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Entrepreneurship Doesn’t Define Me

Yes, I’m an entrepreneur.
Yes, it’s something I’m passionate about.
Yes, it’s all I think about some times.
Yes, I’m proud to be a business woman.

But no, entrepreneurship doesn’t define me.

I’m so much more than that.

I’m a wife who loves her husband. I love watching him work, and that he’s so passionate about cooking. I love how I can help him and provide him with a place that we can both work toward something we are so passionate about. I love how he takes care of me and my little family. I love how he makes me laugh so hard I can’t breathe. I love him for who he was when I met him, the man he is today, and who he will become.

I’m a Christian woman who serves an awesome God. I’ve been through a lot during my time so far on this Earth. Lord knows what He has planned for me in the future. But through all the things that I’ve done, experienced, endured, failed, and succeeded in – it has been with God’s grace. No, I was not walking with Him the whole time. I didn’t always do what was right. But He didn’t give up on me. And no, life isn’t easier. In fact, it might even be harder sometimes but because of His grace I’ve been able to get as far as I’ve come. He’s opened doors that I would never dream of, and He’s closed doors that needed to be closed. All I want to do is to live my life in such a way that aligns with His plan for me.

I’m a daughter and friend. I’m a binge watching, cries-over-everything, overly sensitive, positive thinking, sweats-the-small-stuff, food loving, always smiling girl that will always be there if you need someone to talk to. That’s just me.

Yeah, I’m an entrepreneur too. Admittedly, it’s a big part of my life. I’m pretty sure that’s obvious. But it doesn’t define me. There’s so much more to me than  that.

xoxo,

 

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CSUN’s AAPI Restauranteur Panel – Home Cooked

On the 1st of the month I was invited to be speak at a panel for CSUN’s AAPI Association (Asian American Pacific Islander Association). The panel consisted of Tien Nguyen (Los Angeles Food Writer), Kristine de la Cruz (owner of Creme Caramel LA), Rayson Esquejo (co-producer of Eat Play Move LA), and myself. The panel was held at the Oviatt Library in the center of CSUN’s campus.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect. When they asked me I was actually really surprised. I knew I was passionate and had a lot to say about what I do but had no idea people were noticing it.

When I arrived the room was still empty, so I wasn’t sure how many people were going to attend. I walked away for what felt like a minute and next thing I know the room is full of people! It was nerve-racking and exciting at the same time.

The room was intimate and inviting, could fit about 50+ people. They had chairs and a couch set up for us. They made it feel like a living room which made me feel more comfortable. 

The panel was a lot of fun. The organizers did a great job making us feel welcome. It felt like we were just talking amongst ourselves at someone’s house – talking about life, how our businesses evolved, and what’s become of the LA food scene. We also discussed what it was like as an Asian-American growing up as a minority and how that affects the way we’ve grown/how we perceive our businesses. Tons of good stuff! Hope the guests found it informative and fun!

We also prepared some pastries for the panel including our Ube Macaroons, Food for the Gods, Ube Custard Cake, and Barako Coffee. They were a hit! I’m so glad people enjoyed it.

What I’m really surprised about, though, is how passionate I am about my upbringing and what it’s like to be Filipino-American. I don’t know, I guess I never really thought about it. I mean it did, but I never thought about it being that pivotal or important to me until I had to talk about it. Talking about what it was like growing up, how my mom would pack me meat and rice instead of PB&J’s, the insecurity I felt, watching my parents be entrepreneurs, the gap between 1st and 2nd generation Filipinos, and the journey of eating both Filipino and non-Filipino food. Wow, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Who knew?! Well now I know, it’s important to me.

More on that later, this needs a post all in itself. In the meantime….

A big thank you to Katherine (in the yellow), Veronica (not pictured), and the entire team at CSUN for your hospitality and for inviting this girl to a big girl party. Hope to work with you again in the future!

xoxo,

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How to Use Social Media Productively

We all know the story – you open up Facebook, Instagram, or your other favorite social media platform and you get sucked into a black hole of scrolling. Or, you check to see what the cool new filters are and start taking selfies. Next thing you know it’s 3 hours later and the only productive thing you did was watch cute dog videos. Just me?! I know I’m not alone on this one 😝

I read a tweet from HeySweetPea on Twitter that really resonated with me about social media.

View social media as a place of community + connection, not competition or comparison. Use this beautiful space to be seen + to see others. – @heysweetpea

Social media can be so tricky. I’ve heard really horrible stories about cyber bullying. Heck, it’s hard for me to not play the comparison game. But if you look at it as a place of community, create positive encouraging conversations, social media can be a really great place and resource.

This year a goal of mine was to utilize social media to encourage others, use it as a positive place, share my journey, and grow my reach through substance, not fluff. I didn’t want my account to just be a bunch of selfies of me with make up on and my hair done or just pics/videos of my adventures. Instead I wanted to show what it’s like in the trenches, what it’s like to be attacked with fear, insecurity, and guilt. I really feel like more people need to be on social media that are real and aren’t afraid to be imperfect. To me, that’s something productive to do with my social media accounts 😊

It’s so easy for people to hide behind their screens and do damaging things. Things that damage themselves, others, or both. It’s easy to say mean and hurtful things when you’re not looking at that person in the eye. It’s easy to wish for something that someone else has because you don’t see how hard they worked to get it. If we change the way we converse over social media it’ll do nothing but good. It’ll make us more productive. It’s all a matter of perspective and social media has a big influence on our perspective. It’s crazy how much power social media has over our lives. And clearly, social media is here to stay. So how are you going to use it productively and for good?

Xoxo,

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