TFS#242 - Yvonne An Shares How She Used Data to Grow 700K Followers & Leveraging That Into a Startup

Yvonne An is a Korean entrepreneur and creator based in Manila.
She blends creativity with data, even building her own TikTok
analysis bot to study trends, performance, and what drives PR and
brand deals. Yvonne shares an honest look into her life—balancing
startups, mental health, and her experience living in the
Philippines—making her a relatable voice for Gen Z builders and
creatives.


Connect with Yvonne:


https://www.instagram.com/yvonnean_


https://www.tiktok.com/@yvonnne


CHAPTERS:


0:00 – Introduction


0:49 – Meet Yvonne


1:15 – What Yvonne has been focused on


2:21 – Why Yvonne started a company


5:12 – Content creation as stress relief


5:59 – What she enjoys about creating


7:38 – Building a TikTok data bot


9:27 – How the bot measures content ROI


10:44 – How she built the bot


11:58 – Labeling & scraping TikTok data


12:51 – Tracking growth and plateaus


14:11 – Why she signed with an agency


15:27 – Balancing startups + content


16:28 – Her dad’s surprising hobbies


16:56 – Yvonne on her mom & family


19:11 – Where her independent energy comes from


20:24 – Gen Z entrepreneurs


21:59 – Thoughts on Cluely’s content strategy


23:45 – Young entrepreneurs today


24:09 – Her brother’s path


24:40 – Would she want kids?


25:17 – Raising entrepreneurial kids


27:15 – How parents shape business mindset


28:51 – Lessons from her dad’s hardships


32:09 – When her dad left LG


33:48 – How old she was then


34:46 – Andy’s first trip to the Philippines


36:37 – Rockwell run club


38:42 – Filipino “clientele relationship”


41:58 – Building company culture in PH


45:53 – Antidepressants & mental health


47:57 – Impulsive behavior in relationships


48:33 – Andy’s personality quiz (money)


50:11 – Is religion good or bad?


52:14 – Emotional vs. logical


54:01 – Who’s more hardworking?


54:12 – Wait for someone or date who likes you?


54:39 – Her biggest 2024–2025 takeaways


55:55 – Naming a child with two letters


56:40 – What she’d change about Andy


57:37 – Airport ride scenario


59:12 – Last time she asked for help


1:04:18 – Last three times she helped others


1:07:45 – Andy’s reflection on Yvonne


1:09:45 – Guessing each other’s MBTI


1:16:00 – Similar vs. opposite partners


1:16:49 – Does she have ADHD?


1:17:06 – Feeling out of place in PH


1:19:35 – Her day-to-day life in Manila


1:20:43 – Balancing career + relationship


1:22:02 – Purpose of life


1:23:19 – Is life meaningless?


1:23:51 – What puts her in a sad state


1:24:43 – How convo would differ without SSRIs


1:25:35 – Does she need SSRIs long-term?


1:26:49 – Her anxiety


1:27:49 – Plans for the rest of her gap year


1:29:10 – Could she thrive at UC Berkeley?


1:30:40 – Being seen as a “pretty dumb girl”


1:32:07 – Story about people “playing dumb”


1:34:40 – Yvonne’s recent life discoveries


1:35:26 – Her next 6-month goal


1:36:42 – Why Andy thought her life was “nerfed”


1:38:58 – Connect with Yvonne


1:40:14 – Why some girls “play dumb”


1:41:13 – How her personal brand shows only a slice of her


1:42:21 – Outro