Unstoppable New Yorkers: How These Entrepreneurs Mastered Uncertainty to Scale | Entrepreneurship | Apple Panel

Starting a business in New York City means relentless hustle, fierce competition, and zero margin for error. Jamila and Ali Wright, Adriana Carrig, Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, and Becky Lin knew this well and were ready to put in the work. But when the pandemic hit and the world shut down, they had to pivot to scale. In this episode, hosted by Hala Taha at the iconic Apple Soho Store as part of a Today at Apple talk celebrating small business, these founders share how they leveraged digital tools, storytelling, and community-building to transform their local startups into thriving businesses. In this episode, Hala and the Panelists will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (07:04) The Spark Behind Their Business Journey (11:56) How New York City Shaped Their Business Growth (19:29) The Impact of COVID-19 on Their Business Model (27:02) The Power of Storytelling in Entrepreneurship (30:11) Strategies for Building Engaged Online Communities (35:41) Leveraging Apple Products for Business Success (40:58) Personal Habits and Key Entrepreneurship Lessons Resources Mentioned: Hala’s Podcast, Young and Profiting: bit.ly/_YAP-apple Hala’s Agency, YAP Media: yapmedia.com Little Words Project by Adriana Carrig: littlewordsproject.com Chillhouse by Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton: chillhouse.com Brooklyn Tea by Jamila and Ali Wright: brooklyntea.com Lin and Daughters by Becky Lin: linanddaughters.com Sponsored By: Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting. Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first 6 months at OpenPhone.com/profiting. Airbnb - Find a co-host at airbnb.com/host Mercury - Streamline your banking and finances in one place. Learn more at ⁠mercury.com/profiting⁠ Policy Geniuses - Secure your family’s future with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/profiting Framer - Launch your site for free at Framer.com, and use code PROFITING Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals Key YAP Links Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/ Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Passive Income, Online Business, Solopreneur, Networking

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Hala Taha?

  I had the honor of hosting a live panel at the iconic Apple Store in Soho with five inspiring entrepreneurs. These founders opened up about what it takes to build something meaningful, profitable, and in the heart of New York City.

• 0:13Speaker 01

  Be ready when something big happens. Focus on excellence, ignore success.

• 0:18Speaker 02

  We are constantly failing. Being humble allows us to have humor about it so we don't take it too serious and end up in a depressive hole.

• 0:26Speaker 03

  When it comes to entrepreneurship, I think it's important to surround yourself with the right people.

• 0:31Speaker 04

  I think showing people the ups and the downs and behind the scenes and pulling back the curtain, nothing makes you feel more connected to someone than when you know their story.

• 0:40Speaker 05

  Romanticize the shitty part of entrepreneurship because...

• 0:58Hala Taha?

  Yeah, fam. What if the most amazing business you'll ever build starts with your very own story? I had the honor of hosting a live panel at the iconic Apple Store in Soho with five inspiring entrepreneurs who turned personal experiences into thriving, purpose-driven brands. Now, when Apple reached out to me, I was thrilled. I've been podcasting and on Apple for over seven years now, and Apple never reached out to me before. So catching their eye really meant a lot to me, and I was so pumped to host their small business event at this iconic store. From family dumpling recipes and tea rituals rooted in heritage, to bracelets that spread kindness and wellness spaces inspired by childhood memories,

• 1:39Hala Taha?

  these founders opened up about what it takes to build something meaningful, profitable, and in the heart of New York City. We talked about how these entrepreneurs overcame fear, pivoted through the pandemic, built authentic communities, and also how they leveraged Apple technology to run faster, smarter, and more creatively. If you've ever questioned your path or whether your story matters, this conversation will reignite your belief in what's possible. Also, make sure you hit that follow button if you're a new listener of the show. We love welcoming new members to the Yap community. Now, here's my conversation with the incredible panel at the Apple Soho Store.

• 2:15Speaker 06

  All right. Good evening, everyone. We're about to get started. How's everyone doing this evening? All right, that was better. Thank you all for being here. We really appreciate it. Welcome to Apple Soho. My name is Holden. I'm part of the team that helps to bring these great events to stores across the globe. So glad that you're here celebrating small businesses. How's that? Give a round of applause for those businesses, okay? This evening is a celebration of New York's finest businesses. And I'm pleased to introduce the Market Director of your local Apple retail stores, Paul Felcher. Give a big round of applause for Paul, everyone.

• 2:55Speaker 07

  Hi, everyone. As Holden mentioned, my name is Paul Felcher, and I'm the Market Director for Apple Retail, based here in New York City. Thank you all so much for coming out today as we celebrate National Small Business Month. And more importantly, you, the innovators, the risk takers, and the backbone in our communities. We're so happy to see you here today. At Apple, we believe that our best work is when we have the best tools. And so whether you're building your first website, opening a new storefront, or managing a growing team, we know that small businesses are driven by big dreams. And we're proud to stand beside you with products, tools, and support

• 3:39Speaker 07

  that are simple to use and manage and designed to help you thrive. That commitment starts right here in your local Apple Store, where our business teams are dedicated to helping you grow, plan, and problem solve with personalized solutions. Whether you're looking for the perfect Mac to help you power your productivity or advice on managing a fleet of devices with Apple Business Essentials, we're here to listen and to support. And it all starts with the products you know and love, with tools like MacBook Air, featuring Apple Silicon. Giving you all-day battery life, powerful performance, and seamless continuity with your iPhone and iPad.

• 4:23Speaker 07

  Your ideas are never out of reach, no matter where you are. We've introduced services tailored for small businesses like Tap to Pay on iPhone, so business can accept cashless, contactless payments on the spot without extra hardware, and Apple Business Connect, which helps you reach over a billion Apple users through Apple Maps and everyday applications. These services are designed to make running a business more seamless, secure, and connected. So, thanks so much for being here. We're really inspired by what you do, and we can't wait to see what you build next. So with that being said, I'm really excited to introduce Hala Taha.

• 5:05Speaker 07

  Hala is the host of our Young and Profiting podcast and the founder of Yap Media Network, a podcast and marketing agency. Her show has achieved more than 30 million downloads and reached number one on the entrepreneurship chart on Apple Podcasts. And Hala has interviewed the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Deepak Chopra, Mel Robbins, and many more. And so, we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Hala to Apple Soho to lead tonight's conversation with four local small business founders. So, please join me in welcoming Hala and our incredible panelists. Thank you.

• 5:50Hala Taha?

  Welcome, everybody, to the iconic Apple Store in Soho. And tonight, we're celebrating the innovative spirit of New York City. We're highlighting four dynamic small business owners. And we're really excited for this conversation because they all have the entrepreneurial grit that makes this city so special. Our panelists tonight represent a blend of passion, resilience, and creativity. And each of their journeys reflects not only their personal stories, but also how their businesses are rooted in the vibrant culture of New York City. So with that, let's give a round of applause for our panelists as I call them out. Jamila Ali Wright.

• 6:40Hala Taha?

  Cindy Ramirez Fulton, who is the founder and CEO of Chill House.

• 6:47Hala Taha?

  Becky Lynn, who is the chef and founder of Lennon Daughters.

• 6:54Hala Taha?

  Adriana Carrig, who is the founder and CEO of The Little World Project.

• 7:04Hala Taha?

  Okay. To kick us off, let's learn a little bit more about your companies. Every company starts with a spark. So I'm curious to understand, what was the spark behind your business? What was the initial idea that led you? Oh, my God, I need to turn this idea into a business. Let's start with Jimmy and Ali from Brooklyn Tea.

• 7:26Speaker 01

  Yes, so we're Brooklyn Tea. It all started with my childhood. My family's West Indian, and tea's a really big part of our culture. We drink tea in the morning, tea at night, tea if you have a sprained ankle. Tea's just always the answer. Also, everyone in my family had to have a job. At my job, from three years old, I went to college, was to bring my mom tea to her bedside every morning. Years later, I meet this beautiful young lady, and a lot of our dating was around tea. We go tea hopping instead of bar hopping. I make her pots of tea with a little cinnamon sticks at the bottom.

• 7:58Hala Taha?

  Super romantic.

• 8:00Speaker 01

  And we kind of had different passions. So she loved the cultural side of tea. I loved the nerdy side of tea. So we brought those together to build Brooklyn Tea.

• 8:10Hala Taha?

  Awesome. Cindy?

• 8:12Speaker 05

  Chill House, for those who you don't know, started off as a spa and like a cafe spa hybrid concept in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 2017. And that was really because my husband and I were, you know, as downtown New Yorkers do, just caught ourselves in this vicious cycle of always going to brunch and drinking on a Saturday afternoon. Instead, we wanted to have a nice little spa day. We're like, the two options felt very... Far apart from each other on one end, it was like luxury experience, like very expensive. You felt really guilty after getting that $300 massage. And on the other end, it was very potentially seedy environment. You don't know what their business practices are in basements, those kind of establishments.

• 8:57Speaker 05

  And so there was something missing in the middle. And we realized there was a huge void in self-care at that time. But it wasn't until a little later on and like a reflection moment for me, where I realized that actually this was very much what I was always destined to do, was start Chill House because my mother is an esthetician. And I had a spot basically growing up where I very much the entire time was like asking her to do nail services or hey, can you play music? She didn't have any music playing in her spot ever. So I think I basically just sought out to fix what I always wanted for my mom to have. And that's how Chill House came to be and I'll show the rest later.

• 9:42Hala Taha?

  Thanks, Cindy. Let's go to Adriana.

• 9:45Speaker 04

  I started Little Words Project in my parents' basement in 2013, as all great businesses begin in a basement somewhere. I had created it because I had wanted to bring some kindness to the world. I had grown up dealing with negativity and bullying from a very young age. And the bracelets are all about inspiring kindness. Through the words on our wrists, we can empower ourselves, show ourselves kindness and self-love. And then by one day, paying that kindness forward, passing it on to someone who needs it more, show them that simple act of kindness. And the best part is that each one has a code on the back of the tag. And that code is unique to that bracelet, which makes it one of one. And so when you do eventually pay it forward,

• 10:27Speaker 04

  you can connect it to our website and actually track where the bracelet goes and how your single act of kindness can affect people down the line, which makes it one of a kind as a business concept, but also something so sweet and personal. And really, having had that experience growing up is the spark that led me to want to create an entire business out of it and later a broader, bigger, brighter community that we now have.

• 10:54Hala Taha?

  Becky, why don't you tell us what your company is and what inspired you to start it?

• 10:59Speaker 03

  I have a restaurant in the West Village called Lynn & Daughters. And we sell comfort food like Chinese dumplings, noodles, and scallion pancakes.

• 11:10Speaker 04

  And it's all incredible. She brought some today.

• 11:12Hala Taha?

  So good.

• 11:13Speaker 03

  Thank you, thank you. The spark was lit when I was working at my parents' restaurant. As a kid, I remember on weekends, after we closed the restaurant, we would make dumplings from scratch. And I remember thinking, I really love this feeling of us standing around the tables, making dumplings as a family. It was about the togetherness and sharing stories, laughing late into the night. And as a kid, I remember thinking to myself, maybe one day I could do this, selling these pockets of happiness to people and make other people happy and make myself happy.

• 11:57Hala Taha?

  So one thing that all these entrepreneurs have in common is that they have local roots to New York. Cindy, Chill House started as a unique concept blending spa and cafe. And you first opened your spa in the Lower East Side. How did you know that it would resonate with New Yorkers?

• 12:16Speaker 05

  Well, I mean, I definitely built it for myself, so I knew I had one customer. But really, it was the origin story, which I kind of shared already, was a big reason why. I just felt like the audience that I was surrounded by really was yearning something new and innovative in wellness. Specifically, as a minority myself, I didn't feel represented in this world, in this category. And we really sought out to change that. And we felt like LES was the perfect location for us, given our price point. We were very modestly priced at under $100 for every service at the time. Inflation has changed that, of course, and COVID, thank you. We just knew it was just going to resonate deeply. And we ended up launching our flagship location in 2019.

• 13:02Speaker 05

  Covid happened and we'll get into that part of the story as well. So have since let the LES location go, but that really was such a grassroots story for us. We had incredible brand partnerships that put us on the map such as Nike, H and M, major, major, major brands that have really made us go beyond just being a small business to really seeing ourselves represented as a big brand.

• 13:28Hala Taha?

  Love that. Becky, I know that you chose the West Village for Lennon Daughters. Can you talk to us about why you chose the West Village and how New York City shows up in your dishes?

• 13:39Speaker 03

  My husband and I met in the West Village and it's always been our favorite neighborhood in the city. After we moved away for a few years, we dream of coming back. And when we finally did, we were like, wouldn't it be nice to open a restaurant where our kids go to school and that they can stop by anytime and have mommy's food? So that was really why. We just want to be close to home and I didn't want to miss out on the day to day of their life. And the spirit of New York City show up in my food in a couple of ways. I think New York has a very resilient and very adventurous spirit.

• 14:23Speaker 03

  And the resilient side came from my family recipes. My parents both came from very poor background. My dad tasted his first banana when he was 13 and has his first pair of new shoes at the same age. My mom's side, she basically was brought up on watery country and was told as a kid that she couldn't use spoons to pick up peas from the bowls because that would allow her too many at the same time. So she could only use chopsticks for that, one piece at a time. So.

• 15:03Speaker 03

  The fact that they were able to use the most basic ingredients to create the most comforting and magical dishes just go to show their resilience. And the adventurous side of the city show up mostly, I think, in the dishes that I created, which is based on a lot on my own dining experiences here in New York City. So some of my dishes has ingredients like butter and cheese, which is not very authentic to the Chinese cuisine, but yet people loved it. And that just go to show the open-mindedness and the adventurous side of people here. Anywhere else, it would be like, why?

• 15:48Speaker 03

  And here, people are like, why not?

• 15:50Hala Taha?

  Yeah, New Yorkers are pretty open-minded. Okay, let's move on to Jamila and Ali. So I know that Brooklyn Tea has become sort of a community hub in Bed-Stuy. So can you talk to us about how you were able to ensure that it would become such a hub and an integral part of the Bed-Stuy community?

• 16:10Speaker 02

  In many ways, what came to be wasn't necessarily known, but it was planned for. I come from a background of being an elementary school teacher. So I taught first, second, third, and fourth, and I was the dean of culture for four years. And so the parts of education that brought me so much joy and passion was the culture piece. It was knowing that community isn't by happenstance. It's by the little acts of kindness. It's about rule creation. It's about making people feel seen and dignified and heard.

• 16:49Speaker 02

  It's about creating an understanding of what joy feels like for people and replicating that. So I knew when we came to the store, I had to bring the parts of me in the education field to that for two reasons. One, it gave me a sense of self and purpose, but also I knew that a company that was going to take off needed a strong culture. The other parts of it was... Trying to fill the void for myself and others that you can feel in New York is that loneliness, right? It's a transient city and so you can be next to a neighbor for five years and not know their name.

• 17:32Speaker 02

  And so I knew when I went into this venture with my husband to build Brooklyn Tea that we wanted people who were feeling lonely at any moment in time could feel like they had a second living room, could feel like they had a home. And so you'll see people sitting on the floor when there's no seats, right? Reading the book. You'll see people coming in and say, hey, thank you for that advice and I broke up with that boyfriend and hey, how is Sophia? How was her recital? We have these relationships that are far more deep and more important than just a cup of tea.

• 18:06Hala Taha?

  Love that story. Adriana, I know that you started your business online as a DTC business and then you opened your first flagship store on Bleecker Street, which must have been such a big thing for you personally and professionally. So tell us about that.

• 18:23Speaker 04

  For anyone, opening their first retail store is going to be the biggest moment probably of their career. And for me, it certainly was no different. I think the only thing that I never probably would have expected is that it would be on one of the most iconic streets in New York City. As I said, I started it in my basement and my father said the funniest thing when we launched at Bleecker was, well, from the basement to Bleecker. And that's become my mantra over the last four years we've been in retail has been, well, from the basement to Bleecker. And I've been pinching myself ever since that I have a store here. So as someone who is a little bit of a bridge and tunnel gal myself, being from Jersey, as you all call us, it certainly was a pinch me moment and remains to be to this day.

• 19:07Speaker 04

  And I think just the color and vibrancy that exists on Bleecker specifically is such a testament to New York, but also showed us that because it worked here, literally, thank you Frank, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. And that's really what it felt like and why it's led us to opening 14 additional stores ever since. So it's definitely been, the proof is in the pudding here.

• 19:30Hala Taha?

  So a lot of you guys here are entrepreneurs. As you guys know, I'm an entrepreneur as well. When it comes to being a good entrepreneur, you got to know when to pivot. You got to know when to change your business model. And a lot of the panelists here did that during COVID. So how many people changed their business model during COVID? Raise your hand. How many people have just pivoted their business at some point in general? I like to see it. So I also pivoted my business model. I actually started my business in COVID. During the pandemic, everybody wanted to get online. I was a LinkedIn influencer. I had a top podcast and I was like, okay, I'll start a podcast and LinkedIn agency and help these entrepreneurs grow their personal brands.

• 20:13Hala Taha?

  And we took off right away because everybody was looking for that opportunity. So every step back, you can definitely find an opportunity if you're a creative entrepreneur. So let's talk about everybody's pivot. I know that Chill House and Brooklyn Tea, you guys made really big pivots during COVID and your businesses took off probably more than you could ever imagine with that change in business model. So I'd love to hear about it. Let's start with Jamila and Ali from Brooklyn Tea.

• 20:39Speaker 01

  So one of our pivots led to another pivot. Before COVID, we were really focused on the store, the tea room, the community. But after everything shut down, we realized that we had been neglecting social media and the internet in general. So we really focused on like making these fun videos about these herbs that we've been selling forever, but no one's really buying. So we made these like really cool, really stupid videos about each herb and like ones that are good for your respiratory system and things that people were thinking about as they were trying to find more agency over their health during COVID. Well, it worked. We made an immunity box and it sold like crazy. So it went from like two orders a month, one being for my mom, to like a hundred a day, which led to the second pivot.

• 21:24Speaker 01

  We turned our basement, which was basically an employee lounge and like a very.

• 21:30Hala Taha?

  I'm a stay lounge.

• 21:32Speaker 01

  Section. Yeah, so we turned, we turned it into a mini factory. So we made it so people could be spaced out, but also fulfill these orders at scale. And that really taught us, one was the power of social media and, you know, our website, but other lesson was to be ready when something big happens. So you can fulfill that success.

• 21:55Speaker 05

  And Cindy, how did you change your business model during COVID? I mentioned in 2019, we opened up our Soho flagship, which still is up till this day. We're going to go through some renovations in August. So definitely come visit us in September and now, of course, too. But we had amazing traction with that location and things were great. Sales were up over our projections and everything felt great. And of course, COVID happens. It's March 2024, four months into opening up what was our dream location, had to close down our doors, of course. And at the time, we still had the LES location and we had pivoted that to be face and body. We had a grand plan. We're going to scale that, have the flagship, do all these crazy things in brick and mortar.

• 22:37Speaker 05

  And then, of course, you know, the universe told us that that was not going to be the game plan anymore. So the good takeaway about COVID at the time for entrepreneurs is that it offered us time, time to think, reflect, really just get creative and figure out what makes the most sense moving forward and be introspective and just, I don't know, survival mode, right? Just the full survival mode. But what did come out of that was our hero product, Chill Tips, which you guys will check out after this panel. They're over there in the back and you get to take one home today. These are press-ons. And at the time, you know, it was still kind of very new in the press-on game and it was very right product market fit, you know, right opportunity, right time. People were doing

• 23:18Speaker 05

  their nails at home. And so we just took off ever since. And within like a year and a half, I'd say our tip sales alone outpaced our store revenue, which was very telling. And then, of course, you have to make decisions on that, just ride the wave, do what works. And yeah, we've just grown. We've doubled our revenue year over year since making that big decision. But, you know, our flagship is still, it's home base, it's our community hub, it's where innovation gets. Created and it's still a very important core part of our business as a New York small business. So we love to keep that alive and well and obviously are going to invest in it as well.

• 23:59Hala Taha?

  Yeah, what an incredible turnaround story both of you guys had. Adriana, I know that you first started as a DTC business in 2013. So you were way ahead of the curve in terms of having an online business. So when COVID hit, did you feel more prepared? And how did you approach it?

• 24:15Speaker 04

  We were lucky to have such a robust community built by the point of COVID that I was actually able to tap my community as we continue to do every time we hit a roadblock and need support. My first line of defense is to go to the people that helped me build this thing from the ground up, such that I will literally say, hey, you all, we're struggling. We need you to place some orders now. So I don't have to furlough my team or close our doors or any of the above. And they really responded well to that and continue to do so. So yeah, that April of 2020, you know, crazy enough to say was our best month

• 24:54Speaker 04

  lifetime to date as a result of one Instagram post that said, please buy. And that is where the benefit of D to C came into play. And then on the flip side, I was one of the few crazy people opening up retail when everyone else was getting out of it. In 2021 is when we opened our first brick and mortar. Granted, it was towards the end of the year and things were starting to settle. But that move was only made possible because of the incredible pricing that we were able to snag on Bleecker Street in Manhattan as our first store. Yes, selling only exclusively word bracelets at the time. Now you'll experience, if you do make your way over there at some point, it's a full bead bar. You can make your own bracelet.

• 25:37Speaker 04

  It's a beautiful experience. It's definitely our new copy paste formula for what makes these stores great is that bead bar. But when we first opened, it wasn't even there. So that just goes to show how lucky, frankly, we were to be able to snag that location and create what I call lightning in a bottle, which is what happened in that first store.

• 25:56Hala Taha?

  Becky, I know that you had a totally different career during the pandemic and you started actually selling meals online, which gave you a little bit of pulse of the community and what they were looking for in terms of their meals and their dishes. So what did you learn from that experience selling your meals online about the community before you actually launched your restaurant?

• 26:18Speaker 03

  I learned the importance of intention and personalization. I sold my food through a site called SHEF. They have helped me tremendously. In fact, my favorite customer is over there. So I remember Chef would give us postcards to put in each order for our customers. And I would spend hours each morning writing notes for them. And part of it is because I didn't want to just be like, "Thank you, goodbye," generic notes. I wanted to be very personalized and special for them. It goes to show not only your effort in the note, but the effort you put into the food.

• 27:03Speaker 03

  And I get a lot of notes back as well from them, which is a sign that I was doing something right there. But the most important lesson, which is less direct, is through my chef customer who's sitting there today and his partner couldn't come. Hi, Jeff. So we became friends after we moved few blocks away from them. And we were having lunch one day and I was telling them my story of growing up as a restaurant kid and how I didn't know my dad growing up because he left when I was five to work here to support our family. I'm from China originally.

• 27:47Speaker 03

  My dad left when I was five by himself. And I remember Michael looked at me and said, "You have an amazing story. You should share this like a human of New York style post." I remember the exact word. I learned that the importance of storytelling and how that built connection with your customers. I think someone coming from a very reserved Background and conservative culture. Storytelling can come off as braggy and self-absorbed. But I've learned from then on that it's a great way to let people into your world and build long-term relationship.

• 28:32Hala Taha?

  When people feel like they know you, they're trusting of you and they'll buy from you. Okay, let's move on to communities. So Jamila and Ali, I know that you have a really unique business model where you blend in online with a physical space. So talk to me about how you make that work.

• 28:50Speaker 01

  Well, I'm online. She's the physical space. So we try to really replicate what we do in-store, online. We've tried many things. We kind of throw everything at the wall to see what sticks on the digital side. And we just really found that doing the same things we really do in person, online, is really the way to go.

• 29:12Speaker 02

  We really bring or try to bring people virtually into the customer in-person experience. And so we're having a busy day at the store, they're with us having a busy day at the store. If someone came into the store and they just had a fabulous time and they were talking to us about that moment, we're like, you mind if we record this and like let people know? We're talking about the troubles that we had, like if the store was flooded from a rain that just happened, like people walking through all of our glory and all of the gory with us. And just simply how to make a tea, they're experiencing that with us when we're doing it behind the bar. And it's pretty raw and it's pretty uncut.

• 29:57Speaker 02

  And so it doesn't feel scripted to them and they feel like they're having a piece of that shop experience with them. And so that's been the way that we try to connect the two worlds, is bringing them into the physical space as much as possible.

• 30:11Hala Taha?

  How many folks out here are working on building their online communities? Raise your hand. How many of you feel like you need some better strategies when it comes to growing an audience online?

• 30:24Hala Taha?

  Okay, well, you're gonna want to listen up because Cindy and Adriana have built massive communities online. So my next question is for you guys. What are some of your top strategies for building a tribe online? Let's go to Cindy, then Adriana.

• 30:37Speaker 05

  I've always been super New York grassroots, like, physical store, build a community there. But, you know, obviously, since we expanded into product where a lot of people may not know the origin story, they grabbed Chill House off of the pegs at Target, and then they interact with the product, and that may be the end of it, right? So you do have to get really creative in bringing people into your world. There are some strategies around product. I don't know how many of you have product businesses, but certainly, maybe throw a QR code on there and then bring people to your website, even though you have to be careful with your retailers and making sure that people still shop that retailer. You do want people to ultimately know who you are and how you started, and bring them into the flywheel.

• 31:21Speaker 05

  So there's definitely a lot of strategy there. One of the biggest tools for us, as far as community building goes, has been this really great platform called TYB, which allows us to build cohorts of communities. So we have our New Year cohort, we have content creators that we can kind of manage on there, and then we also have just regular, like, brand loyalists or just fans of the brand that are excited to earn rewards in exchange for doing us some favors, like boosting our content, or all these little fun little tricks that a lot of marketers do nowadays. So I'd say that's been one of the things that have really helped us engage in a real way where people are incentivized. But the biggest thing for me

• 32:04Speaker 05

  has always been the store, and being able to meet people in person and bringing people into the very, very early stages now of creating new products, which we recently just did for our latest launch for Everware, which is our long wear nail polish, gel-like replacement nail polish. Check it out. But we actually had our customers come and test it before we even went to market with it. And that's just something we're really excited to do, just bringing people in very early into the process, having them be cheerleaders for that product because they got to experience it first. And I think there's such a beautiful thing about having that physical space that we are so lucky to all have here on this stage. And it's not going to be for everyone,

• 32:48Speaker 05

  but to me, it's what makes Chill House special.

• 32:51Speaker 04

  Honestly, I would echo what Jamila and Ali said. I think showing people the ups and the downs and behind the scenes and pulling back the curtain, nothing makes you feel more connected to someone than when you know their story and know what they're going through. And I'm often candid to a fault, to the point where I have had advisors and my investor and people who maybe are smarter than I am, maybe, tell me that I need to like do less or not say so much or just chill in general. I obviously need to go to Chill House. But, you know, I still keep it real. I try to keep it as real as possible. And I do often ask my community to show up for us. And whether that be through product testing or one other really cool thing that we do quickly is when you do connect your bracelet using that code

• 33:36Speaker 04

  to our website, you gain access to our private Facebook group. It's called Nice Nation. It's where our community members are going on. They're sharing their stack of the day. They're sharing what word got them through something recently. They're just sharing what's going on in their lives. And it's this really beautiful space for connection. And it's the first place I go when I need to temperature check my community. It's the first place I go when I want to share a surprise and delight little piece of news with them. And they always celebrate and celebrate us hard there. So I think it's really, it's showcasing what you do best and what you do poorly and being okay with whatever people think of

• 34:16Speaker 04

  you and welcoming them in. And that authenticity, I think, really keeps people connected. And genuinely, I believe it's the reason that I do have the fleet of stores that I have. And the product that we have has everything to do with the fact that the customer bought in early on this little friendship bracelet that could, right? It's not like I reinvented a wheel or anything like that. I genuinely just commodified something that we've all been making for years. And as a result, a community was born.

• 34:45Speaker 05

  When it comes to content creation, because I know things are always shifting and like it feels like you just have to document your entire life. I think when it comes to entrepreneurship, let go of feeling cringey. Yeah. Because I feel like long gone are the days of like trying to be cool or play it cool or act like you have it all together. I think the more open you are about really needing your community to show up. You're eight-figure business plus and you're still asking your community to show up for you. I'm about to post something tonight, I'm not gonna lie. You know, when you can kind of be like, I'm chilling, you know, in like my eight figures. No, we're still building and we still need our community to show up for every milestone. We have target end caps, we just reset with foreverwear in them and we're gonna do this whole thing where we're like, you guys have to show up.

• 35:29Speaker 05

  Cause if you don't, then we're not gonna have our polish in line in the aisles next year. And so it is very much about asking people to show up for you so you can keep doing your job.

• 35:42Hala Taha?

  As entrepreneurs, we also need tools and technology to run our business, of course. So next I want to hear how we use Apple products and services in our business. So why don't we start with Brooklyn Tea?

• 35:55Speaker 01

  So we still do a lot of events and festivals and Tap to Pay has been a game changer for us. We used to have like this separate card scanner. We'd always forget it, we forget to charge it. It was a nightmare and we've done it multiple times.

• 36:10Hala Taha?

  Yeah.

• 36:10Speaker 01

  So with Tap to Pay, it connects to our Clover device, which is our POS system. So we just really just flip the phone over, they can use their card or their phone to pay. People are always really impressed, they think it's magic. And it also just shows up with the rest of our POS system. So it just looks like another employee. Instead of having like some money over here and some money over there, we can see what we made for the whole day, both at the festival and in the store in one place. And it's super simple.

• 36:39Speaker 02

  It's also made us feel like more businesslike people when we're both very type B. So I'm like, who's the responsible person here? So having iPads, so you can have your opening checklist and your closing checklist and your inventory list and everything to make your staff feel like you're the responsible person in the room and that you have a grip on your business when you're, eh, not sure if you do. But that iPad makes them feel real confident that we're on to something and I just love that for us.

• 37:15Speaker 03

  Cindy?

• 37:16Speaker 05

  That's so true. My god, it was the first thing we did when we opened up the flagship was come into Apple and buy like eight iPads so that everyone had one in their room and they can look at their bookings and then, yeah, and of course, they still use it to this day, but it really does elevate a business, right? Obviously, the technology is top notch and then the sleek look and feel of all of the products just make the physical aspect of your business just that much better. So we all, Apple fans at Chill House and everything from a desktop to iPads to Apple Pay was a huge game changer for us. I think we all, our purses are a little lighter these days, which is really nice. So, love Apple.

• 37:56Speaker 03

  Becky? Apple has helped us in many ways. We actually had a squirrel chew through our files cable outside and we lost connections on our POS for a few days. My husband, who works in tech, introduced me to Tap to Pay and we were able to continue to accept payments during that time. And then we also switched our landline phone to iPhone because our landline phone doesn't show how much battery there was and we would incorrectly dock it and then the battery would die and then we would have no phone orders for a whole day and we were like, why are we so slow with the phone orders today?

• 38:40Speaker 03

  And then by the time we discovered that, it was too late. So we switched to iPhone now to take orders and we can always tell how much battery there is. So that's been really helpful. The other thing is we are in the process of opening a second location and Apple Map helped us understand where our customers were coming from. We didn't want the two locations to be too close to each other. So the data helped us make that decision. Adriana?

• 39:11Speaker 04

  I love Apple. I love everything about Apple. I think it's the coolest, prettiest, best brand ever. I really do. I think Steve Jobs is a genius and I will be so bold as to say that I started this business because of Steve. I don't call him that, obviously, but I refer to Steve Jobs often in my day to day as his quote that you cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to keep going and trust that the dots will connect in the future. My team is laughing at me because it is truly what has kept me going on this journey. It's what inspired me to put one foot in front of the next in the very beginning. And it does come from this legacy that was built here and that every

• 39:54Speaker 04

  single Apple store continues to replicate, no matter where you go. I mean, it's such the inspiration for, you know, that feeling you get when you walk into an Apple store. That's as a retailer, what I want people to feel when they walk into a Little Words store. And it's not necessarily the same feeling, but what I mean is the consistency and that brand consistency that really you feel when you look or open an Apple box. I mean, there's every single touch point is perfection. And so while I don't deign to be perfect by any means, I do really respect that. And it's what has guided and informed many of the ways that I have run my business and inspired my team to interact with one another. And I am just, I'm Apple till I die. My husband's PC, I'm not gonna

• 40:39Speaker 04

  lie. Finance bros tend to be, right? They hate Excel and Apple, but I don't know what they're talking about because I love it. And my whole team does too. And so without going through the list of actual tech that I use, you can imagine if Apple makes it, we have it at Little Words Project and we use the crap out of it.

• 40:57Hala Taha?

  So we're gonna have one more question here. And it's a two-part question. We're gonna go down the line. Let's start with Brooklyn T. I want to know, what is your ritual for grounding yourself? As well as, how would you distill one entrepreneurial lesson or your core entrepreneurial lesson to the group?

• 41:17Speaker 01

  Our ritual is every morning, we go over our calendar. And it seems really simple. But if you don't, then you'll have a 10 a.m. call that you forgot about. And it'll be really important and people will be mad at you. And you'll be like, I thought about this last night, but not this morning. So we really like open our iPhones and we just go like hour by hour and just make sure we're not going to like drop the ball on anything. I'm gonna do part two because it's one of my favorite quotes. It was from Deepak Chopra, who you've interviewed.

• 41:45Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 41:46Speaker 01

  And it's, um, focus on excellence, ignore success. We really try to instill that in everything we do. And we try to, even if it doesn't have an immediate result, try to do things as close to perfect and care about that journey of making it perfect as we can.

• 42:03Speaker 02

  We talked about this in the back room, like, what is that core value that you have? And it's humility. And I said that because we are constantly failing. That journey to success is a joke. That journey to perfection, like, we're always falling flat on our face. I'm like, why can't we just get like a perfect day? And so being humble allows us to have humor about it so we don't take it too serious and end up in a depressive hole. Because been there, done that, we can't do that every day. If we're gonna eventually mess up at something, I can't repeat that feeling every single day. So I have to leave with un-humility because that gives me access to the humor.

• 42:46Speaker 02

  And I tell people all the time when we just crap out on something, I'm like, oh, this is just for the book. I'm not writing a book, not really. But you know, there's these people who have these grand stories and they look back at these failed moments. I'm like, this is for that book that I'm writing. I talk about how I failed at that. So that's what gets us through. It's just laughing off, um, so you don't cry.

• 43:08Hala Taha?

  Cindy, what is your personal habit or ritual to keep your energy and focus? And then how would you distill one lesson from your entrepreneurial journey?

• 43:19Speaker 05

  Obviously chill house. I have to practice what I preach. I try but fail a lot. I'm a mom of two. I'm in the weeds trying to grow this company and failing forward, failing backwards, failing sideways, all the ways. And yeah, I think ultimately I've always been of the mindset that I have to trust the universe, that when something doesn't really stick the landing, that it's for a reason. And I have to look for the signs as to what the reason is. I'm still looking for some things that flopped and understand what the bigger meaning is there, of course. But that's always what I have to keep reminding myself.

• 44:01Speaker 05

  And the only thing that's kind of gotten me through the dark times. And again, going back to another chapter in the book, it really is romanticize the shitty part of entrepreneurship. Because yeah, maybe I might not be writing a book tomorrow, but one day I will. And one day I hope to pass on the shitty lessons I've learned on to someone that's just starting out. And it's important for me to fail in order to teach people at the same time. So teach my kids, teach my employees, hopefully, many of which maybe want to be entrepreneurs someday. So I gotta just keep that in mind. It's always just, it's part of the journey.

• 44:43Hala Taha?

  Becky?

• 44:44Speaker 03

  The ritual is sleep more and drink less for sure. I didn't have that balance in the beginning of my career. I was going to bed late. As a restaurant owner, that's usually the case. I was sleeping in late, so I missed out a lot of mornings with my kids. And I was using wine and alcohol to drown out the stress a lot. And that only made things worse at the end. So I've learned my lesson the hard way. Now I try to get my eight hours every night. If not eight hours, seven hours, I'll take it. But definitely no more than one drink at a time because I know my body is not made for drinking. I have friends who can do. Four or five, no problem.

• 45:29Speaker 03

  Everyone's built differently. I have learned to accept that I'm not made that way. So it's sad, but it's true. And the most important lesson in this journey, yeah, it's full of up and downs. But when it comes to entrepreneurship, I think it's important to surround yourself with the right people. No matter how talented or passionate you are, it comes down to the people you're surrounding yourself with. And on that note, protect your team's energy because I'm sure you've all worked in a toxic environment and it's just not a way to succeed. So slow to hire.

• 46:10Speaker 03

  I've learned to slow down when it comes to hiring and I pick kindness over experience all the time. You can teach somebody how to cook, but you cannot teach them how to be kind. And on that note, too, be kind to yourself. You're gonna make a lot of mistakes on the way, but just remember this is a journey. You're the heart of your business, so take care of yourself. When your mind and body is taken care of, everything else will fall into places much easier.

• 46:40Speaker 04

  Thanks, Becky. Adriana? Yeah, I would piggyback off of Becky on that. You know, we're obviously all about self-love and self-kindness. And when you do show yourself kindness, you can then really show that same kindness to others. Our 2025 word of the year is grace. It quickly became a very bestselling item of ours. And I think it's because everyone is looking for that excuse to let themselves off the hook. And we all need to do that a little bit more. And that is what giving yourself grace is and giving grace to others is, in my opinion, true kindness. And so doing that over and over on your entrepreneurship journey is necessary because it is constant failure. That is just what it is. It's this constant feeling of never being

• 47:23Speaker 04

  Good enough at your job, never knowing what you're doing and entrepreneurship especially. I mean, I was an English major in college. I'd literally avoided math and business like the plague. And now here we are. So no matter what you study, you're still learning your biggest lessons when you're in the middle of the business growth or failure, right? And that both things can be true. And you can also have and run a multi-million dollar brand or business and still feel like the day to day is riddled with failure. And that is something I think all entrepreneurs need to hear and understand because it doesn't mean that you're losing or that you're not going to succeed in the end. It means that as long as you're working along the way to be your best self and put

• 48:05Speaker 04

  your best foot forward and give yourself grace when you fall short, that you will eventually find joy in this journey because at the end, that's really what it's all about.

• 48:15Hala Taha?

  Beautifully said. I'd love to give a round of applause for our panelists.

• 48:27Hala Taha?

  Yeah, fam, what an awesome reminder that the most meaningful businesses aren't built from strategy alone. They're born from lived experience, deep emotion, and a desire to create something that truly matters. In this special panel, we heard from five incredible entrepreneurs who didn't just start businesses. They turned their life stories into something transformational. For example, Becky turned her childhood weekends folding dumplings into a restaurant that feels like home, blending resilience, heritage, and bold creativity. Cindy reimagined self-care through Chill House, creating a wellness space her younger self and her mother always deserved. Jamila and Ali poured their love, culture, and community spirit into Brooklyn Tea,

• 49:09Hala Taha?

  making it a beloved gathering space where people feel seen, heard, and welcomed. And Adriana transformed her pain from being bullied into a brand that spreads kindness, connection, and healing, one bracelet at a time. Each story proved that the path to success is rarely a straight line. It's full of pivots, late nights, false starts, and moments of doubt. But with authenticity, courage, and a willingness to lead with your heart, you can truly build something that matters. So if you're listening right now with a big idea in your heart, or maybe you're in the messy middle of building something, know that your story matters, your voice matters, and the world needs only what you can create. So don't be afraid to start small, to pivot when needed, and to ask your

• 49:52Hala Taha?

  community to show up for you. That's how real movements are built. That's how small businesses become something big. Thanks so much for always tuning in to Young and Profiting Podcast. If you feel inspired by these incredible entrepreneurship stories, please drop us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or wherever you listen to the show. You can also share this episode with somebody who's ready to transform their business. And if you want to connect with me directly, hit me up on Instagram at @yapwithhala or find me on LinkedIn. Just search for my name. It's Halataha. I love to hear from you guys. I love to get your feedback. I love to read your DMs. So make sure you reach out to me. And I also want to give a massive shout out to

• 50:34Hala Taha?

  Maxi, our amazing audio engineer at Yap. Maxi, your work makes this show sound world-class, and we're so grateful for all your magic behind the scenes. This is your host, Halataha, AKA The Podcast Princess, signing off.