Let me say a few quick words about Ray, the Puerto Rican barber here in Statesboro. I always like speaking to him. I’m also really busy a lot of the times, so one time I said “Ray, when’re you gonna give me a haircut? How early can you do it?” And this man literally cut my hair at like 6 in the morning. There’s no reason he had to do that. He owed me nothing. But to me, that is something so rare and valuable. When someone shows me that they grind for their values and work, I respect it a lot, and I strive to be respected for it too.

I sometimes get asked if putting in 110% all the time gets stressful or exhausting. I think perspective and state of mind is huge in preventing that. Self-confidence leads to better results which leads to more self-confidence. People talk about burnout, but I don’t believe in burnout. It’s a crazy fast-paced way to live that requires sacrifice, but so rewarding.

Back to the grind!

If you know me, you’ve probably heard me talk about Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s a social media expert and life coach kind of guy who, to me, shows a lot of real authenticity that I haven’t been able to find with other entrepreneurs out there. He on top of what he talks about, very knowledgeable about the things he wants to say. On top of that, he’s totally honest and will admit when he doesn’t know something. He’s able to really communicate the essence of who he is and has so much good stuff to say about how to find success in anything.

Check him out.

A recent addition to our menu is Vybes, a beverage with CBD oil that is great for its health benefits. Stress relief, clearing out the mind a little bit, stuff like that without any of the drug-like effects of THC.

Decisions like this always come with a cost-benefit analysis — there is stigma around CBD oil since it comes from hemp, and we don’t want to be labelled as a place where like “oh, that’s where the stoners go to eat,” but we also want to be cutting edge and push the boundaries to attract everyone we can. As far as I know, we’re the first in Statesboro to offer this drink, and I’m all about taking chances on things that could get really big.

Try a Vybes at Soyumi and let me know what you think!

Mother grew up poor and she was bullied as a child, but the story I wanted to share was what happened when she got old enough to work. It’s extremely important to me because it taught me what is possible as far as achieving dreams. She started working at piano bars — she was interested in that kind of career. but she didn’t have a ton of money to start with. My mom practiced, and the way she practiced was crazy. She took newspapers and would draw piano keys onto the newspaper. Then she’d utilize that piano to practice the songs that were popular. I get chills and emotional when I think about it. I cannot imagine the grit and determination that it took.

My mom has taught me so much, but that story in of itself gives me so much inspiration and determination that I utilize in my day to day work. If I’m faced with problems, I just think back to the challenges my mom faced. She became the highest paid pianist in the piano bar within a year or two. That, to me, is extremely inspirational and a story I’ll carry with me my entire life.

We have been bringing metropolitan style events to town that this area doesn’t usually see much of. When we introduced our liquid nitrogen ice cream, we had the opportunity to partner up with the Girl Scouts in an event that allowed visitors to mix their cookies with our new product. Things like this and our beer tap takeovers are an effort to bring new culture to the city.

Restaurants are a dying breed: if you look at the Statesboro market, you’ll see a majority of them are these big chains. It’s because chains have a lot of built-in advantages: Brand recognition, structures that have already been set up, and all you have to do is open a book and read A-B-C to get them up and running. But what I’m really gearing towards with Soyumi is a more special, unique market. I think people appreciate what we’re doing for Statesboro and we’ll continue to aim to be a must-visit local hot spot.