MOTHERHOOD, A BLEEDING LIP, AND A BUSINESS PITCH
How I joined V Creator “secara suka-suka” — and walked away as a Top 5 winner
I did not enter the competition because I thought I was the most prepared founder in the room. I joined because I was curious — and, honestly, just wanted to try.
When I joined the V Creator pitch competition by Sabah Entrepreneurs Transformation (SET), my business, No-Stress Japanese, was still young. I was teaching Japanese online, building a community, and working on my first book — all while raising two small children.
Like many mothers who run a business from home, I did not have a neat separation between “mother mode” and “entrepreneur mode.” Both lives happened at the same time, often in the same room.
The pitch I delivered with a bleeding mouth
During one of the rounds before the Grand Final, I was preparing to present my business idea in front of the judges. That same day, my daughter had a tantrum. In the middle of that difficult moment, she headbutt me in the face and my lip began to bleed.
There was no magical pause button. I could not put motherhood aside, tidy myself up emotionally, and return feeling unready. My turn came, so I stood in front of the judges and delivered my pitch — with my mouth still bleeding. I don't know if I was confident, all I knew that I need to let people learn about No-Stress Japanese that day.
A real photograph from that day — motherhood did not pause just because I had a pitch to deliver.
There was no magical pause button. I could not put motherhood aside, tidy myself up emotionally, and return feeling unready. My turn came, so I stood in front of the judges and delivered my pitch — with my mouth still bleeding.
I finished the presentation. But afterwards, I cried.
What hurt me most was not the cut on my lip. It was that some of the judges’ questions focused on my children and how I would manage them, rather than on the business idea I had worked so hard to present. At that moment, I felt as though I was being evaluated not only as an entrepreneur, but also as a mother.
I wondered: if I were not a mother, would the questions have been different?
The question that changed my perspective
Later, I shared the experience with a friend who also owns a business. She explained that investors often want to understand whether a founder has a support system and whether the business can continue when family responsibilities become demanding.
Her explanation was eye-opening. It did not erase how emotional that moment felt, and I still do not believe a child’s tantrum means a mother has failed to “manage her family.” Children are human, and motherhood is unpredictable. But I began to understand the business question underneath the personal one: How should I build my business in a way that can survive real life?
That experience taught me that asking for help is not weakness. A babysitter, a supportive spouse, flexible students, clearer schedules and a backup plan are not signs that I am less capable. They are part of building a sustainable business.
From “just trying” to the Top 5
I entered V Creator secara suka-suka. I did not expect the journey to take me all the way to the Grand Final, where I became one of the Top 5 winners. Standing there with my family reminded me that success does not always look polished behind the scenes.
V Creator Final - Asia Times - 26.7.2026
Sometimes success looks like rehearsing a pitch while caring for two children. Sometimes it looks like crying after answering a difficult question. Sometimes it looks like showing up with a bleeding lip — and speak anyway.
To every mother with an idea: you do not need to wait until family life becomes perfectly calm before you begin. Start small. Join “suka-suka.” Learn what you do not know. Build the support you need. Your journey may be messy, but it is still worthy — and it may take you further than you ever imagined.(
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