Pivoting Points

I am happy to announce that I have just secured myself part-time employment in order to assist in sustaining my business until it is able to sustain itself :). 

I have moved into my apartment for close to four weeks now, and it has been a dream, as I had envisioned it, but it doesn't feel like reality. It doesn't feel like it is real because I feel like I am on borrowed time and money, and rent coming due very much reminds me of why. 

I have been wrought with doubt and insecurities this past month in regards to my fledgling business. Sales have pretty much stalled, and I am kept awoken at night questioning myself why. And the terrible reflections on whether it was the right thing to do to terminate my full-time employment, and moving into a place of my own that I am not able to afford at this time.

For the past few weeks, I did not get out of bed, and I tried to sleep the days away, because I did not want to deal with reality and my presumed failure as an entrepreneur. There were many times during conversations with myself, where I told myself I was too zealot to have done the things I have done in regards to bringing my business to life. 

It has been very frustrating to know that sales have been stagnant, and I do not know why. I had envisioned my business, initially, to be an online operation, with grand ideas of growth and expansion, but as I am reminded, that is not the case. It doesn't help matters that my primary logistics entity, United States Postal Service, have lost many of my orders, and other orders arriving at my customers' doors damaged - I am not here to slander or disparage USPS, I am just merely stating the facts and my experience. And there is really no recourse with them, because if and when you attempt to get into contact with customer service, you will have the most incredible task of trying to speak to a live representative. And when you do, you come back full-circle, left with your problems for you to deal with, because, apparently, its not USPS's fault. 

So moving on, I had to rethink my business plan and figure out ways to make it profitable. And I realized that concentrating on making it an online business was not the right first step. The problem with shipping my kimchi out within the United States is simple, the shipping price alone. For example, my 16oz jar of kimchi retails @ $8.00, but shipping it out costs $7.00, which brings the total to $15.00 when you could have bought the jar locally for only $8.00 - plus the fact that USPS loses my shipments and destroys my jars in transit. The reason why I concentrated my efforts to online operations was because I believed, at the time, that I would be able to reach a wider market, as opposed to marketing it locally. 

Then, I have come to the realization that I need to participate in the local farmers markets in my area in order to bring my business to life. It makes more sense for someone to purchase a jar or two, and not have to pay for shipping. That, I believe, is a much more attractive proposition. But the problem I am encountering now is, all the permits required and applications and registrations. I will have to tackle that beast sooner than later, but I believe I can bring awareness to John's Kimchi that way. And eventually, customers who appreciates my kimchi could very well circle back to my website, and order from there and just pick it up locally :). That is my plan. 

All the while, I have been bleeding money, and it is a very unpleasant feeling. I had hoped that my business would hit the ground running, but, instead, it hit the ground, suffered some injuries, and wobbled in circles. I could not keep bleeding money, and sustain myself and my business, and I was worried I was going to be homeless soon. Such a terrible prospect, considering I just moved into my own place and it has been what I have worked so hard on and so hard for, for the past two and a half years. 

Initially, I did not want to get a part-time job, but that was the contingency plan when I made the decision to terminate my full-time employment, but I very much loved that idea of being my own boss that I cringed at the fact of having go work for someone else again. But, reality knocks on my door, and I realized I have to work a part-time job until I become profitable. At the very least, I will be able to almost cover my new rent increase with my new job. 

The job itself is very ideal. I was not sure what kind of part-time employment I wanted, and I was thinking of trying to find a serving position, but I dreaded that prospect - in my earlier adult years, I was a server, and I did not enjoy it very much. But then, a friend of mine here in Seattle asked me if I was still looking for part-time employment, and I responded yes. So he arranged the terms with his new business partner, and I will be working as a delivery person Monday-Friday, from round 9:30am-12:30pm, which works out great. I still have the rest of the day to work on my business and whatever else life calls. I am very happy to have secured this employment, because it is very good pay for a part-time position. 

Well, this post has dragged on long enough, so until next time. 

Thank you for participating! 

-The Kimchi Whisperer- 

Please, Welcome To My New Apartment

Hello Everyone: 

So I have recently moved into my new place, a one bedroom apartment. It has been a dream of mine to live on my own ever since I stepped foot into Seattle two and a half years ago, and my dream has been realized. I have worked very hard on putting it all together, and I have worked really hard for it. 

I love it because now I have much more space to work from home :). 

Please join me on my tour of my new apartment! 

Part One: 

 

Part Two: 

 

Thank you! 

-The Kimchi Whisperer- 

Fun Ideas To Try With Kimchi :)

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/everything-you-can-do-jar-kimchi

Suffering From Social Anxiety, Such As I do?

If, like many people, you are someone whom suffers from social anxiety (stage fright), you are not alone. But there seems to be good news and a direct correlation in consuming kimchi and other fermented foods for their mental health benefits to reduce your level of stress and anxiety: 

http://www.lifehack.org/377518/eating-kimchi-helps-with-social-anxiety-disorder-science-says

Thank you, Wendy, for informing me of this article that hits very close to home :)! 

I grew up most of my life living with and dealing with social anxiety. I never really knew I had an illness veiled under the description of social anxiety until I started to see mental health professionals when I joined the United States Air Force. Even though I was not clinically diagnosed with the mental condition up until that time, I can feel it gripping my life with its cold, unsympathetic, and unrelenting hands each and everyday of my adult life. 

What does social anxiety feel like, or anxiety in general, for that matter? I am not sure how to accurately describe it, but I will attempt to do so: I am not quite sure if I can pinpoint it, but I was always acutely aware of the sense of dread and despair that assaulted my mind and chest cavity daily. Even if i tried to take deep breaths and envision rainbows, sunshine, butterflies, unicorns and leprechauns, nothing seemed to help, so I resorted to other "over the counter" measures to ease my anxiety and emotional turmoil. Anxiety is such a terrible emotion, and it bombards me daily with no cause or effect - it cripples me when and wherever it wants. 

My social anxiety then crept up to the very forefront of my thoughts and emotions once I was indoctrinated into the career field of air traffic control. It really brought out the worst of what I considered an uncontrollable emotion. Social anxiety to me entails always being uncomfortable in social settings (believing everyone is watching your every move, so its best to do your best to not appear stupid or say something unintelligent). I hated being the center of attention, and I hated all eyes on me, and that was exactly what air traffic control imposed upon me. 

One of the hardest things I've ever worked towards professionally and personally was to become an air traffic controller, and thank goodness, I accomplished that, but I felt so empty and miserable as an air traffic controller. First, it was technical school in the Air Force, and I was more miserable than I could imagine, and I would phone home to my parents and cry, and wonder what I had gotten myself into, but my father advised me to stop crying, and to not let anyone see me cry. So I thought it was just a transitional period because I was a trainee paying my dues through the military ranks. 

I entered my first duty station at Little Rock, Arkansas, and it was a continual year of misery. In order to become fully certified as a journeyman air traffic controller, I had to endure a rigorous year's worth of training to be considered among the elites. Some achieved their ratings much sooner than I did, and I was, without a doubt, considered one of the worst person for the job at the time, but I was not about to give up. I didn't join the Air Force to give up! 

Why was air traffic control such a devastating and indomitable career option for me, when everything else I have put my mind and effort into came with ease? It was the fact that, when plugged into position, I was the center of attention. I have lives in my hands, and every transmission I made was critical, whether I believed it to be or not. My social anxiety had my thoughts and concentrations in all the wrong places, such as, what if I made a stupid transmission? What if my co-workers think I am stupid? What if they are, right now, judging me physically and mentally? All of that detracted from my ability to actually perform my duty, which is to control aircraft. 

I must admit, I have had many nights when I had nightmares about air traffic control, and I would dread the moment I took my first steps from the parking lot towards my way up into the tower. Every step became wrought with increasing dread. Then, one day, I literally broke down in position. I was in local control, controlling airborne aircraft, and there were only three in the local pattern, and when it came time to transfer my control of the position, i had a hard time explaining to my reliever of what the "picture" was, and all I could do was stammer and point, and I was trembling with fear and I was a complete emotional wreck. That was when I decided I have had enough of air traffic control and a life of misery, so I elected to medically disqualify myself from the career field. 

On the latter leg of my Air Force tour, I decided to finally seek help for my mental disorders. I was under the care of a very caring and gentle clinical psychologist. She decided it was best to prescribe me anxiety and anti-depressive medication. I thought to myself, great! But I was very skeptical whether or not the medication would assist in treating my life-long disability. She prescribed me Clonazepam and Fluoxetine (Prozac), and after a week of treatment, my life and my mental health had improved greatly. It was as if I finally found myself the miracle drugs. 

I was warned by many clinicians that the Prozac would diminish my sex drive, and I kind of scoffed it off, but, eventually, it proved to be true. My sex drive was greatly diminished, but I really did not care. I would not give up the prescription medications that have saved my life for most anything. 

I hope that this has proved to be an insightful, personal look into someone suffering from social anxiety, and that, with including kimchi and fermented foods into your daily diet, it could create a synergy effect with your current anxiety treatment to bring you to a higher state of serenity. 

Thank you! 

-The Kimchi Whisperer- 

First Week of Operations

The first week of operations with John's Kimchi has been an interesting ride. I had a friend visit from out of state through most of the first half of my store's opening, so I was not able to devote much time to the business, but her visit was well worth it :). I see a lot of potential in her becoming my executive secretary. 

I grossed $476 my first complete week, which is decent, and I expected it to be slow-going for the first few months as I build awareness for my brand. I will definitely have to gross at least three times that much per week in order to sustain myself and my business, but I am keeping positive, and I believe it is all an eventuality. 

I had originally looked towards selling my kimchi through Amazon.com in order to secure a steady stream of income, but my first signing up with Amazon's professional seller's account was fraught with challenges, and I did not feel comfortable from the beginning, so I decided to cancel my business account in order for me to have time to really do some research on the pros and cons of doing business on Amazon. As I did more research, I started to realize that I would be just another merchant on Amazon, and I would not really be doing much to build John's Kimchi as a brand, because I would not be able to promote my own store through Amazon's listings. That, and Amazon would charge an approximate 15% commission fee off every sale I make on their website. All that knowledge did not sit well with me, so I will not move forward with selling through Amazon. Besides, I want to be able to say I built John's Kimchi with my own bare hands :). 

I believe the next order of business is for me is to look into and participating in as many farmers market within my local community as possible. I believe that will be key to my success as I am scaling my brand. But I also love that my business is an online business, because, eventually, it will have a greater reach than anything I could acheive locally. 

On a positive note, I have had two individuals contact me through my Craigslist ads and have purchased from me. That is very promising to know. I have also had one person purchase from me through my friends on Facebook sharing my opening week's post of John's Kimchi. 

This week has been a busy week for me, and it will continue to be busy. I want to be able to get into the commissary sometime this week to make another 500lbs of kimchi so that I can feel safe and secure about my inventory level, and so that I can focus on other aspects of my business. I still have my MBA coursework to contend with, all throughout, and I have my upcoming move into my very own apartment this Saturday, April 2, 2016, and I will need to take a few days off from work to move in, organize and decorate my new home. 

In any case, John's Kimchi and I really appreciate all the support that we have received so far. It means a lot moving forward. 

Thank you! 

-The Kimchi Whisperer- 

Bandit, the Yorkshire Terrier

Ever since I transplanted myself to Seattle, Washington, almost two and a half years ago, I have always wanted to lease an apartment of my own in order to bring my former Yorkshire Terrier, Bandit, to come live with me. But because of the exorbitant pricing of housing accommodations here in Seattle, that was merely a pipe dream. All the while, my three-and-a-half-year-old Yorkie was staying with my parents in Orlando, Florida. 

I had not seen my baby in over a year and a half before I was able to schedule a flight home to see my parents and my dog after signing on with the Veterans Affairs Health Administration for my government employment.

Last July, I was able to take two weeks off to go home to visit my family and my dog. After quite and an emotional reunion between my dog and I, Bandit passed away unexpectedly after I was able to only spend one whole week with him. I miss him dearly and I continue to miss him dearly. 

Please see pictures of Bandit below: 

Well, now that I have signed a lease to a new, one-bedroom apartment in an area I absolutely love, I have decided that I wanted another Yorkie in my life. 

I have put a deposit down on a gold Yorkie, and his name is Bandit! The breeder was going to keep him because he was the runt of the litter and she felt he was too small to send away to a new home, so she would have to keep him for up to four months in order for him to grow into size. I told her that if that is the case, I would like to put my deposit down on him and to purchase him when she deemed he is ready to come home with me. 

Everyone, meet Bandit! He is the lost one in the center :). 

Midday Excursion

Hello Everyone: 

I decided to take the time out today from working and decided to cook one of my favorite meals, with the assistance of my executive secretary, of course, Pho. 

All the preparation work from the photos that you see below are courtesy of my executive secretary :). She sure did an amazing job! 

Please enjoy!

Thank you!

-The Kimchi Whisperer-  

Basil, mint leaves, mung beans, sereno pepper

Scallions, lime, green onions, cilantro

Medium-cut rice noodles

Bo Vien (beef meatballs)

The beginning of something special

Cooked chuck beef

Oxtail bones

Everything in perspective

The culmination: left bowl is for my executive secretary, and the right is whatever I could fit into the bowl

John's Kimchi: The Question of How - Part One

I am not really sure where to begin to speak to how John's Kimchi even got started. I remember spending a good six hours in the kitchen on the day I decided to make my very first batch of kimchi. I did not expect it to take so long, but I attributed it to the learning curve and having to refer back and forth to the recipe and checking over and over again that I got the numbers right -  I admit I have a pretty bad case of obsessive compulsive disorder, and I am a recovering perfectionist. 

I remember following the recipe as close to the T as I possibly could, so I ended up making a batch worth of twelve pounds of kimchi - that is, with all the ingredients and vegetables combined. I was able to stuff and manhandle that first batch into four 64oz jars with little breathing room. I was quite proud of myself. So I decided to take a photo of my accomplishment and posted it on my Facebook account, but I received very little fanfare for it. I was a little bit dejected, but really nothing new at that point in my life. 

Previous to that account, I had mentioned to my Korean nurse girlfriend that I was going to attempt to make some kimchi......

Okay, lets give a little backstory to my Korean nurse girlfriend. She's not really my girlfriend at all, but she's a nurse at the hospital I work at and she already has a boyfriend. I had seen her around the hospital before and she was always so friendly and always waved and said hi to me, and I thought, what an attractive girl. So one day I was walking into work from the parking lot when I noticed a figure in my peripheral, so I turned to my left and I noticed it was her, and I thought to myself, that's that cute nurse, and then went back along my merry way. 

Then out of nowhere, it seemed, I hear footsteps approaching fast from behind, and I hear a female voice say, "that is a small lunch bag you have, look at mine, it is huge. I have to eat every two hours or I turn into a monster." That female was my Korean nurse girlfriend. So we conversed along our way into work and introduced ourselves and then parted ways. Then for some reason, I told myself, maybe she was just flirting with me. So for the next couple of weeks, whenever I saw her in the hallways, I would always try to accompany her to her destination and chitchat. There came a point when I told myself I should muster up the nerves and ask this girl out. I mean, what did I have to lose but my pride and dignity? 

So she's not normally someone I would risk rejection on - I am 5'5" and she is 5'9", and that was way out of my comfort zone, because I do not date women who are taller than me, but then again, since i happen to be the height of a hobbit, my options are very limited. I was really tentative about whether I should ask her out on a date or not, because I told myself there were three possible outcomes: 1. she has a boyfriend 2. she's not interested 3. she has a boyfriend and she's not interested (sick burn). So I told myself that the next time I saw her, I would put myself on a limb to face rejection. After about two weeks, the day came when I noticed her getting in an elevator at work, so I immediately dropped everything and rushed over as the door was closing fast, and I risked an arm and shoved it in so that the elevator door would open :). So I believe there were two other men riding the elevator up to the first floor, and I knew she had to go to the fifth floor, so I had a small window of opportunity. So I took a deep breath and said to her, "Can I ask you a question? Can I take you out to lunch sometime?" So she didn't say anything for like two seconds then proceeds to let me down gently by saying, "I am sorry, I have a boyfriend." I wanted to crawl into a little corner, assume the fetal position and just cry. But she left the elevator and waved bye to me.

Long story short, I saw her again and she was really friendly and it put me at ease because I didn't want to always see her and feel uncomfortable because she rejected me. We eventually started chatting through a messenger program and became friends. It turns out, we are a lot alike, and I am not sure if two like personalities should be dating. But she is a very unique woman, and she and I get along really well as friends, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for her.

Her name is Melissa J Han, and I spent a lot of time introducing you all to her because she was the person that planted the whole idea of bringing my kimchi to the public. Turns out, she has a lot of very good marketing ideas that I have employed with John's Kimchi up to this point. I take her suggestions and advice very seriously. John's Kimchi was her idea for the name of this business. She tells me that it is a very simple but elegant name and people can readily relate to John. She tells me the John's Kimchi is a representation of my personality, simple and sophisticated. I'll take her word for it. She also came up with the name of what will be my first book, "how kimchi saved my life." I can't thank her enough :)

This is a picture of my Korean nurse girlfriend.

Please tune in for part two of "The Question of How" and how I have come to this juncture, where I am seriously considering leaving my full-time job and pursuing my dreams.

John's Kimchi: The Question of Why

Growing up, I had always loved it whenever my parents brought home Asian pickled vegetables in all its variants. I especially loved the pickled carrots and daikon radishes used in Vietnamese subs, but my favorite of all the pickled products was the traditional (Tong Baechu) kimchi.

I fell in love with kimchi at a very early age, and it was always a treat whenever there were some in the fridge. But I remember one experience that really made me question the proposition of purchasing kimchi from the local markets; one day, as I was minding my own business just trying to exist, I opened up the fridge to see a new, plastic jar of kimchi with all its seals on. I immediately opened it up and tried the content, and in turn, was left very, very disappointed. There was no real taste to the kimchi at all, and I did not recall it having the tanginess, spiciness that I was accustomed to. At one point it was even bitter. So I closed the jar and shoved it back in the fridge, swearing it off for good - at least for a few days. Eventually, I kept coming back and eating pieces here and there and it started tasting better as the days went on. I did not know it at the time, but I had been inadvertently introduced to the process of fermentation. To my defense, the kimchi should not have been sold until it was adequately fermented. 

From that bad experience with kimchi up until recently, I always get excited whenever I go to a restaurant and there was kimchi laying around. I would always order some or grab some if they were available, and for the most part, I would always be, again, left disappointed. I had never, up to this point in my life, purchased kimchi for myself. And it doesn't help that walking into a random Asian market and picking up a container of kimchi is like a shot in the dark - you are never sure of the quality you will receive. And, so, I felt like I needed to remedy that situation. 

A bit of background information on me: I really love to cook and entertain, and I especially enjoy the cooking and preparation process. I would recall spending 2-3 hours in the kitchen at a time, look up at the clock, and wondered where all the time had gone, but it was so much fun! 

The trick to cooking is, I believe, to seek out a recipe for a food you really enjoy and follow it according to the instructions. Once you have tasted the final product and you have approved, you may then proceed on to the next occasion adjusting the recipe more to your taste - how food tastes to each individual is subjective, and here, you have the liberty of catering it to your very own tastes. 

So one day, as I was lounging around at home, I came up with the idea of making some kimchi of my own; something I could make with consistent taste that would never leave me wondering. I googled kimchi recipes until I settled on one that I felt would taste good to me. I proceeded to make my first batch and everything went well. I was unsure of how long I needed to ferment the kimchi for, so I would keep tasting it every day until I felt the taste was right. I concluded on letting the kimchi ferment in a cool area outside of the fridge for at least two weeks before it reaches close to its peak in taste. I have since adjusted the recipe to accommodate my taste and it has not disappointed me yet. 

That is the reason "why" behind John's Kimchi.