Tess Nguyen who is a trained physiotherapist was searching Gumtree, Australia’s marketplace, for a physiotherapy clinic to buy. Instead, a sleepwear ad called Midnight Mischief captured her eye, “I’d never heard of personalised pyjamas, and I was pretty up-to-date with trends, so I sent an inquiry,” she told 7life.

She consulted her friends who have accounting and business experience and told Tess it was worth nothing and advised her not to buy it. However, she liked the pyjamas’ style and name, plus she was able to bargain the business down to $15,000. So, a month later she bought the business.

Tess kept the purchase secret from her family. The business was going slow during the first two years, and running the business while working as a full time physiotherapist, took its toll.

When 2020 hit, the business was ready for the huge demand prompted by COVID and people staying at home. The big moment was when TV presenter Jules Sebastian posted a photo of herself wearing Midnight Mischief pyjamas.

The brand grew 165% in the year to July 2021. And Tess has gone from pyjama girl to Pyjama Queen – selling a set every 10 minutes. The designs retail for about $99.95 – and her sleepwear empire is now turning over $2.3 million.

“I’m so glad I did it and I’d tell anyone else to do the same,” Tess told 7Life, “Just go for it. You can figure it out as you go along. It’s worked for me.”

Even though the Crazy Rich Asians actress’ wealth is likely in the millions, she believes that a mere $500 per month is sufficient to cover her expenses.

The 32-year-old actress recently told Harper’s Bazaar that her money philosophy goes back to when she was building her Awkwafina musical and comedy persona, which she used as an outlet for her creativity while she worked a day job in book publicity.

Her grandmother brought her up in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, New York. Because her family’s restaurant went out of business and they were forced to sell their home, she has developed a greater appreciation for monetary gain than any other aspect of her life.  

Awkwafina remembers that funds were tight at home and that she would stay up late with her grandma, who worried about paying the bills.

She also claims that despite being in a better financial position to support her family and herself, she still maintains a just-the-basics mentality. The actress has been known to buy clothes at Target and not spend much money on anything. She set out with the simple objective of covering her living expenses. 

She explains to Harper’s Bazaar, “I went into this mode off, if I can make $500 a month, that’s all I need.” 

Awkwafina’s motivation and success are attributed mainly to her refreshingly optimistic view of financial considerations. She has kept herself busy acting in the years since, including launching her comedy series on Comedy Central and becoming the first Asian-American actress to win the Golden Globe for best actress for her lead role in the 2019 drama “The Farewell.”

Restaurateur Tracy Chang started the nonprofit Off Their Plate and Project Restore Us through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

The owner of the Japanese tapas restaurant,  PAGU, started Off Their Plate as a way to feed healthcare workers, and Project Restore Us sends nutritious and culturally appropriate grocery boxes to families living in food deserts. Both groups work to support local kitchens run by women and BIPOC and volunteers.

As a chef, Tracy also finds herself more in tune with customers than ever before. As someone who grew up lactose intolerant, she sources ingredients responsibly and remains mindful of the way guests feel after they leave her restaurant. This is also part of her restaurant’s ethos.

Her grandmother has also influenced Tracy’s cooking. Although her grandmother didn’t speak English, she spoke the language of food really well, said Tracy, and that was something that always resonated with her.

For Tracy, her personal experience has definitely come into play — trained in Spain but worked at a Japanese restaurant, and she grew up with a lot of Japanese and Taiwanese food, “The menu at PAGU is autobiographical and about my experience learning very specific dishes and techniques from people like my grandmother, my mentor and some of the chefs I’ve worked with.” she told TimeOut.