[Power K-Women] "Worried About Lack of Experience and Capital... Accumulated Effort Creates Results"

Lim Hyemin, CEO of Creatrip
Endured by Watching the 'Long Flow' During the Pandemic
Tears at News of Travel Restrictions Being Lifted
Focus on Gaining Experience Rather Than Blaming Conditions
'Naver' as the Goal for Travelers Coming to Korea

"When I started my business, I often asked myself if I lacked experience or capital. The conclusion was that people's capabilities are all quite similar. It is the accumulation that creates results."

Lim Hyemin, CEO of Creatrip, endured the unprecedentedly harsh two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the travel industry. She said, "Every day was a crisis." The startup investment sector began to cool down from 2022, and a year before that, the tsunami of COVID-19 hit. Creatrip secured 10 billion KRW in investment at the end of 2021. The fundraising process was prolonged during the peak of Omicron, and the gray hairs that appeared then fully reflect the hardships endured. CEO Lim was born in 1990, founded the company at age 26, and is now in her eighth year.

Creatrip introduces content favored by locals to foreigners who love Korean culture and Korea. Instead of tourist attractions, it intermediates bookings for hair salons, hospitals, activities, concerts, and more. As the travel industry contracted, Creatrip expanded its direct-to-consumer commerce to increase sales. CEO Lim had to accept unpredictable variables. "Just before COVID-19, we received 3.4 billion KRW in investment and thought that if we carefully managed it over three years, we had a chance. We accepted structural changes. There was no time to feel overwhelmed. I have no regrets about choosing to endure."

Lim changed her perspective on the situation and focused on the 'long flow.' She regarded the unpredictable variable of COVID-19 as 'something to endure.' She said, "According to statistics, companies also have trajectories. Over a period of more than 10 years, waves come crashing in from time to time." In December 2019, just before the pandemic, they received 3.4 billion KRW in investment, and despite passing through a long tunnel, there was no employee turnover. Lim recalled, "I spent two years thinking I had to save the company immediately, and when I saw news that travel restrictions were lifting and had meetings with overseas marketers, tears streamed down my face. Only then did I truly realize how hard it had been."

"I enjoy a conflicted life... Knowing your limits well is important"

Im Hyemin, CEO of Creatrip / Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Lim defines herself as someone who 'enjoys a conflicted life.' She repeated a schedule of waking up at 5 a.m. and leaving work at midnight for over three years. She left Johnson & Johnson before completing a year to challenge entrepreneurship. She had no acquaintances to offer hiring proposals or senior founders to seek advice from. Even when facing the limits of 'lack of experience,' her mindset was different. She said, "I once wondered if I lacked experience or capital because I wasn't from SKY or the Ivy League, but now I think if the results are poor, it just means the accumulation hasn't happened yet." She realized that rather than blaming conditions or environment, it is the accumulation of effort that creates results.

Lim learned how to recognize her limits as the company grew. She said, "Working hard was always taken for granted, and I lived adjusting myself to work. It was hard to accept that I had weaknesses, but it's important to maximize the areas you do well within the scope you can handle."

Lim is strong in foreign languages. She graduated from a foreign language high school and is fluent in English and Chinese, with many foreign friends. The reason she founded Creatrip was also thanks to reviews of Korean travel from foreign friends. Lim said, "Foreign friends I hadn't contacted often started reaching out with interest in Korea," adding, "I realized foreigners get information about Korea through dramas but only visit places like Nami Island and Gyeongbokgung Palace." She caught trends from a single word from her foreign friends and created content based on their curiosities, enabling Creatrip to secure over 1.2 million monthly users. The user base is diverse: 40% from Greater China, 25% from North America and other English-speaking countries, and 20% from Japan.

"Foreigners are curious about stores Koreans frequently visit"

Creatrip positions itself as a comprehensive platform for foreigners in Korea. It attracted users through content without running advertisements. Instead of country-specific ads, it gathered users with 'content' that foreigners who love Korea would watch with interest. Content introducing places Koreans frequently visit also piques foreigners' curiosity. Lim said, "Regardless of nationality, perceptions of Hallyu and favorite points are similar. Content like stores where you can rent trendy hanbok, just like Koreans, was very well received."

Im Hyemin, CEO of Creatrip / Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

When asked why 'Korean things resonate,' Lim answered, "Because they are moderately trendy." She explained that content or products Koreans normally enjoy, like oversized sweatshirts rather than crop tops, also sell well to foreigners. Lim said, "Korean popular culture is slightly above the global average. Korea is small and always exposed to competition, so it quickly adopts trends," adding, "What Korea quickly absorbs seems to be at a point that can be accepted globally."

Lim set her goal this year to become the number one travel service. She plans to expand into travel-related financial services such as currency exchange, insurance, and prepaid cards. Her five-year goal is for Creatrip to become the 'Naver for Korean travelers.' In ten years, she wants to grow Creatrip into an 'inspiring company.'

"Bill Gates said that people overestimate what they can do in two years but underestimate what they can do in ten years. In ten years, there will be more things you can accomplish."

▶About CEO Lim Hyemin

Lim Hyemin, CEO of Creatrip, was born in 1990. She graduated from Jeonnam Foreign Language High School and the University of Seoul and completed an MBA at KAIST Business School. After working at Johnson & Johnson, she founded Creatrip in January 2016. Targeting global users who want to enjoy Korea, she secured 1.2 million monthly users through content and commerce services and attracted a cumulative investment of 15.1 billion KRW.