Ep 383 - The Hustle Behind Lit Digital with Noreen Baetiong
This week on Hustleshare, host Ron Baetiong welcomes Noreen Baetiong in a special Women's Month episode, where she opens up about her inspiring journey into entrepreneurship — shaped by early struggles, hard-earned lessons, and an unwavering determination to build something of her own. She shares how courage, persistence, and a growth mindset helped her rise as a successful business owner and why her story stands as a powerful testament to women who break barriers and redefine what success truly means.
EPISODE TIMELINE:
00:01:55 – Ron sets the stage: a special 7-year anniversary episode
00:02:23 – Guest reveal: Noreen Baetiong, founder of Lit Digital and wife of Ron
00:07:08 – Hustling through college: scholarships, office work, and early freelancing
00:12:02 – Pivoting offline: photography, fashion styling, and magazine shoots
00:17:38 – Two defining moments: her scholarship course and the promotional products business
00:25:24 – The polymath advantage: how diverse skills become an entrepreneurial superpower
00:31:10 – South Sartorial, Noreen's first fashion brand
00:38:42 – Why she paused South Sartorial: too many orders, one seamstress, burnout
00:43:56 – Transition begins: freelancing leads to the birth of Lit Digital
00:49:37 – Turning passion into a startup: the soul-filling (and soul-crushing) side of entrepreneurship
00:53:48 – From solopreneur to team leader: the pivotal decision to hire
00:59:14 – Advice to freelancers: systematize first, then multiply yourself
01:00:39 – Sidebar: launching a skincare brand, OIAM, while running Lit Digital
01:07:36 – Noreen quietly exited the skincare brand — a solo founder with an exit
01:10:26 – 2023 near-death: revenue declining, unable to close clients, facing bankruptcy
01:17:05 – The comeback: two loyal clients stayed, she rebuilt her "Avengers" by August
01:25:24 – The founder ceiling: how personal evolution determines how high the startup can go
01:30:20 – Leading with vulnerability: why showing imperfection makes you a better leader
01:31:45 – The 2023 lesson: being too deep in operations cost her business development
01:33:11 – Advice to young Noreen: thank her, keep the grit, and have more fun along the way
01:36:43 – Final advice for female founders on the edge of their first leap: just do it
”Just continue having that grit, you know, because that has brought us here, you know? That has given us or brought us a lot of opportunities, you know, and opened a lot of doors that grit has given us so much. um Just really kind of like so much experiences. But I guess the experience, the ultimate advice would be not to be too focused on earning money and just really having fun also along the way. Because I feel like I've just started really having more fun during my lifetime. So I wasn't, I was really hustling during my early years. Until my late 20s. So I wasn't super like having fun. I was just really, it was almost like I was defining my success based on my bank account. But now, I don't know, I guess it's just really that things will, it's not an advice, but a message would be things will turn out really well for you.” - Noreen Baetiong
Resources
LinkedIn (Noreen Baetiong) : https://www.linkedin.com/in/noreenbaetiong/
LinkedIn (Lit Digital) : https://www.linkedin.com/company/getlitdigital/
Website (Lit Digital) : https://www.getlit.digital/
Instagram (Lit Digital) : https://www.instagram.com/getlit.digital
Links/Sponsors:
OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/
PLDT Enterprise: https://pldtenterprise.com
- MSME Fiberbiz - https://bit.ly/pldtenterprise-ROId-nbsi-fiberbiz
- 5G SIM Only - https://bit.ly/pldtenterprise-ROId-nbsi-smart-postpaid
This episode is brought to you by Villgro Philippines: , Paymongo, GoTyme Bank & SeekCap
Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine