When local entrepreneurs are struggling find a niche in the market, Sonam Pelden, 28, has made it to a Forbes magazine list of 300 young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who are challenging conventions and making an impact in today.

Sonam works with ServisHero, a Malaysia based on-demand services provider, through which users can order services like taxis and home cleaning.

The Forbes honourees are aged under 30 years and selected by a panel of judges who are accomplished and acclaimed in their respective fields.

“I feel incredibly proud and honoured to be on the Forbes list,” Sonam Pelden told Kuensel.  “I had a moment of disbelief when I got the call,” she said.

“More than anything, I am humbled to be able to represent Bhutan and help play my part in showcasing to the rest of the world that we are a lot more than just a happy country.”

For Sonam, learning has always been a big part of her life and she continuously invests her time to enhance her understanding and skills so that she can create a positive impact.

“My passion lies at the cross road of technology, economics, and making the world a better place – so I know for a fact I will be continuously exploring new opportunities in this area,” she said.

She eventually plans to return to Bhutan and help build a community of technology entrepreneurs as she believes that there are infinite social issues where technology can play a big role.

Sonam Pelden currently works with ServisHero, an online service marketplace that she founded along with with two of her classmates from Oxford University.

The company aims at making technology a force to empower small businesses by creating a platform that connects service professionals directly with users.

“Over the last two years, we grew the company from three people to over 75 people now working across Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.” She said that the growth of ServisHero has been tremendous, to the extent that it was recognised by regional media and government organisations.

“So really I think me being on Forbes 30 under 30 is really a testament to the company, our mission and our incredibly hardworking staff.”

Her job responsibilities with the company include ensuring that it is at the forefront of digital marketing. She makes use of tools like Google’s Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation, along with Facebook marketing to deliver extremely targeted advertisement. “We are a data-driven company, which means that all my decisions on ad copy, ad creative, and content marketing are based on thousands of data points,”she said. “I make sure every dollar we spend online delivers a customer life time value that is significantly higher than that.”

An economist by background, she makes sure that the dynamics and the policy challenges facing small service businesses are well tackled. Besides that, she strives to understand the main points faced by small business owners, and draw more light onto the policies that influence a small business’ ability to grow and operate.

Tshering Dorji