This tree represents you. The stronger the root, the better. The more you know who you are, your identity, preferences, brand, etc the better. Slowly as you develop, your ideas develop (via the branches). Your knowledge, education, wisdom, background, upbringing, experiences form your bigger branches.

The Next 5 Days I am going to share my tantalizing story of how I became a multi-entrepreneur. My GOAL is to encourage you and show you that IF YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE MISTAKES and PLAY, then you can become a business woman or man. Yes, you heard THAT right. If you know how to MESS UP, time and time again, then the entrepreneurial road is for you. If you know how to GET UP after falling hard, this is also the road for you. PS- By 5 days, I mean the next 5 blog posts, because tomorrow I’ll be attending Forge in LA. 

Revealing NUMBER 1: HAVE A VISION

When I was a kid, I created manga memberships and sold toys to my 8 year old friends. I was always entrepreneurial. I grew up in the church and went to many mission trips. I had a heart for people and thought that I would become a missionary. However, I just hated the way missionaries dressed (back then). I seriously did not want to wear ugly big t-shirts that did not flatter my body. Plus, I could not imagine living in a hut, eating nuts (no offense but I like my chinese hot pot), and not showering for days. I knew deep down, that I had a heart for people….but did not like the structured starvation lifestyle.

When I learned about human trafficking, I wanted to go overseas and fight human trafficking. I wanted to rescue women out of slavery, but thought that it might be dangerous. Then I thought that I wanted to created jobs for survivors of human trafficking. I could teach them how to sew and they could work at my factory where they would create my designs. 

I gained all the skills I needed to, but it stemmed from my passion. I attended fashion school and learned fashion design and business management. I did not do it just because I could teach other people, I did it because I loved fashion and I was business minded. You get what I’m saying? I learned because I thirsted to learn how to create and manage, not because I saw the end goal just yet. 

When I finished school, I went to the far countryside of China and taught music to the young 5 year olds, living in sweat and bug bites. I wanted to collapse, I missed the luxuries of modern living. When I returned, I got a job as a trim buyer and up until 3 months in, I was about to suffocate from normal living. This IS NOT THE LIFE I want to live, in a box and a chair. 

My creative brain started churning, I bought a pair of Nike Dunks at the store across work during lunch for $20. I sold it on Ebay and made $30. I could do it again. I went back and bought 2 more to sell. I was elated, I could do this all day! I found other things to sell at home and started taking photos of all my old clothes. I started creating an additional source of income while working full time. One day, I just had enough. I quit my full time job and that was the end of my full time anything and voluntary unemployment. 

I won’t go into detail, but when I quit, I wrote a list of things I wanted to do in life. I also wrote down my vision. 

“To provide healing and work for survivors of human trafficking” which has evolved to:

“To empower others to live the life they were created to live” to

“To help people become full alive”. 

Essentially, we long to feel alive. Fully alive. 

As I focused in on my vision, I realized that I had to first become whole, to create the life I want so I could show others…hey it’s possible! If you simply commit to it. Thus, have a vision first.

Having a vision has helped me continue in those first few months when I could hardly pay rent. I’m no trustafarian, as immigrants, we did not benefit from the foreign exchange, let’s say I have sacrificed much of my youth for my vision. I could have worked full time and accrued funds to use for youthful partying and lax living, but I cut corners and found creative ways to create furniture, blinds, and even toilet paper! No matter how many businesses you have, boot strap style, if you have a vision, you can continue when the valleys get real low. 

See you next time! 

What is your vision? 

Comment below and share 🙂