SWISS-BORN entrepreneur Valentina Bevilacqua — known to most as Tina — has been calling China home since 2015. From her early days as a student in Tianjin to navigating careers in international trade, yoga and natural stone sales, her journey has been anything but linear. Along the way, she has embraced risks, learned from failures and steadily rebuilt her path toward entrepreneurship. Today, after years of corporate grind and a first attempt at running her own yoga studio, she is back with a renewed vision: LoSpazio, a wellness consultancy in Shanghai dedicated to helping individuals and corporate teams find balance, manage stress and reconnect with themselves in a city that never slows down.

Q: Before we talk about LoSpazio, would you please introduce yourself?

My name is Tina. I’m Swiss and have been living in China since 2015. After finishing my bachelor’s degree in Hawaii (where I suspect the sun fried a few neurons!), I moved to Tianjin for a master’s at Nankai University. That’s when the real adventure — the rollercoaster — of life in China began.

In 2017, I started working for an Italian company selling furniture fittings. For four years I was constantly on the road, visiting factories all over China. In 2021, I switched to what I thought would be a more stable job in Beijing, but I quickly realized I hated the office environment. So I quit, returned to Tianjin, and opened Blue Lotus Yoga. I poured all my savings into the studio and loved it deeply, but the timing wasn’t right. After a year, I had to close and move to Shanghai, where I spent three years working in the natural stone industry. That helped me rebuild my finances, and just a couple of months ago, I finally had the freedom to quit that job and start my new venture.

Outside of work, I’m an early bird. My partner and I wake up at 5am to walk our dog Nala, then we do yoga for two to three hours. Yes, it’s long, but we love it. In my “free time” (which is rare), I enjoy inventing yoga-related events. But when I truly have downtime, I’m happiest at home with a book and my four cats — three official ones and a tiny rescue who, I suspect, is here to stay.

Q: Why, after living in Shanghai for a few years, did you decide to strike out on your own to build your own brand?

Because I really disliked my job — and this is actually my second attempt at entrepreneurship. The first time was in 2021 when I opened my yoga studio in Tianjin. The timing and location weren’t ideal, but more importantly, I made mistakes: I didn’t work hard enough, I stayed in my comfort zone, and I focused too narrowly on the shrinking foreigner community instead of reaching out to Chinese clients. Mistake number one for doing business in China.

That failure, however, turned out to be a gift. It pushed me to Shanghai, where I endured three years in a job I disliked but met my life and business partner, Alberto. With his support, and with more experience and courage, I felt ready to try again. LoSpazio was born from the same vision that inspired Blue Lotus back in 2021: In a city where you’re always “on,” people need a way to turn “off” — to manage stress, reconnect with themselves and find balance.

Q: What makes Shanghai’s business environment so remarkable?

Two things: numbers and cosmopolitanism. Shanghai is home to countless foreign firms, but relatively few foreigners working inside them, which creates a small, close-knit community. At the same time, big companies are all clustered within a small radius, which makes networking far easier than in most cities. You can meet senior managers quickly, and this ecosystem makes Shanghai an excellent place to start a business catering to corporate clients.

Q: What are the biggest challenges in setting up a business here? How do you stay motivated?

The biggest challenge is cost. I would have loved to open another yoga studio, but rent is sky-high and competition fierce. Instead, we created LoSpazio as a wellness consultancy, helping corporate clients build systems that make mindfulness a sustainable part of employees’ lives.

Of course, workplace culture in China isn’t the most welcoming to these services. But we focus on high-performing teams where there’s both awareness and budget for wellness. It’s a niche — but Shanghai’s numbers make it a viable one.

As for motivation, I practice what I preach. The hours I dedicate to myself every morning give me the stability and strength to push through, even when things get tough.

And honestly, I’ve always been a high achiever. Having a mission now keeps me moving forward.

Q: What were you trying to bring to the local community?

LoSpazio — Italian for “The Space” — is for people who want to reconnect with themselves and embark on a journey of self-discovery. Our broader vision is to guide others as we walk our own path of growth and transformation. But more concretely, let’s face it: No one moves to Shanghai for a slow-paced life.

Whether Chinese or foreigner, people come here to work. That intensity breeds stress, which affects well-being, productivity and the ability to perform at one’s best in any field of life.

Drawing on my own years in high-pressure environments, I know firsthand that mindfulness can transform not just your personal life but also your professional performance.

A healthier, more balanced person is always a stronger, more effective professional.

Q: What was the moment that made you most proud?

Earlier this year, we worked with one of the world’s leading companies in the vertical transportation industry. That project confirmed that top-performing companies understand the value of a healthy workforce — and are willing to invest in it.

But I’m equally proud of small wins: every new follower on our WeChat channel or Xiaohongshu (Rednote), every new skill I’ve learned. I didn’t know how to build a website, but now we have one. I didn’t know how to build an e-mail list, but I’m learning. Marketing is new to me, but I’m studying it. These may sound small, but to me, they’re huge achievements.

Q: What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m focused on polishing our website — it’s bilingual, and while the English side is done, I’m translating the Italian version. We’re also slowly starting to explore international markets, building a social media following both in China and abroad, and preparing to launch our first multi-day retreat.

Q: Who is a female role model who inspires you?

It sounds cliché, but my mom, Monica. She was never an entrepreneur or a manager, but the way she built and managed our family was extraordinary. If our family had been a company, we would have been incredibly successful — great people, a supportive environment, strong vision, solid work ethic, problem-solving skills and a leader who always led by example.

Q: Do you have any advice for women entrepreneurs?

On a practical level: Remember there are 8 billion people in the world. If your product or service solves just one problem for 0.01 percent of them, that’s still 800,000 potential customers. Also, start your journey by working for one or two companies. Learn by making mistakes on someone else’s business before jumping into your own. That way, when you’re ready, you’ll feel more confident flying solo.

On a more philosophical level: Just go for it. Life, career, financial stability — it’s all part of a bigger picture. We’re fortunate to live in a world where basic survival isn’t our main concern. So, to borrow Nike’s mantra: Just do it.

Remember, financial stability often comes from fear. If you can learn to thrive in uncertainty, you’ll always find a way forward — and it doesn’t even have to be a straight line.