Hong Kong’s youngest 15-year-old social entrepreneur

Founded by 15-year-old Bailey Cherry, the non-profit social enterprise reBooked is dedicated to promoting a circular economy for books in Hong Kong.

It is the first online platform for second-hand English children's books, redirecting hundreds of books that could end up in the trash, giving them a new lease of life and allowing them to re-educate thousands of children in another language.

Greequeen.com did an interview with Bailey Cherry in which she tells her story, her challenges, and what she thinks about the future of her entrepreneurship and education.

Bailey, studies at the Canadian International School and like any other girl her age, loves to read, play basketball and love community service, which led her to think of reBooked as a social project. "My main project I'm working on is a non-profit company that provides a platform to reuse children's books," he explains that he saw a gap in the market and thought about the convenience of donating books by families during all year. "While there were some book drive drives in certain months of the year, it didn't happen all the time." That's when Bailey identified that there was a lack of services in the market to make second-hand books really accessible to families. " So I decided to create an online store to solve this problem ”.

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Managing the platform has been quite an adventure for a young entrepreneur of only 15 years old and eager to help. "It's definitely been a lot to handle," Bailey explains, initially not sure where to start. The main problem for me is time management. Obviously, as a full-time student, I have extracurricular activities and, in addition, I am running reBooked. So I learned to manage my time between different things, and it comes down to prioritizing and making sure I can set aside time to work on reBooked. Task you are doing with assured success.

For the small student and businesswoman, the concept of circular economy begins to be implemented in Hong Kong. “Yes, I definitely do.” Many of our clients here are very interested in sustainability and circularity, but many people just don't have enough time or effort to go out of their way to do this kind of thing, explains the businesswoman. "That's why I focus on making it convenient for people, to make it easier for others to be part of something sustainable."

“I also think that young people are definitely at the forefront of the movement, because we have fewer mental limits. We dream big and we want to achieve these environmental goals ”clarifies the creator of reBooked.

And in the midst of the crisis due to the global pandemic that began in China, in Hong Kong drastic measures have also been taken that have changed the shape of the businesswoman's social project.

“One of the things we had to do was change our business model,” explains Bailey. Before, one of the ways we delivered books was by meeting directly with the customer at subway stations, and it was convenient, it wasn't expensive for anyone. of the parts. While now, with the coronavirus, he says, "we are trying to stay at home and distance ourselves socially, so we are switching to the use of postal services."

Has the new dynamic changed the mindset of users and has the pandemic raised the mindset towards more sustainable behavior?

I think. We have had to learn and adapt in terms of sustainability in all aspects, not only environmentally, but socially and economically also in these difficult times.

But even the pandemic hasn't stopped the businesswoman's desire to move forward with her social program , “The positive feedback I've received from everyone, from our book donors to clients, when I hear people say there is a need of this service, that's what keeps me motivated ”. “It makes me very happy when I see that people enjoy and benefit from what I do and that I can serve the community through this,” showing his clear desire for social contribution.

Bailey ends her interview stating that for those who want to lead a more sustainable life, "everything matters." "For some people, it is more difficult to make big changes, but every little thing makes a difference and in the end it all adds up to have an impact," concludes the little 15-year-old businesswoman who dreamed of helping making her wish come true through an absolutely inspiring major circular economy project.