Honglan Wang

Become an expert in something, and then become a consultant. The freedom to work on projects that entice you is priceless.

 

Honglan Wang is an experienced pharmaceutical industry team leader with a strong scientific background. She has Ph.D. in cardiovascular pharmacology, and had her postdoctoral training in cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology.

She is comfortable operating simultaneously as team leader and as a technical contributor. Honglan has numerous awards, scientific journal publications, conference presentations.

Currently she is working as a consultant with Lingyi Technology, a company dedicated to research & development, manufacturing, and commercialization of medical diagnostic products. Honglan gives advice on R&D, data analysis and interpretation, and project management.

Prior to Bestbay, she worked at Myokardia as a senior scientist and team leader. She assembled and managed a technically-diverse group of biologists, producing data needed to make high-level go/no-go decisions.

During her spare time, Honglan enjoys cooking, gardening, and playing puzzle games.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I am very experienced as a pharmaceutical industry team leader, and I thought it was time to put my skillset to use as a business consultant. I like the idea of being a contractor and being able to work on exciting projects that I pick.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Typical Day:
I review data and edit the conclusion if need. I constantly check projects progress, help them with any issues, and give suggestions on the next steps.
Once my work day is done and I am home, I am reading to capture the new technology and the trend in the field.

How to make it productive:
I am a well-organized person. My day starts with checking to do list and email, time blocking for each task. And re-prioritize to do list if things change.

How do you bring ideas to life?

First, I will do some internet search to see if there’s similar idea out there and also could learn something from others. During this time I make notes of each thought popped into my head.

Then initiate discussion with my team to collect suggestions and feedback, and design the plan

Finally, it is execution.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Applying artificial intelligence into drug discovery process excites me. Drug discovery is a slow and expensive process, because there are so many unknowns with human physiology and disease pathway. Introducing AI into drug discovery will expedite the drug discovery process in a less expensive and more efficient way.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

It is important to stay organized. Since I work on various projects, I need to keep track of them accordingly.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Do more reading and writing. It’s incredible how much you can learn from others.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Mayonnaise is gross.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Make sure to not overextend yourself. You will be given a lot of opportunities to work on cool projects, but it’s much better to do a few projects 110% than to do too many half-ass.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I am incredibly transparent with my billing. I make sure my clients know exactly what I did on each invoice. Throughout my life, I have heard so many complaints of different businesses getting charged for things they aren’t sure about. I make sure my clients never have any questions. It keeps the trust among the employer and contractor.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

As an independent contractor, I had to find a way to market myself. I am incredibly experienced, but it was hard to get my resume in front of hiring managers. I ended up trying a professional service called Browning Associates aimed at pairing me with companies needing my service, and found a few great contracts that way.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Become an expert in something, and then become a consultant. The freedom to work on projects that entice you is priceless.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Register an online course, a course will help expand my future career path. I learned a lot from it, and was very impressed.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Smartsheet. Create a smartsheet with a clear scope and plan for each task, and share with team members and stakeholders.

With smartsheet you can easily track the task and keep everyone updated.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Although it’s almost a century old, it still applies today. Keep points are to become genuinely interested in other people, remember names and important information about them, listen more, and to smile!

What is your favorite quote?

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Albert Einstein

Key Learnings:

• Never Stop Learning.
• Never Give-up.
• Try Try Again .

Connect:

www.linkedin.com/in/honglan-wang-3b732542