Category: Business Musings

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Business Musings inspiration life

What Society Dictates For Your Life

Hey, I can paint, too! ;)
Hey, I can paint, too! 😉

A vague title as I sit here and try to figure out what’s the best way to talk about this topic. Do you get what I mean? Do you feel like the society our ancestors (ok, maybe not MY ancestors, but…you know…) have built in the U.S. is stifling to some degree? Especially in this changing world.

About two years ago, I had this exact suffocating feeling when I first started my B-school program. I walked into my classes and felt that, as groupthink, many of my classmates wanted to be nothing more than hardcore businesspeople. I struggled during that time, trying to figure out “Am I only just a hardcore businessperson myself? But what about my creativity? Can I be both a writer and a businessperson?”

Even though nobody was outright telling me I couldn’t be both (and more), I felt strongly that society wants us to be in silos: you’re either a creative person or you’re not. You’re either in finance or you’re in painting; NOT BOTH.

Fast forward to the present, and I still see this prevalent in how the media portrays current events/etc. Have you heard about our former President George W. Bush and his paintings? There seems to be a lot of shock and awe over his newfound talent and pastime. As I read over the article linked above, seems that the media (and the general public) assumes that “He was our President. He can’t also be a painter.”

It’s this kind of mindset that keeps us in shackles throughout our lives. I was fairly upset trying to compromise my life during business school…until finally I decided, enough is enough. I CAN be a writer AND a businessperson. I CAN knit and also do business strategies. I CAN be more than what society would want to box me into!

From that point forward, I felt liberated. Sure, sometimes I still get the reactions of “Wait, what do you do? You do that AND this?” and I end up getting self-conscious for a moment as I get this innocent yet pointed question from others. But, in the end, I know that I must take those shackles off from my mind, my life. I don’t have to be just one profession.

And you don’t either. You, too, can break free and know that, whether you write poetry and play rugby, or you draw caricatures and do PR…you can be whoever you want to be. You don’t have to be in a box. We weren’t meant to live this way anyway.

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Business Musings life Who I Am

5 Questions to Help You Discover Your Personal Brand

My father, my hero.
My father, my hero.

In the past month, I have been asked by others about how I came about with my personal brand. Maybe you, too, are wondering how I did so; I wish I could give you a short answer, but honestly, I cannot. However, as I talked through my long answer with others over the course of the month, I realized there were a few things that helped me along in my journey. So here are those defining moments, presented to you in questions:

  1. What are you passionate about? – Think about what you can never give up in your life, even if you had to retire. For me, I cannot dream of giving up art, or the need to create with my hands–whether for work, play, etc., I always need art to keep me going along. There were times in the past decade where I suppressed my need to create with my hands, and those were times when I felt distressed and lost. Only in the past 2-3 years have I eased back into the world of art and creating with my hands — and that has helped me gain confidence and freedom in my thoughts.
  2. When you were a child, what did you you want to be when you grew up? – We were all asked this question when we were children. I remember I told adults that I wanted to grow up to be an artist…and then that changed into a writer…and then that changed into a musician (I was a trumpet player in high school). Still, at the root of all these aspirations is the fact that I knew I wanted to do art of some form. What did you want to grow up to be? Does it still resonate with you in the present? Even though my profession is not clearly based in creative arts, I say my career has roots in the arts and gives me leverage in a world of analytics with creative thinking.
  3. What are you afraid of? – If you have watched my Ignite Denver talks, you may be surprised to have me tell you that I was once very, very afraid of public speaking and presentations. I remember in high school and undergrad, when I would stand in front of my classmates with index cards, shaky hands, and eyes down, hoping for the dreaded talk to be over with right away. Yes, I used to fear presentations. I was not confident with how I presented myself. What changed? I faced my fears in the past few years by volunteering for events like Ignite. I read loads of articles about how to present better and watched how my grad school classmates presented. And, with time and practice, I have improved. These days, I am even asking for people to book me for speaking engagements. All because I was once deathly afraid of public speaking…and then I faced that fear.
  4. When have you experienced a pivot in your life? What happened? – You may or may not have experienced something big, life-changing. How do you know when to change course? If you have been following my blog for some time, you may know about how I almost died on my 25th birthday. Morbid to say, but in hindsight, that incident needed to happen in my life. I know that, leading up to that ill-fated moment, I was very unhappy with how my life was in San Francisco. I wanted to do more with my life, but I did not know where to turn. Then, that car hit me. And, that forced me to change course in life — to decide I had to really fight for what I yearned for (my own business). Since that accident, there had been a couple other ‘pivots’ in my life to where change just erupted–and now, I see why those moments had to come into my life. Perhaps your pivot moments are not as huge and dramatic as mine were; but still, what moments in your life do you feel define who you are?
  5. Who is your all-time hero? – Who have you always looked up to? Some people say rock stars, athletes, public figures, etc. Somebody in those realms. My hero is my father and not just because he’s my father: he is an inspiration to many. He escaped mainland China during the 1970s because he wanted a better life for the next generation. He came to the U.S. with little to no English skills and worked many jobs before he founded his restaurant in Virginia. He and my mother worked often-24 hour days during the infancy of the restaurant, just to make sure we children had enough to live on and have a good life. My parents have taught me a lot of values in my life, and only after I got out of my angsty, know-it-all phase from the teen years, have I been able to fully appreciate how my father and mother have molded me into who I am today.

I am of course in no way “finished” with my branding. I don’t feel like anyone ever will be; your personal brand can change over the course of your life. Just be prepared to polish your brand here and there.

And, understandably, these questions are deep. You can’t just answer them in five minutes and then, voila!, figure out your personal brand. It takes time, as I mentioned at the beginning of the post; it has taken me close to ten years to really carve away at myself, to really know who I am, what I am capable of, and what I can share with the world. Maybe for you, with these questions, you will be able to discover your true, personal brand sooner than later.

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Business Musings

3 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Any Job Offers

Think outside of the donut bite bowl.
Think outside of the donut bite bowl.

Spring is here, and I know many colleagues, friends, students, etc. are on the hunt for a full-time job post-graduation. Every year around this time, employers are inundated with many hopeful grads looking to land their dream job right out of graduation. Many applications will be sent out; few will be read by human eyes.

Are you feeling like you’re not getting enough call-backs or interview enquiries, even though you’ve sent out over 50 applications during this school term? Here are three reasons why you may not be getting interviews, job offers, etc. and how to fix the situation:

  1. You use the same cover letter and resume for every position you’re applying for – Most younger job candidates do not know that customization is key in terms of their paperwork to employers: if you use the same cover letter and resume for every kind of job you apply for, employers can see through to that. It is especially obvious when you add an objective to your resume (which, in my opinion, is not necessary and takes up precious space). Research the company you’re applying for, and figure out ways to customize your cover letter for each position you apply for. Example: Say you’re applying to financial services company X which claims on their website they “put customers above and beyond crunching numbers”. If this value also resonates with you, talk about that in the cover letter and how you can uphold that value for that company.
  2. You use only one method for your job search: online job boards – Time and again, I notice this same dilemma occurring for job seekers of all ages: they become very dependent on skimming through Craigslist or Indeed.com and ONLY use those websites as their only way to get exposure to job openings. There are many other outlets out there for find a job, though: first, check in with your network of friends, family, colleagues, etc. Most people find jobs through their own connections and not through job boards. Check job postings at your local coffee shop; search on LinkedIn or through other social media outlets. Just remember to cast a wider net for a higher chance of getting a call-back.
  3. You shy away from networking events because you ‘hate networking’ – A lot of job seekers tend to avoid networking events, it seems. Why? I’ve heard many say that networking events are ‘boring’ or ‘networking isn’t my thing’. When you are out looking for a job, doing business with other companies, etc. networking is a skill you must master. Forget about the cliche that networking is ‘impersonal’; networking can be as personable as you make of it. My tactic for networking is to meet a few good people and get to know them as well as the time allots for us. I don’t toss my business cards at anybody I run into; I take the time to talk with a few people instead. Need more motivation to go out and network? Check out 7 Tips to Succeed in Networking.

Now, these three reasons may seem overly simplistic and obvious to most of us. But, when you get into the mindset of job-searching, at times you need a gentle nudge to think outside of the box again. Hope the tips included will help you move forward in your job search; and remember, keep at it! Keep the momentum going. 

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Business Musings life

5 Signs You Need a Vacation

Oh, the horror!
Oh, the horror!

Yes. That is today’s topic, mainly because I find myself desperately needing a break after this crazy month. I am sure many of you can relate to nearing the brink of insanity with too much work, too much networking, too much everything! Here are five surefire ways to know if you have hit a huge mental block:

  1. You lose track of what appointments you have, overlooking one appointment twice – I am sitting here feeling like the flakey person I abhor the most: I have made plans twice to talk with a wonderful connection from California, and both times I forgot about the call. I am not saying my burnt-out state is any excuse for missing my appointments; I would be surprised if this connection would still want to talk with me after my flakiness. Still, too much on one plate = unintentionally missed appointments…
  2. You forget what day of the week it is because you are constantly working – Another thing I am guilty of; I usually enjoy working on the weekends because there’s less noise coming through in my mailboxes. Still, this morning I woke up and thought it was Tuesday, when in fact it is Monday.
  3. You write emails to the wrong clients – HAS NOT happened to me, thank goodness (fingers crossed). Well, if you lose track of who all you are writing to, it is a sign that you are quite overwhelmed. Take a step back and breathe. This is also when being more organized would help.
  4. You sleep a whole day away accidentally – Yes, I actually did this yesterday: I slept a good, healthy eight hours from 10pm – 7am, but then I hit snooze and continued sleeping until 3:30pm. I thought I was well-rested, but I guess I was not at all if I slept so long.
  5. You cannot focus on the task at hand, even though there’s a deadline – Maybe you have worked so many hours that you have even forgotten about deadlines. Wait, that proposal was due this morning? Oops. Another deadline missed…

I am sure there are many other signs to be aware of, but really….if you see that any of this is starting to happen in your life, it may be time to think of a vacation, or a small break.

This week is the last week before my family is in town for our Easter vacation trip. I am determined to tie up as many loose ends as I can before next week so I will be available to fully enjoy time with my family. Besides, I have been pretty much going nonstop since mid-January. It is about time to take a break.

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Business Musings

7 Tips to Succeed in Networking

Dress well for a networking event! Maybe don't match with your friends, but it may be fun...
Dress well for a networking event! Maybe don’t match with your friends, but it may be fun…

You probably saw my post from last month about how to masterfully ruin a networking opportunity. How about now, we focus on the positive of what you CAN and SHOULD do to have a solid networking experience? Here are seven tried-and-true tips (both for IRL and virtual situations) from yours truly:

  1. Aim to talk to 5-10 new people at an event – As I said in my other blog post, get out of your comfort zone. Walk up to strangers, introduce yourself (first and last name plus 30-second pitch), and see where the conversation goes. My plan of action is to talk to people who look idle/eating quietly in a corner/etc. They are probably just as nervous as you are, so break the ice first.
  2. Bring your business cards ANYWHERE you go – Pretty much speaks for itself, but I want to emphasize this so much. Bring your business cards to any kind of event, outing, etc. My good friend Davina taught me this because, if you’re always on your game, you WILL be networking wherever you go. Who knows–that person in front of you at the grocery store could be your next employer/customer/best friend. If possible, ask the other party for his or her business card, too; if he/she does not have a business card, just get their contact information for future follow-up.
  3. Continue the conversation via email, LinkedIn, coffee meetups, etc. – Getting a business card in return is great; what’s even BETTER is to follow up properly! Find your new contact on LinkedIn (if you’re comfortable) or send them an email. Ask to meet up for coffee or lunch sometime so you can get to know each other better and how you can possibly work together.
  4. Make introductions between your connections – If you feel both parties would benefit from knowing each other, introduce them to one another, whether in-person or via email. I wrote a post last week about how to properly make introductions. Who knows–these connections may make introductions on your behalf in the future, which equals more exposure, more business.
  5. Keep the conversation relatively balanced between you and new contact – If you’re at a networking event, make sure to ask questions and listen to what the other person is saying. Don’t tune out or only jabber on about yourself. Also, it’s best to keep the conversation on a professional level unless you two really hit it off.
  6. Dress properly for the occasion – Should be a no-brainer, but I still see people show up in t-shirt and jeans to a non-startup networking event. Know what kind of crowd is attending beforehand so you won’t end up embarrassing yourself and making a weird/bad impression at the event. I say it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed.
  7. Know when to move on from one connection – Sometimes you will meet people at events who actually don’t want to connect further. I have run into this situation, and I feel that, 1-2 follow-up emails are good until you decide to cross the contact off your list. Don’t be overly pushy; if the other party no longer wants to connect, then just let the situation be. You will meet more connections in the future!

I feel like the word ‘networking’ definitely gives a ‘bad vibe’ to some people, but I believe you should embrace every moment you get. This is exactly like dating: you’re not going to meet anyone new if you stay inside your own apartment/house.