this.

I went to Malaysia expecting to learn about the beauty industry.

I came home with a lot more than that.

And hopefully, there will be many more opportunities, many more connections and many more monkeys along the way.

Shaleah Lawrence
Founder, Earthwoven