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Today's episode is an absolute gem. I'm joined by the incredible entrepreneurs Sophia and Hawk, who have become like family since the day we met. We're diving deep into our family's history of survival to assimilating in America through hospitality and food. Our conversation explores their roots and the challenges of cultural identity. We reminisce about favorite childhood dishes highlighting the significance of home-cooked meals and the rich tapestry of Asian cuisines in Southern California, as well as their experience creating the first ever Cambodian American wings in Southern California. Join us on this enriching discussion about culture, language, and hospitality and get to know the owners of the most flavorful, innovative and tasty wings that is Shlap Muan.    Visit Shlap Muan at their pop ups in Southern California or at Smorgasburg in Los Angeles every Sunday. Follow their instagram @shlapmuan and give them a follow. These two are some of the most hardworking and genuine people I've gotten to meet in the food industry.  Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

From new special Fifty. Recorded Live at Just The Tonic Edinburgh 2023. Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime NOW.

From new special Fifty. Recorded Live at Just The Tonic Edinburgh 2023. Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime NOW.

From new special Fifty. Recorded Live at Just The Tonic Edinburgh 2023. Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime NOW.

From new special Fifty. Recorded Live at Just The Tonic Edinburgh 2023. Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime NOW.

From new special Fifty. Recorded Live at Just The Tonic Edinburgh 2023. Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime NOW.

Trailer from new special Fifty. Recorded Live at Just The Tonic Edinburgh 2023. Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime NOW.

In this episode, I present Mai from 'Mai Serenity Space.' We go way back, and she's not just a guest; she's family. Today's podcast is about the incredible journey Mai has taken in the world of organizing and decluttering. We kick things off by diving into our own experiences with the law of attraction and how our perspectives have evolved over time. Turns out, there's a powerful connection between decluttering physical spaces and deepening relationships. We share personal stories, like how I met my guest on the street, and she became an integral part of my life. From being patient zero in her own decluttering journey to becoming a professional organizer, her story is truly inspiring. We dig into heartwarming stories of transformation – think finding love after a tough divorce or gaining self-worth through decluttering. If you're wondering about the steps to decluttering, we've got you covered – from assessing your space to the joy of reorganizing. It's not just about physical stuff; it's a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. As we wrap up, I'm grateful for the insights shared and encourage you all to consider how decluttering can bring positive change into your lives. So, stay tuned for more inspiring episodes, and thanks for joining us on this decluttering journey!     Here are the 5 golden nuggets that are considered valuable and insightful, representing guidance or lessons that can be applied to aspects of life, particularly in the context of decluttering one's mind and space to attract positive relationships and clarity!   Clarity and Self-Understanding: Before making any changes, be clear about what you truly want. Understand yourself and your desires. Identify and Release Blockages: Recognize and let go of mental blockages or beliefs that no longer serve you. Replace negative beliefs with new, positive ones to attract what you desire. Become a Receiver: Instead of constantly seeking, create space and be open to receiving what you want. Shift from a mindset of pursuit to one of acceptance. Practice Authenticity: Practice being yourself in various situations. Embrace self-love and praise yourself. Authenticity attracts genuine connections. Believe and Praise Yourself: Cultivate belief in your abilities and the positivity you want to attract. Praise yourself, be easy on yourself, and understand that you are enough as you are. Self-love is the foundation for attracting positive relationships and experiences. Connect with Mai at:   You can check all the details from website https://maiserenityspace.com You can see the recent work from Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maiserenityspace/ Self-Guided Organizing 101 " HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR HOME & LIFE" Before purchase, You can see what this course is about https://maiserenityspace.teachable.com/admin-app/courses/2065987/curriculum Self-Guided Organizing 101 " HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR HOME & LIFE" CHECK OUT $111 https://maiserenityspace.teachable.com/courses Mai Serenity Space Shop https://dashboard.teespring.com/stores       Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

In this episode of my podcast, "Short and Sweet," I had the privilege of having Lauraine Mann who is a psycho-somatic therapist with expertise in psychology and energy healing. Our conversation delved into the fascinating world of somatic therapy, emphasizing the crucial connection between our minds and bodies. Lauraine shared her personal journey and how somatic therapy had a profound impact on her life, allowing her to explore and unlock deeply buried emotions and experiences stored in her body. We also discussed the concept of the inner child, which I personally resonated with, and the strong desire to provide comfort and understanding to our inner child. Lauraine stressed the importance of giving that inner child a voice. The conversation then shifted to a scientific perspective, with a discussion about how animals naturally release trauma through physical responses, while humans often hold onto it due to societal conditioning. We underscored the significance of acknowledging and releasing stored trauma in our bodies. The episode concluded with a message of self-compassion and the potential for healing and personal growth through somatic therapy.   Here are the five golden nuggets of knowledge shared by Lauraine, providing valuable insights into reconnecting with your authentic self and experiencing true aliveness through somatic therapy!   Breathe and Pause: Lauraine emphasizes the importance of taking a moment to breathe before responding to someone's question. This simple practice provides a moment of pause, helping you reconnect with your energy and gain better access to yourself. Play and Find Joy: Rediscovering what brings joy to your system is vital. Whether it's going for a walk, listening to music, or spending time with friends, allowing yourself to play and have fun is essential for personal well-being. Read and Get Lost: Lauraine recommends getting lost in a book or any form of literature that resonates with you. Reading allows you to discover more about yourself through the words and experiences of others. Take Risks: Taking risks is an important aspect of personal growth. It could be having a difficult conversation, trying something new, or even indulging in a treat like eating ice cream. The key is to push past fear because on the other side lies immense pleasure and growth. Seek Help and Self-Permission: Lauraine acknowledges the importance of self-worth and self-permission. It's okay to seek help and show vulnerability, as doing so can lead to valuable self-discovery and personal growth. You can find her at: Email - laurainemann@gmail.com  Website - www.laurainemann.com  Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

In the world of branding and marketing, Sarah Sambles, a copywriter and coach, passionately helps small business owners, especially those in content-based fields like coaching, writing, and education, define their core message. She excels in crafting narrative-based copy that not only appeals to their audience but also authentically represents who they are. Sarah's journey into coaching and branding began when she realized her knack for marketing while working in a high-tech agency in England. Her love for literature led her to write children's stories, where she identified the struggle many creative authors had with marketing. This realization birthed her career as a branding coach. Sarah emphasizes that branding takes time, breaking it down into an acronym, T.I.M.E., with each letter representing essential aspects of the branding process. She busts myths around overnight success and encourages her clients to find their unique theme, be intentional, build momentum through consistency, and embrace empathy in their messaging. Sarah's approach focuses on helping her clients understand the power of their brand story, reminding them that it's a valuable tool for connecting with their audience and guiding them towards successful decision-making in their business.     Here are the five nuggets of wisdom, shared by Sara Sambles, that offer valuable insights into writing effective emails that people will want to open and engage with!   Consistent Email Sending: Make it a point to send emails regularly. Even if it's not every day, consistency matters. Understand what's holding you back from sending emails and overcome those barriers. Write to One Person: When crafting your emails, envision a single ideal recipient. Understand their needs, struggles, and preferences. Writing as if you're communicating directly with that person can result in more compelling emails. Listen to Your Audience: Pay attention to what your audience is responding to in your previous content. If you're unsure, conduct surveys or ask them questions to better understand their interests and needs. Provide Value: Ensure that your emails offer valuable content. Consider what your audience would find helpful, informative, or motivational. High-quality content will engage your readers. Write the Subject Line Last: Don't start with your email subject line. Write your email first, brainstorm and organize your ideas, and then create a subject line that encapsulates the email's essence. This approach helps prevent writer's block. You can find her at:  https://sarahsambles.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-sambles-65b5748/ https://www.instagram.com/sarahsambleswriter/  https://maylytao--sarah-sambles-coaching.thrivecart.com/six-steps-awesome-content-course/ Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

Rosemary Kelly's journey takes us from her early desire to become a nurse, where she showcased her nurturing nature by caring for everyone, even her dog, to her remarkable 18-year career as a dietitian, where she helped people understand the importance of nutrition and its role in health. Later, she ventured into the field of transpersonal psychology, and it was there that she discovered the transformative power of Psych K. Rosemary explains how Psych K taps into the subconscious mind, highlighting the impact of childhood beliefs on our adult lives. She walks us through the Psych K balancing process, emphasizing the importance of integrating these newly balanced beliefs into daily life and taking action to manifest personal growth. Through case studies, Rosemary demonstrates the profound yet often subtle changes that clients experience through Psych K, ultimately helping them become more confident, empowered individuals. She encourages a gentle, unfolding transformation and shares her passion for the blend of science and spirituality in this powerful modality. So, tune in to discover how Psych K shines a light on the subconscious, empowering individuals to unleash their full potential.   Here are the five golden nuggets that are about practical tips and insights aimed at helping listeners improve their well-being and overcome self-limiting beliefs according to Rosemary!   Connect with Nature and Exercise: Spending time in nature and incorporating regular physical activity not only promotes a sense of connection but also enhances mental well-being and helps with better sleep. Taking a daily walk or engaging in exercise can significantly benefit the mind. Set Positive Intentions: Start your day by setting a positive intention. Even on challenging days, use affirmations like "I will do my best in handling this situation." Positive intentions create a more constructive mindset and outlook. Practice Self-Compassion: We tend to be hard on ourselves, but offering self-compassion is a powerful way to nurture the emotional and subconscious mind. Show love and understanding to yourself, as the subconscious mind thrives on compassion and love. Journal for Stress Reduction: Writing out issues that cause stress can help the mind perceive them as external rather than internal. Journaling can alleviate stress and make problems more manageable. Bedtime Affirmations: As you're on the verge of falling asleep, use the hypnotic-like state to make positive suggestions to your subconscious mind. Affirmations such as "I am confident" or "I am worthy" can be remarkably effective in reshaping your beliefs and self-perception.   You can contact her via email: maineforest3@msn.com   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

In this episode, I'm excited to welcome Wamite Muthara as our special guest, the founder of Career Safari, a platform that spotlights and celebrates the diverse career journeys of women who are challenging what it means to be successful. We dive into inspiring career stories and discuss the empowerment of women in various stages of their professional lives. Wamite takes us on a journey through her own career path, sharing how she transitioned from fundraising for nonprofits to the tech sector, and what inspired her to create Career Safari. Our conversation explores the hurdles women often face in their careers, from cultural expectations to gender discrimination. Plus, we introduce NetDo, a supportive community for aspiring entrepreneurs focused on holistic development and collaboration. Wamite of Career Safari encourages women to explore their passions, even while juggling motherhood.    Fice golden nuggets to get started in finding your dream career according to Wamite:   Get Curious About Your Interests: Begin by exploring what genuinely interests you. Identify activities or topics that you're passionate about. You can seek input from friends to pinpoint your strengths and inclinations. Invest Time Each Week: Dedicate a few hours each week to pursue your interests. For example, if you're passionate about baking, spend time trying out new recipes and hosting dinner parties to gather feedback. Start with just a couple of hours a month to get going. Outsource Your Weaknesses: Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. If you're starting a venture or project, don't try to do everything on your own. Outsource tasks that you're not skilled at or don't enjoy. Consider creative solutions, such as bartering skills or forming partnerships with people who compliment your abilities. Build Partnerships: Collaboration is key. Seek out like-minded individuals with skills that complement yours. Utilize platforms like social media and online communities to connect with potential partners. Building a network of supportive collaborators can be invaluable. Focus on Business Development: If you're an entrepreneur or founder, prioritize business development. Concentrate on creating a sustainable business model, efficient fundraising, and optimizing your supply chain. Ensuring that your revenue streams are strong and consistent is essential for long-term success.     Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

In today's episode of the podcast, I have Dr. Rhysa Sisco with me. She is a life and business empowerment mentor who has helped hundreds of people transform their lives by resetting their relationship with money, releasing limiting beliefs, and attracting abundance to live a life of alignment and freedom. Our conversation is a captivating journey through the intricacies of the nervous system and its profound impact on our lives. This episode delves into Rhysa's personal childhood experiences, marked by trauma and illness, and how these experiences ultimately led her to a deep understanding of the nervous system's role in our well-being.   Dr. Rhysa's storytelling about her nine-year-old self navigating her mother's cancer diagnosis is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Her resilience in the face of adversity and her journey to unlock the secrets of the nervous system provide a powerful backdrop for the episode. As Rhysa introduces her color-coded emotional regulation triangle, listeners gain a valuable tool to navigate their own emotions and understand the profound connection between trauma, emotions, and physical health.   The conversation takes an enlightening turn as Dr. Rhysa discusses intergenerational trauma and its far-reaching effects. Her insights into the body's innate response mechanisms, the impact of past traumas, and the importance of regulating the nervous system are nothing short of revolutionary. Listeners will walk away with a newfound appreciation for the body's wisdom and a deeper understanding of how emotional regulation can lead to personal transformation. This podcast episode promises to be a thought-provoking and transformative experience for anyone seeking to unlock the secrets of their own nervous system and break free from the shackles of past traumas.     Here are the golden nuggets from Dr. Rhysa on how to regulate your nervous system:   Identify Your Current State: Understand and identify the state you're in—green, red, yellow, blue, or purple—before building a toolbox of regulation tools that match that state. Have a Toolbox for Each State: Create specific toolboxes for each state (e.g., calmer tools for yellow, more engaging tools for purple) to regulate your nervous system effectively. Practice Tools When Calm: Practice using regulation tools when you're calm, as it's ineffective to introduce new tools when you're dysregulated. Your body craves predictability and safety in those states. Look at What You're Already Doing: Recognize that you're already using tools unknowingly. Tools are sensory-based and can include everyday activities or experiences that signal safety to your nervous system. Tools Don't Have to Take Long: Tools can be quick and simple, taking as little as three seconds, and don't need to be time-consuming. They can be effective in regulating your nervous system in various situations. Connect with Dr. Rhysa:  Link to Regulation Quiz: bit.ly/regulationquiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/regulatewithrhysa/ Sign up here: https://regulatewithrhysa.systeme.io/moneyblocks?sa=sa010904629242744ba04493f2c856a807f672c597   #ComissionsEarned   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

Abby Borden (Founder, Table Set Go) is a Freelance Event Producer specializing in food & beverage. Her client list has included the Grammys, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Warner Brothers, Amazon Studios, the Dodgers and the James Beard Foundation and she has been the Producer for Regarding Her Food's 10-day Festival, since its inception in 2021. Her goal for every event is that guests are well fed, thoroughly entertained, and still talking about it when they leave.   The daughter of a diplomat, she was fortunate enough to be exposed to different cultures, cuisines, art and design early on.  She especially loves being able to pluck from her travels when curating a menu or designing a space.     Abby is based in Los Angeles and shares a home with her partner Jon, their cats Penelope, Bean, and dog Roscoe - who loves food as much as his Mommy does.  You can find her @tableset_go on Instagram.     Here are the golden nuggets from the conversation about becoming a successful freelancer and maintaining valuable relationships: Value Relationships: Building and maintaining relationships is crucial for success, whether you're a freelancer or in a traditional job. Never burn bridges, and always represent yourself positively because you never know who your next boss or client might be. Networking Pays Off: Networking can lead to unexpected opportunities. The story of how the James Beard Foundation became a client through a chance connection emphasizes the importance of networking and staying open to possibilities. Take Bold Actions: Don't hesitate to take bold actions in your career, even if they seem daunting. Sometimes, making that uncomfortable phone call or sending that email can lead to significant opportunities. Maintain Relationships: Continuously nurture your professional relationships. You never know when you or someone you know might need assistance or collaboration in the future. Specialize: Rather than trying to do everything, focus on your specific strengths and specialties. This helps you stand out in your field and attract clients who value your expertise. Clarity in Specialization: Clearly define your specialization to prospective clients. For example, instead of saying you're a general event planner, specify that you're an event producer specializing in food and beverage. This clarity helps attract the right clients. Passion and Focus: Pursue work that you're passionate about and aligns with your expertise. When you love what you do, it's easier to excel and find satisfaction in your work. Accessibility: Don't hesitate to reach out to people you admire or want to learn from. Direct messages (DMs) and emails can be effective ways to connect with potential mentors or collaborators. Be Complimentary: When reaching out to someone for advice or collaboration, it's a compliment that you found them. Express your admiration and interest in their work. Stay Available: Be open and available for potential clients or collaborators who want to get in touch with you. Responsiveness and accessibility can lead to new opportunities.   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

For the first time in Short N' Sweet Podcast history, Mayly Tao is interviewed instead of interviewing her guest by owner Moulino Tan of Phnom Penh Noodle Shack to explore her book, "An American Dream with Sprinkles: The Legacy Story of the Donut Queen and Donut Princess." They delve into sharing common family backgrounds with stories of their parents' survival of the Khmer Rouge and helping their family businesses while their parents assimilated here in America.  When 2nd generation of immigrant kids get together, there is an unspoken form of respect and regard. The discovery of a community of creatives and supporting them with their endeavors and businesses is how we want to proceed for the next generation. Whenever you find the support of your peers who share a common history, there is a level of understanding that is truly unexplainable. Support small businesses and check out @phnompenhnoodleshack in Long Beach!   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

Pesith Vann, born in Long Beach, California but raised in Fresno. Built Vanntastic Sweets from just the presence of friends and family. Started off as a private chef then sold madeleines from home, and expanded to macarons. Through their presence at farmer's markets to wholesaling to retail and boba shops, Vanntastic Sweets has expanded to around California.    Stay in touch with them on IG: @vanntasticsweets or place an order with them at vanntasticsweets.com!   Here are five "Golden Nuggets" on marketing and entrepreneurship that were mentioned: Utilize Social Media Creatively: Social media can be a powerful and free marketing tool. Use it to showcase your creativity, connect with your community, and build a strong online presence for your business. QR Codes for Social Media Engagement: Incorporate QR codes on your products or marketing materials that link directly to your social media profiles. This can help customers easily find and engage with your brand online. Personal Networking: Don't underestimate the value of face-to-face networking. Introduce yourself and your products to potential customers and vendors in various settings, like night markets or industry-related events. Continuous Learning and Sharing: Stay open to learning from others and sharing your experiences. Networking can provide valuable insights and ideas for growing your business. Persistence and Passion: Entrepreneurship can be challenging, but having a passion for what you do and a relentless drive to succeed can take you far. Don't give up, and remember that you're not alone; there's a supportive community of entrepreneurs out there.   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

Helene Servillon is a first generation Filipino-American from San Francisco that is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, operator and venture capitalist across emerging industries. She is a Founding Partner of JourneyOne Ventures, a 100% woman and minority-owned cannabis and psychedelics fund who was named a top global exec to watch in the cannabis industry by Benzinga. Outside of JourneyOne, Helene is a Senior Advisor at Bowen, a growth tech investment bank with a 20 year track record in M&A. She also spends her time advising women-led companies and entrepreneur organizations.    We discuss empowering women through an AAPI lens and the importance of creating our own space. Helene shares her Filipino heritage and the challenges of being a first-generation Filipino in San Francisco and navigating a space that is mostly white and male dominated. Join us for this insightful conversation as we dive into her incredible career and experiences.    Five golden nuggets on how to get started as an investor: Listen to Podcasts: There's a wealth of free information available through podcasts. Engage with podcasts like "20 Minute VC" by Harry Stebbing and "Starting Greatness" by Mike Maples, Jr., which interview various investors and provide insights into their investment journeys. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Know your strengths and weaknesses as an investor. If you have expertise in a specific sector, follow newsletters, LinkedIn profiles, and Twitter accounts of venture funds and partners who invest in that sector to stay updated on their investments and insights. Scout Programs: Some venture funds offer Scout programs, where individuals with specialized networks or industry expertise can become scouts. You can introduce potential founders to the fund, and if an investment is made, you could receive compensation and potential future profit from the company. Networking: Networking is a crucial aspect of being a successful venture capitalist investor. Attend industry events like startup tech weeks or tech events in your city to build connections and make yourself known within the startup and investing community. Pay It Forward: Always be willing to help others in the industry. If someone is kind and helpful to you, offer assistance in return. Building a reputation for being helpful and collaborative can benefit your network and reputation as an investor. Connect with Herlene: LinkedIn: Helene Servillon Twitter: @HServillon Instagram: @yahuh431   Connect with JourneyOne Social: Website: JourneyOne Ventures Newsletter: JourneyOne Ventures The Roll Up LinkedIn: JourneyOne Ventures Twitter: @JourneyOneVC Instagram: @journeyone.vc Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

This week, we kick off a three-part mini-series about a company where beauty meets technology: Parfait, the first and only AI-powered company for tailor-made human hair wigs. Isoken Igbinedion—Co-Founder and CEO of Parfait—discusses her experiences with bias in the workplace and the defining moment that shifted the trajectory of her career. She decided to become an entrepreneur and use her technical and operational experience to make an impact in areas that she is passionate about, including innovation and technology. lso highlights Parfait's commitment to creating products that are truly for anyone, regardless of skin tone, hair texture, or usage of the product.  Follow @isokenigbinedion, @my.parfait or visit https://myparfait.com/! Like most women, Isoken Igbinedion wanted to find protective styles to help manage and grow her natural hair. As she discovered, finding a product that fit her head, matched her skin tone, and styled the way she liked was challenging. Iso was sick of how difficult it was to find a ready-to-wear wig that didn't require any additional work upon purchase. So she created Parfait.  Iso's goal is to create a visionary company that brings a marginalized community into the future. She believes that beauty should be accessible to everyone and that's why Parfait prioritizes quality and service in every unit we ship. Iso graduated from Wharton Business School with a Master of Business Administration in 2021. Prior to her MBA, she started her operations career at Target, focusing on omi channel distribution strategies. She later joined Amazon and became one of the first 10 team members to design Amazon Prime Now and build the infrastructure for their Whole Foods acquisition. Igbinedion moved into a project manager role within the Whole Foods operation integration and focused on scaling the new delivery market while leading product strategy, order fulfillment, and workforce management staff applications.  Iso is passionate about being an MLT career coach prep in her spare time. She cherishes having the opportunity to mentor younger professionals and give them the guidance that she was missing during her own career assent. You can catch her at a local Sweetgreen munching on a healthy meal with goat cheese or catching up on the latest episodes of The Real Housewives of Dubai. Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: @hearthdisplay “Despite these differences, we have the ability to create one common solution that creates an equitable experience for this product, for all people in the category."" Isoken's Word of 2023: Experimentation Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Isoken!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we kick off a three-part mini-series about a company where beauty meets technology: Parfait, the first and only AI-powered company for tailor-made human hair wigs. Isoken Igbinedion—Co-Founder and CEO of Parfait—discusses her experiences with bias in the workplace and the defining moment that shifted the trajectory of her career. She decided to become an entrepreneur and use her technical and operational experience to make an impact in areas that she is passionate about, including innovation and technology. lso highlights Parfait's commitment to creating products that are truly for anyone, regardless of skin tone, hair texture, or usage of the product.  Follow @isokenigbinedion, @my.parfait or visit https://myparfait.com/! Like most women, Isoken Igbinedion wanted to find protective styles to help manage and grow her natural hair. As she discovered, finding a product that fit her head, matched her skin tone, and styled the way she liked was challenging. Iso was sick of how difficult it was to find a ready-to-wear wig that didn't require any additional work upon purchase. So she created Parfait.  Iso's goal is to create a visionary company that brings a marginalized community into the future. She believes that beauty should be accessible to everyone and that's why Parfait prioritizes quality and service in every unit we ship. Iso graduated from Wharton Business School with a Master of Business Administration in 2021. Prior to her MBA, she started her operations career at Target, focusing on omi channel distribution strategies. She later joined Amazon and became one of the first 10 team members to design Amazon Prime Now and build the infrastructure for their Whole Foods acquisition. Igbinedion moved into a project manager role within the Whole Foods operation integration and focused on scaling the new delivery market while leading product strategy, order fulfillment, and workforce management staff applications.  Iso is passionate about being an MLT career coach prep in her spare time. She cherishes having the opportunity to mentor younger professionals and give them the guidance that she was missing during her own career assent. You can catch her at a local Sweetgreen munching on a healthy meal with goat cheese or catching up on the latest episodes of The Real Housewives of Dubai. Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: @hearthdisplay “Despite these differences, we have the ability to create one common solution that creates an equitable experience for this product, for all people in the category." Isoken's Word of 2023: Experimentation Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Isoken!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christina Vo is a writer who previously worked for international organizations in Vietnam and Switzerland, including UNICEF and the World Economic Forum, respectively. She also ran a floral design business in San Francisco, as well as worked as a donor relations writer for the University of California, San Francisco. Christina is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently rides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Veil Between Two Worlds , which will be published in April 2023, is her first book.  www.christinavo.com   “We're all creators, we are all meant to create, it doesn't mean everybody has to write a book or everything has the same form of creation. For some people, raising children is a very creative form of way of being in the world…we're all just meant to express our unique selves."   These golden nuggets provide guidance for finding peace, clarity, and purpose in life as a writer or someone seeking to explore their creativity and unpack personal experiences.  Quiet the mind and find centering through practices like meditation and spending time alone. Follow your intuition and listen to the calling that keeps knocking at the door. Persist and commit to your deeper purpose, even if you have to carve out time for your creative passion alongside other responsibilities. Take action and make one step toward your creative pursuits, such as taking classes or engaging in related activities. Envision what you want in your life, how you want to feel in your days, and harness the power of transforming your reality through training your brain and having a clear vision. Connect with Christina: Website: christinavo.com Blog: christinavo.substack.com Link to pre-order book:  IG: https://www.instagram.com/stina_vo/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/stina.vo   Connect with Mayly: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com  

Brad Porter, Founder and CEO of Collaborative Robotics Until recently, Brad was a vice president and distinguished engineer at Amazon, working on some of the internet giant's most ambitious projects like Amazon Prime Air, Amazon Prime Now and Amazon Robotics. We ask Brad to walk us through his career arc and how he became one of the few technologists in the tech industry to crack the "L10" distinguished engineer job level. After he shares his advice about how to reach the next step in your career, we look into what it's like to be a founder on the cutting-edge of technology, including the future of robotics and being a startup founder that has to raise venture capital, create a product roadmap from scratch, and build the foundations of a multi-generation business. http://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/esldqiw8

Owner of DK's Donuts Orange County, Co-founder of The Doughnut Parlor and Downtown Donuts and Coffee in the city of Brea, Adam Vaun is Mayly's 3rd cousin. He's a donut kid who is grateful and proud to be part of a family that has impacted the donut industry. He's continuously looking for more innovative ways to improve the donut industry and always looking for new inspiration and challenges for growth. On this episode, we explore the traditional and untraditional paths that first and second generation Asian Americans face when pressured to take over the family business- and what amazing concepts can be achieved from our unique perspective.    “I was going to pursue [school] then I had to sit down with my parents and tell them, Hey, I don't want to go to college anymore." - Adam Vaun   The following golden nuggets will help anybody who wants to open a donut shop: Forget your weekends. There is an ecosystem for anybody who inspires to own a donut shop. Create a brand right off the bat. Make sure your product is likeable so people will be inclined to come back and try it again. Quality is important for business.   Connect with Adam at @iamdonutkid or at DK's Donuts Orange County   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Exotics: www.donutexotics.com Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com

Jessica Fialkovich grew up in New Jersey, her grandparents were entrepreneurs, and her dad saw the ups and down of small business owner life. Some weeks were great, and some weeks were terrible. Her dad decided that entrepreneurship was not his gig, and he went into education.    Jessica was raised in a typical way:  Get a good job Work for a corporate company  And that what she exactly did.    She pursued a career in sports management, sports entertainment, right out of college, and worked in corporate. IT WAS A LOT. Then the recession hit. At that point, she had a choice to make. That was her realization: She wasn't safe in the corporate world. And the only way she could be safe and control her future was to start her own business.    “We figured out the wine business as we went along. It was the same thing. We always had the intention of building up the business to sell it later on."   The following golden nuggets that small business owners should know about the selling process that they might not already aware of:   There's a myth that your business is too small. No business is too small to sell. You are going to sell faster than you think you are.  Everybody thinks that a private equity firm or their competitors gonna buy their business. The truth is that about 80% of all business buyers are people that are first time entrepreneurs.  Don't tell anybody that you're selling when you're thinking about selling, confidentiality is super key. When you are in the sales process, find something that excites you about the day after something you can focus on because you are going to have that transition period.  Connect with Jessica Fialkovich Instagram: @jessicafialkovich Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jfialkovich  Twitter: @jessfialkovich LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicafialkovich Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Exotics: www.donutexotics.com Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com  

It was an absolute pleasure to have Vegas-based filmmaker Deborah Richards back on the blog. It's been a year since we last spoke where Debbi was in post production with Move Me No Mountain, her first feature film. A year down the line now, the film is on Amazon Prime! What an achievement! We discuss lessons learnt while filming Move Me No Mountain, the audience perception on homelessness since the movie release, the order of shooting in the Vegas heat and Debbi's plans for a movie ranch, YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT, A RANCH! - sounds phenomenal, plus much, much more. It's no surprise that Debbi is booked up solid with exciting new projects - returning to her roots in flair bartending and also venturing into horror with the delicious title "Scissor Mouth"! I truly can't wait to see what else is happening in Debbi's world, her empire is expanding and life is looking rosey for this dedicated filmmaker. Debbi really deserves all the success in the world. Grab your own copy of Move Me No Mountain which is on Amazon Prime NOW. Leave a review too!

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Amman Jordan is from Durham. North Carolina, who currently has a day job but finds his real passion through his music. He is dedicating his life mission to bridging the gap between Blacks and Asians and hopes to give some advice on allyship. Five golden nuggets on allyship: You won't convince everyone on your view Stand by your convictions Always take the opportunity to learn Everyone's experience is important Treat others with compassion because there are good and bad elements of every community Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Exotics: www.donutexotics.com Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com Miami Rentals:  AIRBNB: 300Mbps 3Tvs 2 Queens Little Havana 8miles→Beach Net Speed 300Mbps 3Tvs 2 Beds Full Kitchen Within Little Havana near Downtown Miami 2 Beds

Borey Chau also known as G Funk Supreme, grew up in Long Beach, California. Listen in as he defines what growing up in Long Beach was like, including the stereotypes, the discrimination, and the obstacles that he had to overcome to be successful. His definition of success is not only inspiring as a role model for the community but also shares his powerful vision of creating a self-sufficient community through philanthropy and hope. Borey currently produces music and raps. He gives back to his community through “Khmmunity,” a t-shirt brand that delivers a special message and provides scholarships and opportunities for the youth of Long Beach. He releases his new album in the fall of 2022.    Keep in touch with him here: Instagram: https://instagram.com/gfunksupreme Website: https://www.khmmunity.com/ Linked in: Borey Chau    Five Golden Nuggets: Getting involved in your community can create a sense of belonging  Tap into every big market  Trust your vision Use and find your own voice in making your struggle turn into a beautiful narrative  (Can you tell me what point this is in the audio so we can type something out    Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Exotics: www.donutexotics.com Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com Miami Rentals:  AIRBNB: 300Mbps 3Tvs 2 Queens Little Havana 8miles→Beach Net Speed 300Mbps 3Tvs 2 Beds Full Kitchen Within Little Havana near Downtown Miami 2 Beds  

Alexa Silvaggio is a wellness entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. She is a teacher, TEDX speaker, writer, podcast host, retreat leader, and CEO of Ritch Chocolate Rituals, a mindfulness chocolate brand. She encourages you to cultivate a more loving relationship with your body and yourself through all she teaches. In this episode, Alexa shares her journey of being an entrepreneur while also finding and encouraging wellness. She explores the concept of mindset through both movement and pleasure.   Four golden nuggets about self-care: Find the mindset practices that resonate with you to promote being present.  Your breath is always there to support you since birth, learn how to connect to it. Tune into your body and notice where you are needing more attention. Establish a journaling practice.   Keep in touch with her Instagram: @alexasilvaggio @ritchrituals Linked in: Alexa Silvaggio     Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Exotics: www.donutexotics.com Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com Miami Rentals:    AIRBNB: 300Mbps 3Tvs 2 Queens Little Havana 8miles→Beach Net Speed 300Mbps 3Tvs 2 Beds Full Kitchen Within Little Havana near Downtown Miami 2 Beds

Founder of Asian Americans for Cannabis Education Ophelia Chong believes in the significance of Asian American representation in the cannabis industry. In this episode, you will learn more about cannabis and how Chong is actively advocating for Asian Americans to be involved in cannabis. She is a constant connector in the industry and continues to make amazing achievements.   Keep in touch with her @opheliaswims.   “Me growing up as a first-generation Asian American here, there's so much pressure to get a good education and get a good job.”   “It was an uphill battle in cannabis, because cannabis has been so underground, not within the law, a lot of things were taken because they weren't going to get dinged for it.”   “If you walk into a room normally with people who are not Asian, there's a little bit of lead up there, but when you walk into a room full of other Asians, it's like, Gosh, darn it, where do you get your lumpia? Where do you know, or where did you grow up? What your parents like, oh my gosh, did you your parents, the same thing is, so it is almost like finding friends that you don't have to tell them your whole history.”   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)   Book Now:   Donut Exotics: www.donutexotics.com Donut Princess LA: www.donutprincessla.com First Class Doc Prep: email jessie@1stclassdocprep.com Miami Rentals:    https://abnb.me/p9EfOytLUqb   https://abnb.me/9McNg5wLUqb   https://abnb.me/7hQUbjyLUqb

The Sivan Collection, founded and creatively designed by Noah Sivan, was the business that was never meant to be. What began as a hobby has grown into a bustling lifestyle brand that is becoming a fixture in many homes along the California coast. Noah Sivan had a vision of presenting effortless and refined products that are both affordable and visually appealing.    The Sivan Collection adds uniqueness and creativity to the modern space and prides itself on presenting a refined and stylish way of life.   Keep in touch with him @noah_sivan  @thesivancollection   “To be very innovative, to standout, you don't want to [create] a normal candle smell, you want to be different and exotic. And that's what's gonna draw people into your product. ”   “Your candles in particular can change the mood or the tone of the room based on the fragrance.”   “I'm always trying to do something a bit different. And honestly, why don't I  like having [new] hobbies? Because if I discover a new hobby, I somehow manage to figure out a way to turn it into a business.”   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

Journey strikes the reader as more than just a genuinely nice person right off the bat. Her attitude is vast, and she is extremely expressive.  As well as believe that trying to highlight how our residents are up to not only uncovers familiarity, and ends up feeling those in several ways.   Journey Kan is an Aquarius sun, Libra rising, and Capricorn Moon. She is also a group fitness instructor based in Santa Monica, CA with over 7 years of experience teaching Lagree Fitness, an athletic approach to traditional Pilates, as well as a Certified Personal Trainer through National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is extremely passionate about creating body neutral spaces to move your body, with a special emphasis on inclusion of LGBTQIA+ and AAPI communities. Her own journey has been a non-linear one, and sometimes, she wonders if there were any "Sliding Doors" moments that would have taken her to be a doctor or a lawyer, but she's glad it didn't.   Keep in touch with her @journsla    “ When I arrived at UCLA, I had to face it once more, especially in this advanced Chinese class. Right? It was a very overwhelming experience for me because I felt like I didn't fit in yet again. Yeah, there was no like, I belong here, again. It was as if I was aware that I was unique. I'm a little out of the ordinary. ”   “ There was no other Asian woman representation. And I'll never forget it. She was the only Asian girl on Barney, and I remember her relating so much to men. And I remember thinking, oh my gosh, someone looks like me. Because no one had ever looked like me before.”   “ As I've begun to explore more of my Asian identity here in Los Angeles, where there are many other Asian communities, I've discovered that it's much easier to find differences than similarities. And, at the very least, such a melting pot for all different Asians, so finding the differences is far more difficult. It's just a lot easier to handle. ”   “ Because I have always felt like, I'm not a doctor, I'm not a lawyer, I'm not an engineer. I'm not an accountant like those are ideal situations. And I always read Asian, and honestly, like, I internalize that, and I have for many years, felt like, I have failed my parents because I have not given them that. ” Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

Having dedicated her entire adolescent years to music, Elaine took her talents off the stage and decided to perform in the world of entrepreneurship.   She founded her own event planning company called Doctor Events, specializing in a broad spectrum of events from corporate events to expos to weddings. As her passion for event planning started to run its course, she started her endeavors in influencer marketing and launched her own agency, Beverly Hills Society at the ripe age of 32.   Beverly Hills Society is a minority woman found and run talent agency in the digital space, aiming to spread awareness of the importance of ethics and diversity in social media marketing. They focus on racial inclusivity while maintaining exclusivity in representing established creators, as well as help build up-and-coming talent achieve their fullest potential. They execute social media partnerships with established advertisers that align with creators' audiences, values and long term visions while laying the groundwork for creators to pursue their business endeavors. Which then led her to managing a talented EDM artist, Ravell!    As her agency continued to grow, Elaine, her husband and 3 amazing partners launched a lifestyle cannabis brand! Too High To Remember specializes in live resin infused pre-rolls paired alongside current and fun merch. She vows to continue to uplift everyone around her and hopes to inspire other women that no dream or goal is unattainable!   Keep in touch with her @laneydarling.    “There's a cookie cutter image or plan that's set out for me, but I've always been against the flow.”   “I realized that every little job or business that I've had including vocal training geared me for this moment.”    “I'm Asian, I'm Korean. If you go on Instagram, you don't see a lot of Asian influencers, a lot are lowkey. Brands will approach Asian Americans, but for diversity hire. I want to see this kind of interest all year round, not just for Asian Heritage Month. I want to normalize Asian representation and inclusivity, but also to maintain exclusivity of these individuals with my agency @BeverlyHillsSociety.    #FiveGoldenNuggets   Be careful and Explore every scenario before it happens because any scenario could happen. As a manager, you plant the seed, and give them the reasons why and let them make the decision. Don't front! Learn how to be responsible and be transparent. Always pay it forward. You deserve a partner who supports you When you have a partner that is supportive. Men are competitive and possessive by nature. f Have a supportive partner. Time is the highest form of currency: be smart about your time and the people who you spend your time with.    Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Donate supplies to poor Khmer communities: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

Olivia Thai is a singer, entrepreneur, and talented Teochew American who shares her story and upbringing. Olivia and Mayly can definitely relate on a lot of the topics- from having to start being business minded at a young age to their elders expressing their love language through food.    “I remember when I first started working, like being old enough to work and I got a job and it was like a nine to five. Yeah, mom asked me she was like, why are you working? And I'll be like, because that's what you do. And she's like, no, that's what other people do. We own businesses. So, get to brainstorming. And you can work here for however long you need to but remember, you are going to work for yourself.”   Keynotes: Technicality is a technicality, but birthdays are supposedly about longevity It's a privilege to be born in today's generation Asia's cultures and delicacies are truly broad   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: May / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: May   *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

In another episode, another female author is here. Franziska shared how her life in Germany and Michigan. How it's hard but she takes it to her advantage in achieving her goals, which turned her now into a successful author with published books. She also emphasizes that it's not easy to be a successful author, for trials will come.   “Would I love to be an author? Yes, I think I don't know if you are an author, I am an author. But what a time author I am. I am and I write all the time, but I think it's more about like, how do I envision my life? Like, what would I do you know what I'm saying. And so I think it'll always be a part of my life. And I'll always create something. But we'll see what happens. I'm open to any miracle that might come my way. And the way that it might shape my life.”   Keynotes: Make sure you're focused on it that just doesn't go to the wayside.  If it's a failure, quote, unquote, it's a learning moment Just do it, and own the fear and own yourself Show other people what they could do in their life Share about the process and like little tips  Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

In continuation of having authors who wrote their true to life experiences. Today's guest is Lauren Pena and she will talk about the interesting parts of book writing that she discovered while exploring and also writing her book at the same time.    And yes, it also started with her mom who made her journey to America made Pena get the interest to write a book about her mom   “Like creating the space so that when a Latin woman or an immigrant woman or any woman is reading it, they can identify with the emotions that women go through, and the experiences that we go through and it helps people feel like they're not alone.”   Keynotes: Write what you think, the plot. Get it out of your head You can rearrange it later, the one you typed If you don't have time or don't want to go the traditional route, go ahead and do the self-route. Find a book that's similar to what you want to say The last bookstore is iconic? Hit them up   Connect with Amy M. Le: www.amy-m-le.com   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

Today's guest is Amy M. Le who will tell her journey as an author.  It started when her mother passed away which shattered her world. It made her think about what she should do next. Being a refugee and immigrant to America made it much harder which led her to get to know her heritage and her roots.   Getting to know more about her life turned into 360 when she became the author of the book of a trilogy that revolves around her Vietnamese mother's journey to the United States after the fall of Saigon.   “Once you get started, you understand what your passion is. It's not, you know, the golden handcuffs. ”   Keynotes: Trying to find your audience and know your niche Once you find your niche, and you know, your audience, it's easier to market that information Listen to your intuition There's a path and there's a reason for things that happen sometimes You can like expand to a global audience where it's not just tied to where you live, but you can reach people from all over the world.    Connect with Amy M. Le: www.amy-m-le.com   Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao   *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649   *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)

SkyPoint is transforming customer experience and business outcomes through the power of AI on a unified and privacy-first view of the customer data. Our platform combines our integrated Custom Data Platform, Zero Trust Data Vault, Privacy Compliance Automation and APIs that allow our customers and developers to easily deploy solutions that leverage unified customer records in healthcare and consumer industries. Quickly build professional-grade apps, manage data privacy, create automated workflows, connect to diverse data sources, and embed AI into your apps when you use SkyPoint APIs. It's how you become more agile to delight your customers. Industry leaders and over 6 million end users currently use SkyPoint. About our guest: Tisson Mathew is CEO and Founder of SkyPoint Cloud, a privacy-first customer data platform that enables consumer and healthcare brands to unlock deeper, more meaningful relationships with their customers and patients. Before founding SkyPoint Cloud, he was Chief Technology Officer at Alignment Healthcare and, prior to that, at Cambia Health Solutions. Mathew also led the team that built and operated the Amazon logistics technology platform that powers Amazon Prime Now, Amazon Fresh, and Amazon Flex. He holds four U.S. patents, a Master of Science in computer science and engineering from Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore., and completed the Stanford Executive Program for Growing Companies at Stanford University, Stanford, CA.

Welcome to the Balanced FI Podcast, episode 34 - Amazon Hacks for Making the Most of Your Account - even if you're not a Prime member. Amazon has taken over so many areas of life, but some of those features are super helpful. Although some of the things we discuss require a Prime membership, some are still available to non-members. Taking advantage of all the features of your Amazon account just makes good sense.  FIND US:Balancedfi.com -- Podcast -- Facebook -- Instagram -- Pinterest -- Hello@balancedfi.com RESOURCES:Read: Amazon Hacks for Making the Most of Your AccountResource: CamelCamelCamelRead: 5 Tips for a Frugal ChristmasRead: 4 Unexpected Ways to Save Money SOURCES:Source: AmazonSource: ‘I'm not a robot': Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse

"When a young couple makes a surprise visit to Mom, they get an even bigger surprise themselves from an old family friend who plans to steal Mom's valuable jewelry while she is out of town. But when the "easy peasy" robbery goes wrong, resulting in the accidental death of the daughter's husband, it forces the two young drug addicts to make a difficult decision; to abandon ship, or do the unthinkable." IMDB.COM Jacqui Vene is a thoughtful, intelligent and engaging young woman whose latest film delves deep into the psyche of poverty and what it forces people to do.  "The Surprise Visit" is available on Amazon Prime NOW!   

GOOP is back after a long needed break and we're rejuvenated and ready to get back into action and there was no better way to start than talking to the leading actress Deborah Ayorinde from the hit show ''Them''. The conversation has many layers and dives into scenes from the show and how this effected her personally, mentally and spiritually. If you haven't seen the series already ''Spoiler

On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, I talk to Felix Law, a Singapore-based e-commerce seller who quit his full-time engineering career and is now focused 100 percent on e-commerce.  Just three years ago in early 2018, Felix quit his job because he was unhappy working a 9 to 5, and started exploring entrepreneurship. He started working as a delivery boy for Ninja Van and Amazon Prime Now, which is how he was exposed to e-commerce. The high volume of parcels he was delivering made him realize the potential of selling online.  His first product was coffee cups, which didn't really sell well. Even though the product was a failure, it was a learning experience for Felix and helped familiarize him with the process. He also learnt valuable lessons about product research and PPC.  The second product was a glass-based item, which had many breakages and he dropped it altogether.  The third product he launched on Amazon was more consistent and it's still selling. As of now, Felix is selling on Amazon US and also has three Shopify stores for his various brands.  Recently he has been appointed as an Ambassador by the Amazon team in Singapore, and he has been hosting meetups trying to help other local sellers. Felix is currently a 6-figure seller, and aiming for 7 figures this year.  Episode Highlights  How and why Felix quit his R and D and engineering job to focus on e-commerce How Jason Tay's course helped Felix get started  His first few products, why they failed, how much he invested and lessons learnt  About Felix's brands and which marketplaces he sells on The process of launching new products  Mistakes he made when starting out Which aspect of the business does he find most challenging and which is his favorite  How Felix does influencer marketing on social media  How does he deal with cash flow Being an entrepreneur can get lonely. How he keeps himself motivated Advice for new sellers Contact Felix on Telegram: felixlaww   Learn more about Jason Tay's live Amazon Training  Join The Asian Seller community Facebook Group YouTube Meetup Telegram

Tim and Jody settle in for another Zoom edition of Tall Tales, bringing back the one and only Vinny Bucci (a/k/a The Booch) to discuss all things stand-up comedy, traffic and the police, traveling, Wrestling With the Law, and entertainment. You can check out The Booch's docuseries on Amazon Prime NOW: https://www.amazon.com/Booch-The-Car/dp/B08DS6HKZD. Be sure to check out The Booch and The Boochcast here: https://www.vinnythebooch.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talltalespod/support

This week Liz and Alrik have actor, producer, writer, and director Leah McKendrick on the show to talk about producing, writing, and starring in her first feature film, MFA. Additionally, Leah discusses writing on her first studio feature for Paramount, Summer Loving, the prequel to Grease! We also have two stories of why filmmakers got into filmmaking from our Players of the week, Jessica Jacobs and Molly Ratermann! Listen to this episode now or subscribe to us wherever you find your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Youtube and Spotify. Where to Find Leah and The Players of the Week! Watch MFA on Amazon Prime Now! Leah's Website Jessica Jacob's on Linkedin Molly Ratermann's Website Contact Liz & Alrik Send us an email You can find Liz Manashil @ www.lizmanashil.com You can find Alrik @ www.alrikbursell.com You can now find MMIH @ mmihpodcast on instagram! Leave a comment on our website Find us on our Facebook Community Page Contact us on Twitter and Facebook

Is bitcoin still a foreign concept for you? Do you still have zero ideas about the world of cryptocurrency? Listen to today's episode as Steve talks to Ashish and Geoff. This episode will help you understand everything you need to know about the crypto ecosystem. Ashish Singhal is the CEO of CoinSwitch Global, Amazon Prime Now creator, and a hacker at heart. Geoff McCabe is the CEO of Divi. In the past, the Supreme Court in India prevented its people from purchasing cryptocurrency. Now that that law has been overruled, Geoff and Ashish are here to guide Indians and other interested people, buy their first bitcoin. This episode aims to simplify buying and selling cryptocurrency for retail users in India and the rest of the world. Their slogan “Fast, Simple, Secure” makes sure you get to understand their products fast, simple, and, most notably, securely. -- Divi is creating the world's first closed-loop, vertically-integrated cryptocurrency ecosystem. Much like Apple's ecosystem is anchored by iCloud, the Divi Project blockchain serves as the core of the Divi network of technologies. Thanks to a keen understanding of the divide that separates the mainstream from the crypto world, the Divi team is able to create solutions to the industry's biggest problem: adoption by non-technical users. Divi's user-friendly, one-click solutions aim to bring blockchain-based payments into modernity with great UX. In this podcast, we will cover all aspects of cryptocurrency, hot topics, and technology as worldwide adoption grows.

In the last six years I (Joe) have only had two people tell me that Vendor Central is a great opportunity for Amazon sellers to grow their business. The first was at IRCE in Chicago in 2015 when an ex-Amazon Vendor Central executive told me his view of Vendor Central. The next time – was on this podcast. Both opinions were very favorable! And you know…I believe them both. If I owned an Amazon FBA business or was purchasing one, I would look very closely at Vendor Central and at least test it out with a SKU or two. That's right – you do not have to make the leap of faith with Vendor Central. At least not any more. According to our guest expert, Fahim Naim, Vendor Central is a viable option that most Seller Central sellers should consider. He openly states it is not for everyone, yet he took his first client from $4,000,000 in Q4 revenues to $16,000,000 by expanding the customer reach using the Vendor Central tools. Do I need to say more? Yes (apparently)…you do not need to be selling 4m per quarter to make Vendor Central work for you. Listen to Fahim's expert advice and make your own decision, it could be the best investment of time you have ever made. Episode Highlights: Hear firsthand how Fahim's Clients have done when engaging with Vendor Central. You don't have to make a "leap of faith" and leave Seller Central. If you haven't gotten an invite to Vendor Central – find your representative and contact them. Learn how to get more attention from a hugely overwhelmed Amazon representative. Vendor Central is not right for every product or seller. Some categories are more competitive and require higher volumes to be accepted to Vendor Central. Vendor Central is not just for brands…distributors can use it as well. "Seller Central" on steroids…that is what Vendor Central is. Links: www.eshopportunity.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fahimnaim/ 10 Tips When Considering Vendor Central Transcription: Mark: Joe how are you? Joe: I'm doing great Mark. How are you, sir? Mark: Good, good I heard you explored the depths of the mysterious Vendor Central recently? Joe: Yeah. Listen, the good, the bad, the great Amazon sellers that we know…that we've talked to over the last decade for the vast majority they all say no way don't lose control to Vendor Central, don't do it, don't do it. When you when I went to IRCE in Chicago in 2015 I talked to somebody that was an ex-Amazon Vendor Central manager, he's the first person that ever told me that it was great and that he could double somebodies business using vendor Central and I believed him. We never reconnected afterwards; this guest today is the second one. His name is Fahim Naim, he's from…originally he was an Amazon Category Manager and he left and went and started his own company called ‎eShopportunity. And he gave me one example and this is a huge one so don't get scared away if you're doing $50,000 a month in revenue listeners. His first client he took and quadrupled the revenue in Q4 alone by using Vendor Central Tools. So he took it from 4 million dollars a quarter to 16 million by using Vendor Central. Mark: Oh wow, a huge growth. Joe: So that alone is reason enough to listen. And as firsthand information from somebody that's actually done it, and seen it, and uses it services and he's quite honest and open about it. It's not for everyone and it's not take a leap of faith and you no longer run Seller Central anymore. It used to be that way and I think that's why people feared it. He's got some great ideas on how to take just one skew and test it out and slowly move over and things of that nature. I'll make a whole lot of sense if I were a seller, if I were a buyer, I would very very closely at Seller Central. Mark: Fantastic. Well, I can't wait to get into this before we get into the episode though I'm going to make a public plea to the listeners out there. I want to know what conferences you guys go to because we like to go to conferences. We'd like to meet you so send me an e-mail at mark@quietlightbrokerage.com with your favorite conferences to go to throughout the year and I know that's completely unrelated to what we were just talking about but you mentioned the IRCE and it just sort of triggered that. All right with that, I'm actually anxious to hear this because like you I've heard the same sort of feedback from most Amazon Sellers. They're saying no way, I don't want to do it but it's really hard to ignore quadrupling revenues by jumping over there so let's get into the episode and hear what he has to say. Joe: Hey folks it's Joe with Quiet Light Brokerage and today I've got Fahim Naim with me on the call today. How are you Fahim? Fahim: Wonderful how about yourself? Joe: I'm doing good man. Welcome to Quiet Light Podcast. Listen, you've got a ton of experience from being at Amazon as a Category Manager and now running eShopportunity I was going to try to do the intro and talk about you a little bit but I just want to make sure it's done right. So if you could brag about yourself a little bit, tell everybody that's listening about your experience in e-commerce world, then Amazon, and now at eShopportunity that. Fahim: Wonderful. I was previously a Category Manager at Amazon, managed one of largest category at Amazon retail, managed a team of vendor managers, and one of the categories in Consumer Electronics, super sexy stuff like computer components and portfolios and things that are going to computers; very exhilarating as you can tell. Joe: That's exciting, yes. Fahim: All jokes aside it was tons of fun, it was over a half billion dollar business, they booked to double the size of my category while I was at Amazon even though the market was flat. Had a fantastic time but ultimately made the decision to leave and start my own venture. I started eShopportunity about a few years back, we wanted to help companies grow and be on the other side of the table of some of those conversations that happened at Amazon. Started off with one initial brand, hard time, we grew his Q4 business from four million dollars to 17 million dollars that year eventhough he's been set in declining he was excited, introduced me to a couple of other brands, I started tailing the team and I guess fast forward about three years we've worked with over a hundred brands to date. Some fortune 500 brands, some brands we've seen a shark tank, a bunch of startups and companies in between. Either brands that had been on Amazon for a while but really wanted to take it to the next level. Brands that have had successful businesses off of Amazon and finally wanted to launch on Amazon or a [inaudible 0:05:06.5] of the type. Joe: That's an impressive resume. You took somebody from four million to 17 million and he was only excited? I would think it'd be ecstatic. Fahim: He was probably more excited when we went on the phone. I think he did a good job keeping his poker face that I'd imagine based out of his expectations when we started he threw a pie in the sky number saying if you help me go to twenty million this quarter that would be beyond real and I was pretty angry that we fell just short of it. So my take is probably a little bit different than his. I was hoping that we could get to 20 and again his Q4 business the previous year was maybe…it was about flat to where he was that year so it was a…he had some phenomenal growth and the good news is that after I checked in whenever the project concluded the business had continued to grow. So I think a lot of Amazon is how do you start the right foundation, how do you get the things clicking, and then organically if you're doing the right things and you [inaudible 0:06:07.9] screwing up which is probably easier said than done you see that your business continues to scale which is obviously great for the business owner's standpoint. Joe: Right. Now you mentioned you manage a team of vendors and Mark and I talked in the intro about Vendor Central, you and I are here to talk today mostly about Vendor Central and your expertise in that area and why some people should start paying attention to it. As I told you I don't think I've talked to a single Amazon seller that has a seller account whether they're doing fifty thousand a month or a million or two or three or four million dollars a month in revenue, they all say there's no way I'm giving up control to Vendor Central, absolutely not and there's a huge paranoia about it. The only time I've ever heard that is a good thing is from you and from someone else that I met at IRCE in 2015. Tell us if you will with the basics what's the difference between Seller Central and Vendor Central and then let's get in to the details of Vendor Central and who's a good candidate for it and how you can help somebody grow their business by using it or how anybody that chooses to use it can use the cheat sheet that you and I have talked about that we're going to share in the notes and to go ahead and do it themselves if they want to go that route, the difference between the two as well. Fahim: Well first off, Vendor Central is often treated as a red-headed stepchild, people not very optimistic based off of what they've heard in the seller communities especially. I'm in the forums, at speaker conferences, I do a fair amount of publishing and I've similarly heard a couple of things. One is I think that's a misinformation that hopefully we will dispel at least a certain degree in just doing this podcast and some of it is probably warranted. I think the decision between Seller Central and Vendor Central depends so much on the specific details of that brand that anybody who says hands down this platform is better than that platform is probably doing you a disservice in that Seller Central certainly has some benefits, Vendor Central has some benefits. Back to the matter as most of the largest brands or the businesses that are doing the most amount of volume on Amazon all have Vendor Central. It seems to be working for people that are growing very quickly and have larger business. Yes there's probably some bias on it that a lot of those are large companies anyways and are Fortune 500 brands that sell across the board but I can't tell you the number of times we've taken a brand and got their business from a let's say a couple of hundred thousand, two or three hundred thousand dollars on Seller Central per month and got that business grow up three or four X when they made the transition to Vendor Central when all things align. Things don't always align and again we delve with the details and we'd get to that but there is certainly an opportunity. If you want to scale your business and become a five, 10, 15, 20 million dollar brand on Amazon and more, Vendor Central offers you a set of tools that are much tougher to get to than Seller Central or possibly not even available to Seller Central. So to answer your question more specifically, Seller Central you do have more control, direct control of the pricing and inventory. Seller Central they're starting to open up some of the things that used to be available just to vendors, things like A+ Content like me deals, catch deals. headline search, so certainly this becomes this a little more parity to come into the seller part [inaudible 0:09:29.8] but when you sell your products directly to Amazon Wholesale, a couple of things, one is it's not you sell it to Amazon and then take care of the rest of it. It's very similar to Seller Central in that you get a tool kit that you can use to grow your business but it's not Amazon's going to optimize your pages, Amazon's gonna run all these ads for you, Amazon's gonna give you higher search results and check out what the right pricing is for you and run promotions by themselves etcetera. Vendor Central is very similar to Seller Central in that it's how much you put in to it and you have access to tools in Vendor Central in many cases that you may not have access to on Seller Central. For example, let's talk about deals, lightning deals on Seller Central are recommended only and even that just we can't go build on the last year to; at the Vendor, you can submit a proposal. It doesn't mean it will always get approved but you can submit and be a lot more proactive on lightning deal on Vendor Central. There is something called Best Deals which most people on Seller Central don't have access to unless you have an account manager that's idea that you show up on Today's Deals Page which is the most popular page on Amazon after the homepage. And you can run a deal for up to two to even four weeks but they with less aggressive discount at the Lightning Deal. In many cases, Best Deals has been phenomenal for [inaudible 0:10:47.8] that's another option. Coupons just became available to Seller Central until a couple of months ago that had been a popular program that many vendors have utilized for a long time. Subscribe and Save Again started on Vendor Central before it became available on Seller Central. Programs like Amazon Prime Now, Amazon Fresh, Prime Pantry are primarily not exclusively focused on Vendor facing brands so that's another example. If you want to be on the homepage of the furniture page on Amazon to be…go to navigations click on Amazon Furniture Amazon Computers Components and Peripherals and there's a lot of people that search for products that way, most of those placements are available for vendors only. If you want to be on Gift Guide and Amazon has done a great job over the last couple of years holding some excitement over this idea of having a holiday gift guide we can browse through products. Because Amazon obviously has been a great place to shop if you know what you want, it hasn't been ideal if you want to browse for things and Amazon has [inaudible 0:11:46.8] most if not all the brands in many of the gift guides or vendor. So again there is a unique set of tools that vendors have of or have access to. That set is certainly not all rosy; things get a lot more complicated. You have a little bit less direct control on inventory, you get a weekly purchase sorted that Amazon cuts every week and that's the amount that you can send tens and more. You could send less although that's probably not a good idea unless you don't have inventory- [crosstalk] Joe: So you…holding on right there in terms of that inventory because as I know as people are listening to us they've probably written down twenty questions there hoping I asked. Let's just talk about that inventory for a minute. So many Amazon Seller Central folks send money to inventory directly from their manufacturer to Amazon, in this case do Vendor Central folks have to have a 3PL where they store the inventory in between and ship on a regular basis? Fahim: That's what most people do. There are some variants where you can get around that. Amazon and on the Vendor Central site has a direct import program where you can import all of your inventory likely from Asia directly to Amazon. Not the easiest thing to work with setup to be transcribed but certainly exists and I know some brands that have done well with that. I think the vast majority of brands on Vendor Central either have their own 3PL or use a separate 3PL to fulfill those orders. And in some cases, you could do a little bit of both. You can have some inventory and multiple warehouses and you get PO's from different warehouses and you have to send it to different places. So there is some level of flexibility although it tends to get a lot more complicated on how this passes works in Seller Central. Seller Central, I want to send 500 units I go on create a shipment, it will tell me what [inaudible 0:13:33.3] I want to use, I even have the option in inventory placement service dependent to just [inaudible 0:13:37.8] and I'm done. And then Amazon manages all the interactive shipments, Vendor Central doesn't- Joe: [inaudible 0:13:43.2] for [inaudible 0:13:44.0] center right? Fahim: Correct. On the Vendor Central- Joe: [inaudible 0:13:47.2] Fahim: Yes, no that's good. Stop me because I live in acronym words so if you will- Joe: Okay. Fahim: It's good to get clarity. On Vendor Central when you get a weekly Purchase Order or PO they can have you send it to eight or nine [inaudible 0:14:03.0] but sometimes less, sometimes more. So the process again works all over differently, for some brand that's not a big deal and for some brands that's probably a little bit more complex and they want to be…especially early on in the lifecycle of the business. Joe: Okay, so you just used the word brands this is in assumption maybe everybody already knows this or is thinking this that Vendor Central is really for brands, not resellers simple? Fahim: Yes or no, I think primarily most of the brand…most of the companies that are on their own brands. There are a good number of distributors that also have Vendor Central accounts. Some of the largest, most of the large distributors or many of the large distributors have Vendor Central accounts and they supply directly at Amazon. And even if you are a brand meaning manufacturer and you sell to Amazon, if Amazon consorts your product cheaper to a distributor they'll buy from the distributor in many cases. And that sometimes business pisses off brands but yes you…it could be either in the context of a lot of things I'm talking about I'm probably talking more down the brand manufacturer route but you, to answer your question you could be a distributor and have a Vendor Central account and you could be the company that's been selling Purchase Orders from a variety of different brands or distributor. I know some distributors that are doing 10, 20, 30 different vendors, different selling inventories for 10, 20, 30 different vendors- Joe: Okay. Fahim: That are not exactly their brand. Joe: Well the fear that I think a lot of the brand owners have that I speak with is that they lose control and going back to that you mentioned it they don't lose control. They still have control, they can…can they write their copy? Can they work on their keywords? Can they send organic traffic to it? Can they…and then do all of those discounts and promotions you talked about as well is it essentially Seller Central on steroids where they've just got access to more things? Fahim: I like that. I like the Seller Central on steroids, I'm [inaudible 0:15:58.2]. Yes, it's…I would argue, you probably have more control on Vendor Central than Seller Central. [inaudible 0:16:04.0] common that very often even if you're a brand registered on Seller Central, I hear it all the time brands say somebody changed my copy, somebody changed my picture, somebody changed my variation, even if you are the brand owner and you're on Seller Central there's a brand hierarchy in terms of who owns [inaudible 0:16:20.9] page edits and at the top of the list is vendors. So anybody who has an Amazon Vendor Central account has ultimate [inaudible 0:16:28.4] goes on. Even if you are the brand owner and you have a Seller Central account and you have brand registry but the distributor is selling that to Amazon and they have a vendor account, they actually have ownership over that page copy. In most cases over the brand that's on Seller Central. So I'd say you can change titles, you can change bullets, you can update images, it actually works much easier on Vendor Central than Seller Central. At Seller Central sometimes doing things like variations could be fairly complex with Vendor Central it could be as easy as a ticket and somebody would do it for you. Images similarly the turnaround time of Vendor Central is pretty good but ultimately up to you have at least as much control probably more control over your page copy, and content, and landing on Vendor Central than Seller Central. Joe: And then all of the other things that Seller Central folks do whether it's striving outside traffic, keyword optimization, discounts, reviews, YouTube social media reviewers that are talking about and driving traffic to that Amazon page they can do the same thing it's just an Amazon vendor page correct? Fahim: Correct. You can do all that and to the average customer, they can't tell the difference of a vendor and reseller. Joe: Okay. Fahim: Most people don't even realize it so yes it works the same way. You can send X number of traffic, you can run discounts, you can run promotions, all of the same- Joe: Okay. Fahim: As both cases the same way at Seller Central. Joe: Is…I mean we've got people that you know if they're doing a million dollars a month and running a lifestyle business meaning they've got some VA's and they work from home part time they don't want to really risk very much. There's no sense in going I'm going to just lose that million a month and I'm going to jump into Vendor Central. Tell us about if they're doing Seller Central what the leap is from Seller Central to Vendor Central? So they have to shut down the Seller account and then open Vendor or can they have both running simultaneously, is it a one way street? Talk to us from that perspective as if you were that guy running a lifestyle business making a million dollars in revenue on a monthly basis. Fahim: A couple of things, if I were running a lifestyle business and I was happy at my current run rate and didn't want to…if I was more risk averse I'd potentially keep it as is. If I wanted to grow that business and take it to next level I think Vendor Central becomes a lot more interesting. Joe: What's the risk part in terms of Vendor versus Seller? You said risk- Fahim: Well you know- Joe: More riskier? Fahim: Yeah if you're risk averse you already know what to expect, you know how to manage everything as the current process that takes on Seller Central. When you transition to Vendor things change. Typically for the better if everything aligns. But the way pricing works changes, the way pricing should work certainly changes, the way inventory fulfillment work changes etcetera, etcetera. At the end of the day once you get on boarded and in most cases not all cases but in most cases you do a good job in negotiating with your inventory manager which we'll talk about a couple seconds but imagine on your terms and you are not paying that net much more on Vendor Central than Seller Central I think there's a little bit less [inaudible 0:19:35.3]. If you are going into a category where your net margin expectations from Amazon is severely higher on Vendor Central than Seller Central there could be some risk that at the same amount of volume Amazon is taking a bigger cut of that. So I think there are some nuances but I think the risk is the unknown and it's a new process and you have to manage that. Joe: And do you have to shut down your Seller account or to open the Vendor Central obviously that it's not you lose days or weeks of revenue, I would assume that its very seamless. Fahm: It's semi-seamless. Amazon has changed their stance on this on the last couple of years. A couple of years ago it [inaudible 0:20:14.6] have both a Vendor and Seller Central account. And in many categories now and the Vendor Manager technically has the ability to shut down your Seller Central account if they want to. If you were doing anything to really damage your Vendor Central business, there's officially a clause that says if you sale wholesale and you have a Vendor account that they can shut down your Seller Central account. I actually haven't seen that happen although I've seen some threats but that exists for a couple of good reasons. In the last couple of years, Vendor Managers and teams at Amazon have been a lot more open to the idea of having both but being strategic about it. The idea is the Vendor Manager owns the retail or what they would call the retail part of the [inaudible 0:20:54.5] and Seller Central is almost a competitor to that Vendor Manager. And they do that to keep more competition on the platform so better for that costumer at the end of the day. So the Vendor Manager doesn't get a lot of benefit when you have a Seller Central account. If you're competing on the same skew and you have lower prices on your Seller Central it actually hurts this plus on the metrics, they're out of stock, their loss by box, a bunch of their metrics or sales are going to be a lot lower here. What many brands do today, they do which…a little bit more strategically with is I'm gonna have both the Vendor and the Seller Central account, I'm going to do some skews on Vendor Central to start. I'm gonna keep some skews on Seller Central to start and see how that process goes. Depending on how close that brand is with the Vendor Manager that person may push to get more and more of the catalog from Seller Central to Vendor Central. But think of it as like you're negotiating with a buyer at Walmart, or Best Buy, or Target, there is a lot of negotiation that goes back and forth. So maybe you decide that it's not a good idea to transition your entire catalog or maybe things are going so well and you want to everything overnight. I think that's where it's a very personal decision. For many brands the way they started, they open a Vendor Central account, get a couple of skews on Vendor Central, get used to the process and things work a little differently. One thing we should mention is pricing because a lot of people worry and I hear this misconception a lot that Amazon will lower your prices and you lose control of it. It's not really true, and what Amazon's pricing and there's certain things that I'm allowed to say and not allowed to say. Ultimately, Amazon [inaudible 0:22:23.6] in a game of let's proactively lower your price so we can sell more inventory and create a price war in the market. That's not Amazon's idea, that's actually what a ton of other retailers do and I can tell you firsthand many of the big box retailers like to put things on the go back and promotion and discount pricing. On Amazon Vendor Central if you have control over your pricing in the market, so externally and third party wise there's nobody undercutting your price, you have a lot more control on the pricing than many people think. Joe: And most of the cases I think the people listening to this podcast, they own their brand and they do not sell it to distributors so it's not going to be an issue. They're the sole person or company selling that brand so- Fahim: Yup. Joe: They're going to get their wholesale price from Amazon anyway. It doesn't really matter if the Amazon decides to sell it for two dollars above they're still going to get their wholesale price from Amazon correct? Fahim: Yes but it's a dangerous way to look at it because let's do an example. Let's say you're selling the gross sales price of [inaudible 0:23:24.6] but the price the customer pays is 20$ and I'm just making up some numbers. The price that you sell it to Amazon is 16$ net of all cost and whatnot. If you then have somebody selling your product on third party or let's say externally at Target. You have a small assortment that Target decides to lower that to 18$ or let's call it 17$, Amazon will match this 17$ likely and in your mind, you may say you know it doesn't matter Amazon paid me- Joe: [inaudible 0:23:55.9] they're not gonna buy any from you again obviously it has to be profitable. Fahim: Exactly. Joe: Yeah what I was referring to is that most of the people I think listening to this podcast are not selling to Target and Walmart retail big boxes display. I really like the idea for I just want to repeat it that you don't have to take a leap of faith from Seller Central to Vendor Central. You pick a couple of skews and you test Vendor Central with that. And you talked about negotiating with Vendor Central, do you actually get to talk to a live person and have that one person as your contracted contact, your trackling? For those that are not watching this on YouTube he smiled and he looked up to the left going oh my God could I tell you some stories I think, don't but is it a human that you get to talk to or is it email? Fahim: It depends, like with everything else it depends. There is a human that lives behind the desk that ultimately manages that and the team that manages that. It depends on if you're able to get a hold of that person. So sometimes the Vendor Manager is a lot more proactive especially for brands that have a larger business whether on Seller Central or externally and the Vendor Manager or somebody on that team reaches out and you have that direct line of contact. Sometimes people find the Vendor Manager Buyer on LinkedIn then and they start a relationship [inaudible 0:25:18.6]. That way sometimes a leverage, consultants and agents and people like myself, I get a hold of the buyer and broker a meeting and start some of those conversations, and many times the invite comes from a separate team. We get on boarded to Vendor Central and your business is not large enough in the eyes of the buyers [inaudible 0:25:38.1] you get a whole lot of time and attention. And you're often told to use Vendor Central's tools and file tickets to get answers so it does depend on the brand some of the brands that we work with…some of the larger brands or brands that more potential has better chances of getting some of that one on one relationships with the buyers. And some brands especially when they're earlier on their business isn't fully at scale form an Amazon perspective. They're often told to use Vendor Central, file tickets and try to leverage from the automated processes that exist. So it's possible but- Joe: Let's talk about that then. Two points, number one I want to hear your top negotiating tactic with vendor Central that you want to share with people today. Number two, maybe start with number two, size wise when…how big does a brand have to be in terms of let's just say that I'm going to peel off a couple of skews again what kind of revenue does that have to be producing in Seller Central to make a difference to the point when I can actually negotiate your top negotiating tactic? So if somebody is doing 50,000 $ a month is that enough, if they're doing 25 is that enough, do they need to be doing a hundred, what's the number? Fahim: It differs so widely by category as you can imagine. I'd say generally a lot of times I put the benchmark growth sales you want to be doing over a million dollars a year that will probably get the attention of the Vendor Manager. Again, it differs; if you're in a category, a huge consumer electronics category that number may need to be five million annual gross sales, if you're in a growing category, if you're in help and personal care, if you're in grocery, if you're in passion that number may end up being even lower than one million dollars. But I would say if you're doing less than a couple hundred thousand dollars annually on Amazon it's probably a lot of low hanging fruit to scale your business from Seller Central initially. If you're already doing north of a million plus dollars annually on Amazon then it depends on your category, it depends on your ranking and how big you are as a portion of that catalog but certainly the bigger your business the higher the likelier that you're gonna get the ear and the attention of that Vendor Manager. If you're doing some 10 million dollars annually in almost any category the Vendor Manager should not always does but should want to convert your business. Figure out how they can scale your business and they have tools again that you wouldn't have in the [inaudible 0:28:09.7]. So they really could if they wanted to help you grow that 10 million dollar business to be 15 or 20 million fairly quickly. Which is doing that on Seller Central is certainly possible but it's almost like you have one hand behind your back because you don't have access to the same set of tools. Joe: All right tell me about the negotiating tactics you and I have talked about. You're gonna create a little cheat sheet it's in the notes for people to download in terms of top negotiating tactics with Vendor Central. Can you give me one or two that we can share with folks? And I know it's going to be…it's going to depend upon the category and all that but throw something out. Fahim: Yeah, take them to dinner create a- Joe: Take them to dinner? Fahim: Yup take them to dinner or when you go to Amazon [inaudible 0:28:50.3] you want to create a relationship with that person and treat it like you are sitting from their side what do you want to hear. So it's less complaining and demanding it's more this is what I've been able to do so far I know you have the tools to help me really grow this business, I want my brand to be a big part of your business- Joe: You're not gonna say what I tell every buyer which is just be likeable. The more likable you are the more people are going to work with you is that? I mean this is part of the secret [inaudible 0:29:17.6] likeable? Fahim: I think that's certainly some part of it. I mean I think in the context of the conversation put yourself in their shoes again and why should they…this person literally has thousands of brands that technically fall under them. Why should they spend some time trying to invest in you? And being likeable certainly a part of it explaining why your brand has a big opportunity. Whether that's your growth rate on Amazon, whether that's things that you've done off of Amazon, whether that's new products that are coming on, whether that's quest and things that you've been able to capture externally, make them care. The more they care about it and certainly it helps if you likeable, although that's not always the case, the more that person is gonna want to invest in it. This person literally has to make a…there's not enough hours in the day for the Vendor Manager to keep everybody happy. And I know now being on both sides of the table how difficult that job can be and it can be very frustrating from a brand's perspective. But every day as a Vendor Manager you have to pick who are the 95% of people I'm going to piss off by not answering them by giving them the time of the day. Just because they have so many things going on and by creating a relationship, by understanding what they need, by taking care of the easy things yourself and not bothering them with things that you can complete by yourself by filing tickets on Vendor Central you're certainly gonna increase the chance that that person is going to invest in you. If they feel like their time on the phone with you, or in meetings, or doing annual planning meeting from Seattle, or meeting at trade show is valuable and they're actually helping you grow the business they're going to want to invest more. If most of the time you're talking to them it's about I filed this ticket and it's not working, or can you help me with this bank account issue, or I can't figure out why this [inaudible 0:31:06.8] of a thing is not working that person's again going to be stretched up and the answer is probably going to be file a ticket, reach out to somebody on Vendor Central anyway. So I think the more you can keep the picture on the long term and understand there's going to be some bumps along the road the better the chances that that buyer is going to want to invest in this relationship. So nothing, no silver bullet except for be likable, think about long term, think about it from that person's perspective. Joe: Got it, geographically where are you located? Fahim: In San Francisco and I spend my time in Texas as well. But between San Francisco and Texas. Joe: And the vendors, the Vendor Central Managers are they all up in Seattle, are they located around the country, where are they? Fahim: For the most part, most of the Vendor Managers are in Seattle yup. Joe: Okay and if someone wants to learn the basics of Vendor Central to make sure that they're understanding it as much as they can, is vendor Central on Amazon.com? The best resource and knowledge base to learn the basics out there or is there another resource that you'd suggest? Fahim: Vendor, so there's certainly less and this is a little bit frustrating I think for brands, there's less information about Vendor Central than there is for Seller Central externally, there is lot of tutorials, there's a lot of training, there's a lot of information, there's Seller Central's forums etcetera that exists for Seller Central and not a lot for Vendor Central. There is a lot of information on Vendor Central if you get an invite. The help section has tons and tons of guides probably not [inaudible 0:32:33.5] to go through all the different guides. So it's a little bit [inaudible 0:32:36.0] by fire. I would certainly spend a little bit more time on the operations and figuring out how inventory management works and if you want EDI support and what that looks like and managing that part of the process early on and getting a feel for it. There are some pretty good documents on Vendor Central again but they're pretty long and exhausting. So I think you have to scour Vendor Central support, talk to other brands that are on Vendor Central potentially, pop in to the Vendor Manager and kind of just learn by doing. The good news is that you- Joe: Sounds like there's a [inaudible 0:33:11.0] in the making here. Somebody should be creating [inaudible 0:33:13.7] and teaching Vendor Central. Fahim: Yup. Joe: And you and I get a royalty for that right? Now it's just an idea. Fahim: I like the idea. Joe: It's just an idea. Now, okay this is just a theory but I want to hear what you would say and this is really not just for sellers but it's for buyers of Amazon businesses. We're running short on time so I'm gonna just say I'm launching a listing this is all theory quote unquote for air quotes for those not watching, it's going out next week, the brand has been around for about three years growing quite rapidly, there's 12 skews and 60 variations doing about 1.3 million dollars in revenue in the trailing 12 months and there is a design patent on the product as well; Seller Central only. I'm going to come to you or I'm going to try to figure out Vendor Central myself. It's in a category of well I can't really say what it's in but it's not in a massive category with tons and tons competition. It's just something that you'd look at me if we were having a beer right now you'd say, Joe, you're nuts not to look at Vendor Central. Fahim: Potentially I think you could I mean within your interest to evaluate it. So maybe you're nuts if you're not thinking about it and evaluate it. Not necessarily that it's the right decision but you need to start doing your homework to figure out if it is. And the interesting thing is it may not be right now, it may be next year or maybe six months from now. But I think if you'd simply wrote it off and say it's too complicated I don't want to do it then I'll tell you're nuts. If you said I looked at it here's the pros here's the cons, ultimately Seller Central makes a lot more sense then I think you're doing exactly what you should do. Joe: What's the first step in evaluating it? Fahim: Getting the invite. So Vendor Express used to exist and fortunately that platform is retiring in this month. It was the idea that you can sign up…anybody can sign up to be a vendor on Amazon through this Vendor Express platform and you get a lot of the same tools, not everything, but a lot of the same tools with Vendor Central. Vendor Central is an invite only platform so you need to get invite from somebody at Amazon. Whether that's your category manager or there's a selection team or somebody who lives within that retail team. So it's tough to get a lot of information until you actually get that invite because when it comes down to look to your total margin, and what is this going to look like, what's your payment terms, you don't get that information until you get the invite. So I'll tell you the first step is starting to figure out who your Vendor Manager is and starting to have some conversation. Before that I think you could probably do some level of research and see other brands in your category; how many of them are vendors, how many of them are sellers. If you are continuously being ranked in the top 20 but never in the top 10 for your category look at…you should be looking at who those top 20 are on a regular basis, what are the brands, what are the skews, what are they doing that you're not doing. And if you find that 80% of them seem to be vendors and they have access to much better A+ content than you have and videos and they're all over holiday gift guides and you see them all over Today's Deal page, and they're getting Deals of the Day, and they're on Amazon Prime or Fresh and what not then I'd certainly be keeping that at mind. If you look at the list and say nobody's doing any of that everybody has the same tools as me, maybe you come out and say I'm not getting hurt or maybe you'd say there is an opportunity just for the go. So I get…prior to getting the invite and having a conversation certainly wanting to understand what you're dynamics are. I've seen categories like luxury beauty for example, where the vast majority of brands [inaudible 0:36:40.0] are vendors. And again it's because of a variety of different tools that they have access to that are not on the Sellers Central side. So in that category if you're a brand that wanted to do north of a million or two million dollars a year I would probably very heavily consider Vendor Central and start looking into the process of figuring out who the buyer is and what can I offer and how do I get a hold of them and what would this look like for example. So I think unfortunately there's not a whole lot of prep and information out there on exactly what your margins and your…would be ahead of time and some of those other details and how much inventory they're going to order or anything like that until you actually get the invite so just the first process is research, second process is find out who the Vendor Manager is, where you could get an invite off. Joe: Yeah if you can find out who your Vendor Manager is through LinkedIn or however you might be able to strike up communications and get that invite if need be. This may be a simple question but how do I look at Amazon and find a competitor and tell if they're Seller Central or Vendor Central, is there an obvious way? Fahim: So if you're going through a listing and you look under the price there's three different options that you'll see one of them for ships from and sold by Amazon.com, one of them will say sold by ABC and fulfilled by Amazon.com, and the third one will say ships from and sold by ABC.com. Joe: Gotcha. Fahim: The third one which says ships from and sold is a seller who is also doing their own fulfillment, most cases are not Prime eligible unless they're [inaudible 0:38:09.8] prime. The second option when it says sold by ABC.com and fulfilled by Amazon means they're a seller that's [inaudible 0:38:17.7]. And the first one that says ships from and sold by Amazon.com means that Amazon is buying that. In most cases that means that brand has a Vendor Central account but again there could be a case where the brand actually doesn't sell to Amazon but a distributor does. But either way that is what they would call retail or Vendor Inventory is a ships from and sold by Amazon.com. And a final tidbit is there's been a lot of research done that shows that it differs by category but customers have more [inaudible 0:38:49.4] when it that ships from and sold by Amazon.com and conversion could be significantly higher even than an FBA listing. Certainly, both a retail and FBA listing would have higher conversion than something that's not Prime eligible than something that's not SFP but in some categories I've heard the conversion could be 30-50% higher, all else equal for something that's been shipped from and sold by Amazon.com. Not all customers understand the difference but people are becoming a little more savvy and if you're on the fence and you say I've never heard of this brand but if Amazon is buying it it's a little bit easier. But [inaudible 0:39:23.7] work a little bit easier because the brand doesn't even need to get involved. I can just reach out to Amazon Customer Service, sometimes that's the difference [inaudible 0:39:30.9] when somebody is making a difference. Joe: I hadn't even thought of that conversion rate on things 30, 40% percent maybe that's just even if you divide by four and you get a 10% bump. That's a pretty big bump for a lot of people that are listening today. Well, listen Fahim you've been great, we're running out of time I know you're gonna put together a cheat sheet for negotiating with the Vendor Central, maybe you can throw in some links there for any place that people can learn about Vendor Central. You'll share some details about eShopportunity as well and how do people find you if they are listening to this now and are driving down the street and they don't want to go to the notes. How do they find you right now? Fahim: Probably the easiest way is going on eShopportunity.com and there's a contact us form. I also do go to a bunch of conferences so oftentimes I meet and talk to brands there. I'll be at IRCE, I'm the Chairman of the Amazon conference for this year so I'll be around all day so if anybody would love to have a conversation in person that's certainly possible as well. Joe: Fantastic. Man, you've been great I appreciate it. You've cleared up a lot of things I think a lot of people are gonna ask a lot more questions and hopefully look at Vendor Central more realistically both sellers of businesses and those that are investing in them to help take it to the next level. Appreciate your time, thank you so much. Fahim: Absolutely. Thanks, Joe, wonderful time. Thank you. Joe: Talk to you soon. Thanks for listening to another episode of the Quiet Light Podcast for more resources from this episode head over to quietlightbrokerage.com. If you're enjoying the show please leave a rating and review in iTunes, this helps share the messages from the show with more business owners like you.

ViewSonic PJD5255 DLP Projector Review We typically have some sort of backyard or outdoor theater discussion every summer when the weather is nice and we'd all like to take our movie watching to the great outdoors.  We'll probably do a more in-depth feature on the topic later in the summer, but as luck would have it, we found ourselves as the proud owners of a new ViewSonic PJD5255 DLP Projector ($339), a perfect backyard theater projector.  But it's good for much more than just outside, so you can even use it during the cold or rainy season. The ViewSonic PJD5255 is a DLP projector with a built-in speaker, making it a great all-in-one portable movie theater, just add content.  We ended up with this particular ViewSonic model for a couple reasons. First was that we needed it fast for an emergency presentation and it was available from Amazon Prime Now, second was that it's a great price. ViewSonic has other models that are less expensive, or more expensive and more full featured, so we encourage you to do some research to find the right model that fits your needs. Features SuperColor technology delivers superior, richer colors; Up to 3200 ANSI lumen brightness and 15,000:1 contrast ratio for clear viewing even in brighter settings Native XGA 1024 x 768 resolution Integrated HDMI input and 3D Blu-ray ready; Choice of 5 view settings for a variety of usage scenarios Extensive connectivity including HDMI, 2 x VGA, Composite Video, S-Video, 1 x VGA output and Audio in/out Enhanced sound with enlarged speaker chamber and a powerful amplifier Intuitive interface includes tactile keypad, top lamp door, and optional cable management system Industry-leading warranty: 3-years limited on parts and labor, 1 year on lamp, and free 1st year Express Exchange Setup The ViewSonic PJD5255 really is plug and play, we had it up and running and showing videos in under 5 minutes  It doesn't have any lens shift capabilities, so the projector really wants to be centered with your screen for the best overall experience.  It has keystone adjustment buttons right on the top of the projector, so you don't have to hunt through menus to make your image square on-screen, assuming the projector is a bit above or below the center of the screen.  Zoom and focus are manual adjustments as well. The whole prep time for first use was very simple. We didn't need the manual nor the remote. Didn't even use any of the menus. Performance One of the first things you notice with the PJD5255 is that it is quite bright.  The specs boast a 3200 lumen output and it doesn't disappoint.  We used it on several different screens and even projected right onto a white wall and every time had a nice, vivid movie experience.  The brightness does feel like it comes at a cost though, the color representation feels a little washed out.  It's a DLP projector, and DLP has its drawbacks, but we weren't overly distracted by any of them. The only area that disappointed us was resolution. Admittedly we knew going into it that we bought the projector on the cheap and it was only XGA (1024x768) native, so we shouldn't have been expecting too much, but after getting used to the native 1080p projectors we both use, the inferior resolution was quite obvious. For a quick and easy projector, it absolutely fit the bill.  If you plan to use it to play back DVDs or streamed content, you should be fine. If you want it for HDTV, you may want to pay a bit more to get a native 1080p resolution projector. On the audio side the 5255 is designed with ViewSonic's proprietary SonicExpert technology that incorporates an enlarged speaker chamber and a more powerful amplifier to deliver a full 20Hz – 20Khz sound range. The integrated speaker isn't any worse than other projectors we've tried with built-in speakers - it's better than a few of them, but not by much.  The built-in audio will work in a pinch, but unless it's totally quiet, you'll want some speakers with more power and volume to really delight an audience.  We ended up hooking up come Creative speakers and sub to juice the volume level a bit. Conclusion This ViewSonic model reviews incredibly well at Amazon.  It has a four and a half star rating across 367 customer reviews. For applications like we'll be using it for, it was a toss-up on choosing a DLP model or a 3LCD model. The Amazon reviews pushed us over the edge and we decided to bite the bullet on the PJD5255. We don't have the others to compare with, but we're satisfied with the ViewSonic PJD5255 for sure. It isn't meant to be installed as the centerpiece of your home theater, but if you want a projector you can store in the closet for a quick backyard movie, or a garage movie, or a bedroom movie for a sleepover, it's worth taking a look at.

Tivo Bolt Review Cord cutting is all the rage, but for many of us, it simply isn't an option. There's way too many members of the household that can't do without TV, you're too far from the transmitters to get over-the-air TV, or the shows you really want to watch aren't available from streaming, or you really like watching live events you can't get over-the-air. Whatever that case, cutting the cord is a non-starter. Slimming the cord, however, could totally work. And the Tivo Bolt (buy now) might be the perfect device to do it. Bolt Features From the Tivo website: “The TiVo BOLT is the shortest distance between you and your entertainment, because it combines all your options into a single box. No more switching devices, toggling inputs or juggling remotes. Whether it's from TV, available on-demand libraries or streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HULU, YouTube or Pandora, TiVo BOLT delivers it all in an instant. OneSearch™ scours multiple platforms like TV and Netflix simultaneously, so your search experience is always fast, simple and seamless. No more drilling down into each app and doing multiple hunt-and-seek searches. Find shows and movies by title, actor, director or keyword—and start watching in seconds. OnePass™ tracks down every available season and episode of a show—whether it's on television or a streaming app—and creates a customizable watchlist for you. Start with the pilot episode or jump in anywhere mid-season. OnePass automatically records upcoming episodes and adds them to your list. TiVo BOLT is 33% smaller than any other product in its category, but it packs a mightier punch. With 3x the speed of our previous box and up to 3x the memory, TiVo BOLT satisfies your entertainment appetite… and your need for speed. All that power is packed into a slender, elegant package that runs your entire entertainment center. Oh, and that distinctive, arched design isn't just for looks, it serves as a clever cooling system. No more waiting for commercial breaks to be over. With a single press of a button, you can continue watching your recorded show. SkipMode works with the top 20 channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, AMC Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, TBS, FX, TLC, History Channel, TNT, The CW, Food Network, USA, Bravo, ABC Family, Syfy, Lifetime and HGTV. QuickMode lets you zip through your recorded shows—and shows with a buffer—30% faster than normal speed with pitch-corrected audio. You zoom along and nobody sounds like a caffeinated chipmunk. It's the ideal way to power through slow-moving news shows, sports and long-winded political debates. TiVo BOLT can handle the biggest entertainment jones. It records up to four shows at once and provides up to 1 TB of recording capacity—enough for roughly 150 hours of HD programming. Need even more? Add an external hard drive or a TiVo-ready NetGear ReadyNAS. And if you've got a new 4K Ultra HD TV, then get excited, because TiVo BOLT is 4K-compatible right out of the box.” The Bolt can be purchased in three different options. The 500 GB model goes for $199, The 1 TB model is $299, and the 2 TB option is $499. The big knock on Tivo as a cord cutting device is that it isn't free. There is a monthly or annual subscription fee associated with each DVR. There is a new Tivo Roamio OTA that doesn't have the subscription fee, but it only supports Antenna tuners, not CableCard.  The Bolt includes the first year of service for free, but after the first year, the cost goes to $150 per year or $15 per month if you pay monthly. Not great, but honestly, not that bad.  Cox charges $28.49 per month for a DVR, so the Bolt is less than half the annual cost of a Cable DVR, at least in our area. Installation The saga of getting our Bolt up and running wasn't really anything to do with the Tivo device itself, but it was quite an ordeal, so we'll tell you everything we went through so you have an understanding for what you may be in for if you decide to go the Tivo route. Since we both are (or were) Satellite TV customers, one of us had to get Cable activated to do the review. So Braden stopped by a local Cox Solution Store, activated a basic Cable package for about $40 per month, added a CableCard for an additional $2 per month and left the store quite satisfied. The whole process took about 15 minutes. What is supposed to happen is you get home, plug the CableCard into the Tivo, connect the Bolt to Coax for Cable service and you're all set. If only that was the case. First thing that happens is you call the Cable provider to pair the CableCard with your account and activate it. This was easy, but it didn't work. The tuning adapter Cox provided couldn't lock on, so the Bolt couldn't pick up any channels. The phone representative suggested a visit from a technician, so we got that scheduled. The technician arrived the following day and found the signal to the Bolt was both weak and dirty. He did some rewiring, added a signal booster and retested the line. All looked good, everything was green and should have been the perfect situation to get the Bolt working. The tuning adapter did lock on, but the Bolt was permanently stuck at 89% on the process of getting Cable channels. A quick call to HQ to un-pair and re-pair the CableCard got us past that. We could then get guide, but no video. Everything should have been working, but we just couldn't get it there. The Cox technician admitted he wasn't a Tivo expert, but said there were others who were. He would leave for the day and get us connected with a different tech that could hopefully make everything work. That other techs came two days later and found that it was a PEBKAC issue, Mea Culpa firmly on Braden's shoulders. The first time walking through the guided setup he either chose Antenna as the tuner option, or it was selected for him since the CableCard wasn't installed at the time. In any event, the Bolt didn't set itself to Cable mode when the CableCard was inserted, it stayed on Antenna mode. Trying to tune the Cable signal as if is was an Antenna of course didn't work. Re-running guided setup and selecting Cable got everything working. With guide, picture and sound. Well, sound was temporary. Not even ten minutes had passed after the second technician had left the house and sound stopped working on the Tivo. No audio whatsoever. No sound from TV programs, no sound from streaming apps, not sound effects from the Tivo. We rebooted the Tivo, unplugged the HDMI, tried a different HDMI input on the TV, nothing worked. Google to the rescue. We found others complaining of the same issue and it seems Tivo isn't a huge fan of some TV brands, and we just so happened to be installing ours connected to one of those brands (Sharp). To fix it you have to physically remove power to the TV. When you plug it back in, sound is restored. About 4 days, three Cable technicians, several calls to tech support and a ridiculous number of Google searches later, the Tivo Bolt was finally installed, working and ready for business. Use The first thing you notice about using the Bolt is that it is fast. Super fast. UI doesn't lag. Searches are crazy fast, and everything just feels like it happens when you want it to. Most DVRs, even the Hopper from Dish, have areas of the UI that lag. Searches, for example, tend to be a real chore in a lot of interfaces, but not for the Bolt. And it isn't just a guide search, or a search of your recordings, it's a search of the guide, you recordings and all the various video streaming services you have enabled. All of it in one spot. The search functionality is awesome. Which leads us to the integration of channel content and streamed content. This functionality, like the OnePass recordings, or the unified search, is amazing.  At Braden's house there were a few episodes of a couple shows that he wasn't able to record while he was getting the install issues worked out. OnePass to the rescue. He set a OnePass for those shows and it instantly populated all the episodes available, and listed where each one could be streamed from.  For those available on Hulu, you can get them for free.  If they aren't up there anymore, you can usually find them at Amazon or Vudu for a small per-episode charge.  And for the really old ones, at Netflix or Amazon Prime for free. This unified approach to content is pretty awesome. No more searching through all your video apps to see who has which show. No more wondering if you can get it for free over here or if you'll have to pay for it over there.  The only weirdness comes in when you set a OnePass for a show like Saturday Night Live, a show with over 40 seasons.  You have to adjust the filters to scope it down to just what you've recorded if you don't want to have to navigate through 40 seasons worth of episodes to find the one you just recorded a couple days ago. It's two quick button presses, but a bit strange getting used to. Anytime you switch from one user interface that you're comfortable with to a new one, there's a bit of a learning curve to get used to it. The Tivo interface is no different, but it is quite intuitive. Everyone in the family picked it up pretty quickly and Braden's wife even commented on how much better she thought the experience was than their prior DVR.  Sure the guide works a little different, the searches are a bit different, setting recordings is a bit different, but it all makes sense once you get used to it. And what they say is true, Tivo does have the best DVR interface out there. Different, but different in a good way. The Bolt also lets you stream recorded content to your phone or tablet if you're on the same network.  You can watch TV from the treadmill, or turn it on from the kitchen, without the need for another box or device. Yes, the Hopper can do that too, but not all DVRs can. And you can control the DVR: set recordings, etc. from anywhere in the world. If you're outside the home and want to watch some of the content, your app will tell you what services it is available on for streaming, so you can still watch the shows - or most of them at least - you just aren't watching the copy you have recorded on your DVR. There are a couple nits about the Bolt, though. Parental controls on the Bolt are a bit weak. It feels like they threw something in to say they had it, not really designing the feature to match what parents would want to do. If you have a lot of kids all accessing the same DVR for content, it would be nice to have a bit more granularity on what you can do.  And a lot of the menus don't wrap around. So if you're on the top option and want to get to the bottom, you have to scroll through all the options to get there, you can't just click the up button once. Same if you're at the bottom and want to get to the top. If you try to do it, the Bolt makes an error sound. Admittedly not a huge deal, but strange. Accessories The Tivo Mini ($137) unlocks a world of whole house video options.  You simply buy the mini and add a video zone. It doesn't require an additional subscription, just buy the box and away you go. It can be installed using wired Ethernet or MoCA. So if you have a coax cable but no ethernet, you're still good. If you have neither, you're stuck. It cannot be installed via WiFi. That's a huge bummer for those who like the wireless options from Dish or AT&T. But we were able to get one working using a pair of 500MB Powerline Ethernet adapters without issue. We still can't tell the difference between the direct wired Mini and the powerline wired Mini. So we found a way to get TV to a location without wired Ethernet or Coax for an additional $35. Most cable and satellite companies charge a monthly fee for the extender boxes. Dish calls them Joeys. They can run from $8 to $12 per month. With the Mini there is no additional monthly cost at all.  Using $10 per month as an average, you break even on the Mini after about 14 months. Keep in mind that the Bolt only has four tuners, so you have an upper bound on the number of Minis you can functionally add. Supposedly you can get two Bolts working at the same time to get 8 tuners in the home, but right now they manage recordings totally independently. Internet rumors claim Tivo is working on a unified view for multiple Bolts, but we don't have any information to corroborate that claim. Our local Amazon Prime Now fulfillment house happens to stock both the Tivo Mini and powerline ethernet adapters.  We were able to add a new video zone in less than three hours from “can we watch TV here?” to “we're watching TV here!” No installer required. No phone calls to tech support. It was pretty cool. Tivo Stream ($130) gives you worldwide access to your Bolt recordings and tuners. Let's be honest, this is a Tivo version of the Slingbox.  If you have one, you really don't need the other. But if you don't have a Slingbox and want to watch TV from outside the home, Tivo Stream gets you that.  There are some limitations, though. According to a Q&A at Amazon, “ it allows out of home streaming, but only if the content provider allows it. The major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox), Viacom (Comedy Central, MTV), and Discovery (TLC, Science) all BLOCK streaming, so the TiVo stream does not stream or allow the transfer of shows to another device.” Conclusion Conclusion: Tivo is pretty freaking great. For those who want to cut and or slim the cord, it is a tremendous option - and you aren't giving up anything in usability or user experience. There is a fairly decent upfront cost to acquire the gear, but in the long you you save a lot of money on your monthly service bills. It's probably a year or so to break even, but after that, it's all gravy. Image all the home theater gear you could buy with that extra money!