We’ve Got Vybes at Soyumi
Hope everyone’s having a phenomenal morning!
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!
Interviewing
I talk a lot about how much my teams support me. Part of finding the right people comes from my interview process. There are countless ways to conduct an interview, but here is a look into my approach:
When I first sit down with someone, I always ask them to tell me a little about themselves. I want to figure out how self-reflective this person is. There are certain signs I’m looking for. A lot of the times they’ll start squirming. If they jump towards work or their personal life, I go with that and try to dig deeper and figure out what’s important to them.
After that’s done, I’ll talk a little about their work history including their strengths and weaknesses. Everybody likes to talk about their strengths, but the answer I’m more interested in is what they say about their weakness. An honest response that shows self awareness is good and can help me figure out how this person operates and what matters to them.
I wrap up by asking about the person’s dreams for the future. If they aren’t sure, I want to help them figure it out so that I can best work with them while pushing them in that direction. I want to find people that are driven and have loyalty and something that they want to be a part of. Talking about the person as a person and not as a list of achievements on a resume is more meaningful for both of us. Continuing to nurture the team and working relationships matters too.
A Story of Hard Work
My mom grew up in Taiwan without a lot of money. My grandfather, the breadwinner of the family, passed away in a fishing accident when she was still an infant. In Taiwan, growing up without a father figure was extremely difficult. My grandma had to become the breadwinner and take care of the kids at the same time.
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.
The Power of Social Media
Social media is underestimated in the grand scheme of things. A lot of businesses will maybe slap up a Facebook page that nobody ever sees or maybe not even have a social media presence at all. In the modern world, that’s just a waste.
First off is the advertisement opportunities it provides. You want to be where people’s eyes are, and social media is used more than ever. But it also lets you provide better customer service and connect to people in a way that isn’t possible with traditional advertising. We get messages with people asking questions and providing feedback all the time. If we’re being honest, nobody wants to pick up a phone and call for that kind of thing. Having a good team to work on our online presence really helps us connect to the community in a lot of ways.
Here’s a rap video we did for Soyumi that got a lot of attention and is the sort of fun thing we try to do to stand out. Shout-outs to Ross Barnett for doing amazing video work and editing for us:
Welcome to Soyumi.Credits: The Man, The Myth, The Server: Ian HeidlerAsian Rapper: Adam TsangMusic video produced by TwoFlyGuys MediaBreak Dancer: Devon AllStyle ThompsonSound Engineer: https://soundcloud.com/merceechops/
Posted by Soyumi Asian Kitchen on Tuesday, August 14, 2018
If you’re looking for help with media content creation, you can check us out at https://www.twoflyguysmedia.com.
Making Soyumi Stand out From the Rest
There’s a ton of competition for Asian cuisine. And for whatever reason — maybe it’s a cultural thing — they love trying to offer the best deal through whatever means possible, which can decrease the quality of the products that are put out. I personally hate competing on price, and aim to make Soyumi more of an experience and community presence than just a place to get good food. It’s about so much more than trying to make a profit, but about having a positive impact for everyone involved.
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.
Bringing out the Best in a Team
Let me talk a little bit about my management style as a boss.
What is more important to me than maybe anything is pushing my employees towards their passions and to see them grow. I want working for me to be more than a 9-5 experience that is done for the money. As I get to know people better, I try to identify the areas they excel it in and try to help them figure out ways they can challenge themselves to improve. Empowerment is important.
Two Fly Guys, a company I co-founded, was born out of the Saucy Shrimp. Ross Barnett was one of my hosts at the time, but he had interest in video work. I said, “hey, why don’t you take this project on?” We worked together and found out that there was something there. We started making videos under the Two Fly Guys brand. And now I have this company with Ross so that whatever my next business is, I have a way to advertise it.
Taking an interest in your employees’ potential and dreams is more important than micromanagement and can lead to more and better opportunities for everyone.
Use What You Know
A lot of people probably think that I went to school for business. It was actually computer science. How is that applicable to what I’m doing now with my restaurants and other projects? It’s actually very relevant.
When a point of sale comes in with website stuff and other technical projects, I speak their language. I’m able to handle certain enquiries without having to waste time getting a middle man involved. But the true benefit of my degree is really more of the flow of logic. In CS, you are responsible for taking this kind of raw energy and then using planning and critical thinking to mold it into the shape you need to perform a task. I view business in much the same way. And it helps because I really believe in thinking ideas through and digging deep into them — having an execution plan, an endgame and stuff like that. Getting excited about vague or half-baked ideas is fine, but you need to be able to look at the whole picture and envision the way the entire thing will flow.
A college degree should be more than a piece of paper you use to get jobs. Find a way to use it in your every day life.
Life Reflections of Adam Tsang
Hey guys and gals! Who am I and how did I get where I am? Allow me to answer!
The current chapter of my life began when I moved back to Statesboro to run a restaurant called the Saucy Shrimp. I made the decision to return to Statesboro because it was time to be back with my family and Statesboro seemed like an interesting place to invest my business and entrepreneurial ideas into. I was able to take the Saucy Shrimp from a not-very-strong concept to what it is today, probably one of the top 5 restaurants in Statesboro. People from up to 2 hours away come to dine with us, and I’m extremely grateful that that is the case. I’ve been over that operation for a period of time, but left a team I’m extremely impressed with to help keep it going day-to-day. About a year and a half ago, the opportunity game to open Soyumi Asian Kitchen.
After a somewhat rocky start in 2017, we’ve got great momentum these days — doing things for the Statesboro market that a lot of people woudn’t think we’d be able to do. A lot of what I’ve been doing is trying to bring metropolitan style events into the smaller market of Statesboro. For instance, we just did a joint event with Papa Bucks which is a huge smoke house out in Metter (check them out!) and held Statesboro’s largest-ever Super Smash Bros. tournament. We’re starting to see people come to Soyomi to celebrate their engagements, anniversaries, bridal showers, all sorts of things. I think it’s really cool that I can bring them here both from within and out of town.
I’m really proud of the teams I’ve been able to put together in my projects so far and grateful for the community response to my efforts. I’m as busy as I’ve ever been. The last several years have been formative and encouraging, and I hope to continue the trend and soar to even greater heights!
Peace!
