13 Asian Mamas Share Their Inspiring Stories and How They’re Finding Joy
Photo via Angela Rho of Bravely
From April 9th through 11th, we’re hosting our second Asian Mama Market, and this time around we’re proud to present 13 brands in categories that range from heritage-inspired jewelry to hand-sewn dim sum-shaped toys. With this many goodies, you’re bound to find something for your littles as well as yourself (hello, self-care!).
We wanted these entrepreneurial mamas to have a chance to share the stories behind their brands — and their personal career journey — including what led them to this endeavor, what their business’ name represents, and which products they’re loving lately. Learn a bit more about them all ahead.
Name: Angela Rho
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
My career background is in public relations and I've had the opportunity to learn so much while working with talent in the entertainment industry, as well as fashion houses and beauty brands.
After becoming a mama to two boys, I made the decision to stay home with them full-time as well as homeschool.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
During the pandemic, I became hyper-aware of keeping personal items clean, sanitized, and nearby. I loved the idea of having a "masklette" mask chain to hold onto your mask and sunglasses so actually started my first small business, Ela Row, a handmade accessories line. From it stemmed the idea to create a fun and safe, customizable accessory for kids to encourage them to wear their masks and keep them clean. My youngest son was a big inspiration behind creating something durable, easy to clean and without sharp edges.
What inspired your brand's name?
The name Bravely was born from the idea that no matter the circumstances surrounding us, we can make the decision to live kindly and adventure bravely, making the most of every day. We believe that being kind and brave go hand in hand, and thus an important part of the business is our Kindly Initiative in which we give back 10% of all proceeds to a rotating non-profit organization, one of our favorites being Black Girls Code.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
I love that the sky's the limit when it comes to opportunities for creativity. Drawing inspiration from fashion, music, food, literature, and more, there are so many amazing resources to encourage your daily grind. But on the same note, running a small business on your own means you make most of the decisions and have to take responsibility for the outcomes. You wear many hats and it can be easy to overwhelm yourself with every task. Balance is key!
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
The best-selling products are the glitter Bravely Bands! They are oh-so-fun and have that extra special touch! The limited edition charms also do very well, but my personal favorite is the new tie-dye Bravely Band.
What is currently bringing you joy?
In addition to running my small businesses, I just started taking courses at my alma mater! It's been a dream to go back to school, and it brings me so much joy to be back in that environment, part-time, and to continuously learn and do something for myself.
Name: Mai Imai
Tell us a brief history of your career journey and what inspired you to launch your own business:
I have always loved writing and initially wanted to be a sportswriter. I attended Syracuse University and graduated with a journalism degree, but as time went on, various challenges had me reflect on myself and I developed a renewed passion for writing through my Japanese culture.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Having a family of my own, encouraging children to express their creativity and feelings on paper was the core inspiration for opening my shop. I would often gift Japanese stationery to my daughter's friends for birthdays and holidays, and hearing from parents just how thoughtful the gift was and how it encouraged more writing and sending a letter to a grandparent is what motivated me to start my own stationery shop.
What inspired your brand's name?
I came up with the name Paper Treats by combining the two things I indulge in -- food and paper! I love food theme stationery and Japanese stationery in particular is like eye candy to me -- addicting and visually delightful. Japanese culture takes its stationery very seriously, as everything from stickers, paper, pencils and erasers have impeccable detail and designs.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
The personal reward for me has been the heart of everyone in the snail mail and journaling community. Not only are they talented and passionate about writing and correspondence, they are supportive of each other, small shops and creators. I am extremely humbled to be a small part of this amazing community, and I love the personal connections. The challenges of running my own business has been the struggle of connecting with more families and finding a way to introduce children to the fun world of snail mail!
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
My curated stationery "treat" packs have definitely been the most popular. I enjoy coming up with a variety of fun themes, and each gift pack contains a generous mix of writing paper, stickers (conveniently all in a cute storage bag), pen and a postage stamp! Each pack is not pre-packaged, so I really put a lot of time, thought and care into each treat pack. My favorite is the Bento Box pack!
What is currently bringing you joy?
My biggest joy has been sharing children's writing, artwork and drawings on my Instagram page and in the Kids Gallery on my shop website. They fill my heart with joy!
Name: Daisy Hutton
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
I rebelled against my lifelong plan of becoming a doctor and made a 180 into a career in fashion. I have always loved fashion and the way clothing could make you feel. I spent over a decade as a buyer for companies like Bebe, Guess, and Nasty Gal, driving sales by creating products that I knew our customers would love. My job was to provide trendright clothing that would inspire women and girls to shop as much as possible. I loved Monday mornings because that's when we saw the best seller reports and felt the success of a job well done.
It wasn't until I stopped working that I learned about the detrimental impact that our industry was having on the environment. So much waste of resources. Workers suffering from literally toxic production environments. The consumer waste of buying new clothes only to turn around and trash them. The luxury brands who would burn unsold merchandise rather than mark it down. It was out of control. I was sickened to learn that our industry was the second leading industry in pollution. That my business and passion was leaving a world behind that would not be suitable for my children to grow up in. Fashion was broken and no love for clothing could excuse what was happening.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Two things: my kids and my eco guilt. I knew I could never go back to working for someone else and that I had to inspire my kids to fight the fear of the unknown, to take the uncharted path, and to make a difference.
What inspired your brand's name?
The Fixx Collective was about combining our love for fashion — getting your "Fashion Fixx" with a solution to combat climate change. The "Climate Fixx". We went with the double XX to represent women, since women have 2 X chromosomes. It also stands for kisses! We are a brand by women, for women, to empower your fashion game, while making a difference for our future.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
Rewards: I make all the decisions. Challenges: I make all the decisions. It's great to not report to anyone and also to escape the unfortunately very misogynistic toxic environment of the corporate fashion industry. But as a "reluctant entrepreneur," I have no idea what I'm doing and just have to figure it out every day. So I take a lot of deep breaths and try to manifest that my body and brain will know what the next step will be.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
In our rental shop, clients are loving floral prints and strong blazers. Renting allows them to try new things all the time. In our eco-commerce shop, we are obsessed with all the amazing things that can be made from recycled plastic bottles, like Girlfriend Collective, and Wolven activewear. My personal favorite is the Sora yoga mat/ beach towels. Made from eight recycled bottles, super functional and lightweight, repels sand, and hangs like a piece of art in your bathroom.
What is currently bringing you joy?
Finding my voice. Feeling empowered to no longer be silent. Taking advantage of my perspective as an Asian Woman to speak my truth and not hold back. It's about time our community came together to demonstrate our collective power.
Name: Mary Lai
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
Ever since a young age, I’ve always loved creating. I went to art school and received a BFA in Graphic Design and built a career for over a decade in New York City as a Handbag & Accessories Designer. I had an award-winning namesake handbag collection before moving to Los Angeles and crossing over from design to being a full time visual artist.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
I am an entrepreneur at heart and after working for many companies in my early career it was a natural progression, dream, and goal to launch my own business.
What inspired your brand's name?
When I was launching my handbag collection at the end of 2012, I was playing with many brand names. However, the handbag factory I was working with encouraged me to just use my own name for the brand. Even if I was hesitant at first, I’m glad I did because it made the transition from my handbag brand to my art career seamless without changing the brand since it was simply my own name and the brand I’ve worked so hard to build is still all part of the timeline.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
The reward of running my own business is that I can create the flexibility in my schedule to work hard but make time for my family. Juggling work, kids and life can be a challenge at times but doing what I love and creating artwork that I’m passionate about makes it all worth it.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
My current best-selling artwork is my Fashion Le Gogh series and although buying artwork is not for everyone, I did create a puzzle version of the series which people love to buy as gifts or for themselves. My personal favorite is the Artist Alphabet print which is great for a kids room so they can learn the alphabet and also learn about inspiring visual artists.
What is currently bringing you joy?
Kind people bring me joy. With so much hate and negativity in the news when I hear about good people practicing acts of kindness it gives me hope and joy. And of course seeing my kids smile always brings me the ultimate joy.
Name: Jella Roson
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
After college, I had began working at the Center for Middle East Studies at UCSB. It was very involved and educational, I was surrounded by students and professors, and I felt creatively challenged and fulfilled. When I moved up in my career, I moved departments and found the Engineering department to be too confining. This was around the time I got married, and was fully immersed in creative projects.
After I my wedding, I started to explore a creative career and built a jewelry brand. When I had my daughter (who is now almost 8!) I was able to shift fully into honey my heart jewelry.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Jewelry is one of my favorite accessories. I love how a little piece can say so much. When I began making jewelry, I wanted to share a little bit of love in each piece — whether it was a thin ring, heart, tiny gem and felt a connection and love for each design. I also wanted the person who wore my jewelry to feel the same.
What inspired your brand's name?
The word "honey" is one of my favorite words. My friends and I have used it so often in conversation that "honey" has taken a life of its own. When I was brainstorming brand names, I knew I had to include "honey" and "my heart" is added to the end for the love of it all.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
It is so rewarding to have an idea or vision and then create that piece or collection for myself. There's so much beauty in the work. It's also rewarding to see people have a connection to my jewelry and knowing that it brings them joy. The challenges are definitely finding the time to center myself and be in a creative state of mind, keeping organized with sourcing products, making sure I have enough packaging and printer ink!
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
Stacking rings are always a favorite. When I started my Filipina inspired line, all the sun pieces (stud earrings, necklaces) have been favorites. And recently the nameplate necklaces have had their time in the spotlight.
What is currently bringing you joy?
The laughter of my kids, especially when they do funny dances. And my mom's home cooking.
Name: Shadoh Punnapuzha
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
In my early 30s I encountered an onset of allergies that consisted of eczema, cystic acne, and hives due to the synthetic ingredients in my products — something I never experienced before. It was then I turned to the botanical science of Ayurveda, a medical system I had grown up with my whole life, and this is what healed my complexion. Astounded by the positive results, I was on a mission to share this with the world. After spending almost 15 years in the finance world, I left my job on Wall Street and traveled to India with my father, whose background in botany laid a foundation about the natural medicinal world of Ayurveda and how this science has withstood the test of time.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
I was always ingrained with the benefits of Ayurveda, however, growing up in New York City, these age-old practice weren’t as accessible, and sadly I grew apart from these values. After returning to my roots and consulting with a team of Ayurvedic doctors in Kerala, India, I felt compelled to share this ancient knowledge. I then set out to design safe effective formulations that honor this botanical science while keeping the busy modern woman in mind by providing products that are beautiful and enjoyable to use. Because of how intricate a system Ayurveda is, I never wanted to pass the manufacturing onto a third party, so we make everything from beginning to end in-house in NYC.
What inspired your brand's name?
Taïla means divine healthy preparations in Sanskrit and represents a time of radiance and renewal.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
For me the biggest reward is hearing people’s results and appreciation for the uniqueness of our products that honor my heritage. With the guidance of Ayurvedic scriptures, we make our ingredient extracts in house in a multi-step process which can take up to a week in order to procure the full spectrum of nutrients that each botanical divulges. I really delight and cherish the profound value of this distinctive process. The challenge is the amount of time it takes monitoring every stage of in-house manufacturing. It is not the easiest or most profitable approach however the result is highly effective skincare that is superior in quality.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
This is tough because our collection is all I use and each product works together to create an effective, multi-correctional routine. Our award-winning NAVA JUNGOL Detoxifying Jungle Mask has quickly become a fan-favorite, but if I was stranded on a desert island, my must have’s would be our PRANA Face Oil, MUHKA Botanical Cleanser, and NAYANA Revitalizing Eye Balm. My skin is noticeably unhappy without these staples.
What is currently bringing you joy?
My family. My two boys keep me smiling and busy. I have an 8 month old and 4 year-old so as you can imagine my days fly by. But Taїla brings me another type of joy, it ignites my passion and commands confidence in my abilities. That thrilling feeling is like no other.
Name: Ruby Nichols
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
After eight years as a Brand Strategist for big advertising agencies from New York to LA, I decided to finally strike out on my own and follow my passion for discovering creative communities and supporting local artisans around the world.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Fashion Mamas synergy played a big role! Heather Roma of The Westside Collective Agency and I first met through Fashion Mamas. We discovered we both had a passion for sharing beautiful places and objects in a sustainable way, and The Almanaq was born. Our mission is to promote slow and mindful travel by partnering with local communities to curate ethically made products and immersive experiences.
What inspired your brand's name?
We love the worldly aspect of an almanac, as well as it being an official guide. The Almanaq is essentially your guide to traveling like a local so we felt it was a good fit. We like to mix it up a bit so we went with the "Q"
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
The rewards are definitely creative freedom, personal growth, and schedule flexibility. As two moms, the last one is paramount. As far as challenges, aside from the typical issue of having to fund yourself, I've found that being an entrepreneur is a constant practice of staying true to yourself. It can get tricky when you have no blueprint and are hit with different strategies and advice from all directions. You really have to have a strong vision and trust it fully.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
Just about any of the self-care products by Daughters are a big hit, as well as the No. 2 Topanga candle by Valley Girl Apothecary. Some more of our personal faves are the beautiful beach blankets and Turkish towels by Home and Topanga-made skincare by Gaffer & Child and Cult of Treehouse.
What is currently bringing you joy?
I love this question, because it's more important now than ever to not lose sight of Asian joy in the midst of our grief. As cliche as it sounds, I have to say my family brings me the most joy. My husband and two sons, age 2 and 7, remind me daily to be grateful, grounded, and have a good ass time.
Name: Shun Moore
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
When I became a mother at 21, I was working as a photographer and seamstress at the time. I knew that I needed to build a career and find something that was going to provide a good life for my son. I had to put my creative and entrepreneurial dreams to the side and began a career in early childhood education. A long story, marriage and three kids later, I left my career as an assistant director and became a stay at home mom. Our third baby was four months old when I launched my company and I never looked back.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
I was looking for hair accessories for my new baby girl and I found amazing shops. The only thing I didn’t find was representation and something that inspired me..cultural diversity! As a multicultural mama raising blended babies, I wanted to offer something that contributed to the development of the net generation.
What inspired your brand's name?
Marlo Bea is the name of my youngest daughter. She was named after her father and my great grandmother Beatrice.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
Some of the rewards that come with running my own business is the flexibility and unlimited creativity. The challenges would be balancing motherhood and company building/engagement.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
Right now the clips are big sellers on my site. I am able to highlight different prints when I pair them in each set. The “Brooklynn & Trish” set is a fave.
What is currently bringing you joy?
The little things are bringing me joy. Unplanned sporadic adventures with my family fills me up and honestly getting in touch with God when I’m feeling low.
Name: Oanh Nguyen, Heceliza Perez & Nga Tran
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
Nguyen: As a child, I was a Girl Scout and it led me to always being involved in non-profits and volunteering with the community. After having a chat with two of my closest friends, we combined our background in fashion with community involvement together and that is when the inception of Dear 1982 came to be.
Perez: A few years ago I decided to leave my career in fashion and operations to pursue my business ideas and create my ideal work/life balance. That also included partnering with women that shared the same aspirations and values as I did for Dear 1982.
Tran: My career has been in the fashion apparel industry working for Los Angeles ans international brands/companies in retail management, buying, and sales. After my daughter was born and being burnt out from the industry, I wanted flexibility and decided to pivot and pursue my projects and business ideas that I believe in such as Dear 1982.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Nguyen: It started with the desire to encourage our country and local communities to vote in the 2020 elections. To let them know their votes and voices matter. We wanted to express our message in a thoughtful and modern way by allowing others to amplify their voices through the clothing they could wear.
We wanted to create a brand and business that aligned with our values: sustainability, quality, and supporting social causes. Additionally, it was important to us to make clothing that inspires us and we would wear it with pride.
What inspired your brand's name?
Perez: We were all born in the year 1982. It’s a nod to our 80s generation and a shout-out to all the 80s babies.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
Tran: The three of us are good friends and being able to partner with each other, to create and collaborate has been such an amazing experience. We all bring something different to the partnership, and it’s been great to learn new aspects of business and marketing along the way.
Being able to give back to our communities is also rewarding. We do so by giving a portion of our sales to selected local non-profits that align with our values. Right now, a portion of sales from our Allies on Earth tees and Chasing Heart hats will be going to AAPI Women Lead.
Launching an apparel brand with our first collection revolving around the November 2020 election during the pandemic has been a challenge. Especially, since our shirts are meant to be worn in person and spark thoughtful conversation. We had wanted our “voting is cool” kids and adult tees to be worn in school, the workplace, and our neighborhoods to encourage our communities to register and vote. We’ve also had to be more creative in finding ways to reach our goals with limited resources and budget.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
Nguyen: Our bestsellers are our Dear 1982 masks that have a buy-one-donate-one give back. Our favorite is our women’s Allies On Earth embroidered boyfriend tee. It’s super soft and such a great casual, roomy fit. The messaging is something we wanted to get across and to bring communities together. (There’s also a matching kid’s tee for a “mama and me” look.)
What is currently bringing you joy?
Nguyen: Since the pandemic and having to work from home, I’m seeing my children and husband more. We take walks together outside daily. It can be very busy and overwhelming at times. We’ve also been grateful to have a friend like Liza, who has taught us to meditate and we have practiced more of this as a family.
Perez: Randomly dancing in my living room. It’s been a great stress and energy release for me this past year. A song will randomly come on while I’m working and I’ll just get up and let my body intuitively move — no holding back. Just dance like no one’s watching!
Tran: Being at home with my daughter during the pandemic, I’ve really enjoyed being able to support her passion for music (vocal and piano). And boba milk tea always brings me joy!
Name: Irene Lee
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
Becoming a mama really pushed me to make the jump to start something on my own. I left the corporate world (most recently working for Google) to carve a new career path that allows me the flexibility to spend time with my growing family. I wanted to do something creative on my own that I felt passionate about. Bash + Sass fulfills this more than I thought possible, as my brand is an extension of myself, my style, and directly influenced by my kids. It’s beyond rewarding to work really hard at something so personal and know that it’s teaching and setting an example for my kids to go after their own dreams.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
I started researching and planning for Bash & Sass in 2015 when my first child was about eight months old. My son Bash (Sebastian) was the initial inspiration behind my desire to create a modern children’s clothing line. My now 4-year-old daughter, Isa, and 6-year-old Bash continue to fuel that fire. In the six years since Bash was born, I found that there was just a scarcity of clean, modern, and comfortable children’s clothing within the US. My search criteria: Simple yet edgy with just a hint or pop of a fun detail whether that be through color or texture or pattern etc — an ostensibly feasible task, but somehow the search always fell short. That’s when the lightbulb went off and I decided to design my own line.
What inspired your brand's name?
My son Sebastian, a.k.a. “Bash,” is the inspiration behind why I started the line. His first best friend is named Saskia, a.k.a. “Sass.” They were born just days apart and inseparable for their first year of life; it was the “Bash + Sass” show. I knew I wanted the line to be gender-neutral, so mixing in his name with hers was a perfect pairing.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
Hands down, I would definitely say a big challenge is making sure I have quality time with the kids. I’m very mindful of this and make it a point to carve out time to plan fun activities for our family as a whole and 1:1 with each child as well. They’re only young once so I want to make sure I savor this time and create loving moments and memories for us all.
The biggest reward is knowing that I’m teaching my kids by example. I want them to have the confidence to try new things and believe in their ideas. A close second is that they are the fundamental basis of my inspiration. Launching a clothing line has been a long time goal of mine and having my kids directly influence the creative process is amazing. Both kids touch/feel the fabric swatches that I consider for each collection and let me know their thoughts on softness and color. They also directly influence the meaning of each collection monster — every new line release includes a monster character that embodies a specific social value or characteristic that we believe is important for big and little kids to acknowledge and share. With today’s social and political climate, it’s important to start teaching kids at a young age about self-confidence, inclusion, helping others, and being proud of who they are regardless of skin color, gender, or family makeup.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
My current best-selling products are the tank romper and denim maverick romper. I would have to agree that the romper style as a whole is my personal favorite too as I live in adult versions daily.
What is currently bringing you joy?
Using my voice and platform to raise money in support of the #StopAsianHate movement is bringing me hope. I'm proud to stand with my community and join Asian business leaders to work together to call out what's happening and fight for change. Teaching and showing my kids via action to stand up for themselves, respect and help others brings me joy.
Name: Cara Nguyen
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
YumChaSF was brought to life during the 2020 quarantine. I work full-time at a sports network and have two young children with whom I’ve spent a lot of time this past year. Crafting and DIY projects have always been a passion of mine because it gives me the chance to spend time with the kids while being creative. Being home all year gave me the chance to finally launch my brand.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
One of the first toys that I bought was the IKEA play kitchen. My husband teases me because he knows that I’m really building the kitchen for myself because it’s something my childhood self would’ve loved. However, I had a hard time finding play food that was culturally diverse. I took out my needle, thread and felt that I purchased years ago for an old project, and started making Dim Sum toys.
What inspired your brand's name?
"Yum Cha" literally translates to “drink tea” but is defined as a meal eaten in the morning or early afternoon which consisted of dim sum and hot tea. It was also something that I did with my grandparents every morning growing up.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
The biggest challenge of starting a business is not knowing what it may lead to. My passion project started as a hobby but there was so much I needed to research and learn to be successful. On top of starting something from scratch, I was also working from home five days a week and “mom-ing” 24/7! Most days, I feel like there wasn’t enough hours in a day.
The rewards definitely outweigh the challenges though. I’ve received a lot of great feedback from customers within the last few months! My biggest goal is that my realistic play food creations will encourage children to have fun through imaginative play, while educating them on Chinese culture.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
The current best-selling product is the combo set of Dim Sum with the steamer. Kids love the variety and it gives them a little bit of everything we have to offer.
Name: Susan Rhie
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
After many years in education, I switched gears to becoming a full-time stay at home mom. Having worked my entire life, I needed something as a creative outlet. After having my daughter, I began making handmade accessories for my sweet baby girl. Not too long after, a good friend and I decided to start Everhart and we haven’t looked back once!
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Our sweet baby girls were our muses and the inspiration behind launching Everhart. We wanted to create beautiful and functional accessories that were handmade and ethically sourced and to be able to share that with others.
What inspired your brand's name?
The name Everhart actually was created by combining the two words “forever” and “heart” because our girls are and will be forever in our hearts. The name also has an English origin meaning “strong” and “brave” which is also our hope for our children — that they will grow up to be kind strong and brave and unapologetically themselves.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
One of the greatest rewards of running your own business is the flexibility to work on your own schedule, but that also comes with the challenges of trying to juggle multiple hats while navigating motherhood.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
Our headbands are by far our best sellers but my current favorites are our limited Liberty London Floral Bows that are perfect for spring.
What is currently bringing you joy?
Being able to spend time outdoors again, of course still being cautious and careful, but finally getting some normalcy back has been a breath of fresh air.
Name: Leslie Sanga
Tell us a brief history of your career journey — what led you to where you are today?
My working career started as a registered nurse in the emergency department and I continue to practice as a nurse today, per diem. I first got into business while learning and practicing business around 2011 through various network marketing companies after working as a nurse for three years. I knew I wasn't planning on working as a nurse for life. I moved away from home to live in California for three years and worked there as a school nurse while I continued my personal development and growth in business. When I returned home in 2017 I felt it was right to embark in a new business journey — and that was opening up my own brand (which was never initially part of my plan).
What inspired you to launch your own business?
I have always loved fashion — often doing creative fashion shoots just for fun and for self-expression. Before I returned home to Guam in 2017, I noticed there were not many brands for females, or brands run by females. In addition to wanting to do something new and different for myself in business, the lack of females in the local brand space really encouraged me to launch my own. I wanted to help fill that market gap locally.
What inspired your brand's name?
I am full Filipino, but because I was born and raised on Guam, I wanted to create a brand name that used a Chamoru word. Gacha, which means to "attain; reach; seize; to grasp," I felt was a word that I can really relate to. And it is something I truly have always encouraged others to do: to continue reaching for the next thing in life, which fosters lifelong growth and challenge.
What are some of the rewards and challenges of running your own business?
Personally, the biggest reward for running my own business is self-expression and using that in a "productive" way (i.e., running a business). To get to see how people react and digest your creativity has also been very fulfilling. It has been rewarding to hear how people connect to your ideas, from products to brand execution, and the causes that we fight for through the brand. The main challenge of running my own business is keeping up with it and keeping it alive. Currently, I am pregnant with our soon-to-be second child, and I have taken a huge step back from all of my personal work to make way for this pregnancy. It doesn't have to be that way, but of course it is a personal choice. As the person who does almost all the work for my brand — the marketing, the creative concepts, executing new ideas, etc — all of that has stopped. It is a big sacrifice in the continued growth of the brand, but I usually act with my instincts, and right now my body has been telling me to just prioritize this pregnancy above all else.
What are your current best-selling products in your online shop, and what products are your personal favorite?
Our best-selling products lately have been our ‘Affirmations’ products, which are also my personal favorites right now because I feel they are valuable reminders for these trying times in the world. Even I need and use these statements repeated daily to myself, to counter the inner battles I have been fighting, and I feel like people need these positive affirmation statements to counter the various battles society has been facing today.
What is currently bringing you joy?
Currently what brings me joy are the simplicities of life through staying home, having a lot of quiet time (prayer, reading, listening to audios), and spending a lot of time with my daughter, husband, and our family. I am usually a very social person, but the past few months (this pregnancy) I have been quite the opposite. We recently got a new piano at home again, so I've picked up relearning the piano, which I haven't touched for more than 10 years and this has definitely been bringing personal joy. This season for me has been a season of stillness, reflection, and preparing myself for when I feel it will be time to go hard on work again.