Women Hustle: Emily Huynh from Emily Kim Photography

 

 

International Women's Day is around the corner. Even though we are women-owned small boutique beauty brand, We really think that, doing business is not enough. We need to celebrate feminism and her hustle. That's why we are bringing boss series with one our favorite bosslady - Emily Huynh! She has courage to leave her full-time job and dive into her passion! We asked few questions to her and here are her answers! 

 

• ps. we decided to have her as our first guest because this is her special month! She is getting married this month and what other way to give her gift than this! 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and what inspired you to start your brand?

I'm Emily, and I am a brand photographer for women-owned solopreneurs and small businesses. I started my brand photography business because I love being able to help other entrepreneurs do what they love.

I find brand photography to be a unique way to help other business owners on the marketing side of things because it's so personal. I get to know the person behind the brand, and I also get to support them by creating imagery that they can use to grow their own business.

As a founder, what does your typical day look like?

For me, no day looks the same. On photoshoot days, I take slow mornings to center myself before the photoshoot. On non-photohsoot days, I take time in the morning to answer emails and get CEO work done before jumping into any meetings with clients or social media.

When you thought about this brand, what was your first “Aha moment”?

My first "aha moment" was right after I delivered a gallery to a client. They responded saying that they had no idea that they could look like that in photos, and also that they had so much more confidence to show up as the face of their business. That's when I knew that the work I was doing is so important!

Taking photos isn't just for the sake of Instagram or social media - it can be a very transformative experience.

What does success mean to you?

To me, success means making the space in my life to do the things I love. Before I was a full-time brand photographer, I was a software engineer in tech. I decided to leave my corporate career because I didn't want to be tied to my computer or desk 24/7.

Now that I create my own schedule, I make time for things that serve me - cooking, spending time with my dog and my fiance, spending time outdoors, and on personal hobbies. Having time to do all these things is what success means to me!

How did You handle adversity and doubt? Specially when you started this brand

I deal with self doubt on a daily basis. The inner mindset work is just as important as learning any trade skill. I started to realize that I needed to work on myself in this way as I was reading the book, The Artist's Way, which encourages you to journal every morning. The author calls them morning pages. I'm a very logical, analytical person, so when the book said I should journal every day, I thought it was silly.

Now that I've actually done it, it's so clear to me that journaling is a tool for your mindset, just like my camera is a tool for taking photos. It's helped me work past self doubt and comparison, for sure!

What were 3 things you wished someone had told you about being an entrepreneur?

1. I wish somebody told me that working on your mindset and yourself is just as important as learning about how to run a business. No matter how business savvy or successful you are, self doubt and comparison syndrome always seem to creep up. Learning how to deal with these as a business owner is SO important!

2. Somebody already told me when I was getting into business, but I wish they had put more emphasis on the fact that your income isn't constant like it is if you have a corporate job. I knew that would happen, but I wasn't prepared for dealing with the stress that comes with that.

3. It's okay to say no! As an entrepreneur, it's easy to say yes to everything. I love meeting all kinds of people, going to events, and networking. I used to say yes to everything, and as a result, I wouldn't have time to grow my own business or for my own self care.

Since we are beauty brand, our readers will be interested to know, what's your morning & night time skincare rituals?

Ha, I am definitely not a good role model in the skincare department! In the morning, I wash my face, apply a water-based moisturizer, and follow up with sunscreen. In the evening, I'll wash my face, apply exfoliant, and follow up with the same water-based moisturizer.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I see myself working with entrepreneurs all over the country (and maybe the world)!

One golden nuggest from you, what's one piece of advise you give who wants to start its own entrepreneurial journey?

My biggest piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to just start. If you wait until you're "ready," that day won't come. You don't have to figure it out all at once, you just have to consistently take tiny steps to get where you want to go.

Name 2 skincare/personal care products which you can live without!! (your go-to products for selfcare)

My go-to products are Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant and Necessaire Body Lotion!