Podcast Summary
From diplomat to candle entrepreneur: Stay adaptable, prioritize company culture, and approach business with empathy and a customer-centric mindset.
Creating a successful business often involves embracing the unexpected and making the most of every opportunity. May Shee's story, as shared on NPR's "How I Built This," is a testament to this. May arrived in the U.S. with dreams of building a career as a diplomat, but her plans took an unexpected turn when she discovered a passion for making candles. Despite initial setbacks, such as attending a disappointing trade show, May persisted and turned her candle company into a multi-million dollar business. Another key takeaway is the importance of company culture in driving business success. As discussed, Insparity, a leading HR provider, can help businesses build a culture aligned with their goals and values, which in turn fuels growth. Lastly, it's important to remember that insurance is more than just a policy. Companies like Amica focus on making insurance feel more human and personalized to their customers' needs. Overall, these stories remind us to stay adaptable, prioritize culture, and approach business with empathy and a customer-centric mindset.
A Year in Exile: Maishi's Journey to America: Despite facing adversity, Maishi's determination led her to adjust to American culture and find success in New York
The Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 led to the exile of many educated young people like Maishi, who were seen as a threat by the Chinese government. Maishi was sent to a cold, isolated suburb to watch a mineral warehouse for a year. Despite the hardships, she and her husband, David, managed to obtain temporary visas to come to the US. Upon arrival, Maishi was confused by the term "aliens" at the airport, but eventually adjusted to American culture. Although she had grown up immersed in American culture, she found the lack of eye contact in Washington DC surprising. She eventually found a job in New York exporting medical equipment to Chinese hospitals, which put her in a hotel next to Bloomingdale's, fulfilling her lifelong interest in fashion. Despite the initial challenges, Maishi's story demonstrates the resilience and determination of those who seek a better life, even in the face of adversity.
From Fashion to Home: A New Opportunity: Identify unique experiences and observations to discover new business opportunities. Trust your instincts to succeed even with limited resources.
The speaker's unique experiences and observations, such as her fascination with fragrances and the disconnect between fashion and home departments, led her to identify an opportunity in the home goods market. Despite the challenges of a long commute and limited resources, she and her business partner, David, started a business importing products from China, focusing on categories like silk flowers, car accessories, rotating dolls, and candles. Their success came from taking their products to the market and trusting their gut that there was room for improvement, even without access to extensive data and research.
Unexpected success from unique candles at trade show in Charlotte: Found success selling unique candles at local trade show, generating nearly half a million dollars in sales within first 4 months, but faced disappointment at New York gift show, eventually finding inspiration at Ambiente trade show in Frankfurt to create own candle designs.
The success of their business came unexpectedly from selling unique, stained glass-like candles during the holiday season. The candles, which were called "glow candles," attracted a large number of customers at a trade show in Charlotte, North Carolina. The business generated nearly half a million dollars in sales within the first four months. However, their experience at the New York gift show, which they believed would be the ticket to their success, turned out to be a disaster. In a depressed moment, the founder decided to attend the Ambiente trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, where she discovered the potential of combining home and fashion design elements in candle design. This led her to start designing and producing her own candles, incorporating the streamlined designs she saw in Frankfurt. Despite her training as a diplomat, her background in art education proved to be beneficial in her new business venture.
Learning the Science of Candle Making and Market Demand: To create a successful business, understand product components and market demand. Optimize processes to avoid common issues, and unique features set your product apart.
The creation of a successful business, even in a seemingly simple product like scented candles, requires a deep understanding of the product's components and the market demand. The speaker was inspired by the power of fragrance and the popularity of candles in the market. After learning the science behind making candles and experimenting with unique fragrance combinations, they discovered the importance of optimizing all elements of the candle-making process to avoid common issues like soot and tunnel burning. The unique handmade look and custom fragrance blends became the secret sauce that set their product apart. The name "Aplus" was chosen to represent the energy and freshness associated with the brand. The journey began with a determination to learn and experiment, leading to the creation of a unique and popular product.
From natural beauty to successful business: Through persistence and unique offerings, Maishi brought her untouched candles to major retailers. Atlassian's AI-powered software empowers teams to make informed decisions and boost productivity, leading to successful outcomes.
Starting a successful business involves grit, determination, and teamwork. Maishi, the founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle, discovered the natural beauty of Annapolis, Maryland, and wanted to communicate that through her untouched, chemically-free candles. She faced challenges in getting her products into major retailers like Target, but through persistence and showcasing her unique product to buyers, she was able to make it happen. Similarly, successful companies like Atlassian use technology, such as AI, to empower collaboration and make the impossible possible. Atlassian's AI-powered software helps teams make faster, more informed decisions and boost individual productivity, allowing them to produce the best results for their customers. Success doesn't come overnight, and it requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Maishi's story, along with Atlassian's mission, serves as a reminder that with the right mindset and tools, anything is possible.
Turning obstacles into opportunities through determination and perseverance: Stay optimistic, believe in your vision, and never give up to turn challenges into opportunities
Determination and perseverance can help turn obstacles into opportunities. The speaker, who was unable to find a Chinese factory to produce fragrance oils for her candle business due to the industry's lack of existence in China, was undeterred. She convinced her sister to start a factory from scratch, which they did with the help of loans from friends and family. Despite working tirelessly and facing numerous anxieties, she continued to search for new customers and markets, eventually securing a deal with Target. Her persistence paid off, as Target's focus on style and design aligned with her philosophy of making high-quality, affordable candles accessible to all. Even when faced with rejection, she didn't give up, eventually securing a meeting with the buyer through an unconventional method. This story highlights the importance of staying optimistic, believing in one's vision, and never giving up in the face of challenges.
Staying persistent and adaptable leads to business growth: Despite initial setbacks and challenges, staying determined and flexible can lead to significant business growth through strong relationships with buyers and understanding their unique needs.
Persistence and adaptability are key in business. The speaker faced multiple rejections from a potential buyer before finally securing a deal worth over three million dollars with Target. Despite initial setbacks and challenges, such as long wait times, unexpected requests, and logistical hurdles, the speaker remained determined and flexible, ultimately leading to significant growth for their company. Additionally, the importance of building strong relationships with buyers and understanding their unique needs was highlighted in the experience.
Immigrant Entrepreneur's Success Story in USA: Immigrants, as a self-selected group, share traits with entrepreneurs and are often willing to take big risks. Taking risks and embracing the unfamiliar can lead to great rewards.
May Chung, the founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle, saw an opportunity to bring "Made in USA" products back to her home country, China, and in doing so, built a successful business that reportedly generates $60-$70 million in revenue per year. Her immigrant background and willingness to take risks were key factors in her success. Chung's experience shows that immigrants, as a self-selected group, share traits with entrepreneurs and are often willing to take on big risks. Despite starting her business as an afterthought, Chung's company grew from selling silk flowers and car seat covers to a major player in the industry. Her story is a reminder that taking risks and embracing the unfamiliar can lead to great rewards. After selling Chesapeake Bay Candle to Newell Brands for $75 million, Chung started a new venture, Mayshe.com, to tell the stories of women entrepreneurs across the country. This just goes to show that even after achieving significant success, entrepreneurs continue to innovate and make an impact.
Transforming beer-making leftovers into delicious snack bars: Two college friends discovered a unique way to repurpose spent grain from breweries into high-fiber, low-sugar snack bars, overcoming initial texture issues by grinding the grain into flour, and growing their business significantly with distribution in major retailers.
Dan Kurzrock and Jordan Kortas discovered a unique way to repurpose leftover grain from the beer-making process into delicious, high-fiber, low-sugar snack bars. During their college days, they noticed the discarded grain smelled and looked like food, but no brewing books provided guidance on its use. Years later, as craft breweries in the Bay Area began producing massive amounts of spent grain, Dan and Jordan saw an opportunity. They collected the grain, experimented with recipes, and transformed it into snack bars. However, the initial texture was not well-received, so they ground the grain into flour, solving the issue. Today, Regrained snack bars are available in various regional chains and on Amazon. The company, which started with both founders quitting their day jobs, has seen significant growth, including distribution in Whole Foods. The snack bars do not taste like beer but carry beery names. Regrained's innovative approach to reducing food waste and creating a tasty, nutritious product serves as an inspiring example of turning challenges into opportunities.
A Comparison of Two Unique Podcasts: The Swan showcased women's transformations for a beauty pageant, leaving viewers uncomfortable, while the Cat in the Hatcast offers a family-friendly adventure with the beloved children's character.
The early 2000s saw a surge in bizarre reality TV shows, with The Swan being a prime example of a viewing nightmare. On The Big Flop podcast, comedians and host Misha Brown discuss the concept of women being isolated, berated, and physically transformed for a beauty pageant competition. In contrast, the Cat in the Hatcast from Wondery offers a family-friendly alternative. In this podcast, Fish's peaceful podcast studio is disrupted by the Cat in the Hat, leading to chaotic adventures filled with singing, tongue twisters, and wondrous wordplay. While The Swan left viewers cringing, the Cat in the Hatcast provides an enjoyable experience for all ages. Listen to The Big Flop and the Cat in the Hatcast on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts, with early access available on Wondery Plus.
