Career Path of a Business Owner as a Small Business Owner

In college, I studied chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. About three years in, I realized it wasn't the career for me. This was in the early 2010s, and the economy wasn't doing well. The main fields for chemical engineers, like oil and gas or pharmaceuticals, didn't excite me.

During college, I had an internship at Coca-Cola doing beverage quality and also worked as a research assistant. It's difficult to start a career path and then realize it's not what you want. I pushed through, though, figuring I might as well get the degree and figure things out afterward. I also had a girlfriend at the time and wanted to present myself well.

A major experience that changed my trajectory was breaking up with that girlfriend. Without that relationship, I wasn't geographically confined, so I moved to Los Angeles for a sales engineering job. As an awkward, introverted engineer, the idea of talking to people and convincing them to give me money felt like my worst nightmare.

However, it was one of the most important experiences of my life. It taught me how to interact with people, sell myself, and build relationships. I learned that while professional connections are important, repeat business is built on personal relationships.

Eventually, I realized I couldn't do sales for the rest of my life and left that position, enjoying a period of unemployment. I was motivated to make more money, especially with another girlfriend at the time and my parents on the East Coast. This pushed me to find a job in aerospace defense, working for Northrop Grumman in air quality.

A couple of years in, I was asked to work in an analyst position, representing the quality organization for a project. I found it to be a nice change, working indoors and in air conditioning, which was better than the manufacturing floor. I did that for a little over a year, maybe close to two.

Then, the IT team I was working with for software deployment asked if I wanted to join their group. They offered more money, and I had peers I really liked working with, so it was a good move. After a couple of years in IT, I left to work for another company as an administrator for a system called PLM, Product Lifecycle Management.

This software tracks products from their initial ideation through manufacturing. I managed that software for at least two to three years at my next company. Then, during Covid, around 2020, I was contacted about a job with a furniture company based in Texas.

I accepted because I could work remotely and received a pay bump. During Covid, I had a lot of time to think, which was a critical experience for me. I realized I was content with my career, but not truly happy.

So, I did something quite unconventional: I started my own business. I began coaching Asian Americans on emotional intelligence. I had spent time working on this for myself and recognized that my community needed that healing and growth.

Now, I own my business, working with individuals, groups, and organizations. I focus on bringing this work to people at the intersection of Asian and Western cultures, particularly advocating for men's mental health. I also aim to challenge traditional cultural norms that can be valuable but also hold people back. And that brings me to today.